DIN You Know?, Incidents And Accidents 2, XC Stereotypes, Skier Code Review, First T-Bar Pic.

We dropped our skis and new boots off at the Sports Stop in Wenham, MA, the other day. We wanted to make sure our new boots and bindings worked in harmony. And to generally slick up the skis for the season.

Imagine our surprise when the ski tech said, “You only have one year left on these bindings.”

“What?” says I.

“Bindings are good for 10 years,” he patiently replied to my confusion. “Springs aren’t reliable. And ski shops won’t work on them if they are on the DIN List.”

Several thoughts popped up: Has it really been 10 years since I bought those skis? Wow. This is a cash-cow for the binding/ski/boot business. Wow. Wait a minute, wasn’t there just a ski-skate-board swap down at the high school gym? Wowser again. Those obsolete skis and bindings are probably unusable, if not unsafe, and lots of kids are going to ski on them. And, what is this DIN List?

Apparently, the DIN List is not readily available to the public. We did find an undated copy on SkiBum.net with an explanation of what “indemnification” means. The article also includes a set of rules in place if a ski shop does, in fact, work on old bindings. Here’s also a DIN List from 2016-17 from PugSki.com.

Here’s the point: Do you know if your bindings are on the DIN List? What have you done about that if they are? Are you the kind of sportsman who holds on to equipment as long as possible? Are you aware that might/might not be a terrific idea?

After all, we still have wooden XC skis that we treat with pine tar and old-fashioned wax like the old days.

Time to buy new equipment for the season? You may have to.

This Week

We have another reader-submitted report on ski hill Incidents and Accidents. This time, it was a self-inflicted injury, stemming from improperly adjusted bindings. Interesting how we forget to adjust to changing physical capabilities as well as our DIN settings. If you have a story to tell, please try to follow the suggested format and send to INFO@seniorsskiing.com

Jonathan Weisel offers thoughts on the value of ski grooming at XC ski areas and why it is worth a fee to support excellent conditions, routings, and consistency. He bursts several myths about XC that most people assume.

Veteran journalist Mike Roth helps us remember to make a loud announcement of intent when we passing downhill skiers. It’s a way of being safe; why don’t we hear “On Your Right” more often? He review the Skier’s Code of Responsibility here.

Finally, we have a mystery photo this week of a very early T-bar, the very first in this particular state. Name the state, name the ski area.

That’s it. Thanks for reading SeniorsSkiing.com. Please tell your friends and remember, there are more of us every day and we aren’t going away.