Thread: Dynafit Din Question.

First off......yes i searched and could not find the specific answer to my question.

So here goes. I'm about 185 lbs and ski pretty hard. I'm 6'2' and ski a 188 stiff ski.
Ski touring is mostly West Coast heavy snow. (lets be honest, we cant all have Rocky mountain powder.)
And when I say I ski hard, I don't mean cliff jumping dropping bombs like a powder gangster hard but aggressive none the less. I like steeper than not. Always trying to find the steepest route down if possible and certainly would not consider myself a meadow skipper.
Having said that, I am not getting any younger either.

BSL is 320 with a garmont megaride.

Currently touring on a Fritsche Freeride plus with the binders set to max.
They are showing signs of wearing and frankly I am just getting pissed off with them because a part of the heal riser is cracked. It also does not stay upright all the time. I've blown out of them a couple of times when I shouldn't have. ( yes they are set up correctly as far as i know)

I will own a pair of dynafits.

Can a pair of comforts with a din of 10 be sufficient for me or is it worth the extra cost for the ft 12's.

I mean, surely guys have been rocking dynafit comforts for years in the backcounty before the 12's came out.



I don't care about weight either.


Thanks,


Dancing badly in Vancouver.

Originally Posted by bad dancer

So here goes. I'm about 185 lbs and ski pretty hard. I'm 6'2' and ski a 188 stiff ski.

Having said that, I am not getting any younger either.

BSL is 320 with a garmont megaride.

Can a pair of comforts with a din of 10 be sufficient for me or is it worth the extra cost for the ft 12's.

I mean, surely guys have been rocking dynafit comforts for years in the backcounty before the 12's came out.

I don't care about weight either.

There are a ton of "I'm aggro, will dynafit be burly enough for me" threads, but...

...given this sort of conflicting info (how hard can you really push megarides?) in my experience I bet you'd be fine on ST's.

DIN on Dynafits seems pretty true to claimed - at your stats, I don't see why you should expect pre-release with an ST set to 10, but if it's going to be in the back of your head when touring, then you might as well spend the extra $$, which don't amount to much over the course of the binding's long lifetime.

Weight difference between the ST/FT is minimal, especially in comparison to the other common options.

And if you're really concerned on some particularly steep shot you can always lock the toe...

According to the charts, you should set at 7 if your somewhat aggressive, 8.5 if you're crazy. Over 50? Back off a little as instead of stretching, things tend to tear or snap instead.

If you don't care about weight, go Duke. Or get some of Jondrum's DynaDuke plates and try both...

Good info so far. Thanks.

My reference to weight was meant to be within the Dynafit family.

I'm 6'2", 195lbs, and ski the ST's on 188 W105's and have had no issues with the binders. This past spring I skied a couple of the burliest lines I have ever skied (45+ degree shoots on boiler plate/no fall zone for over 1000') and after a couple shots like that, I am a believer in Dynafit. That being said, I do lock the toe which has been debated numberous times. My $.02.

I find I need to set the heel 1 din higher than the toe on the FR+ so I don't pre-release quite as much BUT if you are blowing out of a freeride already set to max it sounds like you should go for the ft12's to me ?

I skied a run with a swede in roger pass ,about your size, buddy told me he had the FR+ and the FT 12's ,sez he blows out of the FR set to max but not the FT 12's

I'm a 6'1" 195 Sierra skier and have never blown out of either ST's or FT's. Then again, I'm not rad.

IMO, adjustment, making sure the tech fittings are clean and the pins are properly engaged are the keys to staying in your Dynafits.

AFAICT, the FT12 is an ST with a 2-cent washer that preloads the lateral release compression spring. If I'm wrong about that, please correct the record with specifics.

I'm 6'2", 235 lbs.+, long BSL. I have hundreds of days/hundreds of thousands of verts on Comforts/FTs set at 9 or 10 with no prereleases and reliable release when I needed it. I try to keep it smooth.

Failures include 2 broken heel pins, several broken Comfort volcanoes and a broken Comfort toe plate. The 2 heel pin failures occurred on bindings with many days on them, including lots of banging while wearing a full pack. Comfort volcanoes break from time to time, but they don't disable the binding so it's no big deal. All failures were easily fixed. I usually carry a spare heel fixture when I'm touring in case I break a pin.

lock your toes and its all good for huckin

How about a one ski quiver, Armada JJ with ft12's?

Expecting to see 50% resort skiing. no park, no bumbs, no flat landings.

I skied last year on Barons and had release issues up until din 8.5. held with confidence at 10.

kept the barons, or sell them for dyna?

