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After all, trends
take time. Dynafit
stands as a shin-
ing example of
a slow growth
revolution, as
does ABS. Tech
bindings and
avalanche airbag
packs are now
among the healthi-
est segments in the
backcountry ski market,
with adequate competition to spur
innovation and steady improvement.
When they were first introduced to the
world, the majority merely shook their
heads at how unusual their concepts
seemed. In a world that craves accep-
tance, conformity stands in the way of
progress. Anything outside the norm is
automatically rejected.
They were also considered too
expensive for dirtbag skiers. And
yet, these are the product lines
that backcountry retailers have
few issues selling. Price is only a
barrier when it exceeds the per-
ceived value of a product.
In the case of airbag packs, a thousand dollars is a
lot to pay for a mere pack, but when it promises to save
your life if you’re caught in an avalanche, that’s cheap
insurance. It took awhile to prove the concept, but once
ABS had a track record of saves, alternative designs
flourished to offer the same performance.
For next season there are the improvements
to existing designs you expect over time, such as
Mammut’s revision to the plumbing of its
protective and removeable airbag systems (PAS
and RAS). BCA revises its pack a bit, and Black
Diamond holds fast with a soft-
ware upgrade to its JetForce packs.
Arc’teryx finally introduced its
version of an airbag pack, the Voltair,
which is inflated by an electric
blower, not to be confused with an
electric fan. The blower moves up
to 10 percent more air volume
to maintain bag pressure
even if punctured.
Similar to BD’s Jet-
Force, this airbag
is powered by
a rechargeable
battery, which
allows users to practice trig-
gering the airbag for a fraction of
the cost of doing the same thing with a compressed
gas system.
While airbag
packs improve
your chances
of survival
if caught, in
an odd twist
to the hu-
man psyche,
they might
also increase
your chances of
getting caught. Do
not expect the surgeon general to apply this
warning to airbag packs.
Dynafit Dominates
Touring
If a product can withstand reflexive
rejection with a few mavericks, a
good concept can gain a follow-
ing. In the case of Dynafit, it
practically took until the patent
ran out for the idea to catch
on. Now there are at least
eight brands making tech
bindings, with Fischer and
Look adding their logos
to sell OEM Dynafit bind-
ings. In the boot world, make that a dozen producing
boots with tech inserts, maybe 13 or 14 depending on
whether you count Black Diamond in the mix, since
its boots are still available but no longer being pro-
duced, and Lange, which remains mum but needs an
in-house boot to go with Look branded tech bindings.
Unfortunately, as the tech system has
grown in popularity, a new problem is
brewing. It’s an ageless problem,
one that happens whenever
there are a lot of play-
ers and the success
of the system
demands
consistency. It turns out the weak link in
the Dynafit system is the inserts in the boots.
In the tech world that Dynafit created, the critical
parts are small. The tolerances for being functionally out
of spec are smaller still – plus or minus 0.15 millimeters
to be exact, give or take a grain of sand to give you some
sense of scale. That’s the difference between what allows
Vipec gets a paint job to reflect ongoing
improvements, including TUV certification
and sealing the heel unit so snow can’t
creep in and block the ability to change
modes without exiting the binding.
Arc’teryx joins the avalanche preparedness
crew with an airbag inflated by a
battery powered electric blower.
Inside
Outdoor
|
Winter
2016
16