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abjectwoe
May, 2025

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Unwanted movement in look pivots - normal?

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2.0
Posts: 24 - Karma: 32
I'm starting to think about my setup for the upcoming season, stuff i might need to buy/replace/fix etc. I got a new pair of skis half way through last season and mounted some second hand 2015/16 look pivots I got off craigslist. I loved the skis so much I didn't really think about the bindings - I did notice that I had absolutely zero unwanted releases on those skis for the rest of the season, which was sick.

the other thing I remember about the bindings, however, is that when rolling the skis edge to edge (lengthways ?), my boots would rock over a fair bit before actually making the ski roll, making the skis feel very slow edge to edge. I tested it at home by clipping in my boot, standing on the ski to keep it flat to the floor, and pushing the boot over sideways. this would move the top of the boot almost an inch before making the ski want to tip over.
I hope that explains it well enough, might do a little diagram if needed. it was as if the toe and heelpiece of my boots were not tall enough for the binding. these being the non WTR version, I know there wasn't an issue there. my mate also got some 2017 pivot WTRs in the same season and complained about the exact same problem (and showed me) before I got mine. it annoyed him enough to decide he hates the bindings - I however didn't really mind as the tradeoff for the utter lack of pre-releases was amazing.

I did a bit of googling and searching here and couldn't really find anything - I feel like I'm using ambiguous words though because its a fairly hard problem to describe


thanks for your help!
8 years ago
4 0
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a_burger
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 21,143
your boots might be to old and worn down, or the bindings need new AFDs
8 years ago
5 0
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2.0
Posts: 24 - Karma: 32
from memory the afds looked okay but i'll pull them out and check. what could be wrong with them? like could they be just ground down and flattened or could they actually be broken somehow?

I've now done two full seasons on my boots - using them for work and stuff, lots of walking around off snow - but the toes and heels don't look nearly as ground down as I would expect for the problem to be this noticeable....
8 years ago
0 0
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Jesse_
Posts: 1498 - Karma: 3,642
You could them to a shop near you to have them evaluated by a ski tech or something, may be the bindings have something wrong with them or your boots are in fact too worn down from use and lots of walking as you were saying. Post up some pics too.
8 years ago
1 0
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supersquid
Posts: 1430 - Karma: 2,547
What is your din at? I know the bindings have lots of lateral movement to prevent pre release. Maybe your right on the bubble of a higher din (take that with a grain of sald though, and dont adjust your dins yourself!) so maybe that could be the case. Take them to your local shop and see what they say. They have all of the equipment and tools to test and knowledge to spot if anything is wrong. Nobody on here would be able to tell you ecactly whats wrong or if they are safe to ski without looking at them in person.
8 years ago
3 0
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Shockley._.
Posts: 24 - Karma: 109
I have the Look Pivot 16 2017 model and they handled great. i had a pair of Markers on another pair of skis and the brake pads broke off landing switch with my dens to low. The same thing happened to these but the brake pad didnt break and only got bent back a little, so it took about 50 secs to fix. honestly the best bindings ive ever had, so maybe you should get them and your boots checked out by a shop with experience.
8 years ago
2 0
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brett_fisher
Posts: 2419 - Karma: 10,518
i have a older pair and the screw would slide around . could try checking your forward pressure
8 years ago
3 0
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Deepskier
Posts: 3269 - Karma: 4,864
2.0from memory the afds looked okay but i'll pull them out and check. what could be wrong with them? like could they be just ground down and flattened or could they actually be broken somehow?

I've now done two full seasons on my boots - using them for work and stuff, lots of walking around off snow - but the toes and heels don't look nearly as ground down as I would expect for the problem to be this noticeable....


Either your afd or boot is worn down that much... or both. Id say take them to a shop and get the plates replaced and new AFDs
8 years ago
1 0
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2.0
Posts: 24 - Karma: 32
Thanks everyone who replied - had another look at the rig today and thought i would take some videos to show it (I didn't think still photos would do it justice). I'm moving the boot with just a little bit of force, with my weight keeping the ski flat. din is at 10.5

side view

top view

so it looks like it indeed could be a combination of a worn down afd and worn down boot, but then why would the whole heelpiece move like that? is that supposed to happen?

