Green Mountain Freeride AT Binding

[thehaze]

Its looking good:
-available for Look Pivots, Salomons, and Tyrolias
-probably available w/ or w/o a tech toe included (we're also working on a design for a simpler toe, ie one that does not release. will see how that pans out cost-wise)
-alpine boot mod available for $30 via mail
-cost of plates and heel risers w/o tech toe ~$100-150

Ohhh yes that's what we all want to read!

[Lindahl]

What about making the metal plates slightly angulated? /-\ <--- like that? Seems like you might save some weight? Possibly might be more bomber as well (squares aren't a great shape).

[Lindahl]

I'm not sure I understand. What I have in mind would be less bulky than the current trekker. I'm thinking of a dummy sole with a tech toe mounted on it, that would clip into your alpine binding a-la trekker.

Here is the basic idea (please forgive the crappy rendering, crooked Dynafit toe and Marker bindings)

I like that idea. But I like the idea of having a bomber alpine binding for long tours even more. I did some serious skiing on a few tours this spring/summer, including coming out of a corned couloir into hard suncups and runnels at about 40+mph. I was seriously glad I had Dukes instead of tech bindings. I'm pretty sure techs would have imploded under the combination of those speeds, edge angles, and terrain. I can imagine the same could happen if you found a patch of sluffed off snow in the middle of a sweet mid-winter pow line, especially on bigger lines with large amounts of vert.

[arild]

What about making the metal plates slightly angulated? /-\ <--- like that? Seems like you might save some weight? Possibly might be more bomber as well (squares aren't a great shape).

I like the thought of that, but where are you going to cut it? The toe plate with tyrolias mounted to it looks about as narrow as it can be around the toe piece baseplate/AFD, plus the fact that the pressure to the ski is more evenly distributed with the wide, rectangular platform.

[LawndartGustav]

pics for salomon and look versions?

[arild]

I don´t think they´re actually made yet, Gustav.

[10% Groomed]

I know I'm late to comment, but I'm very impressed with GMF's response to customer requests for just the plates.

[TheDon]

Waiting in anticipation...

[Lamothe]

I'm not sure I understand. What I have in mind would be less bulky than the current trekker. I'm thinking of a dummy sole with a tech toe mounted on it, that would clip into your alpine binding a-la trekker.

Here is the basic idea (please forgive the crappy rendering, crooked Dynafit toe and Marker bindings)

this is fucking genius ! no moving parts , less weight , bomber ride down. win win win?

[auvgeek]

That looks FKNA sweet. Two problem I could see: 1) hitting your heel on the heel piece when not using the heel rise (ie on flat ground) and 2) interference with the tech binder tab and the toepiece.

Maybe just needs a little more detailed drawing. I may give it a go...

[Gone Skiing]

The proto program is underway. If you haven't heard from Lars, I'm sorry to say that you'll have to wait until next season. There will be probably 30 pairs kicking around this season though, so keep your eyes open and if you see a pair, ask how they're working out.

[neufox47]

Anyone know what the heel weight of a Mojo18 is? Does it change w/ a Mojo15?

[srsosbso]

I'm a bit confused about the boot toe hardware for this system. Is it really just a hardware store variety allen screw, vs. an actual tech insert? If I did this to my alpine boots I'd like to be able to use them in an actual tech binding up and downhill as well if I ever felt so inclined, and I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly) that the allen screws wouldn't be quite good enough for that application.

[Chugachjed]

Definitely not enough for skiing downhill.

[Skidog]

I'm a bit confused about the boot toe hardware for this system. Is it really just a hardware store variety allen screw, vs. an actual tech insert? If I did this to my alpine boots I'd like to be able to use them in an actual tech binding up and downhill as well if I ever felt so inclined, and I'm assuming (perhaps wrongly) that the allen screws wouldn't be quite good enough for that application.

Just ask salomon/Thin cover how that worked out for them....DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SKI IN TECH BINDINGS WITH ALLEN SCREWS IN THE TOES OF ALPINE BOOTS...

[srsosbso]

I completely gapped on the fact that one would also need the tech fitting in the heel. Okay, sorry, never mind. Shoulda had one more coffee before posting...

[srsosbso]

just belt grind the tech sole thin enough to fit the alpine binding.

Marshal, what does this do to the ramp angle of an AT boot? I had my factors up next to my dalbello alpine boots and I'd have to take a fair bit of the tech sole off to get the toe of the boot down to 'alpine sole' height. Have you found that it pitches the boot forward noticeably? I've got to kind of like the zero ramp angle on the Marker touring bindings I have to say. (I hear some world cup racers have gone to zero ramp angle, but that's another conversation.)

