do your Twenty Two Vice bindings ever eject?

[naturallight]

So I'm really liking the performance of my Twenty Two Vice bindings, but I'm starting to get a little paranoid because they never eject during a fall (they did eject once this year on a regular turn when I think I had too much snow and the binding didn't snap in properly). I learned to tele on some old G3 bindings, and they ejected just fine during my wipeouts. But the Vices have a lot more metal on each side of the toe, which seems to inhibit spinning out of the binding. I don't think the back clasp on the Vice's are too tight--in fact, I loosened the settings to the point where my boot will move slightly in the binding when I swing my skis on the lift. But they still don't eject. Last week I took a horrible fall and woke up the next day with two sore knees.

I don't know too much about gear. My questions are:
(1) Should the Vices be ejecting during a fall?
(2) If I need something safer, should I look at the G3 Enzo or are these NTN versions better (I guess NTN would mean getting new boots)?

Any help is much appreciated! thanks!

[flyingcow]

The only 75mm bindings designed to release were the Voile CRB and to a slightly lesser extent, 7TM. If your G3's were releasing reliably, you had them too loose and you risked losing a ski while skiing. The G3 Enzo is not releasable either. If you want releasable, you need to find old CRBs or 7tms or switch to NTN. None of these is a DIN certified release mechanisms. Typically you don't worry about release in as many conditions with tele gear because your heel is already released which gives you some mobility in a fall. My NTN bindings have only released once, but it was the only time I would have hoped for them to release.

Hope this helps!

[naturallight]

wow, learn something new every day. very helpful, thank you so much!

[Biff]

I will add this... I have had some twisting falls and have come out of my hammerheads. In fact one time I was cruising along, hit some soft snow under a snow gun, and stopped dead. Well at least my skis did. I on the other hand went flying out of my bindings, ripped out the safety straps, did a full flip in the air and landed on my ass. A ski patrol guy saw it happen and came over to see if i was Ok. When he saw I was we both just started laughing looking back at my skis which seemed to be glued to the snow.

Now, those were hammerheads.I would imagine the Vice bindings would be the same. All that said, I still would not count on ejecting.

[Dirk]

The only 75mm bindings designed to release were the Voile CRB and to a slightly lesser extent, 7TM.

Actually, there have been a couple others; not bindings per se but release plates to mount bindings to. Back in the foggy mists of time, like the 1990's, Rottefella made a release plate called the TRP. It was sold separately from the binding you mounted to it. It probably had a three-hole mount, since most bindings back then were variations of the three pin 75mm design. I never skied one. They were mostly used by gate racers. There is also a small boutique manufacturer of release plates called Telebry. I've never skied them either, although they appear well made and received generally favorable reviews back in the Telemarktips days. It appears from their website that they are still in business.

[flyingcow]

The only 75mm bindings designed to release were the Voile CRB and to a slightly lesser extent, 7TM.

Actually, there have been a couple others; not bindings per se but release plates to mount bindings to. Back in the foggy mists of time, like the 1990's, Rottefella made a release plate called the TRP. It was sold separately from the binding you mounted to it. It probably had a three-hole mount, since most bindings back then were variations of the three pin 75mm design. I never skied one. They were mostly used by gate racers. There is also a small boutique manufacturer of release plates called Telebry. I've never skied them either, although they appear well made and received generally favorable reviews back in the Telemarktips days. It appears from their website that they are still in business.

Oh yeah, I forgot about Telebry!

[wallag]

None of these is a DIN certified release mechanisms.

Sorry to be pedantic, but the 7tm is DIN certified.

(And to be even more pedantic, TÜV is the certifying agency, while DIN is the standard to which TÜV tests the bindings. There are different DIN standards for alpine, AT, and telemark bindings.)

[flyingcow]

None of these is a DIN certified release mechanisms.

Sorry to be pedantic, but the 7tm is DIN certified.

(And to be even more pedantic, TÜV is the certifying agency, while DIN is the standard to which TÜV tests the bindings. There are different DIN standards for alpine, AT, and telemark bindings.)

More stuff I forgot! 7tm just doesn't have a lifting toe release, the CRB does.

...and I totally didn't know there was a separate DIN standard test for tele. I thought it was the same method. I learn things!

[Dirk]

If there's one thing your German's good at, it's quantifying everything. As opposed to your jolly Norwegian (Rotefella), who says "it kinda releases, more or less."