On my last trip, I had one or two "Tourettes moments" due to little pieces of ice preventing the toe pieces of my Dynafits (TLT Speeds) from engaging properly. A good dig around with a knife would fix it but it was a pain.
Does anyone have any tips to prevent this happening? Maybe some sort of hydrophobic spray?
Cheers!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
A little Zardoz Notwax, silicon spray or Pledge will help, but don't get in on your bases or your skins won't stick.
Or upgrade to the Radical 2's as they're a lot less prone to icing:-D
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?
@spyderjon, cheers
upgrading to radicals would require new holes on already swiss cheesed skis (correct me if i am wrong...) and I don't want to chuck everything out for the sake of a bit of ice
will get down the DIY store in search of one of those sprays and keep carrying my knife which looks much better for cutting saucisson than your brush thing
We just keep a penknife handy - one with a corkscrew. IIRC, kosher Dynafit leashes include a little spike just for this purpose but it's years since I bothered with them.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 20-03-16 15:09; edited 1 time in total
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Arno wrote:
Does anyone have any tips to prevent this happening?
Yes, don't stamp around too much in the snow in your ski boots. F'rexample when taking skins off I do this one ski at a time (which is good practise if you ski on glaciers anyway). Yes boot packing up couloirs is an issue but you are not generally straight into your skis at the top. I tend to skin up what I can as I don't like boot packing. 40 degrees is about my limit though.
I must say in nearly 20 years skiing dynafiddles over hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of ski tours I haven't really found icing to be a major worry. Perhaps once or twice. in that time. Always lock then unlock your toes before skiing - if the toe won't lock there is ice in it. Be careful though, people have died due to icing.
I think you are overthinking things a bit but I'm happy to sell you a can of deicer with "special pin binding deicer" written on it, if you wish.
Re Dynafit leashes - I've taken to using them again, bought some three or four weeks ago after I asked a very experienced guy why he used them and he simply replied that it would really ruin your day and those of your mates if you're way out in the boondocks and you lost a ski, though obviously not so much of an issue in Spring, but last week...................!!!!
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
@davidof, the ice was forming under the toepiece and stopped it engaging properly, rather than in the dimples. I think maybe there was something specific about the conditions last time because it seemed to happen every changeover. Previously, I've had to be careful to clear out the snow but not had issues like this
After all it is free
After all it is free
@Arno, I've had the same problem. It happens if you stop for a break when it's hot, the snow melts, the temperature drops, and then the water freezes under the binding. As has been said, a knife usually frees it. It can be prevented by clicking your bindings into the jaws closed position when not in use, so there's no room under the binding for ice to form.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Chamcham, that's not a bad idea - will give it a try
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
@Arno - you are right, in my experience it depend on the conditions.
When its cold and dry or warm spring conditions I never get icing.
However when its damp and round about freezing (i.e Scotland) it can happen semi-frequently.
A few thoughts
1) A spare pen knife / tooth brush for de-icing can be a good idea
2) Spraying some zardoz / mr sheen / sno-seal or WD40 / silicon spray under the toe can help for short while
3) testing the binding has engaged properly before skiing is good practise anyway
4) some people remove the crampon slots on TLTs to reduce icing (not really useful though!).
5) if toe pieces does ice up then sun cream can do a good job of fixing problem in the field.
FWIW I think the original TLTs are by far the best dynafit bindings out there.
Minimalist engineering genius (... and dynafit brakes are over rated / dead weight when touring)
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
@Chamcham, good call, I always do this! Especially with the skis outside on a gondola in the freezing cold........
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.
See Lou's video above from about 0:20.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Just pee on them
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@davidof, appreciate the lock unlock tip.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@Markymark29, it would suck if your pee froze
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Been thinking about this
.... I guess one reason TLT Speeds are perhaps a little more prone to icing is because you would usually place them face down in snow at transitions (due to lack of brakes)
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Arno wrote:
@davidof, the ice was forming under the toepiece and stopped it engaging properly, rather than in the dimples. I think maybe there was something specific about the conditions last time because it seemed to happen every changeover. Previously, I've had to be careful to clear out the snow but not had issues like this
ah ok, push them in and out a few times and it will clear any ice. normally. Again, it is maybe something I've seen once or twice in French alpine conditions skiing from November through to June, or July! The Dynafit Tristep was a horror for icing. Again it was a case of Dynafit's marketing department triumphing over function. A plastic case enclosed the mechanism and filled up with ice. Dynafit never properly compensated all the Tristep users. That said I crossed a PYT this winter who had them and had no complaints. Maybe there is something about French snow (perhaps the lack of it?).
I appreciate your mileage may vary. What else can I suggest, don't ever take your skis off unless climbing?
Ice in the boot lugs is a real danger though.
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?
I always do the push in and out thing and it wasn't enough to shift it. It was totally maddening esp as i had/have a broken hand so faffing with bindings, tools etc was even more of a pain than usual*. I'm going to try one of the sprays and putting the toe into ski mode during transitions and see if that helps
*maybe someone was telling me I should follow doctors orders and not ski
Marker Alpinist 12 has a little 'pillow' under the toe piece. Each time you step on the binding it 'bounces' accumulating snow/ice out of the way. I have the Alpinist bindings and my son has Dynafit. We're looking to find/make a pillow for his Dynafits. This icing happened to him on a bluebird 28F deep powder day at Castle Peak near Tahoe. It took a minute to realize the problem. (Toe pieces seemed to engage, but he popped out of them too easily.) I used the corner of a credit card to remove the snow and ice. A credit card, cut in half the 'long way' would have been perfect. Combine that with 'snapping closed' and blowing hard into the cavity. (Or get Alpinist 12 bindings. Lol.) New post to old thread, but for anyone who discovers this in 2021... Oh. Definitely a fan of leashes. Less weight and you can always find the ski. My son swears by brakes. And Dynafit.
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Poster: A snowHead
