Installing Salomon SNS Pilot Sport Classic Cross Country Ski Bindings

I have some old x-country skis with 3 pin nordic bindings that I no longer have the boots for. As such, I decided to get new boots and bindings and went with the Salomon SNS type.

I purchased the bindings and unfortunately they did not come with installation instructions. I searched the Salomon web site to no avail and googled instructions for installation and that was very limited. I am somewhat handy with tools and did not think this job was difficult at all.

So here are the instructions after combining some web searches and the bindings that I have.

Salomon Pilot SNS Sport Classic Bindings come in three pieces, the white base plate, the main binding and a cover clip that goes over the screws at the end.

1 Tools and equipment: You will need the following;

• Cordless drill

• Posi drive screwdriver bit

• Round rod/dowel (Wood or metal

• 5 minute epoxy

• Masking tape

• toothpick

• File/sand paper

• Fine Sharpie

• Pilot hole drill bit: 0.090” Dia

• Drill bit: 0.125” Dia

• Center punch

• Hammer

• Carpenters square

• Machinists calipers or ruler

2 Remove the old bindings. Use the correct posi drive bit, a normal philips will not work. —located in most screwdriver bit kits. I used a bit on a cordless screwdriver and the screws came out easy.

3 Fill the open holes with 5 minute epoxy. Use a toothpick to put the epoxy in. The epoxy will seep into the hole so you may have to do it twice. Let cure for 24 hrs. Note some shops, use hotmelt adhesive to fille the holes, I don't think this is adequate since it does not seal well.

4 File: Using a file or sandpaper block, file the excess epoxy flush to the ski. Add some masking tape around the hole to protect from scratches.

5 C of G: Determine the center of gravity or balance point of the ski. Using a round rod (metal or wood), balance the ski and determine the location where the ski is in perfect balance. This may be tricky on waxless skis, and ensure you remove and wax around the balance point on waxed skis as it will stick at room temperature. Once you determine the balance point, mark that point on the ski with a sharpie.

6 Apply some masking tape down the center of the ski to transfer the C of G markings. Using a carpenters square, transfer the C og G marking from the side of the ski, to the top.

7 Marking the Pivot Point: The pivot point is the place where the metal rod on the boot is located on the ski. On the old 3 pin bindings, the location of the pins was the pivot point. There are two dimensions for the pivot point based on the type of skiing that you do. The Pivot point for Classic Skiing is 1 cm back towards the rear of the ski, allowing the front of the ski to stay in the track while kicking. For Skate type skiing, the pivot point is right on the C of G, creating a better balance when lifting the ski during a skate. I removed 3 sets of 3 pin bindings and one set had the pivot point 1 CM back from the C of G and the other two were right on the C of G. The set that was 1 CM back, were my favorite skis.

Classic: Measure back 1 Cm and using a carpenters square, mark the pivot point.Skate: No further measuring.

8 Marking the center line: Using calipers or a ruler, measure the width of the ski (at the top) and determine the width. Divide by 2 and this becomes the centerline dimension. Mark the centerline in two places along the ski and using a ruler, draw the centerline down the ski. Some skis will have the center line marked already. In my case the width was 48.8 mm, so the centerline was 24.4mm.

9 Base plate Marking: Position the base plate and orient the small notch on the plate with the pivot point line and align the holes so they are along the center line.

Using a sharpie, mark the 3 holes along the center line. Using a center punch and hammer, make a small indentation in the ski surface for the drill.

10 Drilling Holes: On a 0.090” dia drill bit, measure a 0.5 cm depth and mark using masking tape.

Drill pilot holes to 0.5 cm depth. Measure the width of the tip of the screws that will secure the base plate. Mine were 0.127” so I selected the next smaller dirll bit which was 0.125” dia. Drill the 3 holes to a depth of 0.5cm.

11 Installing the Baseplate: This step must be done quickly. First fill the 3 holes with some epoxy adhesive. Position the baseplate and secure the screws using a cordless screwdriver with posi-drive bit. Start at one end of the baseplate and secure the screws loosely at first and then tighted them.

12 Installing the binding: The binding is installed by sliding it onto the baseplate from left to right. It will slide into place and ensure that the hole for the metal bar lines up with the pivot point line. Now we have two more screws to install. Using same methods as above, mark the holes, remove the binding from the baseplate, center punch them, drill the pilot and final holes.

Reposition the binding on the baseplate, apply some epoxy in the holes and secure the screws.

Last step is to install the clip that goes over the screws. Note that it goes in one direction and is a bit tricky, careful not to break the tines.

The Job is done