Dynafit Beast 16 Binding: Changing the AT/BC Game with DIN 16

It's not all positively spun doom and political activism here at Oil Free Fun (OFF).  Everyone once in a while -- well actually just about every day -- we have a lot of fun out of doors.  Usually skiing or climbing mountains.  As such, we're pretty stoked to see the new...

Everyone who doesn’t have a Dynafit AT setup in Jackson Hole, WY is either a snowboarder, a sledneck, too broke to afford a touring setup, or a hucker worried that Dynafit bindings can’t handle their radness (specifically the landings).  The huckers could be taking another look at Dynafit’s ultralight boots and bindings with the unleashing of the new Beast 16 binding weighing in at a mere 935g per pair.  

This winter you could get your hands on a pair of the new Dynafit Beast 16 AT bindings, but the limited edition run of 2,500 total bindings is supposedly selling for $1,000 a set.  These will undoubtedly sell out fast as Dynafit is a premier manufacturer of Alpine Touring Bindings and the new Beast 16 (with a DIN up to 16!) could very well change the game.

Dynafit's new freeride-touring binding comes with brakes in the following millimeter widths: 90, 105, 120, 135. Each pair, according to the manufacturer, weighs 935 grams.  This is a free hundred grams heavier than Dynafit’s current beefiest binding the TLT Radical FT (DIN 12, 599g) but still less than half the weight of the competition.  For example the Fritschi Freeride (DIN 12) weighs in at 2200g and the Marker Duke (DIN 16) weighs in at a whopping 2780g.  In short, the new Beast 16 weighs in at less than half of the Fritschi Freeride and at about a third of what the Marker Duke weighs.

I’ve been a big fan of Dynafit bindings for the last decade ever since I wore out my second pair of Fritschi Freerides, hated my Naxo’s, and finally made the switch.  Even Dynafit’s lightest bindings outperform most alpine bindings in flex tests and are second only to Marker’s (heavy) touring bindings in that regard.  The Beast 16 looks to be totally reengineered relative to their current offerings so it will be interesting to see how well this performs.  I would wager that it will perform solidly, as Dynafit’s German engineering has produced the best touring bindings in the world for decades.

Definitely stoked to put these through the ringer and put out a proper gear review.  Hey Dynafit!  Hook a brother up!

Feast your eyes on these pics!

DYNAFIT PRESS RELEASE

It’s all in the name – ski touring supplier DYNAFIT is presenting a brand new binding design for winter 2013/14. Dynafit’s binding designers have hit the fall-line and are targeting ambitious freeriders with a binding for all conditions and terrain types. The frameless system is combined with great stability and robustness up to DIN 16 integrating top performance on the ascent with an aggressive downhill ride.

Former pro freerider and design technicians Fredrik Andersson and US pro skier Eric Hjorleifson have brought new disciplines into play for ascent-focused ski touring specialist DYNAFIT. Together, they have been developing the new binding model, the Beast 16. Their demands for the freeride binding were clear from the outset: top downhill performance, DIN value of 16, optimum ascent comfort all courtesy of the frameless system – and naturally not forgetting lightness. The weight of 935 grams makes the binding a maverick in the freeride binding ascent category

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The frameless system, which celebrates its 30th anniversary at DYNAFIT in 2013, saves lifted weight and provides the ideal pivot point on the ascent. So the designers’ decision to arm the proven system with the requisite downhill characteristics was a logical step. The Beast binding has been fitted with a sophisticated release mechanism. This provides release at both the toe and heel units, while the rotating toe piece has been designed in such a way that it combats premature release potentially caused by sudden impacts. The binding’s ultra-low height gives freeriders perfect ski-to-snow contact. A stable and smooth ride thanks to the subtle lean-forward angle and high-level torsional rigidity as a result of the wide baseplate are all features unique to the new DYNAFIT binding.

Freeride pros Eric Hjorleifson and Fredrik Andersson used their long years of experience, as well as their ethos of creating the ultimately versatile skiing experience, as inspiration for the new design. DYNAFIT athlete Hjorleifson said “New-generation skiers need equipment that ensures equally top performance whether you’re jumping, skiing off-piste and cross-country.

