5 steps for adjusting your skis the DIY way

Learn how to adjust your own ski bindings at home. Here’s a handy DIY guide to get the perfect ski fit.

Having correctly adjusted ski bindings can increase your safety when you ski down the ski hill or mountain.

If you are buying new skis, have a certified ski technician mount your bindings and make the appropriate adjustments to ensure you have the proper fit and can operate your skis safely.

But after that, you can learn to adjust your own bindings at home. Here’s what you need to know to get the perfect fit for your skis.

DIN stands for Deutsches Institut fur Normung, which sounds really complicated. But don’t let that bog you down. What you really need to know is that it represents the amount of force necessary to release your boot from the binding. Your DIN is calculated based on your weight, height, age, boot length and skiing ability. There are a lot of websites online that can help you calculate your DIN number, or ask your local ski shop for help.

With a screwdriver, rotate the screw located at the front of the binding until it matches your DIN number. Then position a ski boot in the ski binding so the toe of the boot is fitted into the front of the binding.

Slide the back end of the ski binding up so that it is snug against the heel of the skit boot. Turn the screw located on the rear ski binding until it matches your DIN number.

Unless your skis have different DIN numbers (which is extremely rare).

Place your ski boot into the binding and see how easy it is to get out. If you are having difficulty opening the binding, you might want to try lowering the DIN number. Just don’t set your DIN number too low as you risk popping out of your bindings and injuring yourself.

Remember, you can always take your skis to a professional if you are having trouble, nervous to set your bindings yourself or are just starting out in the sport.