How well do you fiddle?

 

Every product has a feature or two that becomes the basis by which they are promoted, and sometimes derided. Dynafit has certainly come of age in the backcountry because of its light weight, efficient touring, and bombproof durability. If you’re serious about backcountry skiing, this is a brand of binding that deserves serious consideration. There are certainly other worthy options in the fall of 2014, but the basic 2-pin tech design is undeniably Dynafit.

Fiddling About

So too are some of its short comings, which is why I regularly refer to tech bindings as DynaFiddles. Ask anyone who uses them; they require a bit of extra coordination to get the toe-pins to snap shut on the insert cups of your boots. There’s no way it’s as easy as simply stepping into an alpine binding, but then, is step-in convenience worth an extra two plus pounds per foot? Most agree, it’s worth learning how to do the fiddle to save that much weight.

But is it? That depends on how good you are with fiddling about or what sort of fiddle your tech binding requires. Some require less (Radical, Ion), some more (Vipec). It’s why Dynafit developed their Power Towers in the Radical series toes, to make snapping in at the toe easier. So what’s your fiddle factor and how much does it matter? Please add your experience to the poll on the right, and if you’re so inclined, add a comment below on what model of fiddler binding you have, and if this is a factor in determining the binding you use.

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