A rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding includes a base, a turret rotatable with respect to the base, a brake fixable to the ski for braking the ski, first elastic element arranged to exert a force to bring the brake into a braking configuration, and a hooking member borne by the base and having a hook for hooking the brake. The hooking member has engaged and disengaged configurations. A second elastic element pushes the hooking member into the engaged configuration. A cam borne by the turret has a pusher borne by the base, activatable by the cam and movable along a second movement path. The hooking member includes an abutment for abutting the pusher and is activatable by the turret via the cam and the pusher, to assume the disengaged configuration and alternately the engaged configuration.

A rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding includes a base, a turret rotatable with respect to the base, a brake fixable to the ski for braking the ski, first elastic element arranged to exert a force to bring the brake into a braking configuration, and a hooking member borne by the base and having a hook for hooking the brake. The hooking member has engaged and disengaged configurations. A second elastic element pushes the hooking member into the engaged configuration. A cam borne by the turret has a pusher borne by the base, activatable by the cam and movable along a second movement path. The hooking member includes an abutment for abutting the pusher and is activatable by the turret via the cam and the pusher, to assume the disengaged configuration and alternately the engaged configuration.

A heel unit for a touring binding includes a base for mounting on a sliding board and coupling means to engage a heel portion of a sliding board boot in a downhill position of the touring binding to retain the sliding board boot on the touring binding. A release mechanism holds the coupling means so as to be moveable relative to the base and releasable from the sliding board boot, in the downhill position, in an event of action of a force exceeding a predetermined release force. An adjustment mechanism adjusts the touring binding between the downhill position and a walking position in which the coupling means are remote from and do not engage the sliding board boot. The adjustment mechanism comprises an actuation assembly manually actuatable to lock or unlock the adjustment mechanism substantially without an actuation force or with an actuation force less than the predetermined release force.

A rear portion of a ski mountaineering binding has a base with a turret rotatable into a first position. The binding portion attaches to a ski boot heel for downhill skiing. The turret has a second position for walking uphill. A ski brake includes a braking lever rotatable to assume a braking position and a non-active position. The brake has elastic for rotating the braking lever towards the braking position, the braking lever is pressed by the ski boot heel, when the turret is in the first position, in order to reach the non-active position. A rotation member rotatably borne by the base bears the braking lever. The rotation member and the turret are interconnected and solidly constrained to one another, with the turret in the second turret position and the braking lever in the non-active position, to enable walking uphill.

A heel unit for a downhill or a combined downhill and alpine touring ski binding has a vertical-release functional group with a tensioning device with a first spring assembly for holding a ski boot downhill, and a horizontal-release functional group with a base plate to be positioned on the ski and a slide that deflects laterally opposing the ski longitudinal direction against the force of a second spring assembly, on which the vertical-release functional group is arranged, as well as with a compression spring assembly acting on the horizontal-release functional group. The vertical-release functional group rotates on the horizontal-release functional group around an axis running vertically towards the top of the ski or towards the vertical, such that, after a limited lateral deflection of the slide, the vertical-release functional group rotates against the force of the second spring assembly to release of the ski boot into the respective lateral-release direction.

A heel unit including a base comprising a fastening arrangement for fastening to a gliding board, a binding body, and coupling means arranged on the binding body. The coupling means engage with a heel portion of a gliding board boot in a downhill position of the gliding board binding to securely hold the gliding board boot on the gliding board binding. The coupling means protrude in a longitudinal direction from the binding body in the downhill position. The heel unit includes an Mz release mechanism to preload the coupling means into the downhill position so that, in the downhill position, the coupling means are freed from engagement with the gliding board boot upon action of a force exceeding a predetermined release force, and so that the coupling means move from the downhill position into a release position via rotational movement of the binding body about the release axis of rotation.

A brake arrangement for a touring binding, adjustable between a braking position and a sliding position. The brake arrangement includes a base having a fastening arrangement for fastening to one or more of a ski or the touring binding, a pedal having a step surface for a shoe on a side of the pedal facing away from the ski, at least one brake arm mounted on the base and on the pedal, at least one first resilient element configured to preload the brake arrangement into the braking position, and a locking element that is movable between an engaged position and a disengaged position. The locking element, in the engaged position, is designed to lock the brake arrangement in the sliding position. The locking element may be preloaded into the engaged position. The brake arrangement may include a blocking element that is adjustable between a blocking position and a release position.

A heel unit for a downhill or a combined downhill and alpine touring ski binding has a vertical-release functional group with a tensioning device with a first spring assembly for holding a ski boot downhill, and a horizontal-release functional group with a base plate to be positioned on the ski and a slide that deflects laterally opposing the ski longitudinal direction against the force of a second spring assembly, on which the vertical-release functional group is arranged, as well as with a compression spring assembly acting on the horizontal-release functional group. The vertical-release functional group rotates on the horizontal-release functional group around an axis running vertically towards the top of the ski or towards the vertical, such that, after a limited lateral deflection of the slide, the vertical-release functional group rotates against the force of the second spring assembly to release of the ski boot into the respective lateral-release direction.

A heel unit for a touring binding includes a base for mounting on a sliding board and coupling means to engage a heel portion of a sliding board boot in a downhill position of the touring binding to retain the sliding board boot on the touring binding. A release mechanism holds the coupling means so as to be moveable relative to the base and releasable from the sliding board boot, in the downhill position, in an event of action of a force exceeding a predetermined release force. An adjustment mechanism adjusts the touring binding between the downhill position and a walking position in which the coupling means are remote from and do not engage the sliding board boot. The adjustment mechanism comprises an actuation assembly manually actuatable to lock or unlock the adjustment mechanism substantially without an actuation force or with an actuation force less than the predetermined release force.

An apparatus for holding a footwear heel to a snow travel aid is provided. The apparatus comprises a mountable base connected to a generally vertical post and an upper portion having at least one forward connector for connecting the upper portion to the heel. The upper portion is rotatable on the post between a downhill position and at least one touring position and comprises at least one part which travels over a prominence at a fixed location relative to the upper portion during rotation from the downhill position to the touring position. The at least one part becomes engageable with a depression adjacent the prominence when the upper portion is in the touring position to resist rotation from the touring position back to the downhill position. The post comprises a feature that provides clearance for the at least one part to travel over the prominence or which functions as the prominence and depression. Also provided are posts for use as a part in such an apparatus.