Real Time Dynafit — Got Any Questions?

I’m sitting here in Austria with Reiner Gerstner, Dynafit Brand Manager. You blogsters got any questions? I can probably collar him now and then for the next few hours.

45 Responses to “Real Time Dynafit — Got Any Questions?”

1. John Wasson January 10th, 2008 8:47 am

   Are any brake improvements on the way? They once saved a ski and I resort ski about once a week. The bindings are much more user friendly with out them. They are a pain to take on and off.

2. AJ January 10th, 2008 8:48 am

   Hi Lou,

   A question for Mr Gerstner. In some of the Zzero boots carbon fibre is used as a part of the structure. Will we see a more extensive use of carbon fibre in future Dynafit boots (for example a c f lower and pebax upper) or even a full carbon boot?

3. Oscar January 10th, 2008 8:55 am

   I have seen other racers here in France with Dynafit shoes that seems to be made with a carbon upper.

   Will they be in the stores for next season?

   Oscar

4. Lou January 10th, 2008 8:58 am

   Hey AJ,
   First of all I am Reiner for you, because all mountain peoples are like friends. We have now the C3 which is a 3 buckle with carbon stringer on the shell. It has a lower cuff that’s made for the more uphill orientated peoples. Carbon is one of our most favorite materials and we are working with this nice fibre every day with more many different development projects. There is a new model in the pipeline for 2009 which will have very extensive use of this material.
   Reiner

5. Dave F. January 10th, 2008 8:59 am

   Hi Lou,
   Does Dynafit have any plans to modify their binding heel piece to allow for release from downhill mode to touring mode without exiting the binding? IMHO such a modification would create the ultimate touring for turns binding.
   Thanks,
   Dave

6. Lou January 10th, 2008 9:02 am

   Hey Oscar,

   We made some prototypes for our international team mates. Probably you saw Nicolas Bonnet, the Junior world Champion.
   He also used that boot on the Manaslu expedition. There is more to come…
   Reiner

7. laseranimal January 10th, 2008 9:05 am

   Any chance we’re going to see more boot brands with dynafit fittings in the future?

8. Lou January 10th, 2008 9:06 am

   Hi Dave,
   Unfortunately there is no way to make this happen with the present construction of the binding. We have good engineers so we have a solution that will be in a future project. So yes, we are paying attention to this issue.
   Reiner

9. Lou January 10th, 2008 9:10 am

   Hey Laseranimal,
   That is a pretty difficult question we deal with constantly. But for the near future we will stay as is.
   Reiner

10. Lou January 10th, 2008 9:17 am

    Hey John,
    The basic brake design remains the same. We improved for this year by a very small change in bend angle which eliminates the brakes that would not always open.

    Reiner

11. AJ January 10th, 2008 9:18 am

    Hello Reiner,

    Thanks for the information. And a big compliment for Dynafit and the people behind the brand!

12. Nick January 10th, 2008 9:28 am

    Ask him when they are going to make a tele binding? 🙂

13. Lou January 10th, 2008 9:29 am

    Hey AJ,
    Thanks for the complement, we all appreciate if our users are happy with what we are doing. And look out what we have in store for you in the future.
    If you stay on my friend lou’s website you will get the freshies at the earliest. Being a snowleopard..
    Skimountaineering rules..
    Reiner

14. Lou January 10th, 2008 9:34 am

    Hey Nick,
    I have Fritz – the inventor of the Dynafit binding – beside me and we all are just coming back from a nice ski Tour and so far ski mountaineering is our favorite thing. Yes, there are things in his mind which could be in your interest. But for the short term we are not planning on bringing Dynafit tele stuff to real life.
    Reiner

15. patricia dawson January 10th, 2008 9:38 am

    Good Morning Lou from snowy Crested Butte Colorado…no rocky crags here…everything is buried in many feet of white gold.
    Enjoyed all the photos.
    Happy Birthday on Saturday…Love Mom

16. Matt January 10th, 2008 10:25 am

    Hello Lou and Reiner,
    What type of grease can i use on the Dynafit heal peice to keep it operating smooth? Lou has addressed this in the past, but apparently the grease is only available in a drum! Is there any applicable substitute available in smaller quantities?

    Dont bother with tele bindings!!!! Fix the heel, fix the problem!

17. Lou January 10th, 2008 10:41 am

    Matt, I just spoke with the brains behind the binding.

    Use any lithium based grease for metal-on-metal, such as lubricating the brake where it slides through the metal hole. For the internals of the heel unit, do not use lithium grease but rather any lighter weight oil based synthetic grease you can find. It’s not that critical, though it is indeed important to lubricate the binding.

    The guys said that the lithium grease is more temperature sensitive, but on the other hand works better for metal on metal.

    The best for the internals is the Dow Plasticoat as mentioned elsewhere on this website, but it’s not available in small amounts.

