Dynafits - do you trust yours?

My web surfing daughter found this on youtube.

Interestingly, I skied with a dynadevotee today, and they worked just fine most of the time. But based on his comments, I don't think he would trust his this much...

Simple answer, no!

In hard conditions on steep stuff where my ski coming off could mean a long slide, I lock the toe-pice by raising the lever. This is not good practice but I just don't trust them as they have pre-released at the toe before especially on hard , steep snow.. The dynadevotties will no doubt say that doesn't happen if the toe is inserted correctly but I don't care what they say because I know it does.!!!

I never ever feel as secure in my dynaffidlies as when in my Fritschi's.

Interesting.... well I also lock the toe on steep slopes, but it gives me just the opposite reaction - I trust them completely.  Different strokes.....

-- I weigh 145 lb (AT bsl is 296mm, alpine downhill plugs are 305) and my release settings (lateral/vertical) are:
- 6.5/7 Dynafit
- 6.5/8 Diamir and non-race alpine downhill setups
- 7/9 SL race
- 7/10 GS race
- 9/12 SG race
- 10/13 DH race (bindings *start* at 10!)
-- I am in my fifth season of Dynafits, with almost 900,000 of earned vertical, plus several days of lift-served vertical too. I have released twice from Dynafits:
- Ski (and boot, still have the bark mark on the boot tongue) got caught under a small horizontal log just barely hidden under the snow.
- Ski tip hooked on a small shrubby branch (just like hooking a tip in a SL race course).
Both times the binding released so quickly and cleanly that (combined with my not noticing the log/branch) at first I didn't even realize what had happened. ("Hey, what was that sound? And why am I on only one ski?")
-- I have never preleased in Dynafits, but I don't get any air.
-- I have put the toe lever in tour mode (which affects only the lateral release, not vertical) several times when I felt that I wanted my skis to stay on no matter what (because of what was below me).

After nearly twenty years in the backcountry yet only one on Dynafit bindings, and at half the weight of fritschi's I am sold on Dynafit's for the long haul!

Just back from a month long tour which included Colorado and California. Lift skied Vail after a two foot dump with NO problems WITHOUT the front lever in tour mode...

Now back in Seattle it looks as if winter has taken a break? Looks as if it will be a whitewater kayak weekend???

May the snow God's return soon!!

Yurtman

I use and enjoy both. Wouldn't ski anything I didn't trust. Binding choice depends on the tour, the conditions, the company, the consequences. The Fiddles are great bindings for brutal slogs and the Heavies are great bindings for short, steep trips. The debate about bindings reminds of the furious debate about cookies that took place here a while back. Or maybe that was on marthastewart.com? Perhaps I'm confused from exhaustion. There is no such thing as a bad cookie, even if slightly burnt on the bottom.