Question for the Dynafit bunch....

So my longtime ski bud and I went out for a little morning newbie-skin to the top of Hyak, down the back a little bit and then return down the front side to the base. Tuesday morning was gorgeous and we got a few decent turns in, but probably nothing worthy of a full-on TR - especially in light of some of the amazing treks a few members had that day. The rain began as we were getting back into the car. Home by 1pm.

We dug a practice pit on the back side and found a rain crust under 8 or so inches of cascade powder with a little corny windblown on top. This layer could have been of concern had we been skiing something with more pitch, but this was 25-30 degrees at worst.


It was my first time skinning on the Dynafits and I was frustrated by the toes releasing repeatedly as I climbed, until I remembered that last little 'click' on the toepiece lever to lock the toes down. Sheesh. What a dork! That won't happen again.

Here's the question: Is there a trick or technique to preventing the climbing post hole free of ice as you travel? Obviously when the hole is packed and solid it's a little difficult to turn with a pole tip. Also is there a similar trick to keeping the holes on the boot toes clear? Perhaps it's just the nature of the beast, or perhaps you more experienced types know something I don't, which wouldn't come as a big surprise.

Coupla pics attached just because one was pretty and the other kind of humerous.

I've decided to start bringing along one of these mini spray de-icer cans made for car locks. I want to try and avoid using it (environmentally, spraying alcohol and glycol all over isn't great), but after a frustrating 15 minutes of bare fingers in a gale on the Muir, I think it could be worth it. If it is snowing hard, or the snow underfoot is sticky, the toe holes just cram full extremely easily.

wildsnow.com also has a mod where you can shave material off the toe piece, to make it more flush with the top sheet, avoiding that frozen lake effect. I've haven't gotten up the gumption to do it yet, however....

www.wildsnow.com/articles/dynafit-anti-i...fit-binding-ice.html

i like to carry a mini-sized leatherman tool in my jacket pocket for dynafit cleaning...it works well for clearing out the boot sockets and for dealing with snow build-up in the heel lifter.

The needlenose pliers on my mini-Leatherman work well for the toe holes - actually, 99 percent of the time you can just put the binding on and slide the ski back and forth, and the pins will force the snow/debris out.

Can't speak for the hole on the climbing post (I assume you are talking about the Comfort volcano, right?) - all my Dynafits are regular TLT's (also known as Speed or Classic) and most have the climbing post removed or not there in the first place. I would think silicone spray would help, though - I use that under the toe arms to prevent snow buildup there.

Try using your ski pole to pull up on the toepiece while locking it, especially with new, "stiff" bindings. When you're doing it, you want to hear a number of clicks (maybe 4) if you don't want to come out while skinning.

Whippet.

Someone had recommended spraying SailKote in there; that's a waterproof lube that you can get at West Marine. But it didn't really work that well for me.

My TLT setup seems particularly prone to ice-in-the-hole syndrome, w. one of the bindings being more susceptible than the other. And it's a lot harder to get out too. I think either something got bent or installed crooked, such that the tolerance is way reduced.

The problem with the Whippet idea is that it's usually fresh snow days that cause the icing problems, and I don't bother bringing the Whippet for those conditions usually. Time to go root round on the tool rack to find something suitable.