Heel unit for a ski-binding

A heel unit for a ski binding adapted to be mounted on a ski comprising:

• a housing having a forward portion and a rear portion;
• a hand-opening lever mounted to the housing for pivotal movements about a transverse axis located at the forward portion of the housing, the lever extending from the axis in a rearward direction and including a stop surface arranged to engage the housing and limit relative pivotal movements of the lever in a first, release direction from its locking position to its release position;
• a sole clamp mounted to the housing for pivotal movements about said transverse axis and having a ski boot hold-down member and a release pedal;
• force transmission means operatively coupled with the housing and the sole clamp including a spring-biased slider moveable relative to the housing defining a sole clamp hold-down surface, a sole clamp release surface and a deadpoint there between, the slider engaging the sole clamp with one of the surfaces and biasing it into its closed or its open position;
• an actuating abutment surface on the sole clamp cooperating with a first actuating abutment surface on an actuating arm of the hand-opening lever for transmitting pivotal movements of the lever in the first, release direction to the sole clamp for moving the sole clamp from its closed position towards its open position, the slider including an abutment surface which abuts against a second actuating abutment surface on said actuating arm of the hand-opening lever, said first and second actuating abutment surfaces of the actuating arm together forming a web that extends upwardly to contact the abutment surface of the slider in the closed position of the sole clamp;
• and
• holding abutment surfaces defined by the sole clamp and the hand-opening lever for bracing the sole clamp against the hand-opening lever, the holding abutment surfaces being arranged relative to each other such that when the sole clamp pivots from its closed position into its open position, it pivots through an angle larger than the angle through which the hand-opening lever pivots between its locking position and its release position.