The Beast 16 is available this coming winter in a limited run of 2,500 bindings, all individually numbered and delivered worldwide.

In other words: “Limitless Skiing”.

End of the Oil Age Gear Guide: You Need A Solid Bike.

I just finished this one for CleanSnipe.  Whaddya think?

End of the Oil Age Gear Guide: You Need A Solid Bike.

by Max Mogren

October 4, 2010

Gear Review: Black Diamond Megawatt Ski

Black Diamond Megawatt 178/188 (153-125-130)

You can’t trust most ski reviews for a couple of reasons. # 1: The reviewer is sponsored by the manufacturer or is otherwise biased towards promoting the ski. # 2: The reviewer only rode the ski for a short period of time in a small slice from the spectrum of possible snow conditions.

This review, however, is legit.

Regarding #1: I don’t have any sponsors.  I got my hands on a pair of 188cm BD Megawatts in December 2009 when a buddy moved from the Teton Range to Missouri: his lady got into Medical School there.  If he holds on to her, the decision should start to pay off in about seven years.  His decision to leave the Megawatts here, however, started paying off (for me) immediately…

Regarding #2: Over the last few months, I’ve logged 180,000 feet of backcountry vert on the Megawatt.  My buddy mounted them with a pair of Dynafit FT12 bindings and bent the 110mm brakes to accommodate the sultry 125mm waist of the Megawatt.  He also included a pair of BD Ascension Skins.  Factor in my old pair of Dynafit Zzero boots, and as if by karmic magic I had a new rig that has proven the funnest, most versatile backcountry ski setup I’ve ever ridden.

The skis are amazingly light for their size and coupled with the Dynafit binding, they’re perfect for long tours in any conditions.  They climb steep, slick skin tracks noticeably better than skinnier skis thanks to mucho surface area underfoot and in the tail.  The rocker tip and zero camber assure contact directly underfoot when you need all the traction you can get.  Additionally, the rocker tip and plentiful surface area keep you atop the pow when setting a skin track.  On more traditional touring skis, you’re often slogging, stomping, stumbling, and swearing your way through the sugar.  The Megawatts make blazing your own trail much more enjoyable… and more energy efficient.

The real fun comes during the descent.  The tips are almost impossible to sink so you can ski them well in even the deepest, lightest blower.  You don’t have to carry much speed to stay afloat, but if you feel so inclined, they can handle straightlines and super G turns far beyond my comfort zone.  Since they never submarine, they feel very stable and more predictable in pow.  For example, otherwise awkward pillow lines and landings become a breeze on these: you pretty much just have to stand there.

I also found that skiing powder on the 188cm Megawatt stresses my joints less than my 181cm K2 Coomba (103mm underfoot).  I have a crummy knee and ankle combo that has hindered my skiing for a few years.  With these, I don’t feel it at all.  There’s a lot to be said for staying on top and making effortless turns.

I’ve ridden groomers, bumps, breakable death crust, and steep ice on them.  They do as well as or better than conventional (100-110mm underfoot) powder skis.  I’ve ridden them in soupy, knee deep, ACL-popping corn snow, and they stayed on top offering safety and fun skiing when buddies were practically swimming down.  I’ve skied icy, fall-die couloirs on them, and they were solid.  Jump turns?  No problem.

A few years back I swore I’d never want a touring ski fatter than my 88mm underfoot skis.  I was wrong.  Though slightly heavier, skis like the Megawatt climb better and ski better.  They’re way more fun to ski and are also safer.  They decrease stress on your joints because they stay up top.  They decrease fatigue because they ski effortlessly.  They decrease your odds of falling because they are easier to ski.  They decrease your odds of striking objects under the snow.  And they are much easier to POINT if you need to, say, outrun an avalanche.

If you aren’t touring on fatties like the Megawatt, you’re missing out on a lot of fun and safety.

Megawatts atop Wyoming's Grand Teton