 Poster: A snowHead
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Can dynafit ski crampons be used with the Alpinists?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Absolutely!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| spyderjon wrote: |
Yep, loads of love for the Superlite's. Problem was their price versus the Alpinist which only the true weight weenies would pay to benefit from the 70g saving.
However that's all about to change as Dynafit have drastically reduced their price for 20-21 to compete with the Alpinist and are aslo offering softer U-bows. |
with that in mind, the better if the 2 would be?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@KenX, I can’t fit my wife’s dynafit crampons to this years Alpinist. Nor could the shop. Do I need to bend something?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@zzz, I found the metal brackets needed a bit of careful tweaking......
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| spyderjon wrote: |
| jedster wrote: |
Oh - one little wrinkle on mounting the bindings - would welcome peoples' thoughts.
I can just see evidence of the QK sockets from the base - the base is a tad discoloured but not penetrated or noticeably proud.
I notice that the superguides specify 9mm depth rather than more typical (?) 9.5mm and I may have screwed a little deeper after countersinking too.
Should I be worried/do anything or just patch the bases if necessary in future? |
That's no problem - you're good to go. |
Thanks!
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Oh and another question, just what size is that tiny allen screw that allows you to swap the u-bows? It's smaller than the smallest in any of my allen key sets
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@jedster, 1.5mm, just changed mine from medium to light as I reckon from the effort needed to step in, the medium that comes as standard with the Alpinist 9 is around DIN 9 or so...........
I'm 68kg and look for a DIN of around 7 max, so the medium feels way too strong.....
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@KenX, The soft u-bows should be about 6 DIN, I am told. I'm yet to test them “properly” though.
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@Scarlet, the "soft" u-bow feels at least as strong as my Dynafit set to 7, if not more so....
Whether this is due to the u-shape as opposed to individual pins à la Dynafit IDK, but I'm erring on the safe side...
Wildsnow tested the medium at 9+ compared to Marker's stated 8 and I would concur
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@KenX, I have a readout from a torque tester somewhere from when they were fitted. But they didn't calculate my DIN correctly, so it doesn't really help me much, it's just a force reading. I can find it if you know how to convert it into something useful though?
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I've got alpinist 12s which come with the stiff u-bows which are stated 10 but I read test at 11. I didn't find it hard to step in to them (I'm 75kg after a porky winter) but I never run DINs of 10 so I've got some mediums to install
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@Scarlet, that’d be interesting ta!
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You know it makes sense.
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| KenX wrote: |
@jedster, 1.5mm, just changed mine from medium to light as I reckon from the effort needed to step in, the medium that comes as standard with the Alpinist 9 is around DIN 9 or so...........
I'm 68kg and look for a DIN of around 7 max, so the medium feels way too strong..... |
forgot to say thanks!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@KenX, I'm slightly confused as which value is front and back, because I don't fully understand what's going on tbh (doesn't help that it's in German). But I think you'll probably know so here you go:
Ski L:
MzR (Nm): target - 43, result - good, DIN 4.0
MzL (Nm): target - 43, result - good, DIN 4.0
My (Nm): target - 165, result - 278, DIN N/A
Ski R:
MzR (Nm): target - 43, result - good, DIN 4.0
MzL (Nm): target - 43, result - good, DIN 4.0
My (Nm): target - 165, result - 299, DIN N/A
The target value is based on their calculation of DIN 4.0, so is useless to me (a DIN chart will put me at 6.0, but I normally run 5.5 without issue. I'd pop a 4.0 in an instant, and that was how I hurt my shoulder a few years ago when I didn't check the settings of a borrowed ski). The result "good" will be within a range, though it doesn't specify what it is, so the only numbers that are of use to you are the 278/299 but that might be for the wrong end of the ski! Sorry, not sure if that helps much.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks for that @Scarlet !
MzR and MzL are the lateral release values and seem to be pretty accurate.
Why the vertical release target (My) is so much higher is anyone's guess (or Spyderjon's)....