    Lou

18. Ken Gross January 10th, 2008 11:57 am

    Any thoughts of longer pins and deeper sockets?

19. randosteve January 10th, 2008 12:03 pm

    And the question you’ve all be waiting for…

    Is there a higher DIN Dynafit binding in the works…to go with all the beefed up Dynafit compatible boots??

    See you in SLC Reiner????

20. Lou January 10th, 2008 12:12 pm

    Reiner is suddenly in party mode after giving his presentation, so Lou speaking.

    Yes indeed Rando, the new TLT Vertical FT 12 is just about ready for those with larger lower leg bone mass. Will retail starting late next summer or fall, said to be available now for the athletes, so you’ll probably be using them. Please give us a good review, as DIN 12 is the last thing I need.

    I have some more info on this in an interview with Reiner I’ll publish ASAP.

21. Lou January 10th, 2008 12:19 pm

    Hey, Reiner just came out of party mode, here he is:

    Hey Steve how is the mood at the Hole? Here we are happy with very good conditions because the snow pack is quite safe and we are able to hit the nice spots already now.
    Hope to ski u at the on snow demo! Stay safe and have fun…
    Greetings to all my friends in Jackson.
    Reiner
    I will go back to party! Ski hard but party even harder…still fighting for my reputation!

22. Lou January 10th, 2008 12:34 pm

    Ken, Lou here, I’ve spoken with these guys quite a bit about the longer pin thing over the years. Their take, and I agree, is that the pins of the Vertical series are long enough if the binding length is kept adjusted with care. Another interesting thing about the pins is that when the boot moves back and forth on them, it slightly changes the actual DIN of the binding. In turn, to receive TUV certification, a binding DIN can’t change too much during the cycle of normal use. Thus, making the pins longer would be problematic in this area so I doubt it’s going to happen. As for the TLT binding with the shorter pins, it is now more of a legacy product and probably won’t be re-engineered.

    In my own independent opinion (as I let the Dynafit kooaid wear off for a moment), I do know that a huge strong agro skier on a flexible pair of skis can exceed the range of motion allowed by the pins. But knowing the business, I can say that it’s reasonable for them to not change the binding for that one very small group of skiers, especially when there are so many other options out there. Not every piece of equipment works for every person in every application. Lou

23. Charlie Hussey January 10th, 2008 12:49 pm

    Lou,

    I swapped out the pins of my TLT and replaced them with the longer ones from the Comforts. I was hoping this would improve pre release from heel. How is this viewed at Dyanfit? BTW cool trip you are on.

24. randosteve January 10th, 2008 3:05 pm

    Hi Reiner!

    Skiing is out of this world in Jackson right now. Nearing a 100″ base.

    See you at the demo!!!

    Steve

25. Stewart January 10th, 2008 3:09 pm

    Lou,

    Just back from yet another (14 out of last 20) powder day in the Kootenays. Is there any intention to address ongoing issues with metal fatigue at the base of the heel posts so that they last longer than a 80 – 100 days of (hard) skiing?

26. Lou January 10th, 2008 3:48 pm

    Hi Stewart, Lou here, they have indeed addressed that issue to some degree. Problem is that it’ll be hard to evaluate the effect, since there are thousands of bindings out there from different years. But we should gradually see an improvement if it’s been done…

    I’ll try to document the difference with some photos.

    Everyone, we’re signing off here now. See you tomorrow, we’ve got something pretty crazy planned for tomorrow evening. It involves something called “Team Slowtech,” but that’s all I can say for now.

27. barry January 10th, 2008 7:10 pm

    Plastic inserts on Manaslu skis?

28. Mark Worley January 10th, 2008 10:27 pm

    Team Slowtech? With all that racing spandex?

29. Eric Rentschler January 10th, 2008 11:15 pm

    Hi Lou (and Reiner if you’re available again for questions),

    This is concerning the use of carbon fiber in boots. I am one of those poster children for boot fitting with such flat feet and protruding ankle bones that I always need to significantly blow-out the plastic boot shells to get boots to fit (Larry the boot-fitter in Boulder has this process dialed-in quite well).

    As wonderful as thermo-moldable liners are, they alone are not enough for my weird feet!

    Will it still be possible to blow-out shells that are made from CF?

    Regards,
    Eric

30. Arch January 11th, 2008 2:50 am

    Hello folks,

    This is a shot-in-the-dark question, very retro and slightly off-topic, but hey-ho.

    I can’t afford all this carbon stuff and still use a pair of Dynafit Tour Lite 2 boots which I bought probably about 1988! Problem is I’ve lost one of the wee green tabs which clip on at the top of the back of the boot (spoilers, I think they were called).

    I don’t suppose any of those Dynafit guys has one kicking about the factory?!

    Anyone got one for sale?

