I have this year gone tech for the first time, and I love them. I love them so much that I want to use them all the time. I love the comfy light boots, and I love the light skis. So much do I love them I want to use them even when I am not earning my turns. I know Davidof has a very clear view, but I ski smoothly, don’t huck too many cliffs so why shouldn’t i use them all the time?

I saw a guy doing his ESF fleche on them a couple of weeks ago, on the fairly difficult ESF course.

If you’re confident that they release when they should and don’t release unexpectedly, go for it. I don’t think using them in a setting where they cannot release is clever, though.

pierre, not sure what you mean by a ‘setting where they connot release’ ? I only recently converted to dynafits and used them ‘round’ the resort. I was taking it easy as I was skiing with my 5 year old son and 73 year old dad. Would that be a setting where they cannot release?

I’ve skied them now for 15 days, and never had or needed them to release, for all I know they might not release! I have pushed them a little, the only difference I have found is the ski tails feel very slightly “soft”. I have found it straightforward to adjust to them. We were having a hooning around day today, so I took my old skis but they felt so heavy. On my old touring set up both the boots and Fritchi bindings felt very different from piste skis, but with my new meastrale RS plus the tech bindings it feels just as good as my alpine skis. I guess the downside is as you say the safety factor in release, plus I suspect the boots will wear out.

Edge of a chair lift caught my boot as I was trying to help my son and the front calliper released without any problems. I have set them to din 6 although my downhill bindings are set to between 8 and 10 depending where I am skiing. I still don’t understand pierres remark.
edit for spelling

perhaps he meant that you shouldn’t use them in a situation where an unwanted release would be dangerous--in no-fall terrain.

My main reason for not using them in resort is that the boots and bindings are expensive and I prefer not to put wear outside of a ski touring setting on them. At my local hill about half the skiers (moms and dads) are ski tourers in their spare time and they ski with their tech bindings when they are with the kids.

I’m not sure hard charging piste skiing is their strong point though, release wise.

This season I’ve been using my dynafits pretty much all the time but I don’t do very many days just using the lifts, even skiing in the village I tend to climb up into the ski area first. I’ve had a moment of doubt about the release in some moguls taking a shortcut home one day, the ski twisted a lot and I wasn’t sure if it was going to release or not. In the end it didn’t but I’m not sure if getting whacked by my leashed (no brakes) ski releasing was worse than it not releasing at all.

It does bother me a bit, having an active job it would be a nuisance if I injured my leg (which I’ve done three times this season anyway on skis). I’m probably as worried about the leashes as anything else. Mostly, I don’t think about it while I’m out, the dynafits plus dynafit Zzeus ski really well and I enjoy them which if why I don’t pick up a pair of slalom skis to take out.

Once changed to light bindings and boots with rubbersoles everything else is no good. I think it is a bigger chance to injure yourself by sliding off a icy cliff with plasticboots than twist a leg with lightbindings.

ace1 - 26 March 2013 11:21 PM

Edge of a chair lift caught my boot as I was trying to help my son and the front calliper released without any problems. I have set them to din 6 although my downhill bindings are set to between 8 and 10 depending where I am skiing. I still don’t understand pierres remark.
edit for spelling

I’m guessing he meant: don’t ski with the toe caliper in the locked position.

Main issue is that touring kit just doesn’t take the same battering that downhill kit does. Have had Garmont replace radium shells after front tech fittings wore out after 4 months use. Have broken two front sets of Dynafit bindings. Am now using Plume fat bindings and am a huge fan.

chasseur - 27 March 2013 07:14 PM

ace1 - 26 March 2013 11:21 PM

Edge of a chair lift caught my boot as I was trying to help my son and the front calliper released without any problems. I have set them to din 6 although my downhill bindings are set to between 8 and 10 depending where I am skiing. I still don’t understand pierres remark.
edit for spelling

I’m guessing he meant: don’t ski with the toe caliper in the locked position.

Yes, that is idiotic to the extreme, unless one is skiing if-you-fall-you-die terrain.