Resort skiing on dynafits

[srsosbso]

I'm wondering how many people are skiing the resort regularly on dynafit (or other tech) bindings. I've got Marker Barons on my resort/sidecountry skis, and dynafits for full backcountry days, but I love the dynafits so much I wonder about just skiing them full time. Maybe there's a thread on this already, but I could only find scattered references. If there is, direct me and I'll delete this.

[Wetdog]

I pounded the resort last year on my Wailer 105's mounted with Dynafit ST's. I have also regularily skied the resort with other Dynafit setups to get in and out of the back country. I have never had a problem.

[shasti]

I have skied them inbounds a ton. You just have to be aware what you are on. When I am charging over chowder or other variable conditions I'd rather be on a 916, but on days when I might take a skin out of bounds, usually the conditions are fine for a tech binding

[srsosbso]

I end up doing at least one lap in the side country on, I dunno, 3 out of 4 ski days, even if the resort is chowder/crud/soft bumps. I've got other skis I can use if it hasn't snowed in forever, but anytime the skiing is decent at all, I'll be walking for a run or two. I'm super impressed with how the dynafits ski in the backcountry; my concerns for lots of resort use are about release characteristics/retention (fyi, I'm not a toe-locker) and durability.

[~mikey b]

Most ski resorts in the US do not allow Dynafit inbounds. Things must be different in Canadia

[verbier61]

I've ben using dyna as resort bindings for years, no problem. But I'm old, slow, lazy.

[johngenx]

Most ski resorts in the US do not allow Dynafit inbounds. Things must be different in Canadia

Any resort I've been to up here only cares that you have brakes or leashes.

[El Chupacabra]

Most ski resorts in the US do not allow Dynafit inbounds.

Where have you been that didn't allow Dynafits? I have not encountered this. I've seen people skiing all sorts of ancient crap at resorts (Spademans, wooden skis....)

[SB]

Most ski resorts in the US do not allow Dynafit inbounds. Things must be different in Canadia

Yeah, I call BS. Never has anyone EVER told me I can not ski a certain binding, I would tell them "upyours" and ski away. They are only worried about ski brakes and or leashes.

[bbense]

I'm super impressed with how the dynafits ski in the backcountry; my concerns for lots of resort use are about release characteristics/retention (fyi, I'm not a toe-locker) and durability.

Dynafits will pre-release if skied hard enough in either moguls or heavy chopped up snow in my experience. I've never had a pre-release on either hard snow or good conditions. Dynafits are pretty robust, but I suspect a full on resort season ( i.e. 100 ski bum days ) would revel some flaws and wear issues. For a weekend warrior like me, I don't worry about it.

They are a compromise on the safety aspect of release. If you're the kind of skier that regularly has crashes where you are GLAD your skis released, then I wouldn't ski Dynafits.
I use them on resort powder days and they work great, but I'm more of a finesse skier than a hucker. If I fall I generally call it a day, because that means I'm too tired to keep skiing.
I can usually count the number of times my alpine bindings release during a season on one hand.

- Booker C. Bense

[Mr. Toad]

Yeah, I call BS. Never has anyone EVER told me I can not ski a certain binding, I would tell them "upyours" and ski away. They are only worried about ski brakes and or leashes.

I think your sarcasmometer needs recalibrating. - Yea, and what bbense said.

[Meadow Skipper]

Most ski resorts in the US do not allow Dynafit inbounds. Things must be different in Canadia

You're on a roll.

[srsosbso]

I've ben using dyna as resort bindings for years, no problem. But I'm old, slow, lazy.

Ditto on all three. There's some rough terrain here, though, and lots of crud skiing. I love crud.

Where have you been that didn't allow Dynafits? I have not encountered this. I've seen people skiing all sorts of ancient crap at resorts (Spademans, wooden skis....)

Now there's a touring binding idea. Dynafit toe for the up. Spademan for the down....

I can usually count the number of times my alpine bindings release during a season on one hand.

That'd be me. Though I did have an incident last January of a Baron not releasing at the heel that ended with a partially torn calf muscle that cost me the rest of the season of resort skiing and hockey (mellowish touring as doable after a month.) So I'd like to avoid prerelease, but I do want them to come out when they should. Yeah, like everybody else I guess.

One other thing I noticed on dynafits was I felt like, if I had to ski out on a groomed/hard snow run, I felt like every vibration came right through to my feet/lower legs. I've only had dynafits on one pair of skis, Wailer 95's, so it could have been the skis (carbon) or it could have been the metal on metal contact of the binding system, I dunno.

[shasti]

Dynafits will pre-release if skied hard enough in either moguls or heavy chopped up snow in my experience. I've never had a pre-release on either hard snow or good conditions. Dynafits are pretty robust, but I suspect a full on resort season ( i.e. 100 ski bum days ) would revel some flaws and wear issues. For a weekend warrior like me, I don't worry about it.

