Hjortleifson has been heard, the DynaFit Vulcan

[Mike Pow]

I had the chance to spend an inordinate amount of lift line time with Hoji a few weeks back, and one thing that became apparent when talking about the Vulcan is that Hoji does not need a totally stiff-ass race boot. Walk mode, weight, and comfort are top priorities. Not to quote him verbatim, but basically for skiing the Bumps around Whistler (moderate, pow-oriented touring terrain), before he got the TLT5s he was doing that with the tongues removed from his Frankenboots (!!). As he put it, "it keeps you honest" as a skier. Today he skis a lot of pillow lines and such on TLT5s. I'm not sure how many other skiers out there have taken that step, ie moving from big burly gear to lightweight Dynafit for drops and airs. Point being that, at least as I understood it, Hoji places significant emphasis on balance and skill in driving the ski. I think a lot of riders expect the boot to compensate. Hoji has a lot of grace and skill as a rider and he is designing a touring boot that will also demand some of that from its skier if it is to be used for bigger skis and more demanding lines. It will be possible, but might require some adjustment from those used to having a cement casts on their feet.

I'm a fairly mellow rider compared to the balls-out TGR crowd, but I know since switching to the Ghost a few years ago (from a plug boot) that it's changed my style (and saved my shins). The flex is something I like and anticipate and it requires a different balance. I'm guessing Cody Townsend and Hoji are on similar planes here, though designing very different end products.

I agree 100%

I was looking for a lightweight boot that would :

not give me a hernia when I packed it in to my carry on luggage
allow me to tour on dynafit bindings
provide as much lateral stiffness as a plug boot
be as upright in the cuff as possible
fit like a glove
be the only boot I need inbounds and out

And I've found it.

The TLT 5 P

I won't be moving to the Vulcan as good as it looks.

I like the actiflex and the soft fore stiffness of the TLT 5 P. It keeps me honest. If I get it wrong, and I get it wrong, then I'm over the handlebars.

My skiing style and teaching style is to be cuff neutral as much as possible and if the forward lean is 15 degrees then that can only mean an upright lower leg where the shin isn't jammed on the tongue blocking lateral pivotting.

It's all about balance as far as I'm concerned.

[SiSt]

hi hi hi ... don't forget one detail, we develop things for the future not for the past ;-) ... you will see maybe that in two years you will say that I was right.
Could be that one day you will not have alpine bindings anymore and all bindings, or most of the bindings sold in northamerica for both in-bounds and off-bounds will be tourable bindings perfectly matching without swappable soles delivering enough performance and safety for both uses.

So in two years time, there´ll be a 16DIN dynafit binding with adjustable release in the toe? Tell me more.

[Atrain505]

So in two years time, there´ll be a 16DIN dynafit binding with adjustable release in the toe? Tell me more.

The big problem with Fredrico's claim of touring bindings taking over is that every ripper I know skis dynafits with the toe locked. That is a major problem in the way the binding works in my mind. No one trusts it unless it's locked and ups the potential big time for blown knees? Weird. Safe release is key, and this issue is the major detriment to the dynafit system right now.
I applaud all the innovation though.

[SiSt]

Exactly. I have a hard time seeing how you can make dynafits as safe as an alpine binding or at least safe enough for everyday, hard use.

A releasable plate under the actual topiece comes to mind, but I trust the dynafit enginerds to come up with a more elgant solution. One binding, one boot and a bunch of skis with binding freedom inserts would be a dream come true for anyone on this board.

[Mike Pow]

I've skied the Vertical FT binding mounted to a 173 cm Movement Jam ski in TLT 5 P boots for +100 days in and out of bounds in all snow conditions save blue ice and all terrain save deep moguls and not had a problem with the binding holding me in or releasing when it needs to. DIN is set at 7. Toe is not locked down.

I'm 188 cm (6' 2") and 95 kg (209 lbs).

I'm not hucking anything big but certainly putting the equipment through the gears.

[Atrain505]

Well then we don't ski the same way. No offence. Every ripper I know who has tried to ski them without the toes locked and they released. So they all lock the toes now. That is a serious flaw for people who like to ski at speed and feel they can ski safely at speed even in the most remote places. Dynafit's products are awesome, but everyday use at this point is not possible for some skiers. I wouldn't be opposed to them changing that perception through new products.

[Mike Pow]

None taken.

A solution will happen in time I'm sure.

[Knut]

No one trusts it unless it's locked and ups the potential big time for blown knees? Weird.

Word!
This thinking did cost me my right ACL last week...

[sqikunst]

Word!
This thinking did cost me my right ACL last week...

bummer man. Even at DIN 12 its easty to pop out!!! Havent blown an acl yet but mine are locked at all times.

So in two years time, there´ll be a 16DIN dynafit binding with adjustable release in the toe? Tell me more.

Word. Cant figure out why PLUM needs years to do a brake. Or why Dyna has had the Speed out for 2 decades and hasnt really improved on the original concept. Talk about companies pushing tech is pretty much a lie. Dyna is lazy cause they have a patent in many countries. Boot tech is getting some love but for many years it was same old same old. I would like to know how many Vulcans they are producing next year. 2000 pieces or more like 10000 pieces casue at $999 its expensive.

[nickinbc]

Dyna is lazy cause they have a patent in many countries.

Ever wonder why there are now so many Dynafit lookalikes on the market? The original patent has EXPIRED.

[ecskier7]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYvM6...eature=related

Watch the first 6 seconds of this video and you can see how Hoji sets up his ft12s.

[auvgeek]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYvM6...eature=related

Watch the first 6 seconds of this video and you can see how Hoji sets up his ft12s.

Not sure that's true anymore. See the "Ask a Hoji" thread. He experimented with that bellows thing, but I think his ultimate conclusion was that it was ineffective (kinda hazy on the details though, so maybe I'm wrong but details are in the thread).

