A pin binding toe unit for holding a footwear toe to a snow travel aid has a pair of pivotal jaws with respective teeth for engaging concavities in sides of the footwear toe, and a biasing element operable to bias the jaws into open and closed positions. In contrast to conventional incorporation of multiple biasing elements into the jaws, the biasing element is instead uniquely housed in the mode lever by which the jaws are openable and closeable, and in this housed relation to the mode lever, the biasing element is constrained to a uniform horizontal orientation through the full range of jaw motion. The assembly is simplified, torque leverage on the jaws is advantageously varied within the range of the jaw motion for improved energy absorption, and the trigger of the mode lever is uniquely widened for easier user step-in. Threaded pivots enable disassembly of components for service and end-of-life recycling, with the two threaded jaw pivots being characterized by opposing thread directionality or opposing insertion orientation for self-prevented loosening of the threaded jaw pivots over repeated open-close cycles.

The toe-piece of a ski mountaineering binding comprises: a first jaw and a second jaw rotatably coupled with a base fixable to a ski; a first hooking element borne by the first jaw and having a first tip for inserting in a first lateral hole of a ski boot and a second hooking element borne by the second jaw and having a second tip for inserting in a second lateral hole of the ski boot when the toe-piece assumes a configuration of an inserted ski boot. The toe-piece is configured so that the first hooking element is inserted in a first seat in the first jaw to enable a roto-translatory motion between a retracted position when the boot is aligned to the longitudinal axis of the ski, and a plurality of possible advanced positions when the ski boot temporarily misaligns with respect to the longitudinal axis of the ski.

An apparatus is provided for holding a footwear toe to a snow travel aid. The apparatus comprises jaws that grasp the toe while permitting pivotal movement of the footwear about the toe in forward and rearward directions and is for use with a heel holder that provides for lateral release. The apparatus comprises one or more resilient elements for biasing the jaws whereby the jaws are biased towards a closed position throughout the operational range of motion of the jaws. Also provided is an apparatus which comprises jaws that grasp the toe while permitting pivotal movement of footwear about the toe, wherein the apparatus is adapted for generally horizontal, forward and rearward translation relative to a longitudinal axis of the snow travel aid, selectively by a user. Also provided is an apparatus comprising jaws that grasp the toe while permitting pivotal movement of footwear about the toe, and a lock for inhibiting opening of the jaws, the lock comprising one or more resilient elements which provide resilience while inhibiting opening of the jaws.

A front unit for a touring binding, comprising: two lateral bearing portions arranged on a ski transverse axis, wherein, when the front unit is in a closed position, the two lateral bearing portions are configured to engage lateral counter bearing portions of a ski boot to hold the ski boot on the front unit so that the ski boot can pivot about the ski transverse axis; and a longitudinal positioning portion on which the ski boot can be supported, wherein the counter bearing portions are positioned for engagement relative to the bearing portions, the front unit being shiftable between an open position and the closed position, wherein the bearing portions and the counter bearing portions are disengaged in the open position and engaged in the closed position, wherein the longitudinal positioning portion, relative to the bearing portions, is secured in the open position and movable in the closed position.