Skip to content

Cookies 🍪

This site uses cookies that need consent.

Learn more

Zur Powderguide-Startseite Zur Powderguide-Startseite
gear reviews

Short test | Fritschi Tecton

The new flagship from Switzerland - strong in ascent, descent and ease of use

by Lorenzo Rieg 10/05/2017
After Fritschi, the traditional manufacturer of ski touring bindings from Switzerland, was able to gain a foothold in the pin binding market in recent years with the Vipec models, the new Tecton now presents a logical further development of the concept that is definitely worth seeing.

First impression

If you know one of the Fritschi Vipec versions, the Tecton will immediately look familiar. This is not surprising, as it shares the front jaw with the current version, the Vipec Evo. This means that, like the latter, it also has lateral release and elasticity on the toe piece as well as the option of release on the ascent, for example in the event of a fall. Thanks to an optimized design of the locking lever, it is now also possible to use all boots without the colour clips familiar from older versions of the Vipec - one lever now fits all boots. However, you still have the option of customizing the colour of the binding.

The big innovation of the Tecton is in the rear jaw. This has no pins, but instead grips the edge of the ski boot like a frame binding, as well as the heel inserts using a type of plastic guide. As a result, the binding not only achieves a high degree of elasticity in the rear jaw, but also optimum lateral stiffness and power transmission when skiing downhill. In addition, unlike many other touring bindings that grip the edge of the ski boot, a minimally pronounced ski boot edge is sufficient to use the binding. To switch the binding to ascent mode, the rear jaw is moved backwards and is therefore out of the way. The two metal climbing aids can be easily activated with the ski pole.

Compared to the Vipec, the Tecton is only a few grams heavier. With a weight of 1260g per pair (including stoppers), the Tecton is in the mid-range of pin bindings and is therefore by no means too heavy to be used on very long tours or ski crossings without any problems.

Of course, the Tecton also fits the famously ingenious Fritschi crampons, which penetrate deep into the snow even when using climbing aids and thus always offer good grip.

Tester and test conditions

I am 183cm tall, weigh about 75kg and ski a lot, mostly on ski tours. However, downhill skiing is particularly important to me, which is why I don't shy away from slightly heavier material on the ascent either. I was able to test the new Tecton on around 10 days in the second half of March last season, covering a wide range of conditions. In addition to a day with deep fresh snow, which quickly became very wet, there were also mixed spring conditions with hard snow, firn and slush. In order to be able to take a closer look at the downhill performance, I also skied the binding on and off-piste on two days in the ski resort. The ski used was a Scott Cascade 110 in 189cm.

Practical test

The test of the Tecton begins with getting into the binding. While this took some getting used to with the first versions of the Vipec, it is now really great with the new Vipec Evo and Tecton toe pieces. The boot can be positioned really easily and then clicks reliably first into the toe piece and then into the back piece. The movement sequence is similar to that of an alpine or frame binding and should probably help the current Fritschi models to first place in the "pin binding with the easiest entry" ranking.

To get out of the binding, as is usual with pin bindings, the lever on the toe piece is pressed down, releasing the boot. Before re-entering the boot, the rear jaw must be opened again, which may seem unusual at first.

gear reviews
presented by

To enter ascent mode, the rear jaw is moved slightly backwards by pushing the lever forwards or upwards. The lever on the toe piece is moved upwards into the ascent position once you have put your boots on, which blocks the lateral elasticity of the binding and increases the release value. The stoppers only fold in as soon as you step on them with your heel for the first time. The conversion is therefore very quick and comfortable. The ascent then also goes smoothly. The climbing aids can simply be switched on with the ski poles, whereby the high climbing aid is a little too high for me personally and is therefore hardly ever used, but I almost always go without climbing aid anyway and use the medium setting almost only for tracking.

On reaching the summit, the boot is released as usual by pressing the lever on the toe piece and the lever on the rear toe piece is pressed down again, making the binding immediately ready for the descent.

During the descent, especially in hard snow and on the piste, it is noticeable how similar the feel is to that of an alpine binding. The power transmission is very good, but not as brutally direct as with many classic pin bindings without elasticity in the toe piece. As with the Vipec, you can definitely tell that the Tecton's toe piece is working. Especially in combination with the new rear jaw, the binding's handling should leave nothing to be desired. The release behavior was also flawless during the test period. The binding remains reliably on the foot even at high speeds on rough terrain, but the release value can be set in a range where it can be assumed that the binding will release in good time in the event of a fall.

Conclusion

The new Tecton delivers a strong performance and leaves practically nothing to be desired. Of course, it is not intended for ski touring racers, nor does it offer the maximum Z-value for hardcore freeriders, but in principle it is ideally suited for all types of ski touring in between. Thanks to the great downhill performance and high level of safety, there should be no arguments to the contrary.

Advantages & disadvantages

+Great downhill performance in all types of snow
+High ease of use
+Good release performance, release possible on the ascent
-Does not win a lightweight award

Details

RRP €534.95

Lower retention system with alpine heel clamps: Direct contact boot-binding-ski - The heel clamp presses the boot sole firmly onto the heel plate, which is directly connected to the ski, and ensures constant direct traction.

Power-Rail: The boot remains fixed - As an absolute novelty, the Power Rail engages in the back of the boot, fixes it in the middle and prevents loss of power.

Fixed, non-rotating heel unit:The heel unit remains laterally stable - The flow of power when cornering is not interrupted by a rotating movement as with other pin bindings.

Long dynamic travel of 13mm: Release only when necessary - thanks to dynamic travel - The longest dynamic travel of 13 mm prevents unwanted releases and absorbs lateral shocks so that the ski always retains the best grip.

Side release with DIN adjustment at the front: As with alpine bindings - Pin binding with side release and DIN value adjustment at the front, where the lateral forces act in the event of a fall.

Rear front release with 9 mm dynamic travel: Front release with dynamics - The front release takes place via the heel piece with 9 mm dynamic travel. The high restoring force of the spring prevents unintentional release and compensates for the high tensile forces on the leg during a forward fall.

Release Lever: After the heel is released, the shoe tilts forward. The boot is also immediately released in the front unit via the pressure of the boot nose on the release lever.

Emergency release on the ascent: Good grip on the ascent and safety in an emergency - The boot is fixed and held in the middle. However, the binding releases when a lot of force is applied. Clamping systems must be blocked on the ascent to ensure stability.

Fixed stop for entry: Easy entry - The toe of the boot is optimally positioned via a fixed stop and an orientation aid. The system closes with light pressure as the pin levers engage precisely in the inserts. The movement sequence is comparable to alpine bindings

Simple, easy operation: Safety in all terrain, in all conditions - Switching from ascent to descent and vice versa is very easy without getting out of the binding. The three walking steps can also be converted in no time with the pole.

Here is the link to the Fritschi website with further information, here you can buy the new Tecton from our partner store Bergzeit.de.

The binding was loaned to PowderGuide by the manufacturer for the test period. You can find out how we tested it in our test statement.

Photo gallery

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

Show original (German)

Related articles

Comments

gear reviews
presented by