The new -2017- CAST touring system thread

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Originally Posted by SkiLyft

Super stoked on these, installed them yesterday and got out for a quick little walk after getting 5 inches of snow in town.

Attachment 395774



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Are those 192s and if so how hard do you anticipate kick turns being on these?

They are, mounted on the line.

I did 2 or 3 today and they weren’t terrible but coming from 190 praxis BC mounted 1 CM forward so guess I’ve been well seasoned for maximum extension during kick turns.


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Might be a silly question but I'm not to keen on searching through 20+ pages for an answer but if I want to mount a CAST system on a prior Look Pivot mount, can I just use the same holes or should I install some helicoils for better retention?

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Originally Posted by nyskirat

Might be a silly question but I'm not to keen on searching through 20+ pages for an answer but if I want to mount a CAST system on a prior Look Pivot mount, can I just use the same holes or should I install some helicoils for better retention?

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Using heli coils would be a good idea, but as long as you are careful not to strip the holes, you’ll be fine


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Originally Posted by nyskirat

Might be a silly question but I'm not to keen on searching through 20+ pages for an answer but if I want to mount a CAST system on a prior Look Pivot mount, can I just use the same holes or should I install some helicoils for better retention?

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I just got finished remounting mine , after procrastinating for a year because they worked on the hill with the alpine toes in.
The previous mount on the skis was unknown to me and i reused holes that left the two rear cast shoulder bolts on the toes a little tilted. I could get the look alpine toes clicked in but the slight tilt of those rear screws wouldnt allow the cast tech toes to mount.
I pealed off all the cast toe mounts and filled the holes with g flex epoxy with chopped fibreglass. Then i redrilled the screw holes, then drilled them bigger for inserts. Then drilled bigger again for helicoils that the inserts screw into. That left a big enough hole to compensate and encompass the original offset of the holes. The helicoils with inserts in the middle are both epoxied in to the ski with 72 hr epoxy and the surface area of those helicoils should make things super solid. There's a fair bit of expansion pressure spreading out grabbing on to the ski as well. I think i read in hear that Lars and Silas use helicoils in their personal mounts for added purchase for the super human things they do on skis.
Long story short. Yes you can

Also big thanks to Thom for coaching me through my set up and for the suggestion to let the epoxy set up with the machine screws through the shoulder bolts with the tech toes in place for perfect alignment. After it set i went back and took the screws out and added the threadlocker between the machine screws and inserts. You may want to do something similar. Youre just using heli coils znd binding screws without adding inserts in the mix but you may want to throw the tech toes in place when you let the epoxy set so you'll have a perfect alignment. Just make sure you screw everything in and clean any excess epoxy begore you put the tech toe in place for alignment and the epoxy to set

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Originally Posted by nyskirat

Might be a silly question but I'm not to keen on searching through 20+ pages for an answer but if I want to mount a CAST system on a prior Look Pivot mount, can I just use the same holes or should I install some helicoils for better retention?

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Originally Posted by skibrd

Using heli coils would be a good idea, but as long as you are careful not to strip the holes, you’ll be fine


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If yer gonna use the existing holes with helicoils, make sure those holes are precise. The tolerances for the toe pieces is incredibly low.

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Originally Posted by grinch

I just got finished remounting mine , after procrastinating for a year because they worked on the hill with the alpine toes in.
The previous mount on the skis was unknown to me and i reused holes that left the two rear cast shoulder bolts on the toes a little tilted. I could get the look alpine toes clicked in but the slight tilt of those rear screws wouldnt allow the cast tech toes to mount.
I pealed off all the cast toe mounts and filled the holes with g flex epoxy with chopped fibreglass. Then i redrilled the screw holes, then drilled them bigger for inserts. Then drilled bigger again for helicoils that the inserts screw into. That left a big enough hole to compensate and encompass the original offset of the holes. The helicoils with inserts in the middle are both epoxied in to the ski with 72 hr epoxy and the surface area of those helicoils should make things super solid. There's a fair bit of expansion pressure spreading out grabbing on to the ski as well. I think i read in hear that Lars and Silas use helicoils in their personal mounts for added purchase for the super human things they do on skis.
Long story short. Yes you can

Also big thanks to Thom for coaching me through my set up and for the suggestion to let the epoxy set up with the machine screws through the shoulder bolts with the tech toes in place for perfect alignment. After it set i went back and took the screws out and added the threadlocker between the machine screws and inserts. You may want to do something similar. Youre just using heli coils znd binding screws without adding inserts in the mix but you may want to throw the tech toes in place when you let the epoxy set so you'll have a perfect alignment. Just make sure you screw everything in and clean any excess epoxy begore you put the tech toe in place for alignment and the epoxy to set

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Never thought about helicoils with inserts. Love that idea.

