Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ), tricks, and tips
Dynafit Tri-Step randonnee "AT" ski bindings
UPDATED
02/28/2004
By Louis Dawson
NOTE: On March 19,
2003, Dynafit announced that they were bagging the Tri-Step
ski binding. The binding is to be discontinued and
replaced with the "Comfort," which
will use a toe mechanism similar to the tried and true TLT
(see
general Dynafit FAQ for TLT info), combined with the Tri-Step
heel. See this edited
press release for more details.
What is this FAQ
about?
Dynafit makes two models of backcountry ski bindings, the
Tourlite Tech (TLT) and Comfort. They previously made a model
called the Tri-Step. All models function nearly the the same
way and are very similar. For general information
about
the bindings,
see this FAQ. For information
specific to the Tri-Step, you're in the right place. Some of
the
information is duplicated in both FAQs, such as the weights.
Since publishing this FAQ I've received dozens of emails from
Tri-Step
users that support my observations, including email from a world-class
alpinist who uses the bindings extensively (and is happy with
them). My thanks goes out to those individuals on the bleeding
edge of binding technology! And thanks also to Life
Link for their willingness to support my efforts to help
Dynafit binding users.
 |
| The new 2002/2003
Tri-Step. It looks similar to last winter's offering, but
is significantly re-engineered. After extensive testing and
feedback from users, I give the Tri-Step binding a neutral
rating. Because of ongoing testing, please check back frequently
for updates, corrections, etc. (Heel has Dynafit lettering,
which somehow was blocked by a reflection in the photograph.) |
What are the changes for the Tri-Step
Binding, winter 2002/2003?
Alpine tour bindings are complex machinery.
In the past, new bindings introduced to market have had defects
and design flaws. It's impossible to make a perfect machine, so
I don't expect a perfect binding. On the other hand, I expect
a good company to recognize problems with their products, and
correct them quickly. With this year's Tri-Step, Dynafit appears
to have made an effort in that direction -- hats off to them.
In October 2002
I received a 02/03 Tri-Step binding on a demo board, and subsequently
received several other pairs of bindings, mounted them on skis,
and tested them for several months. I also receive dozens
of emails
about
people's
experiences
with
both
the TLT
and
Tri-Step,
and incorporate those emails into these FAQs. While I can't
name
all those individuals, I thank them.
Dynafit Tri-Step binding
changes for winter 2002/2003
-
 |
| New model Tri-Step, front
view. The yellow bar indicates full lock in touring
mode, eliminating any doubt on the part of the user. |
|
Yellow indicator graphic shows when
the binding toepiece tab is locked in tour mode.
- Toepiece is redesigned, with metal piece
to prevent unintended release in tour mode. This is the big
one, as last winter's "fixes" from Life-Link and Dynafit
were not the kind of engineering excellence we've come to expect
from Dynafit.
- Locking to tour mode may be more positive.
- Heel adjustment screw changed to posi-drive
and slot-head screw instead of allen head, allowing you to carry
one less tool in your repair kit.
- Hidden metal plate in heelpiece that contacts
ski top is now clearanced so it has less friction during for/aft
adjustment.
- Plastic toe housing is beefed with internal
structure. (This and new toe lever add .7 ounce to weight of
binding.)
- Screw hole in toe lever is clearanced to
make mounting easier.
- Binding now sold with or without brakes,
if bought with brakes they are attached to binding (installing
brakes at home is a moderate hassle).
- Overall weight increase of approximately
1 ounce per binding (Tri-Step is about 28% heavier than the
TLT binding).
These changes appear to have solved most of
the issues this binding had when first released. Ongoing issues
are: ice
formation within plastic housing, release of binding in touring
mode when a foreign object such
as an
ice
chunk catches between boot toe and binding lever, difficulty
of pulling touring lock tab up to total lock position, continued
problems with larger skiers inadvertently ejecting from the binding
while in touring mode, and more.
 |
| Overhead view of the
last and best production Tri-Step toe. The curved metal lever
is designed to eliminate the
hazard
of your boot bumping the binding and unlatching it from your
boot. |
Lou, come clean,
do you recommend the Tri-Step or not?
