Front binding on hire ski fell off while skiing

A snowHead

Anyone else ever have the front binding on a ski fall off while skiing? The instructor I was with had never seen anything like it before. Ended up missing the rest of my lesson and having to walk down / sliding some of the way on my back to get a replacement set of skis from the nearest shop.

These were hire skis and the hire shop classed it as damage and so I may be stung for the cost of the repair / replacement (am expecting a call from head office…), Is it just bad luck so should I just suck it up or is this a maintenance / safety issue that should have been picked up?

A snowHead

what were the circumstances of the binding coming off? Were you just skiing on a piste and it cam off, or did you have a fall/hit something?

Either way I don't think you should pay unless you were somehow negligent, I have had some pretty massive wipe outs and not managed to dislodge a binding.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Well I went over a tiny jump at the edge of the piste, and as I left the ground I felt rather than saw my ski fall off, after picking myself up from the face plant, I realised my ski was off and then noticed that the front binding had completely detached.

The jump was tiny, a few inches and I was following the instructor over the jump (his skis didn't break...)

You need to Login to know who's really who.

I would protest massively if they try to charge you. They rented a faulty product to you and while you don't appear to have been badly hurt the consequences of that kind of failure could easily have been serious/fatal.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

^ hell yeah, the equipment was at fault, not you! That's SO dangerous.

Kick up merry hell if they try to make you pay.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Following the explanation I definitely agree with the subsequent posters, I would also go further and try to get some/all the money back from the ski rental company.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks guys for the comments - that was my initial thought along with the thought that they would apologise and maybe offer to refund the cost I incurred in hiring the replacement skis - so when I got back and their reaction was that they would need to investigate whether to bill me for the repair or replacement it sort of threw me (I was really tired too which didn't help as I had made the most of the new skis which I found much better to ski in imho)

I'll take it up with head office

After all it is free

I think I would go down the route of claiming that they hired you unsafe kit that was not fit for purpose and threaten to sue them if they come close to charging, I would also bill them for the replacement hire cost.

Not forgetting your wasted lesson. Maybe ask your instructor to verify that you weren't doing anything daft at the time.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

crypto, get the instructor to give the hire place a statement that ought to clear you of any wrong doing,I have heard of bindings coming off before but very rare maybe 2 or 3 times in 4 years of skiing, could be as a result of a defective install, more likely is that someone who hired the skis before you damaged them but no one noticed, if they are very old hire skis metal/plastic fatigue might be possible, but I'd almost dismiss that out of hand as most places seem to only keep hire skis a season or two before selling them off.

If it was a local instructor and he backs up your story I suspect you will have few problems, most hire shops know the local instructors well and won't want to upset them

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Thanks, it was a local instructor so really good idea, I am going to pre-empt the call from head office and give them a call instead so I'll drop in the instructors name along with the other excellent suggestions above and hopefully put this behind me so I can start planning my next trip.

snow reports

I managed to remove the front binding once but it was a pretty big wipeout. Just slid it back on to the same setting as the other ski... Puzzled

In your case though I agree with all of the above. Good luck.

If they are trying to charge you I would throw the book at them for renting unsafe skis.

You know it makes sense.

Absolutely do not pay and hope they did not charge you for the replacement.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

crypto, they're lucky that you're not after them for compensation for your having your lesson ruined!

A snowHead

crypto, that's really bad luck. Good you were with an instructor, though - and that you weren't hurt. That could have been really nasty. I always take the "loss or damage" insurance, which doesn't cost much extra, but I agree you shouldn't have to pay for that gear failure.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

crypto, Main thing is you didn't get injured, proving it to your benefit may prove difficult though IME.

Years ago I was skiing in France and my mate rented a pair of skis, was a early intermediate at the time, had a fall and his ski didn't realese resulting in a nasty injury, could have been worse but missed 2 days. DIN was set to 14 by the shop. Argued the toos with them but wouldn't budge.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

crypto, my mate snapped a binding out in Canada trying to land a 180. He had to hike back to the lift to download on it. He explained what had happened to the liftie who "like sooo bummed out" for my mate that he gave hime a ticket for a free lift pass because his day had been ruined. My pal had hired the skis in the UK and taken them out so he had to hire ski's out there and then returned the broken ski's to the company in the UK and went alond the lines of how dare you rent me crap bindings...

You'll need to Register first of course.

Rental bindings strike again!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Strange how different places have different attitudes, number of years ago when I was skiing with friends we hired their skis and boards (I had my own skis) from a shop which I've used many times in the past for buying new gear and servicing my own kit, they gave us a nice discount to start off with simply because I was a regular (if very, very minor) customer and when one of my friends had an issue with their snowboard (think that it was binding related) the hire shops attitude was completely different to the one above, they were very upset that they might have sent out a faulty product, immediately found a good replacement and set it up for my friend, this despite the fact that the shop was very busy at the time, no mention of any charges or any issues with my friend being at fault and having caused the problem.

After all it is free

snowskisnow, Yep, back in the UK now. To give a bit more background, the company we stayed with had in house ski hire in the chalet so it wasn't a separate ski hire shop. They have my credit card details already from the booking but I have now emailed them saying that I consider it to be equipment failure not damage and I do not authorise any charges to my credit card. I reiterated as well that I was on a lesson with an ESF instructor that they can contact to confirm details so hopefully they should now let it drop (and an apology would be nice!).

I am grateful that I wasn't injured at least (well, not in that incident although have plenty of other bruises to show for the trip Laughing

)

D G Orf, that is the reaction that I would have expected, especially given that the company had actually been really good with all other aspects of the trip but I guess you never can tell.

I lost the toe binding off a set of hire skis in Whistler a few years ago. I had to walk down a run called jersey cream to the lifts at the bottom of the run there was a was a piste map board with an assortment of tools chained on to it I managed to reattach the toe piece and via a couple of lifts and some very careful skiing made it back to Whistler.
No problem at the hire shop lots of apologizing on their part and better pair of skis for the rest of the holiday. Still don't like that run though.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Had similar problems with snowboard bindings, hire shop never made any fuss, just replace/ fixed no questions asked.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Was skating/shuffling along a flat bit at Glenshee last year when one of the rail bindings just slipped off the ski I was using (OH's old volkl all stars). Quite bizarre, binding stayed attached to my boot, but ski a few meters behind. Very glad didn't come off when skiing downhill. No damage, went back on fine and locked back into place, and we can't figure how it had come loose to start with, but I'm wary of those skis now!

Help!!

Front binding on hire ski fell off while skiing

snowHeads Forum Index >>> The Piste