Updated September 16, 2025
Working the bench in a ski shop teaches you one thing fast: bindings are where skiers mess up the most. Boots are obvious when they hurt, skis are obvious when they’re dry, but bindings? They sit there looking fine until something goes wrong. I lost count of how many binding problems crossed my bench, and 90% of the time it came down to the same mistakes.
Here’s what I saw most often and how to avoid it.
1. Wrong DIN Settings
Plenty of skiers crank their DIN setting up because “I don’t want them popping off.” Sounds tough until you blow out a knee because your ski didn’t release when it should. On the flip side, beginners often get bindings set too low and pre-release every other run.
DIN isn’t guesswork — it’s based on your weight, boot sole length and ability level. As a tech, we never eyeballed it. We used charts, double-checked and then tested on the machine. If you don’t know your proper setting, get it checked by a shop. And cross check on a respected DIN chart. It takes a couple of minutes and could save your knees.
2. Boots Not Fully Clicked In
This one’s embarrassing because it happens in the lift line constantly. Someone jams their boot into a binding, hears a half-click and thinks they’re set. Then halfway down the run, the ski goes flying.
Nine times out of ten, snow packed into the boot sole was the culprit. In the shop, we’d see boot soles caked with ice that no amount of stomping would clear. Scrape them clean before stepping in. Stomp down hard. Listen for the snap. If you don’t hear it, you’re not locked in!
3. Loose, Stripped or Wrong Screws
Bindings are bolted straight into your skis. If those screws are loose, the whole setup shifts and you’re skiing on a moving platform. Keep skiing on it and you’ll strip the holes, leaving you with a sloppy binding mount or, worse, a ski that can’t be saved.
One shop nightmare is screw jacking: when someone drives a screw in without clearing old glue or debris. The screw bottoms out early and leaves the binding sitting slightly raised. It looks fine at a glance, but on snow it feels like your boot’s on a hinge.
We also saw the wrong screws used all the time — too short, too long, or scavenged from another binding. Too short and the binding rips out. Too long and it punches through the base. Both mean remount time. Check your screws every few days and if something looks off, let a shop handle it.
4. Ignoring Forward Pressure
Forward pressure is the hidden adjustment most skiers don’t know exists. It’s what keeps the binding heel snug against your boot, and if it’s wrong, your releases will be unpredictable.
In the shop, we always checked it. Most bindings have an indicator – a line or tab that should line up when the boot is clicked in. Too far in or out and you’ve got a problem. Home mounts and hand-me-down skis are where I saw this go wildly wrong. If you don’t know how to check yours, it’s worth the quick trip to a tech.
5. Mounting Errors and Travel Damage
Every so often, someone would bring in skis mounted in the wrong spot — an inch forward or back from where they should be. It changes how the ski feels and can mess with binding safety. Redrills done badly were another headache: holes too close together, no glue, or crooked drilling. If you’re buying second-hand, have a shop check the mount before trusting it.
Even good mounts take a beating when skis travel. Roof racks, planes, buses — bindings get knocked around. I’ve seen screws loosen mid-flight and bindings arrive hanging by one thread. If you travel with skis, give your bindings a once-over before clicking in for that first run.
Final Thoughts
Bindings don’t get much love because they’re not shiny or fun to shop for, but they’re what connect you to your skis. Most problems are easy to catch if you know what to look for: DIN set right, screws snug, forward pressure in check and boots actually clicked in. Ignore those things and you’re gambling with your knees.
It doesn’t take long. A minute in the garage or at the top of the lift is all it takes to avoid the mistakes I saw every single week in the shop. Hope that helps.
