New Marker ft10/12 or Dynafit tlt ft12 ??

I'm looking to do a mix of backcountry/slackcountry and resort skiing, mostly east coast and am caught between the light wight ease of use of the Dynafit vs. more alpine like release safety of the Marker new FT10/12 (lighter and lower boot to ski spin off of Duke/Barron).

If i were located in out west or spent a good amount of time there i'd go with the Dynafit. I'm not so sure how they'll do with our narrow slopes, trees and icy mix of conditions in the east.

Being stuck in the east with varying and often difficult snow conditions plus limited terrain suitable for backcountry "earn your turns", will leave me doing more lift serve resort skiing than i'd like therefore I need to think about safety concerns. I've read mixed reviews wrt Dynafits on the groomers.

I'm of the middle aged gray-beard set, 5'7" ~135lb and been skiing since my early teens. Mostly black diamond runs however my knees cant take mogul runs anymore. I'd think my avoiding bumps would be a plus in favor of the Dynafits but by the same token i'm concerned about the lack of toe release capability compared to the Marker FT10/12 which is like a alpine binding in that regard.

That said, I'd like to hear recommendations and experiences of others please?

Are you related to Prince??

..."shirts vs. blouses" www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaKHR6oe52Q&NR=1

Alright, first off...try not to be so bummed about skiing in the east, its really not that bad.

There's plenty of bc terrain and good snow to be had (even when the resorts are all ice) if you know where to go, but that's another story altogether. Nobody's going to help you out with that if you feel like you are "stuck" here.

That said, I wouldn't make a habit of doing resort skiing on dynafits no matter where you are. If you need a one ski quiver, I'd go with something Marker or even Fritschi depending on how and what you like to ski.

Loved the shirts vs blouses, classic. Good luck!

〽❄❅;565778 said:

..."shirts vs. blouses" www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaKHR6oe52Q&NR=1

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:lol:

and welcome to both of you to the forums. You both should introduce yourself here:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/showthread.php?t=4938

〽❄❅;565778 said:

..."shirts vs. blouses" www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaKHR6oe52Q&NR=1

Click to expand...

We watch a ton of Chappelle's show at my buddy's ski condo...

You posting that link is actually quite a bit of ski stoke for me.


-w

What's the boot situation? That would be a factor since you'll need Dynafit compatibility if you want the Dynafit bindings. I have only seen a Dynafit in bounds once. Twice if you could seeing the rando rally at Sugarbush last year. :lol:

Since the Market 10/12 is new, I am not sure any one can make a comparison on the durability. Do you absolutely need a one ski setup? I say go alpine binding in bounds and Dynafit for touring. Just upgraded to Dynafit myself and it is a great touring binding.

Thanks everyone for helping me think through this and spurring on some humor to it. The decision really will depend on which boot i go with as few fit my square toe narrow heel feet. Of the AT boots, so far I've only found garmont and salomon quest 10 and 12. The quest 10 fit better but won't have tech fitting inserts this year and are on the heavy side. I plan to try the black diamond prime and quadrant too. I also love how light the new dynafit tlt5 mountain boots are, but read and been told the dynafit last prob wont fit my foot nor will it ski as well downhill as the others. They're only made for tech bindings, hence my question. I cant do two new sets of gear now. Was thinking if dynafit bindings could serve somewhat double duty and i'm leaning toward more backcountry, it'll be easier to upgrade to lighter more AT specific boots without having to buy everything else again. That's where the prime/quadrant would be good plus they're said to ski like a downhill boot and i may want to stick with them for a while. Although If the salomon fits best I'll choose comfort first and have to go with marker tour ft12/10. All else being equal, i can imagine the lever action "dragging" the weight of a dynafit tech binding/ski would be less work then a binding attached to the boot i'm lifting with each step of a climb. To what extent is all theory till i actually get out there and experience it.

