Fritschi Vipec review thread

[HHTELE]

Are anyone else's brakes super wide? I've got the 108's and they fit over my 114 mm Huascaran's with a lot of room to spare. Almost too much room.

That's odd. I just got the 108s and bent them to fit over my 105 converts.

[tBatt]

I've had my 2nd gen Vipecs for a few months now. Maybe 15 tours on them. Have another buddy who has the 1st gen and isn't stoked on them.

Both of us have had issued with the ski/walk mode release lever not fully engaging back into ski mode. He's had some unexpected releases from the heel sliding back. Checked for snow packed in them, couldn't really see anything. Issue went away after they were thawed, but neither of us could find where the snow was actually preventing the lever from fully locking.

He has had a few issues now with the heel piece sliding back on the track. Pretty sure he had them set up at BD.

Aside from having issues with the ski/walk lever, the toes on mine feel very loose. When I'm turning/side slipping on hardpack it especially shows and feels like I have a 4° edge bevel. Self mounted. Using a Cochise 120 boot. No adjustments on the width of the toe wing. Skied them with a Quadrant, too, but I can't seem to remember if I had the problem before switching boots or not. I tried my buddies 1st gen Vipecs mounted for Quadrants (both 300mm bsl) and the issue wasn't present there.

Thoughts:
Toe pin too narrow (thought this because I had to push the toe piece down to step in. After reading this thread, it seems like that's the norm even when properly adjusted.)
When mounting, mini volcanos of displaced ski material creating standoffs between ski and binding. By the visible eye, there isn't much of any gap, but you might be able to fit a piece of paper in there.
Ski topsheet design - The skis are a BD Justice and there is a little channel that runs under the toe piece and the underside edges of the binding (maybe 4mm on each side) are allowing the toe wing to flex making it feel plastic-y.

Whaddayathink?

[Andeh]

What do you mean by the toes feel loose? The toe piece, or the toe jaws? My 3rd gen ones are super solid, although the first day out I had to retighten the screws because I didn't use enough loctite on my insert screws. The jaws clamp down on my Vulcans with great vigor. You know the toe pins are adjustable right? You're supposed to adjust them in or out depending on what fittings your boot has. I haven't had any issues with the walk mode coming forward, and the 2 days I've had them out have been in some pretty wet, sticky snow (30-34 degrees).

The other issues you mention sound more like a problem with the ski or the mounting job (volcanos should be eliminated by a countersink).

[ffmedic84]

Are anyone else's brakes super wide? I've got the 108's and they fit over my 114 mm Huascaran's with a lot of room to spare. Almost too much room.

Interesting...The shop measured them and said they're the right size. Maybe I'll try to swap them out with the 95's.

[garuda]

Interesting...The shop measured them and said they're the right size. Maybe I'll try to swap them out with the 95's.

Have you mounted the brakes? They compress narrower once installed. Captain obvious maybe, but just asking because my 108 brakes are a tight 108, just like others have said.

[tBatt]

What do you mean by the toes feel loose? The toe piece, or the toe jaws?

The other issues you mention sound more like a problem with the ski or the mounting job (volcanos should be eliminated by a countersink).

The toe piece itself. I initially thought it was elasticity created from the releasable toe wings, but after trying my buddies skis, I'm thinking the mount is more likely the cause. Never had that issue before, though, and this was probably the 15th pair of skis I mounted.

Is there a spec on toe pin distance vs tech insert spacing on the boot?

[Andeh]

My pair came with instructions for how to adjust the jaws. You can probably find a PDF of it on the Fritschi website too.

[galibier_numero_un]

Have you mounted the brakes? They compress narrower once installed. Captain obvious maybe, but just asking because my 108 brakes are a tight 108, just like others have said.

So, the consensus is that the widths are fairly true to size? I'm looking at Down YW8 102's and it's looking like the 108 brakes are the way to go but ...

What's further confusing me however is that:

• The Black Diamond site shows brake choices as 95-108-120 (both white & black versions)
• Sport-Conrad shows (black) 90-100-115
• Telemark Pyrenees shows (black) 80-90-100-115

The good news is that unlike Ions and Radicals - that the brakes are swappable, but I'd prefer to get it right on the first try.

Cheers,
Thom

[galibier_numero_un]

I'm guessing your box called them 115? 108?

