What is a telemark shim?
- A shim lies under the binding and raises its height from the top of the ski. Shims come in a variety of thicknesses, ranging from about 7mm up to 45mm

The purpose of a shim:
- A shim will prevent you from "booting out" on steep slopes or just plain hard pack. Booting out means that your boot hits the slope and causes you to slip out
- It also greatly enhances a skier's ability to edge easier and quicker

Who doesn't use shims these days?
- We use shims on all of our demo skis - 99% of all the skis we sell use shims - the skiers who generally don't use shims have traditional skis and ski mostly powder in the backcountry
- Everyone with a radically shaped ski should use a shim

How does one choose what height of shim to use?
- Most bindings now come with a shim so you really don't need to buy one if you are buying new bindings, unless you desire a different height. Many new bindings have an integrated shim/binding system, so you'll only need to mount the shim to the ski. If you buy a binding without a shim (or have an older binding you want to use), chances are it has a three hole mounting pattern. This pattern should be compatible with any shim we sell.
- Height: If you have no experience with shims and choosing them, we recommend using a shim of about 15mm to 25mm. You can go taller (30mm-45mm), but his is usually not necessary unless you'll be racing or you really need a lot of extra edging power.

What are the differences between brands of shims?
- There is a big difference in price and design.
- The cheaper ones from Voile ($10) simply come with longer screws to mount your 3 hole bindings in the same spot using the same holes.
- More expensive shims such as G3's 15mm shim ($23) or Voile's 20mm and 30mm shims ($22) use a four or five hole mounting pattern to more securely attach to the ski. A separate three hole pattern allows the binding to attach directly to the shim. This allows you to change bindings easier without creating new holes, and decreases the chance of pulling bindings out of your ski.

What if I have a Releasable binding?
- We do carry shims specifically made for the releasable binding out there; however, always take into consideration that the bindings themselves account for some lift.

Still Confused?
- Just give us a call or email us at info@telemarkski.com, and ask what shim will work with your binding or visa versa.

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