Replacing ski boot buckles the hard way

[skiing-in-jackson]

I wrote most of this when the weather was crappy and clear. Now that we're getting some much needed snow, I'll have less time available.

Caveat Emptor: This is a longer thesis on ski boot buckles read when you have the time.

I was working on a boot the other day and I had to search around for an obscure part. Luckily I had it, but it got me thinking about how cuff and buckle attachments work.

If your boots are on, they need to be buckled up. NEVER walk around with your boots unbuckled. It's the primary reason buckles get banged up. Bootpacks, the tram line, the Start Bus, open buckles are a magnet for anything that will catch them. Break one at the resort? Any ski shop should be able to put another on for about twenty five bucks. In the backcountry? You're bummed.

Buckle is the part with the leverage and the bail/ladder is the part that catches the buckle. Both come in long and short versions and are further classified as narrow or wide. Ideally, the frame of the buckle should be attached with a nut and screw/bolt. In both high and low quality boots, you find rivets. Rivets are difficult to remove. In boots carbon fiber cuffs- the boot itself can easily be damaged by low brow removal techniques. My guess is that rivets are cheaper than high quality hardware, yet are found in the most expensive boots.

The reps would say such and such boot could be field stripped. I always thought that's a great selling point. It is essential to make repairs yourself in remote areas. At a classic Jackson yard sale, I purchased a big bag of Salomon buckles- it was quite a score. The gal skied all over the world and carried a pile of replacement parts wherever she went. Not needing a Foredom Tool (at minimum a Dremel) to grind out rivets and nuts and bolts is hudge.



Shown here is the business end of a Foredom tool with a standard carbide burr. These come in a variety of finishes- some are very rough.

Pesky rivets need to be carefull drilled out or ground from the inside to remove the rivet. When drilling a rivet use a center punch to keep the drill bit from wandering. If the rivet begins to spin in the boot- STOP! It will likely have to be ground from the inside with a carbide ball. You can use a Dremel with proper bit as well. Whatever you do- don't grind/drill enough to heat up the plastic around the hole. Even pot metal rivets will hold enough heat to melt the boot plastic if thoughtlessly removed with the “drill 'till you push it through” method.



Buckle #1 has a width and will latch smoothly in a variety of ladders. #2 is a good bit narrower and will not catch on some wider ladders. #4 is narrower yet. Also consider the diameter of the catch bar and if it will fit into the rungs of the ladder- it may be too wide or not a good fit. When replacing cuff hardware, made sure to get a snug fit between the buckle & ladder as play can allow torsional forces as stronger skiers lean into the cuff. This causes premature wear and failure of buckles.

The vintage Salomon buckle #3 is the Holy Grail of replacement buckles. It is heavy and solid. I guess that's my main beef with the ski business these days- nothing has actually gotten better- only cheaper. That's why so many skiers and boarders are moving to independent ski companies- oh wait, I'll save that for another day. Stay away from boots with pot metal parts & buckles.

It's not lighter, it's cheaper.

The ski companies don't want you to find a great value that lasts a long time, they want you to be thrilled with short term performance and go out in two years and purchase another $650 jacket or boot. These days it is increasingly difficult to tell "light" from chintzy. If it's really light snazzy, that's industry code for “This guy's going to have to purchase another in two years...” All you dentists strutting around around the tissue paper weight gear can have that stuff. My ski gear I could wear to a construction site.

Threaded Buckles! Huh what?

Most of the all of the buckles above have threaded sections to allow for fine adjustments- usually about 10 mms. When replacing a buckle or putting one in a repair kit, I always test the threads to see they are smooth twisting. They get corroded and don't function well on boots with high mileage. Repeated pressure from forward lean bungs up the threads over time.

I'm surprised by the number of good skiers that don't realize the buckles are micro adjustable for length. This is an excellent way to get a perfect fit. I tell skiers to be adjusting the micro thread all the time as the foot is constantly different shapes due to sweating, blood flow, activity, phases of the moon, etc.

#4 is the exception- it came off a Tecnica Race Pro 90. No threaded buckle. All of my four of my kids wore this iconic boot. It was the ultimate hand-me-down, and it was used when we got it- this one boot could have 750+ days on it easily! They don't make 'em like they used too.



Backs of buckles

When replacing buckles, look at the back of the frame. Many times there are molded indentations on the boot that require precise fitting of the buckle to the cuff. Look for a replacement buckle that won't harm the boot with incorrect pressure/rub points. It really helps to use existing holes and NOT have to drill new holes. Remember cuff plastic can be a lot thinner than material in the lower boot and a pressure point from raised spot on the buckle frame can create a wear spot.



More buckles




I wish I could weigh some of these and measure them against a durability scale. The orange buckles on the left are from an older Head boot. Solid with an extra long reach, they work well on many different boots. The blue Atomic buckle has a medium reach and is extra strong.

Say what you want about Full Tilt boots being crappy and light, but almost all of their buckles/bails are held in place buy high quality hardware- not a lot of rivets. The upper cuff sliding buckles on Full Tilt boots fail regularly- I keep a good supply around.

One the right end is a well loved, but totally serviceable Dalbello buckle. These reverse throw buckles are usually good quality- but they take more wear- due to the three buckle design and wear quickly.



Ladders

At least I call them ladders. Some people call them bails. Generally, a “bail” has wire in/on it. For the most part these are pretty foolproof. The main reason for failure is when skiers will have a piece of buckle across the top of a ladder, straddling it, causing one of the rungs to snap off leaving a vacancy where correct tension cannot be obtained.

On the #2 ladder, you see it has molded sections meant to be inserted into cuff indentations on a particular boot. Frequently I've seen boot work where these types of ladders are thoughtlessly bolted on to the cuff ensuring premature wear on cuff plastic. Premature wear can lead to tearing of the plastic. If you have to use a ladder like this one- simply grind off the protrusions so that it sits flush on the boot cuff.

Number 3 is an example of helper levers that used to come on many alpine boots. I install them on many boots to help skiers who are having problems getting the first upper cuff buckled. Increasingly rare, I save every one I find. Some are very long. Most are high quality steel. This gives them a measurable cost when constructing a boot- probably why they aren't used that often anymore.

Parts 6 are some oddball cuff ladders that still have a variety of uses on modern boots. I have a pile of oddball buckles and bails sitting around. It is a great help during Christmas week when old boots get yanked off the shelf for a few days skiing with family.

Wire bails and ladder parts #7 are from misc tele boots, Full Tilts and Dalbello Boots. AT & Dynafit boots have crazy wire parts that frequently need replacing. It's good to have a bunch of these around.




To be continued in Part II - HERE

[2FUNKY]

Bravo, well done!

[skimaxpower]

Why is this two different threads?

[skiing-in-jackson]

It wouldn't fit into one. Sunny skies and crappy clear weather were killing me.

[charlesj]

Thanks for sharing all that good information!