@supersquid I'll take them into a shop at some point but there aren't a whole lot of knowledgable ski tech guys in sydney. I don't think any shops here even sell pivots.

thanks again ns!!
8 years ago
0 0
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Jarvis
Posts: 49 - Karma: 38
Pivot looks are free heel bindings. They're designed to have some heel movement to prevent heel and knee injuries in a deep powder crash. What you're experiencing is totally normal for those bindings. No need to bring your skis to a shop.
8 years ago
0 9
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2.0
Posts: 24 - Karma: 32
JarvisPivot looks are free heel bindings. They're designed to have some heel movement to prevent heel and knee injuries in a deep powder crash. What you're experiencing is totally normal for those bindings. No need to bring your skis to a shop.


really? why would they allow so much lateral movement of the leg before the ski starts moving? sure, it doesn't matter in waist-deep powder, but edge to edge transitions anywhere else just feel super sluggish.

pivots are used on race skis aren't they? maybe just mogul race skis...
8 years ago
2 0
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Jarvis
Posts: 49 - Karma: 38
2.0really? why would they allow so much lateral movement of the leg before the ski starts moving? sure, it doesn't matter in waist-deep powder, but edge to edge transitions anywhere else just feel super sluggish.

pivots are used on race skis aren't they? maybe just mogul race skis...


Yeah. They are pretty difficult to turn. I have them on my dad's k2 powabungas that are 136 underfoot. He let's me borrow them sometimes. They really don't perform well in anything but powder. The sluggish edge to edge feeling might also be in part that these skis are much wider than your east coast skis. The pivots might be a pain on hardback, but if you crash in the deep powder and don't screw up your knees, you'll be thankful for them.
8 years ago
0 2
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sambuswell
Posts: 742 - Karma: 3,462
JarvisYeah. They are pretty difficult to turn. I have them on my dad's k2 powabungas that are 136 underfoot. He let's me borrow them sometimes. They really don't perform well in anything but powder. The sluggish edge to edge feeling might also be in part that these skis are much wider than your east coast skis. The pivots might be a pain on hardback, but if you crash in the deep powder and don't screw up your knees, you'll be thankful for them.

Don't listen to this fool there is obviously something wrong with your setup. Pivots are the same as any other binding on hard pack. There isn't a binding that is best for a certain condition unless we are talking about how easy it is to step in. That is not normal, could be afds, forward pressure, worn boots, or a combination of everything. Go to a shop and get a professional opinion and stop listening to people like this who think they know what they are talking about.
8 years ago
3 1
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profa_212
Posts: 9203 - Karma: 40,290
JarvisYeah. They are pretty difficult to turn. I have them on my dad's k2 powabungas that are 136 underfoot. He let's me borrow them sometimes. They really don't perform well in anything but powder. The sluggish edge to edge feeling might also be in part that these skis are much wider than your east coast skis. The pivots might be a pain on hardback, but if you crash in the deep powder and don't screw up your knees, you'll be thankful for them.


sambuswellDon't listen to this fool there is obviously something wrong with your setup. Pivots are the same as any other binding on hard pack. There isn't a binding that is best for a certain condition unless we are talking about how easy it is to step in. That is not normal, could be afds, forward pressure, worn boots, or a combination of everything. Go to a shop and get a professional opinion and stop listening to people like this who think they know what they are talking about.


This. There should not be movement like that in your boot. Fks are no more difficult to turn than any other binding, and actually should be easier than others due to the low stack height.

Take them to a shop and have them inspected
8 years ago
2 0
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Jarvis
Posts: 49 - Karma: 38
Sorry. I misunderstood the question. The boots should be able to twist in the heel, but they shouldn't lean without the ski turning.
8 years ago
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HypeBeast
Posts: 10063 - Karma: 76,230
JarvisSorry. I misunderstood the question. The boots should be able to twist in the heel, but they shouldn't lean without the ski turning.


I'll be sure to take you with me when I go hiking, in case I get lost because you sure know how to backtrack.
8 years ago
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2.0
Posts: 24 - Karma: 32
cheers folks

I guess ill have to wait until im back at the snow to get them sorted out... starting to loose hope that this will be an easy fix :'(
8 years ago
0 0
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