Ready for the Dynafit Plunge

Zip Ties......I would never want to have skis attached to a leash that never breaks...in any avy....even if they are on a 6ft line after being knocked off by the force of an avy. They still are anchors...

I ski with leashes unattached in avy terrain. That doesn't address the issue of locked Dyna toes, of course.

I used to ski leashless all winter for avy reasons. Pre-releasing a pair of skis in firm conditions (watching them take off toward an unskiable choke - bye skis!) and watching a partner's zip-tie leashes fail correctly when needed has me moving to a zip-tie release leash arrangement. I'm trying them out, and happy with them, this season. I personally find Dynafit brakes fiddly and cumbersome (no trivial transition from ski to walk mode, for example), so I prefer leashes.

That's the same pathway that put Anastasia onto breakaway leashes initially, Charlie. Watching that ski almost end up in Upper Wildcat Lake, with the prospect of a 6 mile posthole... not cool.

She switched back to brakes last year because of the odds/consequences. Losing a ski and forcing a long walk would certainly suck. Making a bad call and getting caught in a slide with a leash that didn't break would suck a lot worse and the "break strength" fine-tuning on her leashes was such that they were either too strong for comfort or so weak as to be almost useless in anything but the most benign fall. It's all a balance though...

The B&D zip tie fuses suck. IME, Dyna brakes suck (although I hear that the Vertical brakes might be better).

This thread will prompt me to revisit the fused leash issue. There are other, better, ways to make a leash fuse. IME, a loop of upholstery thread that breaks at ca. 15 - 20 lbs. of force works pretty well for a static leash. I used that for several years. The elasticity of the B&D leash complicates the matter.

And, again, neither brakes nor a fused leash does not do much good with a locked out Dyna toe or when in a cable tele binding.

The B&D zip tie fuses suck.  IME, Dyna brakes suck (although I hear that the Vertical brakes might be better).

This thread will prompt me to revisit the fused leash issue.  There are other, better, ways to make a leash fuse.  IME, a loop of upholstery thread that breaks at ca. 15 - 20 lbs. of force works pretty well for a static leash.  I used that for several years.  The elasticity of the B&D leash complicates the matter.

And, again, neither brakes nor a fused leash does not do much good with a locked out Dyna toe or when in a cable tele binding.

The ONLY time I lock out my toes is when skinning..never, EVER when skiing. I have three set of skis all with dynafits and brakes, ranging from 105mm to 125 mm  big sticks...I haven't had any alpine gear at all for the last two seasons and ski them in the resort over 60 +days a year( more if we include BC)   Never had a single problem with pre-release or dynafit brake issues since I learnt how to take care of the ice under the toe problem.
Never had a ski escape from me since I got rid of the leashes....when I had the leashes.....nearly lost a ski  twice.
As I've been saying ... for the leashes to work in a normal fall they need to be fairly strong, probably strong enough to cause problems in an avy.

FWIW:

I have Comforts mounted on skis that are wider than I've found brakes for (128mm)- and on my light and narrow spring touring skiis. I used the B&D leashes on those skis, I haven't broken the B&D ZIP tie links as of yet -- maybe I've just been lucky and haven't taken any yard sale category falls. I sure like using a long stretchy leash -- it is nice while de-skinning and re-skinning to keep the skiis attached.

I don't like short leashes much at all -- but that probably has something to do with the scar I have on the back of my head from a fall on alpine gear back in the '70s where the ski "windmilled" into the back of my head, pivoiting around a short and sturdy leash. Luckly for me a plastic surgeon was volunteering with the ski patrol that day and I got my seven stitches right there in the ski patrol shack.

I also have a pair of skiis mounted with Radical STs with brakes. So far I've found the brakes on the Radical STs to work pretty well -- but I did have a ski skitter away (thankfully only a short distance) after a fall and twisting release as the heel piece rotated in such a way at put the brake into touring mode.