The patented* Toe Stop is the slotted bar across the front of the Peak Rigs toe piece. When the boot is inserted in the binding, the sides of the boot-toe meet the binding sidewalls at the same time the front edge abuts the Toe Stop. This three-sided contact is what gives Peak Rigs their superior responsiveness.

In conventional cable bindings the forward position of the boot is determined by the cable's force wedging the sides of the boot into the sidewalls of the toe piece. This two-sided contact or "binding wedgie" puts excessive force and friction onto the sides of boots and bindings. This excessive friction causes them to wear. Consequently your boots register farther and farther into the toe piece with use. We call this "forward creep." Look how far forward your duckbills register under the top bar of your cable bindings. Often they are different. Mark your boot with a pen and keep an eye on it over time. This inconsistency of fit and inefficient energy transfer makes the bindings less responsive and translates into more effort for you to rip!

Like many tele skiers we were originally skeptical of the Toe Stop feature due the differences in plastic boot toe sizes. Through our methodical design process and years of trial and error we have arrived at the optimal fit for all brands of plastic boots in the binding toe plate ... snug on all sides but not wedged tightly. Testing the various versions of our binding on the slopes with unsuspecting skiers is how we arrived at this fit. We have not heard any accounts of former boot wear or boot toe differences affecting the performance of Peak Rigs.

The Toe Stop increases the boots lateral stability with surprising rigidity and power transfer with minimal cable tension. By providing a surface that directly opposes the forward tension of the cable, it reduces the amount of cable force required to hold your boot in the binding. (Excessive cable force contributes to boot wear, toe pinch and increases the stress on bindings, skis and your body.) All this translates into you ripping harder with much less effort!

The Peak Pin System is another patented* feature of Peak Rigs bindings. The Pin system is designed for activities like skinning and touring. When the pins are used, the heel cable is conveniently latche

Many backcountry skiers like 3-pin bindings for their reliability. If a cable breaks, the pins will serve as a backup. However traditional 3-pins are difficult to use, especially when they ice up. Over time, the pinholes in the boot toe become stretched and worn which results in a looser fit of the boot in the binding. Plus, pin-holes on the bottom of a boot are difficult to align. 

When a modified boot is inserted into a Peak Rigs toe piece, the front edge of the boot abuts the Toe Stop. In this position the visible holes on top of the binding are aligned with the holes in the boot. The Peak Pin Plate presses down and a spring clip engages them into the slot on the Toe Stop. 

In order to use this optional feature, two new holes must be added to plastic boot toes. The new holes will not interfere with the use of any other binding. These holes extend all the way through the toe and are lined with metal so they will not stretch or clog with snow. Presently, this feature is undergoing continued develop and are unavailable for purchase.

We believe that to incorporate our Peak Pin holes in today's boot-toes would be of relatively minimal expense to the boot manufacturers and of tremendous benefit to telemark skiers. It is an alternative many skiers prefer over making telemark gear more alpine-like with heavy, complicated bindings. 

As it stands the industry is facing the challenge of redesigning the entire boot/binding interface. Only now have boots evolved to where plastic boots are virtually universally accepted. Binding manufacturers are trying to follow the trend. By changing the boots again, our equipment will only become more complicated, heavy and expensive. When the simplicity is removed, the natural flex of your foot and the boot sole is compromised. To us, this comfortable flex is one of the main reasons that telemark skiing is such a unique sport. At Peak Rigs we aim to keep telemark truly Telemark! If you believe that our Peak Pin feature is a worthy advancement in boot/binding technology, write your boot companies and tell them that you want to see the through-holes incorporated into new boots! Use these links to write the boot manufacturers and tell them: "I want to Peak!"

Our risers utilize a stainless steel T-nut that makes it impossible to strip threads or pull out of the riser. Three stainless machine screws fasten the binding to the riser. The smaller head on our machine screws contains less surface area for ice to build up on than standard posi-drive screw heads. Four mounting screws mount the riser to the ski. All of these holes are concealed beneath the toe plate in order to minimize snow build-up and not compromise the flex of the ski. A 'snow removal ramp' behind the ball of the foot ejects snow as you ski while the outside points maximize boot-to-edge power transfer. Currently our risers are 20mm tall.

(Top) Four mounting screws attach the shim to the ski while three threaded stainless steel T-nuts accept stainless machine screws to mount the binding to the riser.
(Bottom) The T-nuts are countersunk into the bottom of the shim so they can't pull out.
 

Latching the cable to the Cable Harness is handy while skinning with the Peak Pins. Many backcountry skiers prefer the unrestricted heel movement offered by cable-free touring. The Cable Harness also stops annoying 'cable flop' when packing skis onto a backpack and on automobile roof racks. With Peak Rigs you too can: "Stop the flop!"

Stop the flop on your roof rack!