Skiing and snowboarding gear can get extremely technical between materials, sizes, and different designs. Add on terms like DIN setting, and you may be even more confused. However, DIN setting is an important feature for advanced skiers, and it can even have a huge effect on injuries and your ability to ski.
That’s why the ASO Mammoth team has put together a short guide to DIN settings, why they matter, and how you can find yours. Read all about it below, then visit the ASO Mammoth shop for the best ski and snowboard rentals in Mammoth Lakes!
DIN Defined
DIN, or Deutsches Institut für Normung, is the ski industry’s accepted scale for release force settings on ski bindings.
What does that mean?
It means that all ski binding manufacturers design their bindings to release based on what DIN recommends. The lower your DIN, the less amount of force is required for your ski bindings to release your boot.
Why DIN Settings Matter
Unlike snowboarding where your boots stay in your bindings at all times, skis are designed to release bindings quickly for a few reasons. One reason why is so that you can get in and out of your skis quickly when you’re not skiing, but the most important reason is so you don’t get injured when falling.
One of the easiest ways to be injured while skiing is to fall and have one of your skis dig into the snow with force at an awkward angle. If that happens, you can hurt everything from the ligaments in your knees to the bones in your ankle.
DIN helps prevent that by tuning your bindings to release your boots if a certain amount of force is applied to them as we mentioned earlier.
How to Calculate your Din Settings
With all that said, you probably want to get your DIN right before you get on the snow.
Fortunately, if you’re a beginner or intermediate skier then your DIN will be uncomplicated. Of course if you rent skis and bindings then the shop pros will handle your settings for you. Even if you have your own skis and bindings, intermediate skiers will still have low DIN.
If you’re an adult and are an advanced skier though, you may want to adjust your settings to match your ability and your weight.
The basic idea is that if you’re a heavier skier and are doing advanced riding, then you want your DIN to be higher so your skis don’t come off while you’re pushing through a tough line.
However, DIN can be more detailed than that. This page has a ski binding DIN chart that better illustrates how size, ability, and DIN ratings intersect. If you have any questions about DIN, then stop by your local ski shop and ask the pros there for help.
They’ll be happy to help you just like the team at ASO Mammoth will be!