[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac]
By the way, if I buy a used pair with the bindings already mounted, remounting them means redrilling, and plugging the original holes, no?
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If the ski has an integrated binding, then odds are that it will be sold with the binding. The Elan Speed Wave skis all have integrated bindings (and I curse them for that). If the ski has an integrated binding track in it, but no binding, you would probably be best to pass on the ski unless you are certain you can get the rest of the integrated binding for that particular brand.
If the ski does not have an integrated binding, then the odds are that it will have an internationally standard positioned and sized set of mounting nuts in it, so that all you have to do is bolt in your new bindings into those holes (even the thread sizes are standardized now).
If, by odd chance, the nuts in the skis do not line up with the bolts from your bindings, then yes, plug the old holes with plastic bullets, drill new holes (put tape on the drill to alert you before you drill holes through the bases), and screw in helicoil screw inserts into which you then screw in the binding Snowboard & Ski Binding Tools | Tognar Ski Tools Drop in some wood glue before you screw anything into your ski. Note that the positioning of the boot is critical to the performance of the ski – usually the front part of the ball of your foot should be directly over the true chord centre (which is not half the length of the ski). Fortunately, most skis will have a line that you can match up with a mark that is on the midpoint of most boots, so you don’t have to figure out where the chord centre is and where the front of the ball of your foot is.
That’s not the sort of thing you want to get into unless you are very accurate and very patient – if you end up having to make this sort of installation, you’d be best off to take the skis and bindings to a ski shop that has a template that it can use to drill the holes. Best to just check to see that the skis and bindings can mate before you purchase them.
(By the way, custom mountings are the bane of my existence. I prefer to telemark ski, and I use full release bindings. The bindings don’t flex, but the skis flex, leaving me with the choice of breaking a lot of bindings due to metal fatigue, or losing the tremendously important flex characteristics of the ski. My solution was to build risers that run the length of the bindings and do not flex, but only come into contact with the ski for 3.5 inches. That gives me amazing angulation and leverage, tremendous flexing of the ski, but no more broken bindings! Yay! The only problem is that it takes me a couple of hours to carve the riser and properly mount the binding on it. Sometimes I feel like a gnome in Gepetto’s workshop. Preparing tax returns, tidying the house, and custom mounting bindings are three tasks that I would rather avoid.)
[QUOTE=Sal Ammoniac]
And if you’ll allow me a bonus question, do you have recommendations on boots?
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Nope. Just like hiking boots, find something that is very comfortable, fits snugly, and has no pressure points. If the boot has pressure points or is generally too tight, you will be in misery and be unable to ski after a short time. If the boot does not fit snugly, you will not have the fine control that is needed to communicate your intentions to the skis.
Every brand uses different lasts, so some brands will be a good fit while others will be horrid for one person, but the opposite for another person. Try on a lot of different boots before you make a purchase, and try to arrange for on-hill boot tests, just as you would for skis, for it is really difficult to know if a boot fits well unless you ski in it for a while.
For intermediate skiing, don’t get anything too stiff. Part of turning includes pressing the lower shin forward against the front of the boot, so just like your skis, you should not get something that will offer too much resistance relative to the moderate forces you will be using on intermediate runs (and when you move on up to the blacks, get stiffer skis and stiffer boots). Expect the foam liners to flatten down over time, so start with something snug but not tight while you are wearing thin socks, and then after a few months, expect to have to wear thicker socks or a second pair of socks. Custom liners (heat formed around your foot) are nice but not necessary for intermediate cruising. For second hand boots, be certain that the corners and bases at the toe and heel are not overly worn, for that will affect the ability of the boot to stay in the binding, and to release properly. When it comes to second hand liners, Sink the Stink will be your new best friend http://www.sinkthestink.com/ If, despite your best efforts, you end up with a pressure point, you can carve away the foam, put pads on yourself around the pressure point, or use a heat gun to deform the boot shell, but hopefully you won’t have to go there if you spend enough time trying different boots before you purchase.
If you get cold feet (some folks do, some folks don’t), battery operated foot warmers (they do not come with the boots) are a godsend – well worth the price given that they help you stay on the slopes rather than wasting your lift ticket money sitting inside warming those sickly white nubbins that used to be your toes.
To help keep warm feet, don’t do up your boots tightly (particularly the top buckle and strap at the cuff) until you have skied for at least half an hour, and even then loosen them before going up the lift, change your socks regularly throughout the day, and thoroughly dry your liners each night (blowing air into them with a fan overnight does a good job).
If you are female (sorry, I don’t know – I’m male, btw), purchase a women’s boot. Women’s calves tend to drop down a bit lower then men’s, so the shape of the cuff and the liner in a women’s boot leaves a bit of extra room for the bottom of the calf. An otherwise properly fitting men’s boot would put a pressure point on the base of a woman’s calf.
