After spending the last decade almost exclusively on Dynafit bindings I took finally refitted my old Diamirs to a pair of Dynastar 4x4 skis and took them on the Grand Vans tour yesterday. This was state of the art touring gear circa 1998. Today probably more than 70% of Grenoble based skiers are on Dynafit bindings.

The ski / binding combo weighs about 4.5kg, I would normally be touring on around 3.5 kg. Boots (TR10s) are 3.3kg as opposed to my Scarpa F3 which tip the scales at 2.9kg. I wasn’t with the fastest group ever, we took about 3 hours to cover the 1200m of climbing so no real disadvantage on the climb.

I used to remember kick turns being a pain but I guess with many years extra experience they were not a major problem. I still think the Dynafits are easier though. However the skis at 178cm made a small difference. I normally ski on something a few cm shorter.

Skinning, can’t say I really noticed a difference. Both bindings work fine.

Ski crampons. The Diamir is a really solid interface and the ski crampons are really strong, ideal for the hard, icy conditions. Maybe a bit more drag but as a contrast Anny broke a Dynafit binding holder on the climb. There is maybe slightly less bight with the Diamir but overall a proper ski crampon.

The binding is still much easier to use than a Dynafiddle. Step in, step out simplicity with ski brakes that work. Ideal if you are having to take your skis on and off - erm which you will have to do to fit the ski crampons.

The Diamir is a fantastic system and so simple to use that I think it is the best binding around for beginner tourers.

I actually moved to the Marker Duke as after breaking my old pair of Diamirs. I wanted something more sturdy, and with the Marker system being lower to the ski it enabled better skiing experience on the way down.

How would you rate the downhill capabilities of the dynafit v’s diamir?

Thanks to excellent advice given on this forum, I have started touring this season on the new Marker F12 bindings. I did two tours last weekend (700m+ climbs) and was delighted with them: 40% lighter than my previous Marker Barons (over 50% lighter than the Dukes) - but have the same excellent downhill capabilities, enabling skiing through powder, broken crud and finally on the piste with total confidence. They also have a number of excellent new features beyond the Baron/Duke model - eg easier to re-set from uphill to downhill (with gloves on) + a new feature enabling the uphill climbing aide to be adjusted with your ski pole. The Marker ski crampons also fit onto them like a dream.

davidof - 12 December 2010 01:38 PM

Skinning, can’t say I really noticed a difference. Both bindings work fine.

Yes that’s my feeling too. And that’s with the old model Fritschi Diamir that some people complain about. Now that I’ve got new Fritschi Eagles mounted, should be interesting to see how much I notice the new improved touring mode—hopefully I’ll get them on snow soon.

davidof - 12 December 2010 01:38 PM

I used to remember kick turns being a pain but I guess with many years extra exprience they were not a major problem.

It took a while to work out the motion + timing, but I’ve been able to get my Diamir kick-turns very quick. (I hope the same motion works for new Fritschi Eagle).

If I could easily bring a third pair of skis with me on the airplane to France, I think I’d add my light skis with Dynafit bindings and also my light Scarpa F1 boots. My main workhorse skis which surely come along on the airplane are moderately heavier wider skis + Fritschi bindings + 4-buckle boots. Because my touring partners and I are pretty good at working around problems + differences in uphill speed, but I really hate having problems on the downhill.

My 2nd pair that makes it onto the airplane is really light: skinny skating skis with no metal edges for groomed cross-country trails, since Savoie has some of the best in the world. Great fun on high-avalanche or bad-weather days. (So my Dynafit skis stay home because they’re not light enough for my “mix” of skiing.)

Ken

I have been using for a couple of years diamir freeride plus.
I think its a very good ans solid binding providing a reasonable weight/performance ratio.

Its not as sturdy as marker baron which I use for short tours but more than dinafit in general ( which i have only tried twice)

Some people say that diamir bindings break easily or get distorted, however for the moment no signs of deterioration