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Originally Posted by stealurface831

Never thought about helicoils with inserts. Love that idea.

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Necessity is the mother of invention i guess

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Originally Posted by grinch

I just got finished remounting mine , after procrastinating for a year because they worked on the hill with the alpine toes in.
The previous mount on the skis was unknown to me and i reused holes that left the two rear cast shoulder bolts on the toes a little tilted. I could get the look alpine toes clicked in but the slight tilt of those rear screws wouldnt allow the cast tech toes to mount.
I pealed off all the cast toe mounts and filled the holes with g flex epoxy with chopped fibreglass. Then i redrilled the screw holes, then drilled them bigger for inserts. Then drilled bigger again for helicoils that the inserts screw into. That left a big enough hole to compensate and encompass the original offset of the holes. The helicoils with inserts in the middle are both epoxied in to the ski with 72 hr epoxy and the surface area of those helicoils should make things super solid. There's a fair bit of expansion pressure spreading out grabbing on to the ski as well. I think i read in hear that Lars and Silas use helicoils in their personal mounts for added purchase for the super human things they do on skis.
Long story short. Yes you can

Also big thanks to Thom for coaching me through my set up and for the suggestion to let the epoxy set up with the machine screws through the shoulder bolts with the tech toes in place for perfect alignment. After it set i went back and took the screws out and added the threadlocker between the machine screws and inserts. You may want to do something similar. Youre just using heli coils znd binding screws without adding inserts in the mix but you may want to throw the tech toes in place when you let the epoxy set so you'll have a perfect alignment. Just make sure you screw everything in and clean any excess epoxy begore you put the tech toe in place for alignment and the epoxy to set

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Ya know ... I have only one pair of skis that isn't capable of ducking outside the ropes, and I'm wavering toward retrofitting a CAST setup on them. I can't think of a compelling reason to not not do so ... or at least pick up the kit (less binders) and stash it for future installation, so I don't spend that money on my other money sinks like guitars and other toys ;-)

... Thom

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Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un

Ya know ... I have only one pair of skis that isn't capable of ducking outside the ropes, and I'm wavering toward retrofitting a CAST setup on them. I can't think of a compelling reason to not not do so ... or at least pick up the kit (less binders) and stash it for future installation, so I don't spend that money on my other money sinks like guitars and other toys ;-)

... Thom

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Another of those N + 1 situations. Nice to have if you have a use. Seems most hill have a sidestash that a CAST system will come in handy. After putting a few hundred days on my V1 cast system, on my gpo's , it was a no brainer. I probably only put the tech toes in 50ish days. The other days i never gave them a 2nd thought. The perfect on hill system. Itching to try these v2's now. I guess i tried them on my RX's but not on the BG's , still itchin

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Originally Posted by grinch

Another of those N + 1 situations. Nice to have if you have a use. Seems most hill have a sidestash that a CAST system will come in handy. After putting a few hundred days on my V1 cast system, on my gpo's , it was a no brainer. I probably only put the tech toes in 50ish days. The other days i never gave them a 2nd thought. The perfect on hill system. Itching to try these v2's now. I guess i tried them on my RX's but not on the BG's , still itchin

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Yup, N+1, and I'm thinking one add-on kit wouldn't hurt ... because you know ... N +1 +1 +1 ... ad infinitum ;-)

... Thom

Does the brake holder template seem a bit off to anyone else? Went to mount my CAST setup today, but noticed that the template available from their website isn't lining up properly with the FKS/Pivot template I've used several times. I've noted my measured values in between the holes, and Pivot template values off to the right, in a box.

Yes, I've checked my scaling, and the 80mm at the top of the page measures exactly 80mm with my calipers.

I'm thinking just center the bottom two holes as best as possible and send it? As long as the vertical (tip to tail) distance is correct on this template, everything should be good, right?

Attachment 398375

You don't really need that template (unless something changed in the last two years)

Mount the heel, push the brake holder towards the heel piece, and use something sharp to mark the holes

Fucked up a cast mount today first time in a while. Toes didn’t go in straight and I drilled the brake holder holes crooked. Buffed it out but damn it’s still a bummer.