Now that the Tri-Step is history and
replaced by the "Comfort" binding,
I do not recommend the Tri-Step. The Tri-Step binding appears
to work
for
people who's skills and opinion I respect, while others report
problems with it. While I have used the Tri-Step so I could
test
it, I prefer the TLT and use it for most of my backcountry skiing,
(and much of my resort skiing). This FAQ is an attempt to clarify
all issues with the Tri-Step binding.
I strongly recommend the Dynafit TLT and possibly the
Comfort as the lightest full-function alpine touring bindings
you can get.
I've
used
the TLT for more than 10 years. I was the only ski journalist
who adopted the binding and used it extensively when it was
first available
in the United
States around 1991. The TLT is durable, reliable, and has caused
a revolution in the efficiency of backcountry skiing. If you're
interested in the Tri-Step because it's easier to rotate the
heel with your ski pole, be aware that the heel post/plate
assembly
from the Tri-Step is used for the new Comfort binding.
What's the main difference between the
Tri-Step and TLT?
The Tri-Step works the same way as the
TLT, and is nearly the same binding. Among other differences,
it has a cowling over the toe for a more streamlined appearance,
and has a wider range of adjustment for different boot sizes.
The Tri-Step raises your boot higher off the ski than the TLT.
Also, the pins on the Tri-Step that insert into your boot heel
are longer than those of the TLT. This may result in better elasticity
for less possibility of prerelease.
The Tri-Step is 28% heavier than the TLT (see
weights below), and has a heel post that may be easier to rotate
with your ski pole.
It's said that the Tri-Step has a configuration
that makes it easier to snap your boot toe into the binding, but
in my tests I have not found this to be so.
Life Link is the North American dealer for
all models of the Dynafit backcountry ski binding, you can check
their website for latest models, options, associated boots,
skis, and more.
How much do Dynafit
bindings weigh?
I weighed late model TLT and Tri-Step parts
on a Pelouze PE5 digital postal scale (weights for one binding,
not a pair.).
- TLT toe/heel unit combined: 11.8 ounces,
334 grams
- TLT Toe unit: 4.9 ounces, 138 grams
- TLT Heel unit: 6.9 ounces, 196 grams
- TLT Screws: .6 ounce, 18 grams. (Anyone
got titanium screws?)
2002/2003 Tri-Step, weighed on same scale:
- Tri-Step toe and heel unit combined: 15.1
ounces, 428 grams. A whopping 28% heavier than the TLT!
- Tri-Step toe unit with screws: 6.6 ounces,
188 grams. (2001 model was 5.9 ounces.)
- Tri-Step heel unit with screws, no brake:
8.5 ounces, 242 grams. (.3 ounces more than 2001 model.)
- Tri-step optional brake: 4.1 ounces, 116
grams (heavy but useful).
- Screws: .7 ounce, 19 grams. (Anyone got
titanium screws?)
Things like crampons, brakes, and runaway straps
add weight, of course. See the general
Dynafit binding FAQ for ways to minimize such glycogen drag.
When in touring mode,
I walk out of or pop out of the Tri-Step binding toe, what's the
deal?
|
TRI-STEP BINDING
Toe Piece Directions
|
 |
| To Lock -- Pull Toe Lever up until yellow "locked"
stripe is fully showing. If you cannot pull the lever far
enough up to see all of the yellow stripe, hook the shaft
of your ski pole under the lever and pull up with both hands
on ski pole. |
For those who have not used the Dynafit bindings:
To enter the binding, you place the toe of your boot on the
toepiece
with the holes in the boot lined up with the small pins on the
"wings." You then press down, triggering a set of small
springs that close the wings on to your boot, with the pins
in
the holes. For downhill mode, you then weight your heel and drive
your boot down on to the heel latch pins. For touring mode,
you
leave your heel unlatched, but you must reach down and pull up
the small gray plastic tab on the toe, which locks out the release
so you won't pop out while touring. If you try to tour without
the toe "locked," you'll soon release out of the binding
when you try to walk. If this lever gets accidentally pressed
down while you're touring, you will walk out of the binding.
