Removing NIS plate to install SNS binding

My Salomon ski boots fit me much better than any NNN boot I tried. But these days half the skis on the market (if not more) are sold with NIS plates, which makes installing SNS bindings a bit cumbersome. Having tried some Atomic and Salomon skis, I decided that I like a particular model of Fischer skis better, but the NIS plate on them bugged the OCD part of me, which wanted to not have the stupid unnecessary plates. Contemplating this, I saw a Youtube video (in Russian language) of a guy removing the NIS plates from a pair of skis using a hand plane. Being a woodworker, I could not pass the opportunity to use my hand planes AND satisfy the OCD part of me at the same time, so I set out to remove the plate. Spoiler: I would probably not do it again.

I clamped the ski to my bench, inserting a block of wood under the crown. Later I covered the area in front and in the back of the plate with some masking tape to avoid scratching it accidentally. I started by using a Stanley No.5 jack plane to take thick shavings off the plate. When there was not much thickness left, I switched to a block plane because it is easier to control (I was afraid of cutting too deep and damaging the edges of the skis.

I discovered that there was a small (0.5mm or so) recess in the ski just under the plate. The recess was filled with some kind of glue, that affixed the plate to the ski. Unlike with the Madshus skis in the above Youtube video, the ski’s paint job was interrupted under the NIS plate, so traceless removal of the NIS plate was not possible in my case.

Once I realized that, my objective was no longer to remove all traces of the NIS plate, but to remove enough of it to create a platform that’s level with the side edges of the ski. In some places, a very thin layer of the plate remained in place, in other places the underlying glue started showing through. Most of this will be invisible once the bindings are installed.

Unfortunately, there is quite a bit of glue-filled recess visible in front of the installed SNS bindings. (Notice that there is more glue visible for the ski on the left, this is because one NIS plate was not aligned properly with the ski’s balance point on one of the skis). I will have to live with this ugliness; it does not bother me all that much, but I know that many people have a more developed sense of aesthetics than me.

Behind the SNS bindings, the glue is not visible, but there is a bit of ugliness on one of the skis, where the NIS plate’s tip slightly damaged the clear coat.

It took me about 30 minutes to hog the plates off. On the one hand, it gives me an odd sense of satisfaction to have them removed; it’s like getting even with the ski manufacturers who don’t care enough about interoperability. On the other hand, the skis have undeniably become uglier. I may have scuffed the clear coat on the edges of the skis in a few places. Overall, I don’t think that I would do this again. I would probably grind my teeth and live with the bindings mounted on top of NIS plates.