UKC

So there is a glut of tech bindings out now, the improved Fritschi Vipec, G3 Ion, Dynafit Radical ST 2.0 the new marker Kingpin to name a few........

I am putting together a new set of skis for a bit of everything in the Alps, day tours, bit of lift assisted touring, the odd hut to hut guided trip, powder and off piste days and a tech binding would seem the way to go rather than Fritschi freeride or Marker tour etc.

What do the masses reckon ?

In reply to Dark-Cloud: the guy who owns the piste office in Nottingham is expecting the radical 2.0 to sell well over on snowheads. Din accreditation is seen as a positive but some people reckon see how the new bindings bed in for a year before buying. All of those you listed look much of a muchness for what you want them for I reckon at my punter level.

In reply to smithaldo:

I think the really smart money is going to wait and see what comes out top after a year or two.

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

i just bought some vipecs. 2014/15 version. i was waiting as there were some problems with the first version, which seem to be fixed. skied them for the first time sunday and like them so far. i wanted them for a freeride focused touring set up and was attracted by the toe release. will use them for most of what you describe, possibly minus the hut to hut.

i have some lighter skis with speed radicals on for when its more about the up.

would definitely take the vipecs over a frame binding if you're doing anything other than a little bit of climbing. based on my very short time with them so far, they are not quite as pleasing as dynafits on the up, but feel solid going down.

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

I'm a big fans of my Dynafiddle Beasts - not particularly light but indistinguishable from high DIN step-ins on the downhill.

In reply to DaveHK:


Really, you reckon they are likely to be that bad ?

You would like to think that in this age of 3D design, FEA and rapid prototyping and subsequent testing that something that comes to market would be a sorted product.

In reply to Dark-Cloud:


Probably not disasters but there have already been a few examples of teething troubles with new systems. I've not done loads of research as I'm not in the market for new bindings but all else being equal I'd go for one that's an evolution of an existing design rather than an all new one. And I'd like to see a load of reviews which is missing for some of the new systems just now.

In reply to Dark-Cloud:




you could probably do all that with some 5 year old bog standard dynafits, but nothing wrong with having lots of choice. a boot that you feel comfortable doing all of the above would be more of a challenge but again the number of options is expanding.

In reply to Morgan Woods:

Pretty sure you are right, the DIN certified release tends to be what the newer models have as an advantage over the older design tech bindings, all those I listed are DIN except the G3, thats got to be a good thing, or is it ?

In reply to Dark-Cloud:



Off the top of my head... the Radical heel anti-rotation mechanism has had, what, 3 revisions since release? Might be 4 with this season's Speed Radicals. Plum had a load of problems with the toe arm bits fatiguing. The Beast had some issues with compatibility with some boots, I think. The Vipec had toe pins stripping the threads they were fitted to, even after a fair amount of testing. Outside of tech-land, there were a few reports of the Guardian rails snapping. There have probably been a few other incidents too, but I don't recall.

The smart money never buys a new touring binding in its first year; it is a bit of a pointless gamble, given how many perfectly adequate tech bindings are out there already, for a lot less money than the new hotness.

Aaaaand it looks like Dynafit have just pulled the Radical 2.0 from the shelves due to heel issues.

Perhaps the smart money should have wagered on who was going to have the first public problems with their new product?

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

Well I've gone for Fritschi Vipec bindings on Scott Fly'air skis, I've not had the chance to try them out yet. I liked the idea of DIN release but apart from that didn't think there was much in it between the Vipec and Radicals. I guess the only way to tell if I've made the right choice or not is to wait for the snow.

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

I read that the DIN standard was not really compatible with pin bindings. I think I read that the old Dynafit radical would probably pass the DIN cert with the edits made to certify the new crop. Point being, while it certainly IS a good thing to fit touring bindings to a standard for release, I think it might be a bit of a red herring. I've had a few crashes with my Radicals and they've released when I wanted and stayed on when I wanted. I imagine it gets less predictable when you crank them right up to the limit, but how many of us REALLY need to do that for out everyday skiing? I certainly don't.

In reply to Shearwater:


got a link for that mate?

P

In reply to Shearwater:

Hmmm, perhaps its the Radical ST or FT then, any good deals out there ? Need 2 pairs.........

In reply to Paul Atkinson:


Doesn't look like there's a public announcement right now, so perhaps there's a small chance this is wrong but I wouldn't get your hopes up.

Dynafit radical product page just returns 404 (and so can't be linked directly, because the UKC forum software is too clever for its own good): www.dynafit.com/us/tlt-radical-st-2-0.html
Google cache of page still returns product info as of time of posting: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?hl=en-GB&q=cache:M8pMPA526...

Jon Coster, a pusher/reseller posted here that they've been pulled for this season: http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php/273908-Beast-14?p=4351437...

A google search for 'dynafit radical 2 delay' pulls up a few results too, but don't just take my word for it. Drop an email to a reseller, ask em to give you the word from the horse's mouth.

Probably not what you're after, but the Speed Radical is still good to go. I don't rate Dynafit's brakes a whole lot, having seen a couple of failures to deploy and one occasion where ski plus deployed brakes merrily disappeared downslope in lovely fresh fluffy powder. The speed radicals plus B&D ski leash works just fine for me.

In reply to Shearwater:

and you can still get the Speed Turn for €250, which is a bargain!

In reply to Shearwater:
thanks for that - wasn't doubting your word but couldn't find anything online. Thankfully I had Jon Coster fit some Beast 16s to my Trab Volares a couple of weeks ago so it's an academic question for me (as it happens, I also have some first generation Radical STs which needed the heel pieces replacing with second generation after their first season due to the old heel rotation problem)

As pointed out above, new tech bindings in their first season have a bad track record in the last few years - it's hard not to blame the manufacturer for inadequate pre market testing of what is at the end of the day a safety product

If I make any further purchases in the next year or so it'll be DPS Wailer RP112s, which I'm majorly lusting after, and I'll stick Quiver Killers (well Jon will) in to swap the various bindings, including alpine, about - so no more new bindings for me

cheers, P

In reply to Dark-Cloud:

I've been using the Vipecs on Scott Crus'airs since last season for exactly the same requirement you list. Very pleased with the performance! Full lateral toe release, light weight, brakes included and robust enough for one ski setup you describe. If I was buying again this year I'd defo go for Vipecs. Make sure you get latest upgrade version. They have new guide pieces to help insert toe and tweak to pin adjustment making more robust.