They are a compromise on the safety aspect of release. If you're the kind of skier that regularly has crashes where you are GLAD your skis released, then I wouldn't ski Dynafits.
I use them on resort powder days and they work great, but I'm more of a finesse skier than a hucker. If I fall I generally call it a day, because that means I'm too tired to keep skiing.
I can usually count the number of times my alpine bindings release during a season on one hand.

- Booker C. Bense

This matches pretty well with my experience. Marshal Olsen, in his review of the PLUM guide on blistergearreviews and here somewhere, and Hoji's video footage, suggest that tech bindings can be skied quite hard, but I think it is a matter of balance. If you are PERFECTLY balanced, you could probably ski a rowdy line with your boots unbuckled too, but it takes a lot of skill and athleticism to stay that perfectly centered on a ski.

And as for the issue of energy being transferred straight to the legs, I think this may have had to do with the carbon as well as the dynafit. Dynafits certainly do not have play at all (they either release or they are rock solid in my experience) but the DPS skis full carbon layup transmits energy more directly than metal or wood. It is this lack of dampness that steers me away from carbon fiber skis even though I love the weight benefit.

[gregL]

I love the dynafits so much I wonder about just skiing them full time.

You should try it and let us know how it goes.

Maybe you're old and slow and weigh <150 lbs. Maybe you're Hoji. Maybe it will work out fine.

[DAFTC]

Works fine for me for occassional resort days, no experience with day in day out. I ditched my barons, sounds like it'll work for you. By the end of the day I also like having less weight on my feet on a chair.

[Hugh Conway]

My experience for extended inbounds/outbounds/whatever skiing was irritating breakage (multiple pins), the somewhat quirky release characteristics, and the expected fiddling on trams.

Given you've been paranoid about using AT boots in Alpine binders I'm not sure why you are so blase about the decidedly inferior release of Dynafit bindings.

[Mathematics]

I've skied them a few times inbounds, but it was more due to my gear whoring leaving me without a proper inbounds setup for the conditions. I find I just dont have as much confidence in them making big fast GS turns on groomers/hardpack as I would with some sollys. But I'm also over 200# and do not ski like Hoji.

[GeezerSteve]

Keep it smooth and stock up on spare heel pins

[srsosbso]

shasti- I wondered if it was the skis. I am moving the dynafits from my broken wailers to my bros, so I'll be better able to compare.
greg- old and slow but under 160lbs., and a million miles from Hoji.
DAFT- why'd you ditch the Barons?
Hugh- yeah, worried about the pins, and not at all blase about the release characteristics, that's part of why I was asking. I think I've only ejected once in the BC, and that was in a slide, one came off and one didn't and probably both should have. I guess I wasnt aware they were inferior in that regard, I thought pre-release was more of the problem. My Markers haven't been perfect either.
Math- agreed
B.S.- smooth I can kind of do (comes with age) but not so keen on busting pins

[SB]

I think your sarcasmometer needs recalibrating.

you are probably right



In reply to the op question. I have skied pretty hard at the resorts on my Dynafits at times but not all the time. Ski in control and you should be fine. Inspect your bindings regularly for breakage or loose parts.

[srsosbso]

I also missed the sarcasm, fyi.

[marshalolson]

pm rug_wheelie about pre-releasing 11 times today, carving groomers.

[srsosbso]

Eleven times???? Ouch.
Marshal, I assume you're skiing alpine binders when you're skiing lift serviced terrain, even when you have your Plums and cochise pro boots? What are you doing for side-country?

[rug wheelie]

Skied Loveland today. 6-7 runs? All groomers and 40° out. Conditions were firm to soft groomers. Exploded at least once each run. Very random and unexpected each time.

184cm Wailer 112RP's, Dynafit Radical FT's, and Tecnica Cochise's.

Skiing for 40+ years, solid technique, I ski with more finesse than I do power, I ski fast, turn a lot, and like to get a ski up on edge. I don't huck much but I can ski anything. I also have 20+ years of industry experience including ski tech, tuning, boot fitting, etc.

First run I took chair 1 and skied the cat track around to Richards Run. About 20 yards before the cat track opens up the left ski ejected followed shortly by the right. Going straight no turns involved moderate speed.

When I got to the bottom I went into the shop and cranked the DINS to 12 - vertical was set at 9 and lateral at 12. Went back out for a couple of more runs. Walked out ejected a couple more times. Everything from mid carve at moderate speed to rolling up to the lift line.

Went back down checked the heel spacing, alignment of the boot in the binding and had someone else look at to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Went back out took two more runs and this time I locked out the toes. Same results.

Ski width probably contributed to my experience as well as conditions. I was also skiing much mellower than I would had I been on alpine bindings. I was hoping for better results but after todays experience I don't think I will try to ski these at the resort under similar conditions ever again. I will take them with me next powder day to see if I get better results in softer snow conditions.

This is also the first pair of Dynafits I have owned. Demoed them in the past on narrower skis. Used Barons and Fritschi's in the past.