AT Skiers-Gear Suggestions

[the_dude]

Originally Posted by hojo

I'm going to revive this thread. I too am looking at a Backcountry setup and I'm not sure if I should go dynafit or not. My style leans towards backcountry ascents leading to steep chutes and couloirs with the occasional drop (no more than 8 feet). Perhaps I need to just gut it out with regular alpine and my backcountry ideas are ridiculous. I'm not thinking of multiday treks necessarily so weight is less of a concern. So, will dynafit work or should I divert to Dukes or Naxos or Fritschi or the like?

dynafit all the way. i switched to the ft 12's from fritschis about 6 weeks ago and haven't looked back. weight difference alone, even on single day outings, makes touring much more pleasant than lugging around heavy ass bindings like the fritschis or naxos. plus the touring performance in terms of the way the binding feels is much better. and skiing performance - well these bindings kick ass. haven't had one issue yet with popping out when i'm not supposed to.

[geronimo]

i totally agree with the above statement. the dynafits are lite weight and supper minimalist. i've done plenty of shoots and drops on them this season and they have been great. you can always crank up the DIN if you are worried about blowing out. or if i'm in a no fall zone i just crank up the excenter to tour mode and you're all set.

[hojo]

right then.. it seems I'm more and more convinced that dynafit is the ticket. Now if I can just assemble the gear for a decent price. But I have until next season to put together my kit. Thanks for the feedback.

[one_elk]

Any suggestions on where to go to look for AT boot reviews. I have used the compare option at REI but am looking for something with a little more dialogue. I have skied over 40 years and am looking to get some AT gear. I have tele skied a fair bit but think I can handle more variability in snow conditions with and AT set up.......anyway appreciate and info on AT Boots or AT Boot reviews

[WhiteLightning]

I have some 27.5 dynafit and regular AT binding compatible Garmont's, never been used. They are kind of moderate between touring/lightness and downhill. <---Edit- They aren't in the swap, but PM me if you are interested and I'll get details.

I use the heavy stuff (Naxos on alpine skis with Garmont Endorphins) and ski this at the resort, and do occasional mickey mouse tours on them.

By the way, the alpine-esque setup I have works well at the ski hill. It is 100% fine for powder, but really sloppy for hardpack days. This is my fat ski setup, so I usually wouldn't be using it for a spring hardpack day at Vail or something anyways, I've got something else for that, but I always use the boots with the DIN sole on.

[JCKeck1]

Yo, here's 0.02. I'm 190ish, 6'1". I do 30% resort, 60% side-country (using resort lifts and then hiking/skinning out-of-bounds), and 10% long ass back country tours. I have the dukes on a pair of Rossi Steezes. I also skied a pair of freerides on Rossi B4s for years. The dukes are the bomb! I used to blow out of the freerides in the resort and had some very scary close call with trees while I was in the superman position. The dukes are really secure. On the down side they are also a lot heavier. I consider them perfect for what I do. I try to stay airborne, ski fast, take chances, but I don't frequently go on epic slogs. I use the skins to get out of places and for shorter hikes from the ski resort along with the occasional tour or hut trip. The freerides are a bit lighter and the AT function can be engaged without getting out of the binding. This makes them better as a pure back-country binding, but I just couldn't stop ejecting at high speeds with hard turns. Get the dukes unless you're a pure BC skier.
Joe

[caseybailey]

Originally Posted by lmyers

I have to ask - why? If you are already a competent tele skier, what's the point in switching over? I made the opposite switch this season for an added challenge and lighter weight gear, and doubt I will ever go back to alpine or at.

What gear are you using? I was thinking of switching from a tele set-up to dynafit AT because I wanted a lighter weight, free-pivot set-up.