The above causes a nomenclature problem. When
you are reading this FAQ, be clear that that the words "latched"
and "locked," for example, could mean simply latching
the touring lock lever, or actually removing or attaching the
binding to your boot. I'll try to be as clear about this as possible,
and attempt to use the words "locked" and "unlocked"
to exclusively mean the use of the touring lock lever, as is done
in the illustration to the right. Please email me if you get confused,
and I'll try to improve my prose.
When the Tri-Step binding was first released
in 2001, people immediately reported they were walking out while
touring, even when careful with the touring lock mechanism. This
led me to believe that the 2001 Tri-Step binding needed more evaluation
and testing, and possibly improvement, before I would recommend
it. As it turned out, early bindings during the 2001/2002 season
were indeed shipped with a design flaw which did certainly
cause skiers to pop out while in touring mode. For the record
this debacle is explained more at the end of this FAQ. This specific
problem appears to be 100% fixed with the new model release for
winter 2002/2003.
Thus, if you still walk out of the latest model
2001/2002 binding while in touring mode DO NOT BLAME THE BINDING
FIRST. Instead, read on:
I believe I use the Tri-Step binding correctly,
and I still pop out while touring, ideas?
I have torture tested the Tri-Step and had no problems with
inadvertent release while touring. Several other experienced
ski
alpinists also report using the Tri-Step and having no problems
with this. Nonetheless, I do receive reports of this problem
and my conclusion is that it is a true problem with the Tri-Step,
especially for larger skiers, and is probably why it was discontinued.
Nonetheless, In most cases something is awry with your use patterns
if you
consistently
release from the Tri-Step while
touring.
Things
to
check:
- Before you step into the binding, clean
any packed ice and snow out from under the visible toe-unit
springs. Junk packed in the deep pocket under the springs will
keep the binding from closing properly. The plastic cowling
on the Tri-Step exacerbates this problem, and is one reason
I prefer the TLT.
- The sockets in your boot must be clean,
and the binding fully closed on your boot after you step in.
It's easy to overlook this, as you can walk away with the binding
partly closed, with the pins riding on ice or dirt packed in
the boot sockets. Carry a 16d nail for cleaning out the sockets,
or use the awl on your multi-tool.
- For walking/touring mode, the touring lock
lever (the gray plastic tab up front) must be pulled up firmly
after you're in the binding. Make sure you can see the yellow
lock indicator before you start walking. It may take quite
a
bit of force to pull the lock tab up to the point where you
see all of the yellow bar (see more about this above and below).
If in doubt, try pulling the lever up by placing a ski pole
crosswise underneath it and yarding up on the pole with both
hands and significant force.
- Once the binding is closed and locked, swing
your foot and ski a few times to work the pivots and make sure
they are seated. Stomp and torque your foot to the side and
make sure it feels locked.
- Bench testing shows that the touring lock
lever (the gray plastic tab up front) may be ultra-sensitive
to being pressed downward and thus being switched from the
locked mode to alpine mode. One of my test bindings easily
switched
from tour lock to alpine mode by gently pressing down with
a finger. Using a scale, I measured that it only took 6 pounds
of force to switch it. What's more, compared to the TLT binding
it is in a position that is much easier to hit downward with
a ski or other object. Thus, it could easily be switched to
alpine mode if you hit it with your other ski during a kick
turn, set your pack on it while taking a break, or doing something
else that presses down on it.
- Remember your technique. Avoid wild moves
on steep terrain. Don't jam your boot forward to the point where
the toe-box impacts the binding. Dynafit bindings are incredible,
and used by hundreds of thousands of ski mountaineers. But this
might not be the best binding for inexperienced ski mountaineers,
as it certainly requires more care and feeding than bindings
such as the Fritschi
Diamir.
- The binding may release if you get a chuck
of ice or hard snow packed in front of your boot toe, and jam
your boot forward. This can be demonstrated on the bench by
placing a soft object between the boot toe and touring lever,
then raising the boot heel. Try using a rubber eraser for this
experiment. Reports of touring release while breaking trail
in deep snow, or bushwhacking, might be the result of this.
