Question: DIN change?

[newboots]

I don't know if this is the right forum, but someone can move it if not.

I skied into serious powder today, a drift on a flat spot between trails. Trying to slog - er, skate - to a firmer surface, my binding released. I've consulted one friend so far (ski mechanic), who says I've now "graduated" levels and my DIN needs to be changed. He said it's releasing too soon.

It was a significant project to get myself up, find the buried ski, get the other one stuck under the snow, release the other one, dig it out, and carry them to the firmer surface. I fell four times in the process! But I kind of like the idea of protection. Is there a safety downside to changing my DIN? Until today, I hadn't thought there were any inappropriate releases.

 

[ski diva]

DIN settings are based on your boot sole length, age, weight, height and ability level. It's entirely possible that you may have moved from a Type I skier to a Type II (Type 1 is a beginner). So yeah, you may have to have it adjusted, especially if it's pre-releasing.

 

[MrsPlow]

I bought a 2nd hand pair of skis - bindings were set to about 6.5, which is too low for me (should be around 8 but I didn't fully understand that 1.5 would make such a big difference). Skiing through the glades and must've skied over a root or something - both bindings popped. Cue several panicked seconds of sliding down through trees and fortunately missing all of them. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have fallen if my bindings hadn't released, as I can usually recover in those situations. Now a bit more careful with DIN and forward pressure settings!

 

[newboots]

DIN settings are based on your boot sole length, age, weight, height and ability level. It's entirely possible that you may have moved from a Type I skier to a Type II (Type 1 is a beginner). So yeah, you may have to have it adjusted, especially if it's pre-releasing.

Thanks, Wendy! Not much has changed but my ability level, which is definitely improving! Not sure about the Type I/II. I'll look it up to see if I've improved that much.

 

[newboots]

I bought a 2nd hand pair of skis - bindings were set to about 6.5, which is too low for me (should be around 8 but I didn't fully understand that 1.5 would make such a big difference). Skiing through the glades and must've skied over a root or something - both bindings popped. Cue several panicked seconds of sliding down through trees and fortunately missing all of them. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have fallen if my bindings hadn't released, as I can usually recover in those situations. Now a bit more careful with DIN and forward pressure settings!

Yikes! So there is definitely a downside to setting them too low. All I knew is those children whose skis keep falling off on the lift! I guess they are set very low!

 

[bounceswoosh]

You can calculate the numbers yourself:

https://www.dinsetting.com/

One release doesn't necessarily mean you need a higher DIN. It could also mean you had snow packed under your boot that prevented it from seating properly - I've had that happen. Or you could have not been clicked in entirely - I've also had that happen.

Or, you may need to change your DIN setting, or at least get a binding test to see if the indicators are accurate. Sometimes the number displayed isn't quite right. And then there's the AFD ...

The term for an inappropriate release is "prerelease." You can tell it's a thing because, well, there's a term for it.

 

[marzNC]

Thanks, Wendy! Not much has changed but my ability level, which is definitely improving! Not sure about the Type I/II. I'll look it up to see if I've improved that much.

Now that you are venturing to blue trails, Type II may be more appropriate. Note that the somewhat arbitrary cut off between "adult" and "senior" is age 50 for changing the DIN. Meaning someone who is 49 and a DIN of 6 will be changed to a DIN of 5 after their 50th birthday.

I used to write down Type II and had a DIN of 5 based on height/weight/age. Didn't really become an advanced skier until well after age 50. Now I put down Type III or III+ when I rent demo skis and still have a DIN of 5, at pretty much the same height/weight as 10 years ago.

Only time I had the DIN changed was on a deep powder day (>24 inches). Rented fat skis. Had a couple pre-releases, first time when skiing on a flat groomer run out when I went out of my friend's tracks into the deep powder for fun. Rented fatter skis at lunch time and asked to set the DIN up by 1. No issues in the afternoon.

 

[newboots]

Only time I had the DIN changed was on a deep powder day (>24 inches). Rented fat skis. Had a couple pre-releases, first time when skiing on a flat groomer run out when I went out of my friend's tracks into the deep powder for fun. Rented fatter skis at lunch time and asked to set the DIN up by 1. No issues in the afternoon.

So perhaps this is a deep powder thing!

Or, you may need to change your DIN setting, or at least get a binding test to see if the indicators are accurate. Sometimes the number displayed isn't quite right. And then there's the AFD ...

The term for an inappropriate release is "prerelease." You can tell it's a thing because, well, there's a term for it.

I'll have my friend test the bindings again before anything is changed. I've had a ski pop off for no reason at all once; I'm sure it wasn't seated correctly. This time the powder certainly grabbed it.

Thanks, all!