Kreuzspitze GT Binding

[auvgeek]

Saw these bindings on skimo.co, and they seem pretty sweet, particularly the heels: http://skimo.co/kreuzspitze-gt-bindings

Heels only available for $100 ea, plus optional risers, stomp pad, and adjustment plates.

The heels feature:

- much lighter than the speed turn/radical heel
- no heel/toe delta (ramp angle) when paired many tech toes (incl. Dynafit superlight/speed radical/speed turn), eliminating the need for toe shims
- adjustable vertical and lateral release, 5-10 RV
- flat mode + riser 1 + (optional) flap & riser 2
- optional heel stomp pad to keep the full weight off the heel pins while skiing and improve power transfer
- optional heel adjustment plates with same screw hole pattern as Dynafit TLT http://skimo.co/kreuzspitze-adjustment-plates.

Seems more useable for normal touring than the Dynafit Superlight 2.0, if you don't need a RV of 12. On paper, functionality and ski performance seem the same as the Speed Radial or Speed Turn 2.0. Maybe even better ski feel with the heel stomp pad. The thickness of the heel adjustment plates is 5.5mm, so you could drop them into your existing speed radical/turn/plum guide holes, and drop your heel toe delta to 5.5mm (from like 15 mm) and save like 1/2 a pound on your setup. That's a plug-and-play solution without redrilling for under $300 (with all the options), minus whatever your current heels sell for. If you're concerned about heel-toe delta, this seems like a much better approach than spending $30-$40 on B&D shims.

Durability is the big question in my mind. Anybody use them?

[mall walker]

The reviews of the other Kreuzspitze model they sell (the SCTT) are all outstanding, and the guys in shop had nothing but good things to say about it. I guess the effective RV on the SCTT is a little low (6-7ish?) otherwise it'd be a go-to for sure.

GT heels look like a no brainer to me compared to any of the heavier Dynaheels.

[Lindahl]

Why more usable than an SSL? Flat mode or more?

[auvgeek]

Detent for flat mode, adjustable vertical RV, and optional stomp pad.

[Ocean]

Durability is the big question in my mind. Anybody use them?

Unfortunately mine broke the first time I used them, an internal part that controls the vertical release snapped. Kreuzspitze replaced them immediately (I'm in Europe).

I asked Kreuzspitze to replace them with their Trofeo (SCTT) heels. The SCTT is a fantastic binding, low ramp angle, durable, I'm 5'9, 158lb, Size 26 boots, no problems with prerelease. I've only fallen in them once, and they released as they are designed to.

I didn't manage to figure out why the GT heels broke. I was skiing low angled powder at the time. If I had seen the broken bindings, and not been skiing on them when they broke, I would have been certain that the failure was due to an insufficient heel gap. It looked as if the heel pins had been pushed backwards hard. The bindings were mounted by SpyderJon, and I checked the heel gap myself, so I can say with certainty that this wasn't the case (and Kreuzspitze replaced them no questions asked, so I have no reason to lie).

EDIT: I've just been thinking about the day they failed, I remembered that maybe 15 mins before they broke, I went head over heels in the powder, my skis didn't release, wouldn't have expected them to as no twisting force involved. Something may have happened then which weakened the binding.

[EpicSteeze]

The reviews of the other Kreuzspitze model they sell (the SCTT) are all outstanding, and the guys in shop had nothing but good things to say about it. I guess the effective RV on the SCTT is a little low (6-7ish?) otherwise it'd be a go-to for sure.

There's a comment from someone on the skimo.co page stating that they've been in touch with the owner and that he confirmed a lateral and vertical RV of 10 for the SCTT. Sounds like a killer binding

Reply from Richard S
Today, Terragnolo e-mailed me with the following answer: "of course the binding model SCTT does not have an adjustable DIN, we set the internal spring and the length of U spring to have a release force like DIN 10 in both lateral and frontal.
We advise to install the heel with a gap of 6mm from the rear part of the ski boot to obtain the right value of release force.
If you increase this gap (maximum 1mm) you can reduce the release force, but the best solutions is use our adjustable heel model GT."

[auvgeek]

Interesting. So a Kreuzspitz SCTT has a non-adjustable RV of 10, and flat + riser 1 + optional riser 2.

With the optional riser, SCTT heels cost $230 and weigh 83 g vs Dynafit SL 2.0 heels, which cost $280 and weigh 126 g.

Food for thought.

[Ocean]

Based on a comparison with a G3 Ion set to 10, I can believe that the SCTT has a vertical release value of 10, but I would put the lateral release value a bit lower, maybe 8. I didn't have any testing equipment, i just tried to gauge how hard it was to push the boot out with my hand.

I think Jason Borro has done a proper test on the SCTT, if you're buying from SkiMo he might tell you the results.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I think Jason Borro has done a proper test on the SCTT, if you're buying from SkiMo he might tell you the results.

When I reached out to him about lighter bindings with a release value around 10 he suggested the Speedsuperlite and the Trab Gara Release.

[Lindahl]

Interesting. So a Kreuzspitz SCTT has a non-adjustable RV of 10, and flat + riser 1 + optional riser 2.

With the optional riser, SCTT heels cost $230 and weigh 83 g vs Dynafit SL 2.0 heels, which cost $280 and weigh 126 g.

Food for thought.

I wonder if the optional riser allows it to be rotated with a ski pole tip? Or if the screw hole is too small for that.

[Practitioner]

Anyone have any more time on these this year? Looking for more reviews re: durability before purchasing.

[Climber Joe]

I love the sctt, can't comment on the GT.

[mall walker]

put sctt heels in place of speed rads w/inserts, with the 14mm plate it’s the same pattern and a dramatically improved ramp angle with the speed rad toes. not an enormous amount of time on them but so far they’re great.

[galibier_numero_un]

Two and a half years later, any updated comments on durability/usability of the GTs?

How about durability/usability of the add-on flippy risers?

... Thom

[timmaio]

GT is very interesting, seems to use the same mechanism to adjust vertical release as the new Dynafit Mezzalama (altering the length of the u spring)

at 79g for the heel its quite interesting, I wish the heel had the same hole pattern width as ATK so I could mount them on ATK adjustment plates with my jig.

A killer binding so long as it played well together could be the Trab toes with the GT 2.0 heel.

[Climber Joe]

GT is very interesting, seems to use the same mechanism to adjust vertical release as the new Dynafit Mezzalama (altering the length of the u spring)

at 79g for the heel its quite interesting, I wish the heel had the same hole pattern width as ATK so I could mount them on ATK adjustment plates with my jig.

A killer binding so long as it played well together could be the Trab toes with the GT 2.0 heel.

To be honest I don’t think the adjustable release is worth it. Just get the trab toes and the U spring stiffness of your choice on a race heel like the trab Titan or kreuzspitze SCTT or the ATKs.

I have the trab Titan with the 10 spring on a BD/ATK plate and it works fine. I might end up going back to the kreuspitze sctt/adjustment plate cuz then it fits the dynafit speed pattern.

[Benneke10]

I asked skimo co a while back why the kreuspitze gt wasn't more popular, they said the release "adjustment" didn't actually change the release value that much.

[Marshal Olson]

Big fan of the Speed Radical Toe w/ shim paired to SCTT heels on K14 plates

[Climber Joe]

I swapped to Trab toes and never looked back. They’re just expendy