Ski binding heel unit

A heel unit apparatus for a ski touring binding, the apparatus comprising:

• a heel body;
• two separate heel pins supported on said heel body in positions projecting forwardly from a front end of said heel body in positions of laterally spaced relation to one another, each one of said two separate heel pins having respective front and rear terminal ends of opposing relationship in lengthwise relation to the two separate heel pins;
• a heel pin blocker engaging the two separate heel pins at an adjustable location within lengthwise mid regions of the two separate heel pins in a manner blocking laterally outward spreading of the two separate heel pins at said location;
• a blocker adjustment operable to vary said adjustable location at which said heel pin blocker engages the two separate heel pins, and to hold the heel pin blocker static at said adjustable location, once set;
• and
• a rear heel pin holder by which the two separate heel pins, at rear regions thereof adjacent the respective rear ends of the two separate, are:
• held fixed against longitudinal movement of either of the two separate heel pins;
• held fixed against lateral displacement of either of the two separate heel pins;
• held at a fixed lateral distance from one another;
• and
• allowed to spin about respective longitudinal axes of the two separate heel pin;
• whereby, owing to lateral fixation and blocking of the two separate heel pins at both the rear and intermediate regions thereof, laterally outward spreading of the two separate heel pins at front regions thereof situated in front of the heel body during forced insertion of a footwear heel between said two separate heel pins for engagement thereby, and during safety release of the footwear heel therefrom, is achieved purely by temporary flexure of the two separate heel pins themselves, and closure of the front regions of the two separate heel pins back toward one another is effected purely by self-relaxation of the temporary flexure thereof.