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Originally Posted by sf

You don't really need that template (unless something changed in the last two years)

Mount the heel, push the brake holder towards the heel piece, and use something sharp to mark the holes

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I should've thought of that, duh. Thanks!

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Originally Posted by Brasso

I should've thought of that, duh. Thanks!

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Just make sure there's no room between the holder and the heel and that the drill don't wander.

One of my 8 holes ended up 1mm too far forward, and it's a tiny bit tricky to engage the holder.

drill the holes 39 and 55 mm ahead of the center of two front holes on heel on the ski's centerline, and they're in the right spot re

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Originally Posted by kid-kapow

39mm and 55mm in front of the the center of the two most forward heel holes of a standard Pivot heel.

Attachment 304742


The lines line up, just poor perspective in the pic. This is the tip most at 55, the tail most being at 39mm.

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Thanks again for the tips, sf and kid-kapow. Success!

Attachment 398784

Any ideas what the hell is going wrong with my CAST setup? The tech toe is nearly impossible to slot in, to the extent that I am having to use the hammer end of my ice axe to knock it in to achieve a sketchy tour mode. I have moreover had the whole Pivot toe fly off the front of the ski when hitting a compression at speed, causing a spectacular yard sale.

Is this a mounting error? A problem with the CAST components?

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Originally Posted by JackSkier

Any ideas what the hell is going wrong with my CAST setup? The tech toe is nearly impossible to slot in, to the extent that I am having to use the hammer end of my ice axe to knock it in to achieve a sketchy tour mode. I have moreover had the whole Pivot toe fly off the front of the ski when hitting a compression at speed, causing a spectacular yard sale.

Is this a mounting error? A problem with the CAST components?

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Post photos, but that sounds like mounting error.

Things to look for:

1) All four holes need to be drilled very straight and in the right spots.
2) The screws need to be installed straight and flush. Any angular misalignment and you're going to have a bad time.
3) If the toe plate is installed over any old holes, they need to be trimmed flush so that there's no protrusion above the main surface of the ski. Little bumps there will deform the mounting shim and you'll have a bad time.

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Originally Posted by HAB

Post photos, but that sounds like mounting error.

Things to look for:

1) All four holes need to be drilled very straight and in the right spots.
2) The screws need to be installed straight and flush. Any angular misalignment and you're going to have a bad time.
3) If the toe plate is installed over any old holes, they need to be trimmed flush so that there's no protrusion above the main surface of the ski. Little bumps there will deform the mounting shim and you'll have a bad time.

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Any tips to correct my insufferable brake retainers from popping up every 5 mins? I've just reverted to using ski straps to hold my brakes up now.

I heard there was a trick to unscrew the climbing bail/brake retainer piece, re-glue, re-screw, and allow to set with the brake retainer engaged... So I tried that at the beginning of the season and it made no difference... Love the system, but annoying to have to use ski straps on every single transition...

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Originally Posted by HAB

Post photos, but that sounds like mounting error.

Things to look for:

1) All four holes need to be drilled very straight and in the right spots.
2) The screws need to be installed straight and flush. Any angular misalignment and you're going to have a bad time.
3) If the toe plate is installed over any old holes, they need to be trimmed flush so that there's no protrusion above the main surface of the ski. Little bumps there will deform the mounting shim and you'll have a bad time.

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Thanks for getting back to me. My phone camera is hilariously terrible at present (cracked), so no photos for now. I will take the skis back to the shop that mounted the CAST and get them to have a look.

Just did 2 new mounts last week. I finally clued in and used the "click in the touring toe while the glue is curing" trick. Both ended up super easy to engage. Alignment is very key for this part of the system.

If your touring toe piece is coming off while your boot is clicked in, then something is wrong. There is a little curved spring that engages behind the front two screws and should prevent this when you are clicked in. Sometimes a few cycles on the bench while pushing the spring back with a screwdriver will ease the fit.

Wait - I just reread Jack Skier's OP, and it's the ski toe that's coming off when you hit a compression? - I can't even imagine how this is possible unless the binding releases your boot first. Then if the binding isn't properly engaged with the posts, I can see how it might come off. On one set of my skis, I have to make sure that my Pivot toes are properly clicked into place, otherwise simply tapping the tails on the ground to remove snow can knock the toe off.

Sounds like a mount error to me. Hopefully can be fixed by a reset of the screws.

