Tech touring setup worth it?

CatBoy

CatBoy

Member
Currently I'm rocking some marker dukes on volkl chopsticks w/ alpine boots. Clearly not ideal for longer tours, but what exactly warrants the need for expensive tech equipment? 12 miles round trip? less? more?

For those of you who have switched over- I'm just wondering whether I'm being a puss-puss making excuses for my lack of fitness, or if going tech is worth it. I plan on some 10+ mile, 3000+ vert days next winter.

Side note: I realize you can't "charge" on tech bindings like you can the alpine-touring (disregarding the new, heavier tech bindings which I'm not interested in). I'm typically more cautious in the BC anyway, so I'm not worried.
 
Tech boots / bindings offer a huge weight shaving as well as a more natural feel to the climb. The natural feel to the climb comes from you pivoting your foot at the end of your boot as opposed to pivoting at the end of the toe piece of the binding. If you have the funds and are planning on doing a lot of touring throughout the winter, along with long treks when you do go out, tech boots / bindings would be worth it.
 
awesome. Also, regarding the skis, would it be wise to go extra light or is it ok to stay a little burly? I'm looking at some voile's, which are pretty much all sub 8 lb (and very good skis I hear). However, for only .5 lb/foot more I'm looking at soul 7's, BD amperages, or maybe some Icelantic nomads. Would the extra 3/4 or so pounds per foot make that much of a difference after I've already shed off so much from the boots and bindings?
 
Yeah, it's not just weight, that's for sure, the biggest thing I notice is that natural pivot point.

I wouldn't worry about the weight of the binding so much, I don't see why you wouldn't go ION, Rad 2.0 or Kingpin over say a Speed Turn or Speed Radical, unless price was a big issue, or you were going for a super light setup.

Especially the Ion, that thing is plenty light, and with a good boot and ski I've done some stupid stuff on that binding, booters, bigger lines and cliffs, and it's done fine, at a good price.

Get a ski you really want to ski, not just a super light one. For example if I could only have one touring setup for everything I'd go with a ski like the K2 Marksman, Kitten Factory All Mountain, or Kartel 108 with an ION or a Kingpin, even for bigger days (6K+)

If you know you want to run up mountains or go on all day-multi day tours, or walk a long way with your skis on your back then get a super light ski (Blizzard ZeroG 95 is what I'm currently lusting after) with a Speed Turn.

Otherwise, for more versatility get a slightly heavier setup that's actually fun to ski.

For boots, same thing, get something versatile, MTN Lab or Explore, Fischer TransAlp or something in that sort of range.
 
Yes.

It's shocking how much easier it is to tour in tech bindings - esp if you're hoping for bigger days. I would recommend G3s or Kingpins
 
You'll be able to take almost any ski touring, as far as the weight aspect, it comes down to whether you would like an overall lighter touring setup or a ski that can FUCKING CHARGE. If you're investing in the boots and bindings it would be worth it to go with a touring ski, as they are just as durable as non-touring skis, but offer more weight shaving.

The less energy you spend getting up the mountain, the more energy you have to spend on the way down.
 
For a burly ski that charges but also incorporates some weight saving tech I'd take a look at on3p's Steeple. For bindings I'd second the recommendations above, but I would also consider the SI&I cast binding system if you want something that you don't want to worry about stacking inbounds days on.

For single day tours focused on skiing I don't see the point in sacrificing performance for weight, you want gear that was designed with weight saving as the secondary objective. This is all supposing money is no a factor, I personally do full day tours on heavy ass gear but I'm also fitter than the people I tour with.

I'm looking at upgrading to Dalbello Panteras, the cast binding with pivots and Steeples for next season which I'm hoping will retain the feel of an alpine setup while offering significant weight savings and touring benefits over my current setup of alpine boot+alpine ski+MFD with Pivots.
 
13690313:Cream_Sauce said:
For a burly ski that charges but also incorporates some weight saving tech I'd take a look at on3p's Steeple
Click to expand...

This, right here, is exactly what we're going for with the Steeple series. Hope you get a chance to pick up a pair and enjoy them--the 108 is my favorite ON3P shape yet.

You sound like a prime candidate for tech binders. Personally, I'd suggest going with a Dynafit Radical FT or Radical FT 2.0 (very different bindings). The Rad FT has a brake, which is not only nice, but the heel pad of the the brake gives you a whole pile more power transmission to the ski relative to the Speed Radical and Speed Turn.

Rad 2.0 would be better if you're looking to get more sendy.

Another consideration for making longer mileage/bigger vert days easier is getting a boot with a large range of motion (lots of flex in the cuff when unlocked in Walk/Tour mode). There's an insane difference between the 15-40-70+ degrees you get from various boots while touring, especially on the flats. Obviously, get what fits your foot, but if you can find something with a bigger range of motion, it makes the tech experience that much more efficient.
 
It's a flat out game changer! I finally went tech last winter with a beast 16 on my bigger pow skis and beast 14 on smaller spring skis and Vulcan boots. The biggest thing is that it allows you to do longer tours with less energy spent on the ascent. I've felt super solid skiing on these setups, catching air, going fast, and skiing variable snow. If you're 170lbs or under go as light as you can. All of the super light tech bindings will hold you in no problem. Just make sure to always lock the toes in no fall zones.
 
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