- Some boots may not have a thick enough sole
under the toe to push down on the toe-unit and cause the binding
to snap closed. If you use the Laser boot, be extra sure to
check this. Fix by building a small pad of duct tape on the
binding so the boot has something to press on.
- Users frustrated by "surprise release"
have told me they suspect their boots might be defective --
perhaps with the wrong dimensions, or something like that. The
Dynafit fitting molded in the boot is a solid steel block with
the sockets machined at each end. Thus, the sockets are always
the correct distance apart. Could the fitting be molded in crooked?
Perhaps, but I don't see how this would cause release in touring
mode.
- While touring, glance down at your bindings
occasionally and make sure your touring lock lever is still
up in the locked position. I've stepped on mine a few times
during a thrash or while taking photographs, and ended up walking
out of the binding.
- All new users should torture test their
bindings at home, on carpet. Practice getting in and out. Practice
pulling up the touring lock lever. Practice rotating the heel
lift. Try dropping to your knees and observe how doing so may
pull your boot out of the binding.
- If you put in a few days on the binding,
do all the above, and are still frustrated by touring release,
it could be wise to cut bait and use a simpler binding. I recommend
the
Fritschi Diamir Titanal binding as
a viable and well tested alternative (make sure you use the
Titanal 2 or 3, or perhaps the Freeride model if you're a
large
person). This is especially true if you weigh more than 175
pounds, and/or carry a heavy pack.
- If all the above fails, perhaps you have
defective bindings or boots. The only way to figure that out
is to try another pair -- a good reason to buy your bindings
from a dealership committed to customer service, ditto for boots.
More about making sure the Tri-Step is
locked into touring mode
In some cases, it is difficult if not
impossible to pull the Tri-Step touring lock tab up to the point
where it makes a satisfying click, and shows all of the yellow
bar painted on the front of the toe lever. I had this problem
with a recent pair of bindings. After many hours on the bench,
including reverse engineering almost the whole toe piece, I found
that a small metal part appeared to be slightly too large, and
blocked a pin from sliding crosswise along a slot. See illustrations
below:
 |
| Above is a view of the binding toe without cowling, and
with some parts removed or moved aside for easy viewing. The
metal part that's too high is of a much softer metal than
the pin. Thus, if you have a problem with your bindings being
hard to lock, try this: Place on a workbench, put a boot in
the binding, then lock/unlock touring mode several hundred
times. This will cause the hardened steel pin to ease a land
in the metal that blocks its path. You must do this with the
boot in the binding, as they usually work fine without the
boot (due to a change of internal angle in the mechanism caused
by the boot between the pins of the binding wings). |
 |
| After taking the binding almost completely apart (more than
shown here), I was able to file down the dark metal a small
amount, perhaps 1/64 inch. Doing so made a huge difference.
The binding I filed now easily locks into touring mode, shows
all of the yellow bar, and takes quite a bit of pressure to
force down out of touring mode (as it should). I do not recommend
doing this modification as it involves pressing a pin out
of the binding, and removing a precise amount of metal. Instead,
if you have problems with your bindings locking, place boot
in binding and go from lock to unlock several hundred times.
Do so with a good amount of force each time. This should allow
the hardened steel pin to wear down the softer metal under
it. Trying to fix your binding this way won't void the warranty,
as taking it apart and modifying it surely would <grin>.
Several users have also told me that Life-Link has made this
mod to bindings they returned because of problems with locking.
So if you can't get the binding to lock properly, keep working
with Life-Link or a dealer and don't give up hope. |
It's said the
Tri-Step is easier to click into, is it? Why do they claim this?
The boot pins on the Tri-Step binding toe unit are about 3/16
inch closer together than the TLT (when open and ready to receive
boot). Also, the trigger under the toe of the boot, which when
pressed causes the wings to close on your boot, is more sensitive
on the Tri-Step than on the TLT. It's also said that the heelpiece
is made in such a way that one can use it to align their boot
for entry into the binding.
