It’s no secret that the red “volcano” heel lifter on the 2005/2006 model Dynafit Comfort backcountry skiing binding occasionally breaks, and is a bit low for some hard-core skinners.
Mod of the month involves simply using a chunk of plumbing pipe to make a heel lifter.
After looking at this mod, it’s obvious that if you break your red heel lifters, a trip to your local hardware store might yield better replacements rather than waiting for for the mailman.
Take care with adding extra height to the lifter, however, as doing so may create excessive leverage on the heel unit while twisting the lifter with your ski pole and while climbing with the lifter at full height.
Also, bear in mind the fact that a small amount of heel lift height increase makes a big difference in climbing ergonomics.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
