What's the DIN all about?

Have you ever bought skis/bindings or tested a pair of skis, only to be asked what your DIN setting is? Or have you been asked questions about your height and weight, do you really have to share that? Well, the answer is yes and it all comes back to setting your binding correctly for your skiing ability.

The DIN, or the Deutsche Industrie Normen setting, on bindings is a determination of how easily the binding and subsequently the ski will release if you fall. The DIN was set by the German Institute for Standardization and is a scale that was adopted by the ski industry to determine the release force of ski bindings. And this is important in preventing injuries when skiing.

While I will tell you how to determine a DIN, I'm not going to really tell you how to set you DIN. This is because, in all honesty, this is not something you should be messing with on your own. To change your DIN, go to your local ski shop. They are the experts for a reason...

Binding Toe piece

Binding Heel piece

To find the correct DIN for you and your ability a number of factors are considered. First off your hight and weight are considered. This is based on the fact that a larger person will put more pressure on the binding than a lighter person. So a taller or heavier person will have a higher base DIN setting. You age is also in there as a factor. This is because when younger you might need the binding to release easier (sooner in a tumble). Also as you age and your bones and joints can't take the same force, you need your binding to release sooner.

Another factor considered is your boot sole length. This is a measure of how long your boot is from heel to toe on the outside. This number is in mm (millimetres) and is written somewhere on your boot. This measurement comes into play as it a factor in torque. Larger and smaller boots create different levels of torque on the binding as affect how easily it can pop off.

A final competent for determining your DIN is your ability. Skiers how are more cautious and ski at a slower rate have a lower DIN setting. More aggressive skiers, who ski faster will have a higher DIN setting. These levels of ability are ranked into a “type” of skier chart and used to help determine your setting.

Here's a summary of the types:

Type 1 - Cautious skiing at lighter release/retention settings.

Type 2 - Average/moderate skiing at average release/retention settings.

Type 3 - Aggressive, higher speed skiing at higher release/retention settings.

Type 3+ - For skiers who desire visual indicator settings higher than settings for a Type 3 skier.

Type -1 (neg. 1) - For skiers who desire visual indicator settings lower than settings for a Type 1 skier.

And here's a copy of a chart that is used you determine your DIN:

Finally, here is a quick link where you can enter your data and get a sense of you DIN setting.

                           DINsetting.com

So what all this means is that with a lower DIN setting your ski will release more easily. This is a great thing for a person skiing slowly, and who weighs less. When you fall and have a lower DIN setting, your ski will release easily and without a lot of pressure and twist. This is beneficial at preventing injury from a ski being attached to you while you tumble.

A DIN on the higher range means that the ski will stay attached to you. This is great for a more aggressive skier, who is pushing their limits and skiing lots of variable terrain. This also means that you wont pop out of you ski. We've all experienced this, where you're happily skiing and all of a sudden your ski is no longer attached to you. While, a higher DIN setting helps prevent this. But this also means that your ski doesn't come off as easily when you fall, so there is an increased risk of injury from your ski still being attached to you as you tumble down the hill.

And there you go, a brief breakdown of DIN and what it's all about. I know I've not told you how to adjust this, and as I said before, that's for a reason. It's for your safety as you really shouldn't be messing around this with on your own. If you feel that you DIN needs adjusting based on what I've said or the link I've shared with you, please visit your local ski shop. They will be happy to help you and help to ensure that you really are riding at a safe DIN level.