Tecton Trouble 1/25/18 Silver Fir

I haven't posted on TAY in years and regret this one but I want to share.

I've Vipec 12 bindings since 2014 as they ski great and release as advertised.  Now the Tecton is claimed safer so I purchased them for my wife. She enjoyed skiing 8 days with them in temps ranging from -8 to 20 degrees F mounted on her Black Crows.  So when our local hill, Snoqualmie,  was closed I decided to take them for a spin with my new Atomic Hawx 130 boots.  I set forward pressure as described (flush screwhead), set DIN 6 and did a few laps around the piste. The snow conditions were large flakes to grapple to sleet at about 33 degrees F on top of many inches of new snow that received several inches of rain the previous day.  It's the kinda snow that quickly forms a block of hard styrafoam under your boot heel while skinning and it has to be removed forcefully with a pole tip several times on ascent.  Every PNW backcountry skier knows what I'm talking about.  On my last descent I relaxed on the piste flat and let the crows run.  In the blink of an eye one crow caught an edge and my left knee was looking at my backpack.  After ankle plate and screws I'm trying to determine what went wrong.  Forward pressure too strong?  Umm, I doubt it. 

Here's what I believe happened.  Every tech pin toe collects snow between the boot and binding while skiing.   In the older Vipec (with the wire trigger) the boot sets about 6mm above the binding and the surface of the toe is rather flat with minimal plastic edges to catch snow.  This allows snow to escape the rear of the boot toe easier than the Tecton.  It has 1mm of clearance between the binding and the boot toe.  The trigger sets on a large ridge that forms wells on each side of it due to the additional plastic edges.  I believe skiing coupled with the side to side motion of the toe piece packed snow into the little wells much like the syrafoam action under the heel ( icing).  So now instead of DIN 6 I'm skiing >= DIN 10 maybe.  A Fritschi engineer may claim I'm full of it.  But you examine these toe pieces and tell me what you think.  All comments welcome. 

I have the VIPEC 12 from 2016/2017 on my Dhaulagiri skis. I've never popped a binding in about 30 days on them which has made me a bit scared too. Are these the same gen as yours? I too have wondered about what happens when it gets packed with snow, mainly when I'm putting my boot back into the binding after skinning up and yes the worst snow for this is the 32F Cascade stuff that packs solid and or ices up. Did the ski ever release or it smashed your ankle. Sorry to hear that part, sounds awful. Any photos to share of the binding? Heal fast.

No sir that toe piece is a little different than the 2 I have. Give me some time and I'll post photos.

You are right, mine are the Vipec TUV 12.

I've got the Vipec TUV as well (not the newest model though), and I have gotten it to release multiple times. I have the DIN setting on the toe set as low as it will go and still grab onto the boot well enough. I wouldn't trust setting the DIN on a tech binding to the same value that you would an alpine binding. There's a couple of Wildsnow articles about the variability in release testing of tech bindings.

www.wildsnow.com/21232/skialper-binding-intro-translation/
www.wildsnow.com/15123/tech-binding-rele...ting-acl-broken-leg/
www.wildsnow.com/21152/ski-binding-release-avalanche-safety/

www.amazon.com/clouddrive/share/PMGQjeiq...2Aentries%2A=0&mgh=1
Here's URL to pics of my Fritschi toes.  Notice the metal piece just under the middle of the boot sole on the Tecton toe.  That is the jaw close trigger that sets really close to the boot and snow has to move around that. 

Thanks for those links.  All this is interesting about how manufacturers test these things.  Having machines test them in a nice dry shop is one thing and having people test them in various snow is another.  I'm certain the testers are expert skiers who never need to release anyway.  I think the only real way to test bindings is to give them to 500 skiers of all abilities and see how many injuries come back  

This assessment is my average Joe non professional opinion.  I mean one could argue that the side to side movement of the Fritschi toe helps clear the snow from under the boot.  And maybe in the old Vipec white it does.  The only fact I am certain of is this:  Over the years I've owned Fritschi Freeride, Fritschi Vipec, Dynafit comfort, G3 Onyx, Dynafit speed and Marker Kingpin.  They have all released when called upon.  Tecton missed the call.