These factors might make the Tri-Step slightly
easier to click into, but in my real-world testing I noticed little,
if any, difference in this. As with the TLT binding, the trick
is to get one pin in a boot socket by slightly tilting your boot
sideways, then step down at the toe to click in, while keeping
the boot aligned to the sockets. Reality is that doing this can
sometimes be difficult. Practice at home if you're new to the
binding. And remember that the boot sockets must be clean for
positive engagement with the toe unit pins. Make a pin-hole cleaning
tool out of a 16d nail.
I heard some Dynafit
Tri-Step users were having problems with the front part of the
binding icing up, and that the cowling on the front prevented
you from removing the ice. Has this been a problem? Is it fixed
with the 2002/2003 model? There are no changes I know of
in the 2002/2003 model that would make any difference with icing
issues. While such ice is not a problem for most people, I have
heard of this happening so it's something to consider. After all,
many of us who use the TLT much have had ice form in the pocket
under the toe wings, and had to remove the ice to get the binding
to work. Thus, this could also happen with the Tri-Step. Again,
more testing and comments from users will make it clear what the
situation is with the icing question. The guy/engineer side of
me likes the TLT without the plastic. I spend a lot of time cutting
extra junk off my packs, automobiles, and clothing -- are my bindings
next? (Actually, the cowling is part of the binding's mechanical
system, so it probably has to stay).
Does the Tri-Step give more reliability
for aggressive skiing?
It's been obvious for some time that the TLT binding, when used
with a severely flexed and soft ski, may not allow enough for/aft
movement of the binding in relation to the boot. While this is
not a problem in average backcountry skiing, it's well known that
if you jam a soft ski into a bump trough or other declivity, your
boot may pop out of the binding, vertically at the heel. Indeed,
what may cause this could be demonstrated in the workshop by aggressively
flexing a soft ski with attached boot. Do so, and you'll notice
how the boot heel can jam against the binding. Conversely, if
a soft ski was heavily "cambered" or reverse flexed,
it could pull the pins out of the boot heel. I've had that happen
when a bunch of slush piled up on my skis, and I went for a wild
jump-turn.
The latter occurrence is easy to replicate
indoors. Latch a boot into the binding, flip the ski upside down,
and suspend it between two solid supports at tip and tail. While
pulling the boot heel down towards the floor, aggressively press
down on the center of the ski to induce exaggerated camber. You'll
be surprised how easily the boot pops out when the pins pull out
of the heel fitting. The longer pins of the Tri-Step help with
this problem, as they allow extra distance before they pull out
of the boot fitting. With either the TLT or Tri-Step, be extra
sure the specified space between boot heel and binding is no larger
than spec. With either binding, my opinion is that the pins should
be longer, with a deeper pocket in the boot heel. Just a few millimeters
would make a huge difference.
Said again: The Tri-Step and Comfort binding's
heel pins are several millimeters longer than those of the TLT,
and
the
Tri-Step
heel
lacks the mysterious bump that reduced clearance even more with
the TLT. Factory spec for heel clearance on the TLT is 4mm,
while
it's 6mm with the Tri-Step, a significant 50% increase! Perhaps
this will eliminate tendency for "pop out," in alpine
mode, or make is so rare it's a non-issue, but when testing
in
the shop, I found the de-camber type of pre-release is still
remarkably easy to replicate with the Tri-Step. In the field,
I found the
longer pins made a significant difference, and have tested the
binding with aggressive skiing in double black diamond terrain,
with good results.
I tested the effectiveness of the longer pins
by removing them from the Tri-Step binding and swapping them into
a pair of TLT heels. This resulted in a VAST improvement in the
performance of the TLT when using them for things like aggressive
bump skiing or doing jump turns in heavy slush. Thus, I can say
with confidence that the Tri-Step should be even less prone than
the TLT to any sort of prerelease If you care to try swapping
the longer pins into the TLT, remember that doing so throws off
the DIN release setting numbers, and you'll have to set your binding
tension by trial and feel (don't we all do this anyway?)
Do the TLT and Tri-Step bindings use the
same mounting screw hole pattern?
