Skibindung

With the Xenic, Fritschi is launching a new, particularly lightweight pin binding onto the market. Despite its low weight of just 280g (per unit without stopper), the Xenic scores highly in terms of ease of use and numerous safety features, as you would expect from Fritschi.

The pin technology, which was once only of interest to very experienced tourers and above all racing bunnies, has now become an integral part of the touring boot market.

As in previous years, it is also noticeable in 2020 that many manufacturers, especially large ones, are staying away from ISPO. On the one hand, this has resulted in a certain shrinking of the trade fair as a whole, but on the other hand it has also created more space for smaller manufacturers.

Working on your own ski equipment often makes you look forward to spending hours in the snow. With the right tools, DIY is even more fun and much more successful. The POZI 3 screwdriver is not just one of many suitable tools for ski adjustment and assembly. It is THE screwdriver for the ski workshop and therefore our Gear of the Week.

In addition to the two-year statutory warranty, Dynafit now offers an extended warranty for touring bindings covering the entire product life cycle. This means that when you buy a new Dynafit binding, you are now covered for 10 complete years. To mark the occasion, we are giving away a ST Roatation 12 pin binding - is it Christmas yet? Not quite yet, but first things first.

The small, North American equipment manufacturer CAST has brought its system to serial maturity. PG skiers Tobi and Sebastian have been using the previous Cast - S&I system for some time and favour its attributes over conventional touring bindings. Having had the new CAST system on their equipment bucket list for a while, they have now been able to test it extensively.

Once again this year, we are reporting from ISPO in Munich. This article is about touring ski boots and touring bindings suitable for downhill skiing, a sector that has been booming for several years and is therefore being provided with some interesting innovations by the various manufacturers.

Since the patent for the pin binding expired in 2014, new bindings using the frameless design have been appearing on the market at regular intervals. Apart from small details and design, the bindings hardly differ. The functional principle has mostly been adopted without any new innovation. The TR2 from Ski Trab is one of the few exceptions.

After we published a short test about a year ago, I have now been able to put the Fritschi Tecton through its paces in practically all conditions. Last winter, I took it to Alaska as well as the Alps, and now in "summer" I've taken it to New Zealand.

Possible breakage of the steel pins on the front jaws can lead to reduced release force and thus increase the risk of falling. Models 10 and 13 from the 2017/18 season (gold or reddish color) are affected. The toe pieces of the corresponding bindings will be replaced free of charge. Here is the press release from Marker/Völkl:

Last week in Obertauern we had the opportunity to test some new skis and bindings from Atomic, including the Shift MNC 13, which won Atomic a Gold Award in the Ski Touring Bindings category at this year's ISPO.

As in previous years, there are many technical innovations in ski touring boots. More and more manufacturers are coming onto the market with ever lighter models that are still very suitable for downhill skiing. One of the most interesting new models, the Hoji Pro Tour from Dynafit, won an ISPO Award but could only be admired in reality to a limited extent due to the lack of a Dynafit stand.