What's more worrying is the tested value for My is nearly double what the target value is 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Scarlet, was that with the soft or medium spring installed?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| KenX wrote: |
| What's more worrying is the tested value for My is nearly double what the target value is |
I think this is to do with the target being miscalculated and therefore meaningless. The shop was very concerned when I picked them up, “you do not look like an expert skier” (not sure what an expert skier does look like when standing in a shop...), but I spent an hour on the phone with @spyderjon sorting everything out and he assures me that all is fine.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| KenX wrote: |
| @Scarlet, was that with the soft or medium spring installed? |
Soft. I don't have the medium, it's too strong for me.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Scarlet, 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| KenX wrote: |
| @zzz, I found the metal brackets needed a bit of careful tweaking...... |
Thank you. It's always fun taking a hammer and screw driver to a new pair of bindings! It worked though.
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@zzz, 
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@DB, you can fit brakes to the std version, so LT is just for more adjustment range.........
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| KenX wrote: |
| @DB, you can fit brakes to the std version, so LT is just for more adjustment range......... |
useful if you want to share the skis with other people but has a small weight penalty
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| KenX wrote: |
| @DB, you can fit brakes to the std version, so LT is just for more adjustment range......... |
Yes it looks like the standard is 15mm and the long is 30mm adjustment.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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The long base might be the only solution if you're having to avoid existing mounting holes or if you're planning a boot change and suspect that you might be downsizing or going to a lug'less boot.
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| spyderjon wrote: |
The long base might be the only solution if you're having to avoid existing mounting holes or if you're planning a boot change and suspect that you might be downsizing or going to a lug'less boot. |
Thanks, good to know. Going to try shims first (order sent) but may end up replacing the Radical 1 bindings with Alpinists in the long run.
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You know it makes sense.
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I wonder if anyone can help me out here. Am trying to swap the supplied "hard" u-bows on my alpinists for "medium". Original u-bows came out ok, with a bit of effort, but I can't for the life of me get the new u-bows on. All i'm doing is chewing up the carbon/plastic heelpiece. Have tried various attempts at temporarily prising open the u-bow, but to no avail. Any advice much appreciated! Thanks.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| archski wrote: |
| I wonder if anyone can help me out here. Am trying to swap the supplied "hard" u-bows on my alpinists for "medium". Original u-bows came out ok, with a bit of effort, but I can't for the life of me get the new u-bows on. All i'm doing is chewing up the carbon/plastic heelpiece. Have tried various attempts at temporarily prising open the u-bow, but to no avail. Any advice much appreciated! Thanks. |
Simply file/grind a slight chamfer on the inside edges on the ends of the forks to provide a 'lead in'. And before you install the u-bows make sure that you clean up any gawling you've caused on the side of the housing with a needle file.
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Poster: A snowHead
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My Alpinists are in lockdown at the local ski shop, they developed a lot of slop in the heel risers after 8 weeks of use, the shop has ordered new springs for the risers as they say they've bent, I think it may be wear on the groove in the riser itself, will report back when (if!) I see the skis again......
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Thanks so much for your advice, @
spyderjon. Worked a treat, although I had to file away a worrying amount of metal to get
them on!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Update on the sloppy heel lifters: They've changed the heel pieces as Marker have redesigned the spring mechanism for the lifters, I'm obviously not the only one to have issues there.....
That said, I probably put more miles on the bindings in the 2 months I had them than most folk do in several seasons!
It's a better engineered system and hopefully fixed the problem
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@KenX,
Thanks for giving us the feedback - do you have any before/after pics or links?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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[/drift]
| Quote: |
“you do not look like an expert skier” (not sure what an expert skier does look like when standing in a shop...)
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My OH has just set up Alpinists for her first pair of rando skis, so I am following this chat.
Anyhoo, on "looking" like anything, ... I had occasion a few Decembers ago to have to walk into a reasonably high end shop with a broken-in-half binding (new). So, OK, my kit is good qual, well broken in, clearly used, etc. but I am quite taken aback when the owner says, "well, if anyone else had done it, it's user error, but clearly you are a strong and experienced skier...."
Irony?
