had my first real day out with my new lightweight touring set-up;
atomic freedreams with dynfait tlt speeds and scarpa spirit 4 boots.

i climbed up my new hill last week with no problems, kick turns and all.

but today out in the backcountry was ridiculous! my toe’s just kept coming out.  i tried the switch on the front on both ski and limb mode, but still kept popping out sideways. the words coming out of my mouth were not pleasant.

i’ve looked this evening, and as far as i can see, it all seems ok.
please help, any ideas?

The two times I’ve seen real problems were from totally different problems, in the first case the store mounting the bindings had messed it up and the only way the guy could stay in the bindings at all was to lock out the front release. This was so obviously broken that it was an accident waiting to happen. Even with the front locked out he was still releasing from the bindings on a sharp twist which he mistake for a proper release. The mount was so bad the heel piece then fell off which rather wrecked the day tour.

And then I personally had a problem at the end of last season, I kept releasing from my TLT’s. I reckon the cause of that was my inserts in my megarides were totally wrecked, kicked to hell from climbing on mixed ground. I’m not sure though if that were true why it doesn’t happen to more people unless I’ve abused my megarides excessively.

I still don’t know what the score with the first guy was, I *think* you’d get some of this from having a marginally too long boot length mount but there was something more wrong with his I’m sure.

Following up from what Ian says, always check the lugs to make sure there is no ice, this can cause problems. Did the binding lock down ok? The other thing is ice under the toe of the boot or in the spring mechanism.

How are you finding the Freedreams? My neighbour has just bought a pair and they seem very good for a freerando ski.

davidof - 22 December 2009 07:24 PM

Following up from what Ian says, always check the lugs to make sure there is no ice, this can cause problems. Did the binding lock down ok? The other thing is ice under the toe of the boot or in the spring mechanism.

How are you finding the Freedreams? My neighbour has just bought a pair and they seem very good for a freerando ski.

Davidof i was checking all these things throughout the tour, even at the start of the day when we were in lovely soft powder it was happening. 

when you both say lockdown down do you mean in the climb mode? that was all ok.  all i can see from looking at the binding in a ski workstand is that without a boot in if you press the springs down to engage the lock the bottom of the lugs will touch the ski. yet with the boot in there is still space.  but i’m guessing this is just down to the width of the boots toe peice.

interesting how you mention the toe being damaged on your boots from kicking. mine have taken a beating but the metal insetrs for dynafits is perfectly fine.  all i wonder is if scarpa have not made them deep enough.  i might go to a local touring shop, or even to atomic themselves, their factory is 5mins away from where i currently live.

freedreams? lovely so far. my main touring partner as atomic sweet daddys just like you Davidof, along with some Rossi b94’s.  he says the sweets definetly don’t float aswell, but the weight saving for long tours makes up for it.  hence why i went for freedreams to get a little bit bigger underfoot to help float.  i was carving on them last week on piste with no problem, ive done climbs up, kick turns, and of course tight powder turns downhill and them really love tight turns.  They also seem to be agile enough to jump around if the snow is really soft.

just a little update,

i went to a very helpful local shop today, hell, its even an intersport franchise.  3 members of staff looked at my boots, and after they all asked had i engaged the climb mode they set about looking indepth.  they ended up calling dynafit themselves.  We are in Austria afterall.  Dynafit said that it is probably a boot compatibility issue and that their own range work the best.

the main guy was concerned at the gap between the heel of the boot and the actual binding so he re-drilled it as there was no more adjustment left on the binding.  hopefully this will help, but for now i will not use them.  we all concluded that there is definitely an issue with the toe inserts of the boot.

i have emailed scarpa to see what they say.  i don’t want to a) change my very comfortable boots or b) buy heavier fritschi bindings

I know Dynafit have the slot in the toe insert but I don’t think there’s much difference otherwise is there? I ski with people using Scarpa’s without problem with Dynafits.

The length of the mount sounds like the cause to me, I’m sure that was the problem with the one I mentioned earlier. That his then broke was a coincidence I think or just indicative of the poor mount rather directly related to the release problem. Although, IIRC he was on a shiney new pair of Scarpas as well!

but how can the mount position of the rear piece effect the climbing, is it to do with how your heel contacts it?

the metal inserts on the dynafit boots i was looking at, with my complimentary coffee, whilst my ski’s where being done all seemed to have metal inserts ever so slightly deeper and as its guided in with a metal section rather than plastic as on most scarpa’s this could also help keep them in, possibly…

my own bodge would be too drill the toe holes of boots deeper so that the pins of the binding would sit in a little further.

OliC - 29 December 2009 10:40 PM

but how can the mount position of the rear piece effect the climbing, is it to do with how your heel contacts it?

the metal inserts on the dynafit boots i was looking at, with my complimentary coffee, whilst my ski’s where being done all seemed to have metal inserts ever so slightly deeper and as its guided in with a metal section rather than plastic as on most scarpa’s this could also help keep them in, possibly…

my own bodge would be too drill the toe holes of boots deeper so that the pins of the binding would sit in a little further.

maybe I misunderstood but I thought you’d personally find it OK climbing?