miller Posted January 10, 2004 Posted January 10, 2004 hello all, im currently wrapping up a climbing trip in the alps, and after a few weeks of climbing im ending the trip with a few days of skiing. im going to invest in some randonnee gear, and i was wondering if there is a certain binding that is better than others/pretty nice that may be available in the alps and not in the states. ive been away from skiing for quite a while now, and i know next to nothing about it, so any advice would be helpful. specific makes/models? thanks a lot! cheers, todd Quote
lummox Posted January 10, 2004 Posted January 10, 2004 silvretta. they even make em with front release. dont know the model number. you can figure that one out. probably. there aint another make that even comes close. Quote
verglas Posted January 10, 2004 Posted January 10, 2004 Fritschi Diamir(great binding in-bounds and off piste) Silvretta 500 (can be used with a climbing boot for approaches) Naxo (new - pivital toe for smoother stride) Dynafit(light, but don't fit into some boots & are tricky to set foot in when there's a cross-slope) Quote
skykilo Posted January 10, 2004 Posted January 10, 2004 I've never had any problems with Fritschis, but after recently acquiring a new setup with Dynafits, I would recommend Dynafit. After a full resort day and one fairly long tour (~25mi.), getting into the bindings has never been as hard as I might have feared, and the weight savings are astounding. Quote
Thrashador Posted January 10, 2004 Posted January 10, 2004 Putting Dynafit's on in Powder and/or a steep slope can be tedious though for weight they are tops. Fritchi or Silvretta= imo. Quote
Figger_Eight Posted January 10, 2004 Posted January 10, 2004 Ya gotta make sure your boots are compatible with Dynafit though. Quote
thelawgoddess Posted January 11, 2004 Posted January 11, 2004 some at bindings are better than others for certain things. are you really looking to save on weight to a fault or do you want something super beefy and strong? i've only demo'ed the naxo and the fritschi freeride. they're both beefy enough for hard inbounds skiing but some people think they're too heavy for serious touring. the naxo has an incredibly smooth glide; whereas the fritschi felt more robotic. Quote
hakioawa Posted January 12, 2004 Posted January 12, 2004 Ski mountaineering -> Dynafit because they are very light Inbounds -> Naxo becuase the teo peice has the most elasticity and hence fewest pre releases Powder -> Silveretta. Tends to be the easiest to put on and is light enought for yo-yoing. Also good for approach skis because they can be used with a crampon compatible boot All in one? Diamir hands down! That said I have Silvretta 555s and dynafits. Quote
cj001f Posted January 12, 2004 Posted January 12, 2004 Ski mountaineering -> Dynafit because they are very light Inbounds -> Naxo becuase the teo peice has the most elasticity and hence fewest pre releases Powder -> Silveretta. Tends to be the easiest to put on and is light enought for yo-yoing. Also good for approach skis because they can be used with a crampon compatible boot All in one? Diamir hands down! That said I have Silvretta 555s and dynafits. 555's weigh about as much as Diamirs. Diamirs are easier to get into, have a toe release, and all around are much more like an alpine binder. True step in convenience. Quote
iain Posted January 12, 2004 Posted January 12, 2004 climb approach: plastic boot/silvretta 500/175cm Atomic tourguides (or shorter) skiing in area and shorter tours, at your skill limit: Diamir Freeride/K2 AK Enemy Dynafits are so nice and light, tempting. Maybe I should drill some holes in my invernos! Quote
Rodchester Posted January 12, 2004 Posted January 12, 2004 Ski mountaineering -> Dynafit because they are very light Inbounds -> Naxo becuase the teo peice has the most elasticity and hence fewest pre releases Powder -> Silveretta. Tends to be the easiest to put on and is light enought for yo-yoing. Also good for approach skis because they can be used with a crampon compatible boot All in one? Diamir hands down! That said I have Silvretta 555s and dynafits. I think that you meant to say that the Silverettas are compatible with mountaineering boots. Because most AT/Randonee boots are crampon compatible with most crampons. Quote
Gary_Yngve Posted January 12, 2004 Posted January 12, 2004 Question on the Silverettas... how adjustable are they to boot size once mounted? Quote
iain Posted January 12, 2004 Posted January 12, 2004 They are quite adjustable; a screwdriver and some cranking time is all that is required. A power screwdriver is a nice thing to have for this, esp when going from at boots (shallow, din heel rand) to climbing boots (bigger heel rand) Quote
Rodchester Posted January 12, 2004 Posted January 12, 2004 They are pretty easy. No complaints. Quote
snoboy Posted January 12, 2004 Posted January 12, 2004 Dynafits are so nice and light, tempting. Maybe I should drill some holes in my invernos! Or buy the MLT 4 and tell us all how it is. Quote
iain Posted January 12, 2004 Posted January 12, 2004 I bet these will be sweet when they come out, though no dynafit it appears I wish that was a standard thing. Quote
iain Posted January 14, 2004 Posted January 14, 2004 hope their warranty program has been ramped up Quote
mounthay Posted January 16, 2004 Posted January 16, 2004 maybe if I grew up nordic skiing....but i didn't. I've owned dynafits for about a year and have used them on everything from rainier ascents and descents to bc laps here and in the rockies. they have treated me well. their still in one piece. But I do feel like i'm limited in their performance sometimes. In my opinion, there are situations in which I want to destroy them. Too many laps in heavier snow leave them caked up with ice and they need tending to. In the rockies, I've had no problems because the snow is lighter and thus doesn't seem to accumulate under the toepiece. Lightness is the plus, but don't take chances with that toepiece...latched to your leg those skis will tear your shit up in cartwheeling crash. the toe piece will not hold you in in any kind of twisting fall. Cliffs are out too, the pressure placed on the tail of the ski could potentially break the toepiece i think. Thus, there are things I won't ski because of the binding I wear in the backcountry. reports from friends in jackson say they are dropping 80 footers (probably like 50) on the fritchi freeride soo...if that's what your into. Quote
skykilo Posted January 17, 2004 Posted January 17, 2004 I haven't taken any HUGE air with my Dynafits, but I'm confident I could. If you're really worried about twisting release in a situation, you can always lock the toe piece into tour mode. Also, I'm not sure why the toe would break; isn't it made of stainless steel? They've treated me great so far skiing aggressively on hardpack, crust, concrete, and fluffy powder... The bozo in this picture is wearing Dynafits, and he landed and skied away with no problems. On another note, I've had trouble with Fritschis releasing on smaller jumps because the flex of the ski allows them to inadvertently change into tour mode. That hasn't been a problem for me with my Fritschis on the stiffer Big Stix, though. Quote
iain Posted January 17, 2004 Posted January 17, 2004 nice shot, especially since photog took care to keep his tracks out of shot... Quote
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