[fat yeti]

Saw a pair in person the other day Chuck at L9 had a pair and I will say the look great. the look bulry the machine work looks great. My only though would be to have the heal plate same as the toe. That way you could have bases for all your skis and plates with the bindings. 1 binding for as may skis as had the plates just a thought. Other than that I whink I want a pair.

[neufox47]

Saw a pair in person the other day Chuck at L9 had a pair and I will say the look great. the look bulry the machine work looks great. My only though would be to have the heal plate same as the toe. That way you could have bases for all your skis and plates with the bindings. 1 binding for as may skis as had the plates just a thought. Other than that I whink I want a pair.

Yeah, that would be sweet. It would also let you put the heel in your pack for any long approaches to lighten the weight on your feet.

[Gone Skiing]

I like that idea. A bit heavier, but as mentioned you could put the heel in your pack. Sweet!

Lars is working on an improved tech fitting system, and will probably be modifying boots to work with a full tech setup. I'm pretty sure he has already done this to his boots. I know he did a whole spring ski trip on the allen cap screws. FWIW the allen screws are in no way like what Salomon did, they had a (tin foil) fitting plate supported only by 2 screws and the vibram sole. This is a machine screw (much burlier than any tech fittings on the market, its a 1/4" of solid metal vs a mm or two for most tech fitting plates) fully supported by the densest plastic on your boot.

Either way, they are working on a better system for converting alpine boots to make them skiable in a tech binding, so this should be a non issue. Just saying, the allen screws may have a bit of play, but they're plenty burly. If Lars can ski them, so can you.

[ectreeskier11]

I like that idea. A bit heavier, but as mentioned you could put the heel in your pack. Sweet!

Lars is working on an improved tech fitting system, and will probably be modifying boots to work with a full tech setup. I'm pretty sure he has already done this to his boots. I know he did a whole spring ski trip on the allen cap screws. FWIW the allen screws are in no way like what Salomon did, they had a (tin foil) fitting plate supported only by 2 screws and the vibram sole. This is a machine screw (much burlier than any tech fittings on the market, its a 1/4" of solid metal vs a mm or two for most tech fitting plates) fully supported by the densest plastic on your boot.

Either way, they are working on a better system for converting alpine boots to make them skiable in a tech binding, so this should be a non issue. Just saying, the allen screws may have a bit of play, but they're plenty burly. If Lars can ski them, so can you.

if true that is extremely ballsy, extremely dumb, or both.

[iski123]

have the heal plate same as the toe.

Was just thinking of this the other day, for my purposes it's the best answer to a one-binding-for-the-quiver system yet.

[neufox47]

I like that idea. A bit heavier, but as mentioned you could put the heel in your pack. Sweet!

Lars is working on an improved tech fitting system, and will probably be modifying boots to work with a full tech setup. I'm pretty sure he has already done this to his boots. I know he did a whole spring ski trip on the allen cap screws. FWIW the allen screws are in no way like what Salomon did, they had a (tin foil) fitting plate supported only by 2 screws and the vibram sole. This is a machine screw (much burlier than any tech fittings on the market, its a 1/4" of solid metal vs a mm or two for most tech fitting plates) fully supported by the densest plastic on your boot.

Either way, they are working on a better system for converting alpine boots to make them skiable in a tech binding, so this should be a non issue. Just saying, the allen screws may have a bit of play, but they're plenty burly. If Lars can ski them, so can you.

So does it go all the way through the toe? Very surprised to see you guys trying to do this. Careful. I'd hate to see someone get injured or / and you guys lose everything financially. One of the issues I see immediately is that all boot plastics and toes are not created equal. This may work on a set of plug boots but fail on some less burley boot.

[Gone Skiing]

Fair enough. Here are a couple pics Crossman just put up on FB.

toe after drilling


insert w/ boot


insert being screwed into toe


I'm not an engineer, so I can't comment on how "stupid" it is. Engineers working on the project would be able to comment. This system has been tested pretty extensively by Lars and Silas, two guys who push race plugs in bindings cranked to 18 on stiff-as-shit 190s.

For me, I will only be using the tech fittings (either the allen screw or fitting plate type) for hiking with the tech toe. I don't foresee a situation where skinning will produce enough force to tear a #6 srew threaded halfway through a boot toe, but again, not an engineer. I don't need it to be strong enough to drive 193 m103s, but apparently it is, which I think is pretty cool.

[ectreeskier11]

i wasn't commenting on the touring function, that's a cool mod, but skiing on those... yikes. i know i wouldn't try it.