Interactions of Tech Bindings with AT Boot Toe Inserts: Part I, Binding Toe-Piece Mechanics

Alpine touring (AT) is a subdiscipline of alpine skiing where skiers ascend and descend snow slopes under their own power. Specialized equipment has been developed for AT skiing, including Tech/Pin bindings that rely on metal inserts molded into AT boots to rigidly couple the boot to the binding. The current lack of standardization has resulted in significant variation in tech insert geometry between boot manufacturers. It is hypothesized that the constraint forces from the tech binding on AT boots are highly sensitive to variations in tech insert geometry.