Great Binding

By Scott Pendleton Ranked #30 - Alpine Touring Bindings May 19, 2010

This is my second AT binding. My first was a Naxo NX01 that I spend three seasons on an liked before they died. I was thinking about going Dynafit or G3, but got these because they were much, much cheaper. I've been very happy with them, both on piste and in the BC. They ski and tour well for me.

First thing I noticed while touring with these was their lighter weight. Sure, they're nowhere near as light as Dynafits and they still have the heel lift, but without brakes they're definitely the lightest step-in binding out there. It may only be a pound, but on a long day that weight becomes really noticeable. Note the caveat of "without brakes". I bought the brakes and use them in resorts, but they're easy enough to install and remove that I take them off for touring and use leashes. Also, I don't use the stock leashes, I have some lighter ones that I like better. It's worth it. I'm also thinking about removing the return springs because they don't seem strong enough to really return the ski to normal and they're extra weight.

A lot was made about Naxo's triple pivot and how it eliminated the Fritschi "franken-step". Having gone from the Naxos to these, I didn't really notice that much of a difference. The Naxo is a tiny bit smoother on the flats, but I didn't find that the Fritschis toured unnaturally at all. It may be more noticeable with alpine boots; I'm using these with Scarpa Spirit 3s which have a very nice range of motion. On steep climbs, the Fritschis are noticeably better. They're also much easier to perform kick turns on.

The heel lifters are way better than the Naxo; having more and higher options is great on steep stuff. They're also much easier to move up and down with my pole.

On the downhill, these ski as well as I need them to. They're noticeably stiffer than the Naxos (which were notoriously flexy); I have much more precise control over the ski. The step in is also much more confidence-inspiring. Sure that's a subjective thing, but a good snap as you step in makes you feel much better when you're standing at the top of a couloir. If you're the type who thinks that Scarpa Spirit 3 boots are nowhere near enough boot for you you'll probably want more binding than this, but for me it's plenty enough.

I do about 50/50 BC/Resort skiing and I only have one pair of skis, so I want a binding that can handle both reasonably well. I mounted these to my Salomon 1080 Guns (90mm underfoot and fairly soft), the same skis I had the Naxos on before, and it's been a good match. I'm pretty light at 155lbs at 6'2", and ski with what some may call a "conservative" style. I ski anything I can find, but I don't necessarily charge it very hard. This binding has done it all for me: I've skied super icy resort boilerplate and done multi-day tours on them and am happy as can be. I would definitely buy again, especially at the price I got them for.

I should note that a friend of mine has had these same bindings for four years now and one of the heel latches has come somewhat loose and often goes "instant tele" on him. He fixed it by sticking a bolt in the latch so that it can't come up, but that is a potential problem. I don't put a whole lot of stock in his gear experience, though, because he doesn't treat his equipment very well. If you carelessly toss your skis around on rocks and whatnot, you will probably break things, these bindings included.

View Details: Black Diamond Fritschi Diamir Explore Binding

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