The skier of course is the biggest beneficiary in the use of plates. The bindings are easy to get into and out of and are easy to use after an accidental release.
Burt Winstein developed his binding, the Burt, for this very reason: he didn’t like bending over to put his skis back on. The Burt is a retractible binding that automatically snaps the boot and plate back on the ski after a release. Besides this obvious advantage, the Burt adapts easily to existing preset, pre-fit and floating pre-mated technology. It also goes one step further in that unlike plates, which have a screw type fitting adjustment, the Burt has graduated fittings adjustments—33 to be exact, 3 at the heel and 11 at the toe. Burt supplies decals representing all of these combinations. Prior to the season, shop personnel determine which position a particular boot fits and stick the appropriate decal on the boot. For example, a boot may fit in heel location B and toe slot 6. When a customer selects the boot the shop worker, by reading the decal, can select an appropriate pair of skis. Because the fitting of the boot to the plate is reasonably independent of both function and adjustment, the equipment can be sent out without placing the boot in the system.
The Burt system has some disadvantages, both real and rumored. The big negative is cost. Since the binding was first marketed in 1974, it has been the, or one of the, most expensive bindings. In trying to crack the rental market Burt sells rental units at a significantly lower cost. A second reputation that Burt received was lack of durability. The thought of mechanics down in the basement with springs, screws and cables flying every which way could dampen any manager’s spirit.
While durability is a consideration, one area operator, Dan Fuller of Bristol Mountain, N.Y., who has used Burts in his rental shop, says that only about one percent of his rental units were out of commission at any one time. A nice feature of the Burt is that unlike most rental bindings, it can be entirely taken apart and repaired. This maintenance can be performed with only minimal tools.
Before buying new rental equipment, especially a different breed of equipment, management should have the rental shop experiment with a limited number of new units. Then you can judge: how efficient is the system? How does it work in my physical plant? Does it fit the philosophy of my resort? Do my customers like it?