Yes. What's more, the Tri-Step comes with the screws inserted
in the correct holes, a nice touch that eliminates confusion about
where the different shaped screws are supposed to be used. With
this in mind, the Dynafit demo-rental plate would probably work
with the Tri-Step. This plate gives a huge range of boot length
adjustment, and more rise.
Is there anything else I should add to
my repair kit specific to the Dynafit bindings?
Please see the TLT and generic
Dynafit binding FAQ.
 |
| Above view of binding with heel
release mechanism removed for removal and attachment
of brake. |
 |
| The new Tri-Step
brake was designed to be field removable with this little
tool, but it came off too easily and must be installed
with an extra part that obviates the convenience of
removal and replacement in the field. Expect this to
be fixed in the future. The drawing I scanned came with
a set of brakes I received in 2001. |
|
I've heard that the Tri-Step ski brakes
were designed to be field removable and field attachable, but
now they come with an extra part that makes them permanent, what's
the deal?
Indeed, the Tri-Step brake was originally designed
to ingeniously slip on to the heel post, then lock into two notches
on the heel post. You used a small tool for removal (illustrated
to the right). Problem is, the clipping action of the brake is
weak, and it popped off too easily in the field.
Dynafit's solution to this is a small metal
clip that locks the brake on the heel unit, but sadly obviates
the field-removable feature. In other words, you must take the
binding apart to attach and remove the brake.
I suspect this will be remedied in future
versions of the brake, and look forward to brakes that can be
attached and removed in the field.
Sadly, the new 2002/2003 model continues this
uncharacteristic (for Dynafit) state of affairs.
Seems like my next homebrew mod will be to
get this field-removable brake working? Indeed, it appears there
are several easy ways to secure the brake without using the afterthought
clip, perhaps by drilling a small hole and inserting a clevis
pin or something of that nature.
Stay tuned....
My ski brakes jam under my boot sole lugs,
should I be concerned?
Yes, this can compromise your safety release! See the general
Dynafit FAQ for info, as this can happen with either model.
Be super careful with
ski brakes on any alpine tour binding -- all the ones I've seen
are quirky.
For history's sake, what was the deal
with the (in)famous toe plugs on the first release of this binding
in 2001?
| BELOW OFFERED FOR THE HISTORICAL
RECORD. THIS SHOWS THE TRI-STEP BINDING FROM 2001/2002,
WHICH
REQUIRED THE RETROFIT "PLUG" IN THE TOEPIECE. I
truly believe I'm doing Dynafit a favor by saying that in
my opinion this "plug fix"
is somewhat unacceptable (depends on exact use), more, the
original production Tri-Step, without the modified toe plug,
is utterly worthless
because of
the boot ejection problem. So be careful what you buy on
the used market. |
 |
 |
 |
| Binding
with old plug, note how boot impacts plug. This causes instant
ejection from the binding. |
Tri-Step
toe plug mod just before installation. Make sure your
bindings have this style plug. |
Binding
with plug, boot presses down in a way that does not cause
ejection. |
Even after installing the plugs, some users
still reported that they walked out of the binding while touring.
This may prove that the binding has an inherent
flaw and is perhaps why it was discontinued. I have two theories
about this: One is that some boots have toe-box shaped
in such
a way
that
it
impacted
the
front
of the
binding
and still caused ejection. Another theory was that snow or ice
would build up on the binding or boot, then cause the boot toe-box
to push down the lever and cause ejection. Whatever the case,
this episode is now history. At this time, make sure
you are using
the latest model of the binding and if you find this binding
on the used market, make sure it is the version with the yellow
stripe on the toe lever (see above_. I do not recommend using
the first 2001/2002 offering. If in doubt,
use
the photos
in
this
article to ID your bindings. The 2002/2003 model you want has
a beefy curved metal toe lever, and a yellow stripe on the front
that shows when it is locked in tour mode.
(Note: Writers, magazines,
etc., using this FAQ for reference, please give credit where credit
is due.)
Another
opinion about Tri-Step
[Wild
Snow gear review policy]
|