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Originally Posted by Brasso

Does the brake holder template seem a bit off to anyone else?

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Yeah, I just did couple pairs and the for/aft distance seemed a little short after the fact. I had to shave a hair of the lifter plate to get it to tuck into the heel plate. Luckily seems to work OK still.

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Originally Posted by snoboy

Just did 2 new mounts last week. I finally clued in and used the "click in the touring toe while the glue is curing" trick. Both ended up super easy to engage. Alignment is very key for this part of the system.

If your touring toe piece is coming off while your boot is clicked in, then something is wrong. There is a little curved spring that engages behind the front two screws and should prevent this when you are clicked in. Sometimes a few cycles on the bench while pushing the spring back with a screwdriver will ease the fit.

Wait - I just reread Jack Skier's OP, and it's the ski toe that's coming off when you hit a compression? - I can't even imagine how this is possible unless the binding releases your boot first. Then if the binding isn't properly engaged with the posts, I can see how it might come off. On one set of my skis, I have to make sure that my Pivot toes are properly clicked into place, otherwise simply tapping the tails on the ground to remove snow can knock the toe off.

Sounds like a mount error to me. Hopefully can be fixed by a reset of the screws.

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Thanks for your help. To clarify, I have had problems attaching the tech toes; I am not able to get the curved spring to engage at all, even with the aid of a hammer, the result being that the toe pins do not fully attach to the boot inserts unless I force the toe to lock, and then I have a makeshift tour mode that I would not trust on anything more than a simple approach. On one instance the pivot toe piece blew out, this was due to it not being engaged fully on the posts, I think. To my mind this all boils down to skew whiff toe pillars, but I'll see what the shops says.

I’ve had every mount issue imaginable, and can pretty safely say that if the Pivot toe pops off while skiing, it’s because the toe piece is not fully engaging onto the shoulder screws, meaning it doesn’t lock.

You’ll likely need to loosen the shoulder screws and retighten while the toe piece is on to get them totally straight. Then while testing them out, pay careful attention to the position of the lock and ensure it’s 100% engaged while on the ski.

I’m also in the camp of my brake retainers not working at all well—have reverted to ski straps, but that’s annoying for quick laps.


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Originally Posted by snoboy

Yeah, I just did couple pairs and the for/aft distance seemed a little short after the fact. I had to shave a hair of the lifter plate to get it to tuck into the heel plate. Luckily seems to work OK still.

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Check your print scale + measure your print with a digital caliper before punching the holes. Seems ok to me. Worse is the fact that they didn't include a centerline on the template. I sketched one in so I didn't have to try to center that thing over the heel holes.

You can cheat the heel back a mm or two by pushing the lifter back in to the circular plate, it will move back against the forward pressure tension.

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Originally Posted by JackSkier

Thanks for your help. To clarify, I have had problems attaching the tech toes; I am not able to get the curved spring to engage at all, even with the aid of a hammer, the result being that the toe pins do not fully attach to the boot inserts unless I force the toe to lock, and then I have a makeshift tour mode that I would not trust on anything more than a simple approach. On one instance the pivot toe piece blew out, this was due to it not being engaged fully on the posts, I think. To my mind this all boils down to skew whiff toe pillars, but I'll see what the shops says.

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No doubt the pillars are either not vertical or not located correctly. As previously mentioned the ski surface may not have been flat (volcanoes on current holes due to not tapping, old plugged holes).

If I was going to try to rescue the mount, I'd:

1) Remove the toe pillar screws and the plate, and scrape/sand the topsheet perfectly flat under the plate

2) Put some waterproof epoxy in the holes

3) Put the plate on the topsheet and carefully rethread screws through the posts in to the existing holes, not tightening completely

4) Slide the tech toe on to the pillars and begin gradually tightening the screws. If you get them mostly tightened down and it's impossible to remove the toe, experiment by loosening one at a time till you can remove it. Experiment with tightening and loosening a few times (with the toe piece in place). It can help pull the problem screw(s) toward vertical.

5) Once you find the magic combo that allows either tech toe piece to be installed and removed fairly easily, check both alpine toes to verify the same.

6) If it all works, reinstall the tech toes while the epoxy is curing.

7) If it doesn't work, you may have to redrill the holes elsewhere or redrill the existing holes for inserts.

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Originally Posted by Skeeze

I’m also in the camp of my brake retainers not working at all well—have reverted to ski straps, but that’s annoying for quick laps.


