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|| How to: Mount Your Own Skis ||
|| How to: Install Ski Inserts ||
|| How to: Bend Ski Brakes ||

Alright, so ski mounts. Feels like dangerous territory.

We all know how to drill holes in plywood. We also know how to put a screw in said hole. When it comes to skis, it’s not much different. Only you replace the plywood with your thousand dollar skis… so you can’t miss. That’s okay, you should start by practicing with a 2x4.

Now, before I start, I will say that you can use paper templates to mount skis. This will work fine, you’ll just have to make sure you measure thrice and cut once. Paper templates require some very deliberate measurements and there are various videos online on how to do it.

For my mounts, I use a 3D Printed Jig, designed by MottN on TGR. MottN actually printed mine for me, and provided me plates for Look Pivots, Salomon, and ATK bindings. Check out this timelapse video made by MottN showing the process of aligning the boot center with the mount center on the jig and the mount center on the ski.

If you don’t want to go through the paper template or 3D printed route, I highly recommend the Jigarex by Sun Valley Ski Tools, as it has interchangeable binding mount plates for $50/per. While this is pricier than the 3D printed method, it is still considerably cheaper than buying a dedicated binding jig provided by the manufacturers.

STEP 1: Find your mount point (boot center) and the true the centerline of your ski

Mount point - This is usually labeled on the sidewall of your ski, this is done by the manufacturer based on their recommendation of boot-center should be for that specific ski.

Ski centerline - This is done simply by measuring the width of your ski to find the halfway point. You want to do this numerous times to align each mounting plate for the jig you’re using.

STEP 2: Place the jig, and DRILL

Once you have the jig in place, double check all measurements, and get ready to DRILL.

• If you’re mounting a ski with a wood core and without a Titanal (aluminum) mounting plate, you will need to use a 3.5x9.5mm stepped drill bit (as shown below) and the accompanying 12AB tap.

• If you’re mounting a ski with a Titanal mounting plate, you will need to use a 4.1x9.5mm stepped drill bit and the accompanying 12AB tap (you’ll want the coated tap for skis with metal mounting plates).

Note: A shallower bit of 3.5x9.0mm or 4.1x9.0mm can be used on skis with a thinner layup (smaller profile/depth), though I’ve found 3.5x9.5mm works on just about every ski I’ve seen - even those thin Elan Ripsticks.

Now, make sure everything is clamped, and DRILL

STEP 3: Tap holes + epoxy

Many will tell you this step is not necessary (except on skis with metal mounting plates), however, tapped holes will grab your screws better than holes which are not tapped. I recommend tapping the holes with a 12AB ski tap (the tap needed for all standard ski screws).

Once your holes are all tapped, you will need to add epoxy before mounting the binding. I recommend G/flex Toughened Epoxy though this is probably overkill. G/flex is slow-cure a marine epoxy (keeps water out) that is actually slightly flexible, so it will not crack as the ski flexes. Is this necessary? Probably not, a more standard quick-cure will probably be fine on skis because these holes are so small the relative flex with regard to the rest of the ski is fairly minimal.

But I like overkill.

STEP 4: MOUNT THEM.

Mount them up, and check that boot-center aligns with your mount center.

Let the slow-cure epoxy cure for 24 hours before riding.

DONE!

The point of binding inserts is to provide you with the ability to adjust and/or replace bindings on a pair of skis, much like you would on a snowboard.
The thing is, however, skis typically don’t need this done. As long as you stay at your boot size, you likely won’t ever have to remount your skis, so a single mount will be fine for the life of a ski.

However, I’m one to move my bindings forwards, or back, as I trial a ski. More specifically, on both my Praxis Quixotes (daily driver 108mm waist ski) and my Praxis FRS (big mountain 119mm waist ski) I’ve moved my mount points forward from the recommended line, as I felt the recommended line was slightly too far back for my ski style (I tend to prefer a center-mounted ski).

So instead of remounting the skis and filling the previous mount position, I use inserts so I can move the bindings backward or forward as I please. That’s my reasoning.
Let’s first start by selecting our inserts of choice.

QUIVER KILLER vs. BINDING FREEDOM

Quiver Killer - this was the first brand on the market and the inserts are high quality. These inserts have internal and external threads cut from stainless steel. These inserts are great quality and you cannot go wrong with them. From my understanding this was the go-to company for a long time, but the founder got in some disagreements with operations, so he spunoff to make a second company - Binding Freedom.

Binding Freedom - this brand makes the highest quality inserts I have found on the market. While they are slightly pricier than the Quiver Killers, these inserts have rolled (forged) stainless steel threads, both internal and external, making them far stronger than threads that are cut from billet stainless. The ends of each insert are also notched so you have the option to use a large flathead to install them, in addition to the install tool they sell, or the more standard method of using an M5 machine screw with locking nuts.

It should be noted, both inserts are great quality and provide more than enough purchase for a ski mount. Are the rolled threads on the BindingFreedom inserts measurably better for a ski application? Probably not. Tests have shown that both style of inserts are measurably stronger (binding retention increased by 25%) when compared to a traditional wood ski screw used in ski mounting. So, with inserts, not only do you gain the ability to swap binding mount locations but your bindings will be far less likely to rip out.

I personally used Quiver Killer inserts on my Praxis FRS skis and on this ski, the Praxis Quixote, I will be using Binding Freedom.

STEP 1: Drill new holes using a step bit.

Typically I drill holes for a standard binding mount first with a smaller step bit, and then widen those holes using a larger step bit. The step bit you’ll need for binding inserts is a custom size, with a 9.5mm step depth. These are usually custom made and are sold by both companies.

STEP 2: Tap + Epoxy

Once the holes have been expanded to the insert size (6.5mm) you will then need to tap and epoxy each hole. The tap can also be found at each suppliers website, but it’s a more standard 5/16-18 tap.

STEP 3: Install the Inserts

Once the holes have been tapped and epoxied, install each insert one by one until they bottom out.

STEP 4: Add threadlocker to the internal threads of the inserts

Before you install your bindings, you will need to add threadlocker to the internal threads. This is just so that they don’t back-out on their own while skiing. For this application I used some extra Vibra-Tite I had on hand, but Loctite Blue threadlocker will also work (I don’t recommend using Loctite Red for this application).

DONE.
Yeehaw.