Don't forget to check the binding settings

Rented a pair of skis this weekend and the store had set up the bindings to loose for me... I'll remember now to check the setting myself

Have had that happen! Do you know what your DIN setting should be? (Mine is 7), and did you ask the techie what he had set it to?

I know the DIN settings for all my family and regular ski friends.

They typically ask in rental shops which DIN you use and might even had to sign the paper when renting that settings on skis are ones that you requested. I made a mistake of asking to lower my DIN to 5 because for some reason I thought it would be better with new skis. Well, I released at the worst possible moment and consider myself lucky to be able to self-arrest soon enough as it was very steep and bumpy. Back to 6. There is a DIN settings calculator that you can find online. And if you ski aggressively and ski steep terrain you should really worry more about your bindings releasing as you ski in no-fall zone than your skis staying on if you fall.

Verbier ,,,and all skiers,

By all means check the DIN value before getting on snow,,,but also have technician check the REAR tension setting !

You can have the correct DIN setting,,,but if that rear tension pressure is not set correctly,,,,,off you go into the woods !

How is this done ?

On all bindings you can move rear unit via a screw, a rail or a level ! This is done to create enough pressure on the heel to push ski boot forward on front toe piece!

Too low pressure, boots will come off at smallest pressure
Too much pressure,,,boots will never come off!

On rental ( hire) skis there is a long track in the back and often when technician is in a hurry,,this unit is NOT placed correctly !

For skiers who want to check their own units see manuals or ask shop to tell you how to,,,

There are several indications.

On some the screw head must be flush to housing
On some there is a range ( with lines) on base with a triangle as indicator!
On some there is a window on side with a white line

For a safe ski day check this !
Happy Summer every one!!!

On hire skis with a hire rail - this makes the ski suitable for a wider range of boot sizes ....

It is the boot length in millimetres than is the important factor.
Worth knowing your boot length - assuming own boots/hire skis - and then just look at the lines to make sure this corresponds with your boot length.

That did make me chuckle, not great at the old self arrest . I don't think rental shops will go above 7 these days even if you were to request. They might give you screw driver to adjust yourself though.

Only 7? I am fairly lightweight and I don't want to ski on less than 6. I would imagine for a guy 7 would be not much at all. I do have the shop check rear pressure every time I get new boots/skis/bindings.

I'm surprised, VSB, that the shop would ask you for your DIN setting. The process is they enter your height, weight,age,and ability into the computer, and it gives the DN setting. That is the point I ask them, and I accept 7.0 to 7.5.

Like you,I once deliberately set a low DIN setting, thinking a) I never fall, b) I therefore would be protecting my knee. Then I jumped onto a steep off piste, and, errm, walked out of my ski. The skibrakes didn't work in powder, and I followed the track hip-hoppy for half a kilometer, eventually finding about three inches of tail sticking out of the snow.
Doh!