... Thom

[jorion]

Had my first day yesterday (lift-served) skiing black Vipecs (thanks T-P!) on Lotus 120s (thanks SAC!). It had snowed 12" so basically no hardpack skiing except for minimal time descending icy ridges, but I could rarely tell that I wasn't on alpine bindings. Some things I noticed:

-Getting in and out can be a little funky in the field. You can't seem to press the toe straight down like you can with Dynafits. I'm still getting the hang of it. Putting them on in not-totally flat terrain seems especially tricky. I was at the top of a chute with a somewhat concave surface and the elasticity of the toepieces made it difficult to center the heel over the heelpins. Then at the end of the day icing made it difficult to release the toe pins. I had to cycle the toe lever from step-in to ski mode a couple times and physically pull the sticky toepiece out.

-On the plus side, I had one fall in deep, heavy tracked-out snow in which I was very grateful for the toe elasticity. I buried a tip and went down, feeling more and more stress on the side of my knee as I twisted. For a split second I was really worried I was about to rip my knee apart as I started to feel pain but just then my foot seemed to come out of the side of the binding. Maybe it would have released just the same with a different tech binding, but I was extremely grateful that I released, and I'm not sure I would have on my old Radical 1.0s.

So far I'm very happy despite the weirdness of entry and exit. Hopefully I'll figure out the quirks and that part will get easier.

[Cocximus]

I had the heels freeze twice, preventing the level from gully locking . First time was in a mean blizzard where I just said fuck it and duct taped it. By the time I got down it thawed out. so I did not get a chance to see where ice built up. It was internal ice for sure, nothing visible outside. I had the freeze another time but with some fiddling and with repeated opening and closing they locked. I was told snow build up in the track. Worse comes to worse it's possible to take the binding off the track to clean them. Maybe some tape on the rear will prevent snow from going in?

My brakes stopped deploying...

Still liking them.

[ex-powderbroker]

Tbatt,

Any updates with your issues? I found a pair of 108's here.... Some of the reviews here still make me a little nervous compared to the tried and true Vertical FT.

Waited too long on the ION's and they're all gone.

[HHTELE]

So, the consensus is that the widths are fairly true to size? I'm looking at Down YW8 102's and it's looking like the 108 brakes are the way to go but ...

What's further confusing me however is that:

• The Black Diamond site shows brake choices as 95-108-120 (both white & black versions)
• Sport-Conrad shows (black) 90-100-115
• Telemark Pyrenees shows (black) 80-90-100-115

The good news is that unlike Ions and Radicals - that the brakes are swappable, but I'd prefer to get it right on the first try.

Cheers,
Thom

I have carbon Converts and brakes labelled 108. This is after a bit of bending. The plastic scuffs the edges on the way down, and should be bent a bit more.

It would make sense to me that these should be labelled 100.

[jroz]

^^interesting. My 2017 blacks came with "108" brakes and they are huuuge. Extend well beyond my 108 waisted scouts...

[ffmedic84]

^^interesting. My 2017 blacks came with "108" brakes and they are huuuge. Extend well beyond my 108 waisted scouts...

Same here. Mine are 112mm and the 108 brake is still huge

[galibier_numero_un]

Seems as if they're better at designing and manufacturing bindings than labeling brake widths.

[HHTELE]

So, the consensus is that the widths are fairly true to size? I'm looking at Down YW8 102's and it's looking like the 108 brakes are the way to go but ...

What's further confusing me however is that:

• The Black Diamond site shows brake choices as 95-108-120 (both white & black versions)
• Sport-Conrad shows (black) 90-100-115
• Telemark Pyrenees shows (black) 80-90-100-115

The good news is that unlike Ions and Radicals - that the brakes are swappable, but I'd prefer to get it right on the first try.

Cheers,
Thom

OK-
I think I have solved the mystery.
From the BD site regarding Freerides:

S fits up to approximately 82 mm
M fits up to approximately 95 mm
L fits up to approximately 108 mm
XL fits up to approximately 120 mm

I think that the Euro shops have it right, and that the crew at BD are mistakenly using the Freeride brake sizing.

I think that I have a 100 mm brake labelled as a 108.
I think FFmedic 84 and somebody else have 115 labelled as a 108.

Mine fits exactly as I would expect a 100 mm brake to fit, and there is no way it is the same brake as the guys who say they are huge.

Even with the brake being overly snug on my ski, it overhangs a bit when not deployed. Glad I do not have the next size up.

Oh yeah- Still really liking this binding. 2-3 days lift serve on eastern hardpack. Skiing rattly stuff in a way I wouldn't dare on my Speed radicals. 4-5 climbs, 1200-1400 feet each. Climb great and easier to get into than either of my past Dynafit set ups. The clamping force is so strong that even if I am slightly off, the binding finds its way into the center of the socket.

And, I am much more confident stomping my edge a bit when side hilling icy terrain. I used them in a way that would have likely knocked my speeds off, and they stayed solid.