[/drift]
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@DB,
The original spring was a simple straight bar which rubbed on a groove under the riser, with mine the groove wore to the extent the risers were flapping around, the new one has a shaped spring and what looks like a plunger and detent system under the riser, much more positive!
New one shown above
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@KenX,
Thanks
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So, long-term update on the Alpinist:
Now in the 5th season on mine (mounted on DPS Wailer 112) and have had a couple of issues:
After the first season, the heel lifters got really sloppy, took them back to the shop and Marker changed them for the newer design which has an "S" shaped spring under the riser rather than a straight one, sorted.
One ski released really early a couple of days ago, I noticed that the heel tower had a lot of vertical movement, which will affect the binding release setting, well out of warranty now so removed and stripped the binding to find the main screw was loose and had partially unwound.
Easy fix, drift out the pin holding the lifter in place, being careful to drift it the right way as one end has serrations, lift out the spring and remove the offending screw, clean with solvent, dab of blue loctite and reassemble.
The other ski had the same problem, but to a lesser extent, the screw was only a half-turn loose, but did the same repair on that to be sure, to be sure!
I've seen the same issue on another forum, same fix, so worth checking for any vertical play/tipping in the heel tower, also there should be no gap between the tower and the base
To add: these are my go-to skis, so get a lot of use and are also on the large side, so may have been a contributory factor, I have the same bindings on a narrower set of skis which get far less use and are fine!
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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| KenX wrote: |
So, long-term update on the Alpinist:
Now in the 5th season on mine (mounted on DPS Wailer 112) and have had a couple of issues:
After the first season, the heel lifters got really sloppy, took them back to the shop and Marker changed them for the newer design which has an "S" shaped spring under the riser rather than a straight one, sorted.
One ski released really early a couple of days ago, I noticed that the heel tower had a lot of vertical movement, which will affect the binding release setting, well out of warranty now so removed and stripped the binding to find the main screw was loose and had partially unwound.
Easy fix, drift out the pin holding the lifter in place, being careful to drift it the right way as one end has serrations, lift out the spring and remove the offending screw, clean with solvent, dab of blue loctite and reassemble.
The other ski had the same problem, but to a lesser extent, the screw was only a half-turn loose, but did the same repair on that to be sure, to be sure!
I've seen the same issue on another forum, same fix, so worth checking for any vertical play/tipping in the heel tower, also there should be no gap between the tower and the base
To add: these are my go-to skis, so get a lot of use and are also on the large side, so may have been a contributory factor, I have the same bindings on a narrower set of skis which get far less use and are fine! |
My alpinists are on my lightweight set up (scott superguide 8 which doesn't get that much use but saw quite a bit of action last season (think the superguides are a great couloir ski when conditions are pretty dry).
I was disappointed that one of the heels failed via the main adjustment screw (required quite a long off piste descent with one ski in "tele mode" which was "entertaining" although not something I'd choose to repeat). I ended up having to replace the heel unit. Essentially a small part that retains one end of the adjustment screw had sheared. I can't remember ever giving them a hard time so I was surprised. It was out of warranty but my favourite shop in Les Contamines (who had not sold me the skis or the bindings) persuaded Marker to replace the heel unit at cost and fitted it for me for free (Ronchail Sport / Intersport in the centre of Les Contamines village - just the latest example of way better service than I'm entitled to expect).
The other thing I've experienced is a bit of a tendency (mentioned it here before) for the toes to come unlocked when skinning. This is likely a chunk of user error but it definitely has happened when I'm sure I'd locked them properly. Once it happened when I was traversing steep and very firm windbuff. I was extremely glad I was using leashes because the ski could have gone 100s of metres down the mountain. The snow was firm enough that it was a real struggle getting them positioned to step back in (couldn't drive the tail in for example). Was glad I had an ice axe with me to dig a little platform. I'm now a bit paranoid - constantly checking the toe levers and would not use them without leashes.
They are light, ski well and are an excellent price but I think I'd go for something else next time.
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@jedster, never had an issue with the toepiece, just the 2 heel problems, both of which were used a lot, that said I've just fitted a pair of ATK Raider 12's on the Wailer 112 and have to say it's a way better concept, but a lot more expensive.........
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