[Ski to Be]

I have always skied them locked in the toes. I guess I am just lucky. The only time I have released is prereleasing out of the heel with a heavy pack on. I just watched that video. One of the best ski segments I have ever seen. That is the kind of skiing I would like to aspire to though I don't think I would ever have the balls to charge AK peaks like that. Was he on Dynafits the whole time? No way would I jump off that cornice with that much exposure. I am going straight to MSP to get that one.

[pfluffenmeister]

^^^ yeah, that shit was good.

IIRC the AK lines are on sollys (but i'm not totally sure).

[XavierD]

Yea, the AK, and some of the whistler stuff, was done on solly's.

I have watched my buddy take 30ft to flat on his radical speed's. It can be done, I just don't feel comfortable doing so. I also don't think that the binding platform offers the dynamic performance that a look P18 does.

[peeforward]

not sure this is the right place for this but based on my experience i'm pretty excited about the vulcan after a season+ on titans and a season mostly on tlt5 carbons. i ski about 90 days per year with about 70 being touring days in alaska. i'm 6', 185lbs. i use my sled for 10-20 of them but mostly skin and only occasionally do full on sled laps. (the walk mode and mini-bellows of the tlt's make them pretty sweet for slednecking sessions too!) this season i've been on my old white/red stripe lotus 138's most of my days. it's been a good year in alaska. i also ski a fair amount on some of last years lotus 120's. both are mounted with vertical ft12's. i have a pair of technica bodacious that i use for lift accessed skiing that are my current benchmark for boot performance. an average day of touring is 5-8k vert of climbing. i like to ski in big terrain and tend to ski them pretty fast turning for terrain features more than for the sake of turning. this year has been pretty good and i've been able to ski some super fun lines on a pretty regular basis.

i'll write up a full review sometime but will say that i'm pretty blown away by the tlt's. i stiffened mine up with intuition powerwrap plug liners and a booster strap which made a big difference on the down and small difference (a little less walk mode) on the up. i think the tlt's are laterally as stiff as the titans which is important for the way i try to ski. forward flex is usually adequate and only feels too soft when i'm in rougher snow with the big skis. i have over compressed the tongues twice and went so far forward that my heel popped out but was in funky snow and user error for being off balance and getting pitched forward. i have had good luck with landing airs at speed in good snow (to about 20 feet) and take smaller features at high speed regularly. i have lobbed off of many cornices in the 5-10 foot range to all kinds of weird landings and no speed without problem. all without any prerelease with toes locked except for a few odd falls in which case i came out with toes fully locked in a high speed crash and didn't even feel them pop. the only time i feel like i want different boots is when i'm in a weird spot going too fast or running out in funky snow and get too far to the front or back. if the vulcan is similar in every way to my tlt's but has more fore/aft support similar to the bodacious i really think they will be the ultimate backcountry boot at least for my style of skiing.

i sometimes feel like what they may lack in downhill performance is made up for how much stronger i feel on my 4th, 5th, 6th lap compared to skiing my titans...

that said, i definitely agree with above sentiments about being a balanced or forward skier on this kind of gear. i know several other skiers on the tlt5's who tend to steer from the tails and these boots seem to exacerbate backseat technique. they do seem to have plenty of fun on them though!

also, on topic of prerelease. sometimes i play with skiing toes unlocked in less consequential terrain. even with the 138's i only seem to prerelease when the skis are laid over on edge and i get a lateral release. i think high edge angles on hard snow with super fat skis is just too much lateral pressure for the toe piece. those crashes hurt and i've stopped messing around with unlocked toes unless it's full pow.

[sqikunst]

Dyna is lazy cause they have a patent in many countries.

Live in Austria. August 2013 not a day before.

[freak]

Ever wonder why there are now so many Dynafit lookalikes on the market? The original patent has EXPIRED.

not over here

freak~[&]

[bodywhomper]

apologies if this has been posted earlier in the thread...

last year, dude who skied w/ toes locked [apparently, this is may hearsay] lost his leg (dismembered) and his life in an avi. http://www.nwac.us/media/uploads/doc...ary_3-5-11.pdf

i understand the sentiments and rationale of locking the toes, but, this is a good reminder, imho....

[GeezerSteve]

BW, we were touring nearby that day. I read that report right after it was published and it still haunts me. I've heard good things about that guy and that he would want others to learn whatever lessons might be learned.

[auvgeek]

apologies if this has been posted earlier in the thread...

last year, dude who skied w/ toes locked lost his leg (dismembered) and his life in an avi. http://www.nwac.us/media/uploads/doc...ary_3-5-11.pdf

i understand the sentiments and rationale of locking the toes, but, this is a good reminder, imho....

Having no prior knowledge of this, the link doesn't say anything about the binder. I assume you have inside info about the incident?

[GeezerSteve]

Don't know what BW might know. I don't have any inside info except [edited to omit hearsay]. But I can say that reading that report affected my thoughts about tree skiing and locked toes.

ETA: I'm revising this post because my source had second hand or third hand information.

[Ski to Be]

Wow,
That is sobering.I will rethink locking out my toes in the future

[bodywhomper]

my information is based on the the hoji slays hard thread, so maybe it's totally inaccurate, but it fits in the realm of reason to me.

on a related thought, romeo (RIP). he was climbing. it's reasonable to assume that his toes were locked cuz he was climbing. the account that i read is clear that his skis and bindings were in very bad shape after his incident. I have read no detailed account about the condition of his physical body, but it seems reasonable to consider that his legs were pretty mangled up.

[abp]

Anyone know if REI will sell them next fall?
I only say this because I have a $700 dollar credit from a blown manaslu insert.