Comments on: G3 Announces Cost of Onyx Swap Plates

By: Lars Andrews

Lars Andrews — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:51:21 +0000

> Hey Lou and other folks interested in the Onyx,
>
> Here are some thoughts on the Onyx.
> I was on the Onyx for the majority of this winter until early May. I am a Mountain Guide running a small ski touring operation called Whitecap Alpine. I managed prob close to 100 days of guiding and free skiing on the binding. I have had 12 years of Dynafit experience and use. I am still a fan but they do have their specific idiosyncrasies. One that I see from both a guides perspective (client use) as well as just a recreational skier. I do feel the Onyx skis better and feels better underfoot for me than any of the variations of Dynafit I have tried. (mostly the classic and the TLT) Possibly due to the lower ramp angle and my skiing style.
>
> I ran the binding at a DIN of 9 and I never released from it , and there was never any pre-release. I did ski it in difficult terrain, and in very hard variable
> conditions. There were never really any time I felt it should have released. I only ever ran the toe lock/DIN booster when I was skiing in
> terrain I did not want to lose a ski in and when track-setting in hard snow conditions. I did kick the ski off tracksetting and stamping a track
> in with the toe lock disengaged, so I know it releases… But never kicked the ski off in any manner that I thought was inappropriate. I never track
> set in normal circumstances with the DIN booster.
This, as opposed to how I operate the Dynafit binding, is quite different. I would almost always lock up the Dynafit for fear of pre-release and the experience of having that happen a number of times.
I feel the Onyx binding is strong, there were a number of times during the
> season that I really put it through its paces and it came out well.

By: ziff

ziff — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 03:11:41 +0000

Lou, once I reread your post, I realized you were clear – I guess all the previous discussion on ramp angles got me focused on it!

thanks for the clarification.

By: Lou

Lou — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 22:17:13 +0000

Stephen, I should have been more clear. OF COURSE the ramp angle made them feel different in terms of ramp angle, especially when compared to a Dynafit ST/FT (as opposed to TLT, which has less ramp). I was talking about things like lateral stability and pre-release. The latter factors didn’t seem any different to me.

I’ll edit the post so it’s more clear. Sorry about that.

By: Ziff

Ziff — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:55:32 +0000

hey Lou,

I have been enjoying your posts on the Onyx binding (as well as others, of course) as I have been skiing them since mid-February as one of the beta testers. It seems we see eye to eye on many of the pros and cons of the Onyx but unlike you (“In a nutshell, for me the beta test Onyx skied downhill the same as a Dynafit.”), I did find they skied differently, surprisingly enough, as I did not think they would.

I skied over 30000 meters on them this winter and spring and on some days, I would switch between my Dynafits (comforts and classics) for side to side comparison. I really noticed the ramp angle when switching back and forth and I found myself liking the more neutral Onyx ramp angle much more than that found on either Dynafit binding. Maybe it is just me and the way I ski, but I seemed to notice the difference much more in deep powder, and on days when I skied my Dynafits, I found myself wishing for less ramp angle.

Anyway, just my two cents…thanks again for all of your work.

Stephen

By: Lou

Lou — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:26:37 +0000

Mike, B&D has been building and supplying those for a while. See their ad in left sidebar. Their swap plates are excellent, as they have micro adjustment for perfect alignment.

Disadvantages are cost and weight, also, the fantasy/reality factor, as in are you really going to take the time to swap bindings, even with swap plates? Oh, and some folks don’t like being stilted even higher on their skis.