Burly AT bindings

[swaterfall]

OK freshie-addicts.

 

I just scored a pair of K2 AK Launchers and I want to put a pair of bindings on them that are bomber enough to handle jumps, drops and lift served skiing, but still let me skin up hill.

 

I've got a lightweight set up (K2 Ascent 8611's with Dynafit bindings) which I will still use for long back country days so I don't really care about the weight for the AK Launchers.

 

I'm thinking Frischiti (sp?) but I would like some other advice.

[markov]

I have some Fritschi Freerides, which climb pretty well, and ski great, but are heavy. A buddy has the Naxo bindings, which he loves, though they appear to be harder to find. If I had it to do again I'd probably get the Fritschi Diamirs, which are lighter than the Freerides.

[cracked]

The Diamirs are only the slightest bit lighter than the Freeride if you add in the weight of the brakes (which are very worth it in my experience). The Naxo is pretty easy to find (marmot, mgear, FF all had them last year), and next year's version has been beefed up a bit, but it's still relatively unproven. They had a bunch of failures this year, so let's hope that the newer version works better. Check out www.wildsnow.com for more.

[larrythellama]

i heard that the naxos has something like 50% of their bindgins break. even if they are beefed up the design still appears to lead to failure. i have freerides on bigs and can keep up with pretty much anyone skinning, so i only see weight being an issue on multiday deals.

[graupel]

i heard that the naxos has something like 50% of their bindgins break. even if they are beefed up the design still appears to lead to failure. i have freerides on bigs and can keep up with pretty much anyone skinning, so i only see weight being an issue on multiday deals.

 

BS Meter Alert!

 

There were a few breakages, but with new gear they get well publicised. I've seen Freerides broken too, so they are not immune. Though I haven't yet personally been on Freerides, I imagine they would perform similar to the Diamir IIs I have. I think both the Naxo and Freeride are viable options for the beefy-minded. Personally though, I like the tourabilty of the Naxo when used with stouter boots. The double hinge arrangement in the toe does make a difference.

[MisterMo]

I've got a season & a half on the Diamirs and am really happy with them. I was and remain suspicious about various plastic parts and the specter of difficult/impossible field repair, but I haven't managed to break any thing yet.

IMHO "light" and "alpine touring" are mutually exclusive concepts.

[larrythellama]

graupel

 

i knew of 4 people with them in slc last winter and 2 of them had breaks, so in my world that would be 50%. both had broken toe pieces. have heard of other breaks as well. nothing like plastic to make life better.

[james_e]

Diamirs or freerides. i've got both and they've worked great. The naxos are also slightly heavier than the fritschis, but that shouldn't matter much unless you're a huge alpine freak or something. fritschis definitely aren't bombproof either. try two-turning a hardpack bowl. the toe piece doesn't like that. bad times.... If you're into cliff hucking and tossing yourself around in the park inbounds, definitely go for the freerides. I'm intimidated by lots of moving parts, so i've pretty well kept my distance from the naxos. I demoed them once and wasn't too impressed. it seemed like they released strangly in a fall. too much shaking. in conclusion, only get the freerides if you feel that you need the extra din. otherwise, save yourself some green and get the diamirs. good luck.

[cj001f]

both had broken toe pieces. have heard of other breaks as well. nothing like plastic to make life better.

Given how ultrareliable the early Diamir toepieces were And how much more plastic is in the new Diamirs (both are redesigned)