Gear question: Fritschi freeride plus or eagles?

If you weight 170 and are an experienced, fairly aggressive skier, you probably made the right call in going with Fritschis.

Even though I'm a confirmed Dynafit user, I can't really recommend using them for much in-bounds skiing on a regular basis (much less 60-80 percent); I used Freerides, on the other hand, for years as lift-served bindings without problems. The people I know who successfully use Dynafits for lift-accessed skiing regularly are light and/or very smooth skiers who know how to finesse their gear (and still own several other setups).

You'll be making some significant compromises when it comes to touring relative to using Dynafits, but at the moment there isn't really a middle ground - if you tour enough you will eventually end up with more than one set of skis.

I have sold my Dukes, sold my Fritschis and now my entire quiver is dynafit for both inbounds and touring rigs.

Do you have any durability concerns with skiing dynafits inbounds? Seems to me that they might not be able to take the inevitable bump bashing, but maybe that's just a misconception on my part.

Dynafits -- binding and binding/boot interface -- are quite inelastic, so they yield an unforgiving ride on ice and frozen hardpack.  Some suggest that using Dynafits on ice and frozen snow contributes to pullouts and broken heel pins.  I'm a maybe on that -- but IME Fritchis are more prone to break than Dynafits.

But on anything but ice and frozen stuff, Dynafits works great as a resort binding IME.  And they really aren't all that bad on hardpack or ice so long as you don't huck.

Dynafits -- binding and binding/boot interface -- are quite inelastic, so they yield an unforgiving ride on ice and frozen hardpack.  Some suggest that using Dynafits on ice and frozen snow contributes to pullouts and broken heel pins.  I'm a maybe on that -- but IME Fritchis are more prone to break than Dynafits.

But on anything but ice and frozen stuff, Dynafits works great as a resort binding IME.  And they really aren't all that bad on hardpack or ice so long as you don't huck.

^^^^^^ I agree with Big Steve but there's no right or wrong.... it's always a compromise.

So...I'm rethinking this and am now considering getting Dynafit bindings. I just picked up some Dynafit-compatible boots, and the consensus seems to be Dynafit is the way to go (and the idea of a super light bindings is very tempting).

Is there a specific model I should be looking out for? I've seen the Dynafit TLT Vertical ST for sale on Backcountry for 319. And do you need brakes, can I get these separately later on, if needed?

So...I'm rethinking this and am now considering getting Dynafit bindings. I just picked up some Dynafit-compatible boots, and the consensus seems to be Dynafit is the way to go (and the idea of a super light bindings is very tempting).

Is there a specific model I should be looking out for? I've seen the Dynafit TLT Vertical ST for sale on Backcountry for 319. And do you need brakes, can I get these separately later on, if needed?

The Vertical ST is a great choice. Classics would be fine too, but you lose some adjustability. Brakes vs. leashes is certainly more of a preference item. I use brakes because they're easier, they won't keep the ski flying around next to me during a fall, and I don't care about the small weight penalty. Others swear by leashes for the lighter weight, smoother heelpost operation, and lower cost. Yes, you can add brakes later if you need to (it costs $80 or something ridiculous and involves taking apart the heelpiece, but that's kind of a cool activity anyways).