    Arch.

31. Arne January 11th, 2008 4:33 am

    For ski touring in Norway it is popular to use rather wide skis, above 100 mm under foot is not uncommon. Does Dynafit plan to offer wider crampons than their present 92 mm?

    Regards,
    Arne

32. Lou January 11th, 2008 8:49 am

    Eric, no, as far as I know CF will not be user moldable. That’s one reason why everyone is being so slow to introduce the stuff, but main reason is price. The boots I see that make the most sense have a PU lower and CF cuff. They are really nice.

    Lou

33. Lou January 11th, 2008 8:51 am

    Arch, that’s not the first time I’ve been asked that question. Email me in a week or two, as I may have a few of those kicking around at home and would be happy to mail you one.

    Lou

34. Lou January 11th, 2008 8:54 am

    Arne, I interviewed Reiner about that yesterday and he says they are making wide crampons. The crampons are being tested at this time, as the wider the crampon is the more stress it undergoes, so they have to make sure they work.

    Lou

35. Arch January 11th, 2008 10:04 am

    Thanks for your reply, Lou. I’ll drop you a line in a while.

    Kind regards,

    Arch.

36. Eric Rentschler January 11th, 2008 5:38 pm

    Will the TLT Vertical FT 12 weigh any more than the current TLT Vertical FT?

    -Eric

37. Lewis January 11th, 2008 9:34 pm

    I also was looking for some help on the brakes. Any chance of having the brakes from my ST Verticals replaced with the new brake under warranty?
    Mine don’t work worth a …darn.
    =L=

38. Morten January 13th, 2008 3:36 pm

    Hi Lou!
    Wrote U a comment on widening brakes beyond 100mm (Vertical FT) fitting BD Verdict (102mm wide) a while ago….Can You ask the Dynafit guys whether they plan on making wider brakes as the skis get wider ?
    -Keep enjoying Europe, seems like You’re having a ton of fun !

39. Lou January 13th, 2008 4:23 pm

    Morten, He said they’re still sticking with 100mm, and it’s fine to tweak them slightly to go a bit wider, but that’s it, they’re staying with officially 100mm.

    Lewis, that’s a customer service issue in North America, you’ll have to get in touch with them.

    Eric, as far as I know it weighs virtually the same.

    Lou

40. Tom Gadsden February 11th, 2008 11:44 am

    Hi Lou,

    Good to hear about the wider crampons being tested – do you know if they’re likely to be released this season? Is there a suggested workaround for wider skis (c.95mm) in the meantime?

    Thanks,
    Tom

41. Lou February 11th, 2008 11:49 am

    Tom, probably next season. Meanwhile, check out aftermarket options such as B&D, http://www.wildsnow.com/?p=860

42. Doug G. September 25th, 2010 7:32 pm

    Hey Lou, question for ya… I bought a pair of circa 2001 dynafit bindings in nearly virgin shape last year for $120. I mounted them on a pair of K2 Shuksans-thinking I’d use them as a spring touring set-up.

    I haven’t used the rig yet and am thinking of selling them- I’ve got a buyer interested in the rig plus skins for $325- so I’d be making a bit of $ off the deal.

    My current bc rig is a pair of 183 Voile Insanes w/Dynafit TLT-verticals. They’re fun, but almost too wide in the tip for the average skin track. So I’d like to get something like the BD Aspect ski in the future for my everyday touring rig.

    OK, now to the question- Do you think I should just keep the older Dynafits to eventually mount onto a pair of newer skis? They don’t have brakes, but are like new. Is this year (2001) binding a good one? Used Dynafits are kinda hard to come by.

    Whatdya think?

43. Lou September 26th, 2010 2:13 am

    Doug, with the exception of the Tristep model, nearly all models of Dynafit bindings function as expected.

    Tristep info here: http://www.wildsnow.com/articles/dynafit_faq/tri-step_faq.html

    If you’re skiing avalanche terrain or fall much, ski brakes are recommended so doing a binding upgrade for that reason alone could be a good idea.

    Lou

44. Fred November 13th, 2010 2:53 pm

    Who do you call that sells dynafit and is a boot fitting specialist that can tell me if it’s possible to get a wide foot comfortably into a dynafit boot.I tried all of the stuff mec had and there too tight.Closest I came was a scarpa boot and was told to try garmonts.They make a wider boot.

45. Lou November 15th, 2010 8:51 am

    Hey Fred, sorry, your comment got held for some reason in our moderation lineup. I’m not clear on making a recommend for a shop that has the boot fitter and the boots. Anyone else? Skian, you recommended some “pro” shops the other day…?

    Garmont is very similar to Dynafit last, but perhaps a bit wider in the front (on average).

    Fitting wide feet is really not that big a deal. Perhaps upsize one shell size, and/or do some punching, and of course use custom molded liners.