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The cold world of skimo & alpine climbing

The cold world of skimo & alpine climbing

Saturday, January 24, 2015

Much of the PNW sucks for snow right now...


Last year I started skiing in the PNW in late October.  Not unusual for us.  This year it has been better bike weather than ski weather.  At 1:30am it is in the 50F out side my office.  Likely to set a new high record in the high 50s or low 60s in Seattle over he weekend.  Ouch!

Chamonix seems to be doing only marginally better!

But I've been playing with 4 tech bindings combos that are new to me.   Needed some additional info on one set up and found this...




http://skimo.co/tech-binding-heel-gaps

Appropriate as I am skiing on this hybrid binding system on at least one set up.   Dynafit Speed Superlight toe mated with...



http://skimo.co/dynafit-speed-superlite-bindings

with.... a Plum Race 165 heel. 


http://skimo.co/plum-binding-heels

Stay tuned.  Eventually I will have some details and observations on these and unlikely combos of boots, binding and skis. 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good info, but be mindful of a discrepancy if using the older TLT speeds. They call for a 4mm gap. see here:https://www.wildsnow.com/2599/dynafit-tech-heel-space-shim-gauge/

Jonathan S. Shefftz said...

Funny coincidence: this season I happen to have two setups with Dynafit SSL toe + Plum 165 heel and one setup with Dynafit SSL toe + Plum 135 heel.
The Dynafit toes are more for reasons of random personal expediency, but either way, seems to work out just fine.

Dane said...

Hey Jonathan, I think we both came up with the same idea about the same time, prior to the Fall email converstations. I took note after seeing your data on the heel releases from a non locked toe. Still not totally convinced the 165 is the way to go on a SSL toe. Release values look good on the bench may be, or at least seems to, but way too high in my own use to be totally comfortable with them yet.

But then I also remember dropping into a 50 degree gully last Spring in the Alps and the shock of my race heel looking as if it might blow out any second on some really hard snow conditions. Rather have a ski never come off than eject from one needlessly. I'll have formed a more trustworthy opinion of the combo by June I suspect. I'd be interested in your thoughts by the end of the summer season.

I may yet decide that the easy in and out of the SSL toe just isn't worth the risk, for the lack of effort on the in and out of that toe, and go back to a full race toe for general use.