The new binding (retailing this fall) is assembled with grade 8 steel rivets, aircraft quality, by hand in an Austrian “craft” assembly factory. You will not pop a rivet on the DynaFrit, which does appear it could live up to promise of being nearly impossible to bust. Our NDA does not allow us to fully picture the binding until we receive approval of how we present this initial report, we’re confident that’ll happen within 48 hours. Stay tuned.
I did not see this coming, but am not surprised. According to several anonymous sources, Fritchi got miffed about their long-time North American partner re-branding Italian competitor ski touring bindings. Word on the street says the European company was at first was okay with this so long as the division between product was clear, in that the Swiss models were clearly different than the Italian models; “lighter” being the operative word (applying to the Italians). But I subsequently heard Fritchi is having second thoughts, and is dropping their major brand North American partner, going Teutonic, and developing a killer binding in partnership with THE major brand ski touring binding. We’ve signed an NDA regarding specifically mentioning the major brand, but I’m certain it’s okay we mention that insiders are calling this amazing new binding the DynaFrit. Believe me, total game changer.
Yeah yeah yeah, how many new bindings have we seen unboxed here at WildSnow HQ? I figured this was probably yet another yawner that would break during the first season of use, until the details woke me up. Great PR person Dieter “Derock” Handerson tells told me: “The value proposition here is the DynaFrit will be the first “unbreakable” touring binding in history, all at very reasonable weight of 1,050 grams per binding (778 grams per heel unit and 272 grams per toe unit).”
Upon examination of this innovative heel unit, we believe the “unbreakable” claim could be true, though we suspect Derock’s weight promise might be under stated.
Is 778 grams for just the heel unit worth never having a broken binding? John Vertmon says yes!
Is a “one kilo” tech binding worth hauling if you know it won’t break? I quizzed a few core skiers I know here in Colorado. My alpinist friend Sub Peak told me he’d “use such a thing, sure, after h* froze over, which of course will never happen due to global warming.” Conversely, local skimo hero John Vertmon said “I’ve lost ski races due to breaking gear, I’d stick a kilo on each foot any time if I knew for certain I’d make it to the finish — skis always feel light when you’re standing high on the podium!”
We received a partially 3-D printed sample of a heel unit, but have not yet seen the toe of the binding. Nonetheless, per our usual style here as Wildsnow elite unrivaled amazing industry insiders, pampered with free beer and wurst, we bring you the photos here.
Ribbed areas display sophisticated CAD design, removing unneeded material to save literally kilos of weight, as well as providing recycling stock that La Sportiva is using to make great climbing shoes.
Viewed from underneath, this ski flex compensation system is said to absorb 640 Nm torque, using that stored energy to launch you from turn to turn like your feet are equipped with a pair of miniaturized JATO rockets. The spring is titanium, saving kilos of weight. In a word, great.
Recessed tension adjuster is protected from mischeif. Set it and forget it.
This part of our pr-production samp was 3-D printed, but still shows some of the special knurled ski pole friendly texture said to be designed by Italians who create monoblock Ferrari gearshift knobs and great light switches.
This could get us in trouble but we will go for it, seemed that our binding had a pre-retail logo design mistakenly included. We think the cryptic logo located on the third eye region of the forehead has mystic significance, probably alluding to some kind of uber-tech that is so out there it won’t be seen copied on Amazon for at least a year, if ever.
We would like to see a wider heel cup. Rather odd a binding this massive would not have an enormous structure specific to holding the boot heel.
Obvious artistic symmetry of logo with binding housing structure, sources tell us several industrial design awards are already a done deal. The color alone does it for us, it shouts Italian, which must be a way for the Swiss, Germans and Austrians to make a statement.
We love the rich yellow coloration, but would like to see this carbon steel axle cover as exposed natural metal to offset the yellow. Are you listening DynaFrit?
And you know how we like big springs. Do the math. Drop a 60 foot cliff and you’ve got a head of speed that needs more than your socks for absorption and control. Enter the StierFrühling!, the biggest baddest binding spring ever imagined, let along actually used in a ski binding.
To promote the new binding, major brands developing this thing will sponsor a special event. The rules are simple, wear your ski boots and show up at the designated spot in Switzerland at 2:00 am, April 14 2018. 200 pairs of skis will be dropped 1,000 vertical feet from a helicopter to the highway pavement at the summit of Bernina pass (2,501 meters elevation, closed to vehicles for the event). The skis will be equipped with multiple pairs of nearly every ski touring binding sold, including the DynaFrit. Your task it to find a pair of unbroken skis and bindings, ski down to the shore of Lago Bianco, and bask in victory. We are certain the binding on your winning feet will be the DynaFrit. (Finding bindings on unbroken skis won’t be a problem, as an incredibly durable ski will use this press event as a brand launching opportunity as well, stay tuned on that.)
Moreover, a WildSnow factory tour is planned during winter 2019. We hear the entire ski binding manufacturing process has been re-invented for the DynaFrit — including something called “twelve sigma” that’s supposed to result in defect free products on the level of commercial communications satellites.
Oh, one more thing, what’s StierFrühling in English? We’re told it means “bull spring” and alludes to large Wyoming male cows that impress European tourists.
Leon Sendmuller is a reporter for the Aspen Daily Cryer and specializes in ski related issues. He is personal friends with nearly everyone in Cinch Creek as well as having been employed as a cabin boy on the Unlimited yacht. When asked if he liked is former job as an Aspen Powder Tours guide better than being a cabin boy, he said “cabin boy, for sure, the tips were better.”