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Me too. Haven't figured it out yet. I did notice that it's not a problem on one one ski (MB 116c with 115mm brakes, older style heel riser plate without plastic on the hold down tab) but it is on the other (Renegade, 122mm waist, 130mm brakes, newest riser plate).

Just another data point... Maybe it's the newer style hold downs, maybe it's the extra overhang of the brakes on the rens.

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Reading this is why I bought Duke PT16s for my Renegades.

I don’t have a house with a shop anymore. And no local shops gave me confidence to mount the CAST correctly.

Hope it works out.

I’ve also run into issues with several cast tech toes this year. In every case the tech toe base thickness was off by .1mm or more. I had to sand down the base of one of my personal tech toes just to get it to engage properly. The mount wasn’t the issue in any of these cases.


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Just did a mount this week and haven't gotten the skis out on snow yet, since we haven't had any in weeks. Both toes were tough to get on at first, but after putting on/taking off a couple of times, it became much easier. Brake lock engaged well, so hoping it turns out OK. Will hopefully find out next week. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...8cade7c798.jpg

^^ Hot stuff!

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Originally Posted by phatty

Just did a mount this week and haven't gotten the skis out on snow yet, since we haven't had any in weeks. Both toes were tough to get on at first, but after putting on/taking off a couple of times, it became much easier. Brake lock engaged well, so hoping it turns out OK. Will hopefully find out next week. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...8cade7c798.jpg

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That looks... Really nice. Realllly nice.

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Originally Posted by JackSkier

Thanks for your help. To clarify, I have had problems attaching the tech toes; I am not able to get the curved spring to engage at all, even with the aid of a hammer, the result being that the toe pins do not fully attach to the boot inserts unless I force the toe to lock, and then I have a makeshift tour mode that I would not trust on anything more than a simple approach. On one instance the pivot toe piece blew out, this was due to it not being engaged fully on the posts, I think. To my mind this all boils down to skew whiff toe pillars, but I'll see what the shops says.

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Quick update on this. I took the bindings to the shop, and we tried several different CAST tech toes from previous production runs; these worked fine. After further investigation we concluded that the metal latch that slots behind the front pillars was getting caught and preventing the tech toe from fully reclining and engaging, with a tap to knock it back it worked properly. Likely a machining error I guess, but still not ideal; a lot of money spent and I now have a chewed up tech toe from hammer hits (the metal on these is surprisingly soft). I am assuming the pivot toe release was user error as I have been skiing them hard since with no issues.

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Originally Posted by JackSkier

Quick update on this. I took the bindings to the shop, and we tried several different CAST tech toes from previous production runs; these worked fine. After further investigation we concluded that the metal latch that slots behind the front pillars was getting caught and preventing the tech toe from fully reclining and engaging, with a tap to knock it back it worked properly. Likely a machining error I guess, but still not ideal; a lot of money spent and I now have a chewed up tech toe from hammer hits (the metal on these is surprisingly soft).

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Glad you got it figured out. Email or call the team at Cast. I've had great support from them in my interactions.

I like the idea of the system, but this iteration is just too damn finicky. They are engineers, improving designs is part of the game. The next design (if there is one) should have the main goal of increasing ease of installation and less reliance on extremely tight tolerances.

Does anyone know why they strayed from the original design? Having extensively used the OG version, I’m guessing it was a combination of weight saving, plates bending, and maybe getting away from the reliance on dynafit toes. Would be interested to hear if someone else has more insight.


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Originally Posted by east or bust

I like the idea of the system, but this iteration is just too damn finicky. They are engineers, improving designs is part of the game. The next design (if there is one) should have the main goal of increasing ease of installation and less reliance on extremely tight tolerances.

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For whatever it's worth, I find this iteration to be pretty fussy for the first 3-4 days I use it. But then everything kinda beds in a bit and the fussiness goes away. After that, change-overs are quick and smooth.

Which isn't to say that there's not room for improvement. But I think a lot of people do the mount, see that things are tight and the swaps aren't super smooth, and they just kinda throw up their hands. But if you just deal with that fussiness for a little bit, everything gets better.

Stoked about getting on the CAST system. Put them on two skis I plan to mostly be inbounds but sidecountry/shorter pow laps capable. Especially happy about these after I lost my previous powder ski to a Shift pre-release.

Attachment 404152

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Originally Posted by eSock

.... I lost my previous powder ski to a Shift pre-release.

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Congrats on the move to CAST.
You are not the first to tell this tale.