# AT Skiers-Gear Suggestions



## teleboater5.13 (Sep 29, 2005)

I am a tele skier who is looking at AT gear. I do not know a lot about the differences in bindings but have heard that they are not as strong as alpine bindings. I thought this might be old news and with the new technology I am sure they are much better than they were a few years ago. Not trying to push these bindings to their limit, dropping cliffs, etc...just dont want them to pop off when in mogules. Suggestions...what is the best AT set-up out there. Also do you really need boots or do alpine boots work (just leaving them unbuckled when hiking). Thanks


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## cbcboat (Jan 26, 2009)

AT bindings are obviously not specifically designed to be skied on area bashing moguls all day but they can handle it. I have been skiing Fritschi bindings for 4 years and have definetley done on area and mogul skiing and they work fine and have held up fine, I however feel as though they don't ski as well as a dedicated alpine binding for this application, but you get comfortable with what you use. With the exception of Dynafit bindings you can use any alpine boot in most AT bindings, and they really aren't too uncomfortable to hike/skin in. I would encourage an AT specific boot if you are buying it all anyway, they are more comfortabel and if you get the right boot they ski equal as well. If you are leaning toward Dynafit, I finally did, make sure to get a compatible boot right away so you don't have to buy another set of boots, most of them still work in other AT bindings, but they don't however always work in Alpine bindings. If I was you, I would seriously consider a Dynafit setup, half the weight, similar price, with the exception of the boot, and according to all that use them they ski better. Just got mine, they are being mounted as I write this. I have a friend that has been patrolling on them for a few years and swears by them. Do some research and good luck.
Cheers 
B


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## caseybailey (Mar 11, 2008)

Unless you are going in the really really really crowded backcountry areas, I doubt you will encounter moguls.


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## teleboater5.13 (Sep 29, 2005)

Ideally I would be able to use this set up in the bc as well as in the front country


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## brooks8970 (Jun 5, 2005)

I ski 95% bc and switched from the fritschis to the dynafit FT 12 this year. The dynafits are incredible for the bc...lightweight, strong, durable but I would not recommend them for any fc. I took them to the resort for the first time this weekend and popped out twice (with the lever in tour mode) in the moguls on my first run. I wont ski them in the fc again. I ski aggressively and weigh 185. 

My experience with the fritschis was excellent except that I blew out the the toe piece twice and some plastic under the heal once. I was skiing an alpine boot in them so maybe with an AT boot youll get more durability. It sounds to me like you want a bomber frontcountry settup that can tour for a handful of days a season. For that, Id go with the barons or dukes.


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## lmyers (Jun 10, 2008)

I have to ask - why? If you are already a competent tele skier, what's the point in switching over? I made the opposite switch this season for an added challenge and lighter weight gear, and doubt I will ever go back to alpine or at.


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## geronimo (Jan 20, 2009)

i would go with fritschis if you are going to go between fc and bc. i have dynafits and they work great in the bc, a little finicky at times but the light weight makes it worth it. i tried skiing them inbounds and popped out a few times even in tour mode. but if bc is the way you are going then i think the dynafits are awesome.


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## bobbuilds (May 12, 2007)

In my opinion the best AT set-up is:

Marker duke(large)
Head mojo 105(181)

400$
pm me, I am going the other route.

TELEMARK.....................................................................................
the dots are my lead changes!


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## liquidchaos (Jul 11, 2005)

I second bob, I have been through several fritshis, they break. I have been on the dukes for a few years now and they rock. They are defanatly an alpine binding with at capability, but they tour well and are bomber on all terrain. Try the Blizzard setup, they have integrateed dules making them lighter than a traditional alpine setup, and you can slide a tele plate in in 5 minutes for the days you want to tele. You can hike in alpine boots, but if you do with them unbuckled they are sloppy and very prone to blisters. just my $.02!


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## hojo (Jun 26, 2008)

I'm going to revive this thread. I too am looking at a Backcountry setup and I'm not sure if I should go dynafit or not. My style leans towards backcountry ascents leading to steep chutes and couloirs with the occasional drop (no more than 8 feet). Perhaps I need to just gut it out with regular alpine and my backcountry ideas are ridiculous. I'm not thinking of multiday treks necessarily so weight is less of a concern. So, will dynafit work or should I divert to Dukes or Naxos or Fritschi or the like?