〽❄❅;565873 said:

Thanks everyone for helping me think through this and spurring on some humor to it. The decision really will depend on which boot i go with as few fit my square toe narrow heel feet. Of the AT boots, so far I've only found garmont and salomon quest 10 and 12. The quest 10 fit better but won't have tech fitting inserts this year and are on the heavy side. I plan to try the black diamond prime and quadrant too. I also love how light the new dynafit tlt5 mountain boots are, but read and been told the dynafit last prob wont fit my foot nor will it ski as well downhill as the others. They're only made for tech bindings, hence my question. I cant do two new sets of gear now. Was thinking if dynafit bindings could serve somewhat double duty and i'm leaning toward more backcountry, it'll be easier to upgrade to lighter more AT specific boots without having to buy everything else again. That's where the prime/quadrant would be good plus they're said to ski like a downhill boot and i may want to stick with them for a while. Although If the salomon fits best I'll choose comfort first and have to go with marker tour ft12/10. All else being equal, i can imagine the lever action "dragging" the weight of a dynafit tech binding/ski would be less work then a binding attached to the boot i'm lifting with each step of a climb. To what extent is all theory till i actually get out there and experience it.

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I use the Marker Duke with my Alpine boots. Nordica enforcer is the ski. Remember you are not picking up the weight you are sliding it. IMO the amount of weight you loose by going with the dyno is not going to be noticed as much as the poorer downhill performance. I have gone on some pretty long hikes with my gear. I don't buckle the upper of my Alpine boot when we are using kick wax i glide along pretty good. I keep up with the teli guys. Once you put the skins on it really doesn't matter you are climbing and no one goes that fast. Once I lock down at the top those teli guys are toast( not really but kinda) my buddy with the lighter AT gear skiis more tentativly than he does on his downhill gear. He does not like it
This is all trumped if you are going backcountry more than 50% or the time.

tjf67 said:

I use the Marker Duke with my Alpine boots. Nordica enforcer is the ski. Remember you are not picking up the weight you are sliding it. IMO the amount of weight you loose by going with the dyno is not going to be noticed as much as the poorer downhill performance.

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What poorer downhill performance? I just skied in my new Dynafit Vertical 12s last weekend. Uphill was definitely much easier. But the down is what surprised me. Solid downhill performance. Better than Fritschis. I will have to ski on them more to see how much less performance from my alpine bindings I might be able to notice. Could have fooled me last weekend, that is for sure, but I will leave the jury out at this point.

Whether sliding forward or picking up, there is definitely a very noticeable difference between a tech binding and any binding that has the heel piece lifting on every step as well as an attachment piece under foot. I am no Dynafitangelist after my first tour on them. But I can certainly appreciate the perks a lot more. Downhill is so solid though, Dynafit Verticals should be be discounted for that reason.

Yeah can one of you mods pull it out of the complaint folder and paste it here.
Thanks

There are many who will disagree with what I'm about to say so take it for what it's worth....

If you really are doing a mix of lift/slack/back then focus more on downhill performance instead of uphill weight. For two reasons:

1) During those lift served and slackcountry days you will put on WAY more downhill vertical than all of your BC days combined. And your BC days will be 1:1 in the vert department. So get a setup that can take the punishment of the down.

2) Don't overvalue weight. This is something I think a lot about when skiing, biking, hiking, climbing, etc. Are you in the best shape your can possibly be? I'm not. Are you willing to skip a beer or a snack in your pack? I'm not. So don't worry so much about every gram that that a binding/ski/boot/bike component/backpack/helmet/etc/etc/ weighs. Many (most) of us could probably stand to lose a pound our two (or 10) and should do that before stressing over a few ounces on your feet. At 135lbs that may not be the case for you, but I still bet there are better places for you to shave weight without compromising what you want in performance.

With all that said I agree with RiverC. Get 2 setups if you can. The costs aren't so bad if you shop and don't stress the details. Hell, I just picked up a used pair of skis, Naxo bindings, and skins for $150. Those are a backup up to my regular Naxo based AT setup. But I typically snowboard for lift-served.
But if you really can't swing it and want a completely new setup of 'just right' gear I would lean towards the Markers for the usage you are describing. You cited lack of toe release as a concern and I think that's valid. It's why I switched away from tele to AT. I always felt my knees were extra vulnerable in bad tele fall.

The choices are hard but be thankful to be in this era of so much great gear and possibilities. You'll likely be happy with whatever you choose.