Salomon is arguably the most famous of all ski brands. If you’ve never heard of them, that’s probably because you haven’t been skiing for very long. What is arguably more surprising is that Salomon still produces skis, ski boots, and poles in-house, and they still specialize in making extremely high-performance skis and other equipment for serious ski enthusiasts. Needless to say, a lot of people still love their skis and want to keep them looking new. That’s where the DIY (do it yourself) skill set comes in.
What are Salomon Ski Bindings?
It’s not often that you’ll come across something that isn’t made by Salomon, so their ski bindings might not be familiar to you. To keep things simple, we’ll call these mountain bike bindings as they appear on mountain bikes. The main difference between mountain bike and ski bindings is that the latter is designed to be worn on the foot when skiing or snowboarding. The former is usually attached to the thigh with a clamp, and it prevents the leg from bending at the knee while biking. In case you’re wondering, the thigh-attached mountain bike bindings are also called ski boots.
Doing away with these bindings is quite easy, as long as you have the correct tools for the job. You’ll need a pair of bolt cutters, an adjustable wrench, and some strong arms. Before you start cutting, make sure that you’ve removed all fixed fasteners from the ski equipment, as they’ll be much more likely to come undone after you cut them. Once you’ve cut the bolts, you can detach the entire apparatus from the foot or ski boot, as the case may be.
Table of Contents
Remove Pole And Ski Boot
The first thing you’ll want to do is remove the ski pole. To do this, simply unbuckle the strap that connects the pole to the ski boot, then slide the pole off your foot (or shoulder if you’re skiing solo). You might also need to adjust the fitting on the ski boot to make it fit snugly around the foot.
Once the ski boot is off, you can easily remove the entire pole assembly. Just slide the insert—the metal part that’s attached to the shaft—off the tube, then slip the whole thing off your foot or arm. Remember: no damage!
Depending on how long you’ve had the poles and what size you are, you might need to cut them to length before you can remove them. For example, if you’re a smaller person and the poles are too long, you’ll have trouble getting them in and out of the ski boots.
Once you’ve removed the pole, you’ll need to remove the ski boot. This will require some effort as it’s usually fixed to the thigh with a set of bolts. You can do this by prying the ski boot away from the leg with a thin metal tool or by simply pulling it off. Just work at it until it comes free of the thigh.
Remove Foot
Your final step before hitting the slopes is to remove the foot from the ski boots. This will require a bit of effort as the lace that stretches around the top of the foot needs to be untied and then pulled off, usually while standing in front of a mirror so you can see what you’re doing. Once this is done, you’re ready to hit the slopes or the trails with ease.
Once you’ve removed the foot from the boot, you can easily remove the rest of the bindings. Remember: no damage!
This might not be the most comfortable process, but it’s a one-stop-shop for getting rid of old, worn-out, or broken ski equipment. The fact that it’s so easy to do means that anyone can follow these simple steps. So, if you’re a ski enthusiast that’s looking for a cheaper and more comfortable way to shred, then this might be the ultimate DIY (do it yourself) project for you!