Dynafit Vertical FT Binding, ZZeus and Titan Boots and Stoke Ski – Gear Review 2010

Video Review posted at the bottom of this page

Note that I am not an experienced Dynafit user; I am writing this review from the point of view of a first time user of the ‘tech’ binding system.

The concept of ‘freeride touring’ isn’t new, legendary partnerships such as Pehota & Peterson, Plake & Hattrup pioneered the movement years ago.  The difference these days is the technology. Making the move from the resort to the backcountry doesn’t mean compromising your equipment like it once did. Bindings such as the Marker Duke have given downhill skiers the confidence that they can go big in the backcountry without worrying about binding pre-release.  When it comes to climbing however, the bane of alpine touring bindings is their weight (including all the snow that gets stuck in them). Fat skis aren’t all that light either, nor are stiff alpine boots. Is all this weight necessary for high performance skiing in the backcountry?

Dynafit are steeped in the tradition of alpinism but their new products show that they are expanding into the freeride touring market. Freeskiers such as Eric Hjorleifson and Kye Petersen are now using Dynafit binding systems for their self propelled days in the backcountry. http://www.dynafit.com/

Last spring I had the chance to demo one of the freeride setups.

Skis – Stoke 182cm 130/106/120

The biggest ski the company has ever produced and the only one to measure more than 100mm underfoot. Developed in partnership with Dynafit athlete Greg Hill, the Stoke is very light at 1645g/ski while still remaining torsionally stiff. A soft, early rise tip let the ski float with ease through powder and also helped manoeuvre the ski on the harder sun-affected slopes and breakable crust.  The Paulonia wood and bamboo composite core gave a favourable flex profile for softer conditions. These light and agile skis felt great doing short turns down couloirs, but also felt powerful and remained stable with big, high speed turns in powder.

 I’m 5’11 and 160lbs and while I found the performed beyond my expectations, a taller or heavier skier may not like the soft tip when charging big lines in mixed conditions. http://greghill.squarespace.com/

The man himself Greg Hill: photo Jon Walsh

Bindings – TLT Vertical FT 12

The freeride touring binding from Dynafit has a release capacity of 6-12 and comes with a carbon plate to assist torque transmission between the toe and heel pieces to the ski. There are several advantages of this binding system

• Very low profile (10mm at heel). No more feeling like you are skiing on stilts
• 4 point load transfer makes it as responsive as any alpine binding
• When walking in tour mode you don’t have to lift the entire heel piece like on other AT bindings
• In situations when binding release is not an option (e.g. no fall zones) you can lock the binding.

One gripe I had on my first day of testing was getting snow in the small recession under the jaws of the toe piece. If snow gets into this cavity the toe piece won’t engage properly, even though it looks like it has. The wet spring snow we had during testing didn’t help and I found myself clearing the cavity with a Leatherman more than once.  Some tips from experienced users: spread a bit of olive oil in the cavity to avoid snow sticking and avoid taking your skis off (the trick of removing skins with your skis on helps).

Boots - ZZeus  TFX

The ZZeus felt to have reasonably stiff flex, not quite as stiff as my Black Diamond Factors but considerably more than any most other AT boots on the market. The Dynafit Titan is the ultimate in aggressive touring boot and would be the obvious choice for skiers in 130 flex shells looking to convert to an AT boot. Both models use a polyurethane shell (the same material used in alpine boots) which will increase stiffness slightly in colder temperatures. Most other touring boots use Pebax material which is lighter, but struggles to maintain stiffness. Alpiners will also appreciate the overlap cuff, allowing you to crank the buckles for the descent.

Where the ZZeus excelled was in its walk mode. With the magnesium buckles undone I was able to glide on the flats with unprecedented ease. On the descent the boots felt fine for backcountry lines, but I noticed a little less control heading back through the moguls and the crud in the resort.

Titan TF-X

The Bottom Line

There is more to backcountry performance than weight savings, but let’s run the numbers just for fun.

Take an alpine/slackcountry set up for an expert skier:

Boots - 4500g (Lange Super Banshee)

Bindings – 2668g (Marker Duke)

Skis – 4670g (Rossignol S7 188cm)

Total weight= 11.84kg

Dynafit setup

Boots – 2000g (Titan)

Bindings – 540g (FT 12)

Skis - 3290g (Stoke 182cm)

Total Weight – 5.83kg

That’s more than a 50% weight reduction, over 6kg. Imagine how much more energy you’ll have at the summit for the descent.  Or even how many more summits you could bag that day. Worth a try isn’t it?

VS

If you are looking to demo Dynafit in Whistler this season check out the gear at The Escape Route. 

The four point link provides a transmission of torque comparable to a high-end alpine binding

Video Gear Review by Tim Grey of the ST binding. Special props to http://lyngenlodge.com/ and http://www.monodsports.com/main.php for helping with the mount.