"Jonathan Shefftz" wrote:
A pilot boot will work in a profil binding, but what are the
implications for skiing performance and for wear&tear/durability?
(I recall that the answer has something to do with how the front of
the pilot boot bumps up against the profil bumper, yet can't recall
the specifics.)

The bar in the pilot boot is set a bit farther back from the toe so the part
of the boot that contacts the bumper sticks out more. Compare the boots.
It looks like about a 4 mm difference. If you won't be switching boots
around, take a knife and shave back the bumper about 4 mm or so. A point of
comparison would be to click a profil boot into a profil skate binding (or
pilot boot into a pilot binding), hold onto the boot dangling the ski, and
see how it hangs. Then slowly shave back the bumper so you get it to hang
the same way with the pilot boot in the profil binding. You could also
shave it back more or less depending on your personal preferences I guess,
or try the softer yellow classic bumper without shaving it back.

I don't like the pilot binding, so I put profils on my last new pair of
skate skis. I don't see how they can perform that much differently... the
spring hook on the pilot can't provide any extra lateral stability. You can
test that off the ski easily. What provides the lateral stability is the
stiffness of the toe bar and the clamp mechanism, as well as the ridge when
the boot is down. The ridge on the pilot binding is wider just behind the
main bar clamp, so that's why profil boots don't physically fit on the pilot
binding. The wider hollow in the front part of the pilot boots (to
accomodate the fatter ridge) does leaves a bit of a gap in that location
when using pilot boots with profil bindings. But, I don't think it matters
since it is so close to the clamp and the lateral deflection is minimal
there . I don't feel any difference when skiing, but others feel something.
The spring is less damped than the bumper (though you can adjust the preload
by shaving back the bumpers using the pilot boot), so that probably provides
the feel difference.