Black Diamond Fritschi Diamir Explore Binding

I originally bought the freerides, but in the wrong size, so i was somewhat forced to buy this binding from my local shop. My initial reaction was just like stevens pass guy's "leashes, oh cool!". But try putting on your ski on a steep icy slope and you will quickly realize they are not so cool. Overall, i really dislike the leashes, so get the breaks. Secondly, i broke the riser part of the binding off while resort skiing. I do not recall landing on that part of the binding, but its no longer there, and i am waiting for a replacement part to be shipped to me. They do feel a little flimsy, but not breakable. On a plus side, while skiing in them i can really put some power into the turns. They hold my boot very well, and while at a medium DIN setting (6 or 7) they dont eject me. Although, im going to crank up the DIN, because i dont want my skis coming off and still being attached to me as i yard-sale around. They are also much lighter than a standard binding. Many pros, but one or two major cons.

I can't complain, ..i got an earlier version of these used (the titanal 3), which near as i can tell is virtually the same binding. Anyway, i doubt they're indestructible, but i bought them used, and have skied them hard with alpine boots in the backcountry and in the resort for the past few years. Only several days a year, but probably harder than they're designed to be treated (im 160lbs, but very aggressive skier), and they've held up great without a problem. I have them on BD havocs.

Nice binding, Solid, easy to use, light-ish (with a little extra on the ish) but way more durable than the Naxo NX01 or the last pair of fantastically exploding Dynafits that I had... Brakes are a little tough to come by, so order them from this website with your bindings... but really... leashes are cool! In the words of the great Ricky Bobby- "Brakes are for those who lack commitment" OK- he didn't actually say that, but I'm sure he'd agree.

These a very good, very versitile bindings. They'll take the abuse (in my experience) of skiing in bounds or out of bounds. In my opinion, they're a little heavy for a dedicated backcountry binding. I'd go with Dynafits for that. However, if you're just getting into it, this is a good way to go because it will happily do both.

Even though I mostly use dynafit bindings.I still have place in my heart for these bindings. For inbound skiing they are solid,and for one to two day ski tours or ski mountaineering objectives with steep chutes on your mind they still work great.You will be a little slower on the up,with no compromise on the down.

I love these bindings. I use them for touring and for on piste as well. They are pretty stiff and bombproof. I've only had them click into touring mode once when downhill skiing. They do tend to rattle a bit on hardpack, but they're made for pow anyway!