Just pulled the trigger on some comforts this AM.
Attached were some G3 Barons. I guess I will use those for chin up bars.

I am interested in the 2cent washing theory. Urban Legend ?

Thanks Big Steve for confirming what i needed to know.
Pretty stoked with my future setup.

Originally Posted by Snow Spirit

How about a one ski quiver, Armada JJ with ft12's?

Expecting to see 50% resort skiing. no park, no bumbs, no flat landings.

I skied last year on Barons and had release issues up until din 8.5. held with confidence at 10.

kept the barons, or sell them for dyna?

Ok, the following comments could be completely in my head as they are subjective. I would not want a dynafit for a resort binding because I feel it is too rigid of a binding. I use Look bindings inbounds and to me they feel like they have a bit more give especially if you are really throwing it around. This makes them feel easier on my knees.

I'm 6'2" 240 skiing verticals 10 din version I've never prereleased with the bindings set up correctly. I ski AK so every kind of condition from blower to breakable crust on every run. on pretty big steep terrain. I feel comfortable at 9 on both settings and if it gets to be a no fall zone I lock the toe if I remember.

define:
"prerelease"
"reliable release when needed"
and "blowing out"

Originally Posted by Snow Spirit

How about a one ski quiver, Armada JJ with ft12's?
Expecting to see 50% resort skiing. no park, no bumbs, no flat landings.
?

I got a pair of JJ with FT12 and a pair with PX14 and while I love both, the one with the PX14 just skis better. More fun at the resort.

Originally Posted by bad dancer

define:
"prerelease"
"reliable release when needed"
and "blowing out"

pre release or blowing out for me means the AT binding released before I think it should have comparing it to how an alpine binding would have reacted cuz alpine bindings just work a little better IME at least with the FR+

edit :reliable release when needed is what I think of with maybe releasable tele bindings but really its when I fuck up really bad and think ...I am glad that released

Originally Posted by Big Steve

AFAICT, the FT12 is an ST with a 2-cent washer that preloads the lateral release compression spring. If I'm wrong about that, please correct the record with specifics.

Steve, I cannot cite specifics, only what I see and that super thin washer cannot result in +2 DIN...at least my brain cannot digest that.

I know Lou Dawson has found the vertical release springs to differ in length and seemed to detect these same 12 springs being stiffer (but just by his hand which is a weak way to compare, I know). The lateral spring is a different color between 12 and 10, so I have to think even though they look similar in gauge and coil count, they must be different and this is a basic way to differentiate those parts for servicing/replacement, whatever.

I have not checked out the lateral DIN screw and receptacle on 10 and 12 and will assume they are identical.

So no specifics, but the evidence would suggest there is more than just a washer responsible for the extra 2 DIN.

I'm 6'2 formerly 210lbs now 13% less. I bought a used pair of dynafit tour tech lites 7-8 years ago & have skied them hard with no troubles. I had them on a pair of 190 Volkl G41s that I used to bomb Links Line (towers under the old granite chair at Red Mt.) doing high speed super G turns through whatever crud there was. They are now mounted to a pair of 174 Bro models and still take the same beating. I've got my din set to about 10 and they do not fall off unless they really need to.

so what your saying beaver, is that for someone who wants to ski the resort when the snow is good, and spend time in the backcountry/slack when the snow is old at the resort the dynafits are the right binding choice?

Originally Posted by Johnny Sizzler

Steve, I cannot cite specifics, only what I see and that super thin washer cannot result in +2 DIN...at least my brain cannot digest that.

I know Lou Dawson has found the vertical release to differ in length seemed to detect these same 12 springs being stiffer

JS, the thickness of the washer corresponds to the delta between 2 DIN settings on the lateral release barrel adjustment. Coincidence? I don't think so. I don't see any other difference re the lateral release mechanics between the ST and FT. I might be persuaded otherwise, but it looks like nothing more than preloading to up the lateral release DIN by 2. I'm not saying that's a bad thing.

You are correct that the (well, my) FT12 vertical release springs are different length -- actually shorter -- and seem to be stiffer than the Comfort/ST.

And then there's the cosmetic fiberglass rib, which I whacked off to make room for fixed crampons.

My FT12's have worked great. But if I had to do it over again, I would have saved my $$ and gotten the ST and a bottle of Lagavulin.

And I hope to get another 2 or 3 or more seasons out of our 4 pairs of Comforts.

What I'm saying is that they are the only bindings I own and that they are pretty burly despite their diminutive stature. I used to ski strictly b/c but having kids changed that. I'm starting to get in the b/c more now that my kids are older.