They have made my Carbon Converts into a more versatile ski- Slightly heavier but more rugged BC ski, and much easier to live with at the resort.

[galibier_numero_un]

Thanks hhtele! This is starting to come together.

... Thom

[Lindahl]

FWIW the toe lever on the new black is really short compared to the old ones. It does work way better, but only if you aren't missing rubber on your boots. I have a small chunk of rubber missing and will have to fill that section in with shoegoo now.

[Lindahl]

Had another awkward crash over the weekend on a runout where one ski got hung up near the toepiece and the lateral release likely saved me some ankle damage.

[galibier_numero_un]

[galibier_numero_un]

OK ... I just picked up the last pair of Black Vipecs at the Bent Gate at 40% off. The box is labeled 108 (brakes) and they are true to this dimension. I quickly slid an assembled heel piece over an Atomic Automatic 109 and the brakes cleared easily (I'd guess they'd be good for 110 and maybe 112, but certainly not my Praxis GPOs (116). This is pretty nutty, in light of hhtele's experiences above. Maybe they they had a "whoops" experience at the warehouse and corrected it mid-season.

[edit: April 29th] hhtele has it right. While fully deployed, the 108 brakes clear these 109 waisted skis easily, but while mounted, they don't spread out quickly enough to clear the ski as they deploy. As they spread out during deployment, they hit the top surface of the ski, and at that point, they're barely 100mm wide.

One quick question: Those toe lever inserts (the ones offered in optional colors). I received a spare pair of blacks in the bag. I recall reading that there are various sizes to accommodate different boot sole shapes/heights. Do I remember correctly? Should they come with only one extra set?

A couple of observations upon an initial handling ...

1. All of the instructions I found on the web for installing the brakes are obtuse at best. Maybe it's me, but I fiddled with them for some 15 minutes after growing frustrated with the dearth of shop manual documentation on the web. About the time I had an "aha" moment, I found a series of photos Lou published on the original Vipec (brake installation is the same). It's still a bit obtuse, but with a bit of fiddling and the supporting photos (minimal text) I got there. https://www.wildsnow.com/11228/mounting-adjustment-fritschi-vipec/
   
2. The toe piece mounting holes are counterbored instead of countersunk. I've been bitching about Dynafit using countersinks forever. Given the fact that a tech binding mount benefits from some finagling of the toepiece, a countersink makes absolutely no sense. It's a small thing, but indicative of the fact that the engineers at Fritschi are thinking about the little things, although I consider this to be a big deal - in the sense that aligning a tech binding is critical to best performance.
3. The toe pin adjustment screw. I was a bit concerned about this, in light of all of the Loc-tite comments. Well, the engineers at Fritschi did it again. The adjustable pin on the toe piece uses a straight-slotted screw, and a spring engages with the slot so it can't rotate. Nice ... I'm really surprised no one mentioned this before.

Enough of this rambling. I now get to decide which of my sub 109mm skis these get mounted on. If only for Springtime testing.

Cheers,
Thom

[cat in january]

Picked up a pair of the blacks also at 40% off and very stoked on the binding. Really thought I would always go Dynafit, but they are changing things so much-mount pattern etc. no reason to stick with them. Black ticked off the most boxes for me and nice to see the heavy discounts in the AT world.

[TrueNorth]

Picked up a pair of the blacks also at 40% off

Where was this? I checked Bent Gate but they're now full price.

[galibier_numero_un]

Where was this? I checked Bent Gate but they're now full price.

Bent Gate didn't make it clear on their website, and the Black display model was hidden behind a pair of White ones.

I had to ask the salesman a pointed question to find the Black ones. Also, after his first trip back from the stock room, he returned with White Vipecs (we had been conversing quite a bit about this). It's almost as if they're under instructions to try to clear out the Whites (at the same price as the Blacks) ... either that, or he was trying to hoard them for himself or a buddy ;-) I was about to order from either Sport-Conrad or Telemark-Pyrenees, until I sauntered in there today.

Are the bindings supposed to come with only one spare set of black inserts for the toe lever? I'm searching for instructions on this.

Make sure the 'black' you buy at 40% off are gen 3 Vipec.
still happy with my new set up

Best I can tell, I'm good, 'coz Black is gen3 (see LeeLau's post in this thread, from early Feb.). As I understand it, the generations are as follows:

Gen 1: First year - toe pin problem (no LocTite applied) & miscl. other teething problems: icing, difficult entry, etc.
Gen 2: Toe pin problem fixed (other stuff corrected too?)
Gen 3: Black (easier entry, icing fixed, toe wing entry not dependent on RV, probably other stuff as well)

Cheers,
Thom