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## the_dude (May 31, 2006)

hojo said:


> I'm going to revive this thread. I too am looking at a Backcountry setup and I'm not sure if I should go dynafit or not. My style leans towards backcountry ascents leading to steep chutes and couloirs with the occasional drop (no more than 8 feet). Perhaps I need to just gut it out with regular alpine and my backcountry ideas are ridiculous. I'm not thinking of multiday treks necessarily so weight is less of a concern. So, will dynafit work or should I divert to Dukes or Naxos or Fritschi or the like?


dynafit all the way. i switched to the ft 12's from fritschis about 6 weeks ago and haven't looked back. weight difference alone, even on single day outings, makes touring much more pleasant than lugging around heavy ass bindings like the fritschis or naxos. plus the touring performance in terms of the way the binding feels is much better. and skiing performance - well these bindings kick ass. haven't had one issue yet with popping out when i'm not supposed to.


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## geronimo (Jan 20, 2009)

i totally agree with the above statement. the dynafits are lite weight and supper minimalist. i've done plenty of shoots and drops on them this season and they have been great. you can always crank up the DIN if you are worried about blowing out. or if i'm in a no fall zone i just crank up the excenter to tour mode and you're all set.


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## hojo (Jun 26, 2008)

right then.. it seems I'm more and more convinced that dynafit is the ticket. Now if I can just assemble the gear for a decent price. But I have until next season to put together my kit. Thanks for the feedback.


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## one_elk (Jun 10, 2005)

Any suggestions on where to go to look for AT boot reviews. I have used the compare option at REI but am looking for something with a little more dialogue. I have skied over 40 years and am looking to get some AT gear. I have tele skied a fair bit but think I can handle more variability in snow conditions with and AT set up.......anyway appreciate and info on AT Boots or AT Boot reviews


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## WhiteLightning (Apr 21, 2004)

I have some 27.5 dynafit and regular AT binding compatible Garmont's, never been used. They are kind of moderate between touring/lightness and downhill. <---Edit- They aren't in the swap, but PM me if you are interested and I'll get details.

I use the heavy stuff (Naxos on alpine skis with Garmont Endorphins) and ski this at the resort, and do occasional mickey mouse tours on them.

By the way, the alpine-esque setup I have works well at the ski hill. It is 100% fine for powder, but really sloppy for hardpack days. This is my fat ski setup, so I usually wouldn't be using it for a spring hardpack day at Vail or something anyways, I've got something else for that, but I always use the boots with the DIN sole on.


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## JCKeck1 (Oct 28, 2003)

Yo, here's 0.02. I'm 190ish, 6'1". I do 30% resort, 60% side-country (using resort lifts and then hiking/skinning out-of-bounds), and 10% long ass back country tours. I have the dukes on a pair of Rossi Steezes. I also skied a pair of freerides on Rossi B4s for years. The dukes are the bomb! I used to blow out of the freerides in the resort and had some very scary close call with trees while I was in the superman position. The dukes are really secure. On the down side they are also a lot heavier. I consider them perfect for what I do. I try to stay airborne, ski fast, take chances, but I don't frequently go on epic slogs. I use the skins to get out of places and for shorter hikes from the ski resort along with the occasional tour or hut trip. The freerides are a bit lighter and the AT function can be engaged without getting out of the binding. This makes them better as a pure back-country binding, but I just couldn't stop ejecting at high speeds with hard turns. Get the dukes unless you're a pure BC skier.
Joe


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## caseybailey (Mar 11, 2008)

lmyers said:


> I have to ask - why? If you are already a competent tele skier, what's the point in switching over? I made the opposite switch this season for an added challenge and lighter weight gear, and doubt I will ever go back to alpine or at.


 
What gear are you using? I was thinking of switching from a tele set-up to dynafit AT because I wanted a lighter weight, free-pivot set-up.


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