Diamir Freeride

I love these bindings! I've had them now for about 2 years and haven't had any dislikes. They work very well for resort skiing, where mine get used most frequently, and when I have been able to do some backcrountry they haven't given me any problems.

Pros: This is definately an all mountain binding. There isn't anything that I'm not willing to try in them. Very durable. I just got back from a week in the wasach with them and the performed supurbly.



Cons: First, they ride very high under foot, which took a day or two to get use to. The extra elevation through my balance off at first and created a bit of a learning curve. Though it didn't take long to over come, and now seems like a minor complaint. Though the height adds extra weight.

Secondly, I wish they were more compatable with more boot options, for instance I saw a pair the other day that were better capable with using a climbing boot.

Great backcountry/resort bindings for those that venture beyond the ropes. I've had mine for a month and so far they have been used 3 times. They are very easy to use and feel natural, just slightly higher than standard alpine bindings.



The heel latch also turns into a climbing bar (with 3 positions), which makes the steeps much more comfortable and enjoyable. It takes a little skill, but the latch can easily be moved with a ski pole.



So far, the only problem I have encountered is locking the heel down after freeheeling up a slope. Snow gets compacted and needs to be chipped off before the hell can be secured.



I would recommend this to anyone interested in backcountry skiing.

These are great Randonee bindings. I got them about two months ago, and I've skied them about 20 times since then. They really do tackle any kind of terrain. I've used them for steeps at Silverton, mellow blues at resorts, big-mountain descents, and mild tours.



Cons: They do ride high, and that took a day or two to get used to.

The new model has a different raiser. It's a little awkward to raise the elevator with a pole. I have to wrench my pole damn near to the ground to go to high-El.



Pros: I think this is the best binding for Randonee. It has its drawbacks, but AT is still a newer concept.

Third season of using these bindings so I've now pisted skied, off pisted skied and toured for about twelve weeks in total on them. I have no desire to go back to anything else. As stated above they are a Jack of all trades but are also a good master!

The Freeride and the Explore bindings are basically the same binding but one has a brake and the other does not (but it can be easily added).

Why did I not use these bindings years ago?

Overall I am very happy with these bindings. I ski the Freeride plus model, and they are as durable as an alpine binding. In two seasons of heavy use my only problem with them was that they switched into touring mode once while on a ski descent.

I have about 20 days on my pair of Fritchi's and overall I have been happy with them. They are not perfect...as an aggressive skier I still desire a binding that feels like a traditional ski binding that keeps you closer to the ski, but I chose this binding over the Marker Duke because it walks much better.

Pros:
Light weight
Many different levels of walk mode
The bindings are mounted in such a way that often allows you to use boots of different sizes so that you can swap with friends or swap among your own boots

Cons:
Heel released into tour mode once during a descent for me
Changes the way a ski feels because you are so high off of the ski

While certainly not as light as their Dynafit equivalents, the Fritchi's get the job done. Just like that Toyota you have, it works great most of the time - except for when the gas gets stuck and you go for a ride! While I haven't experienced it, one of my good friends gave me some valuable advice for steep terrain - pick up a pair of cotter pins at a hardware store - so to prevent "acci-tele" mode, where sometimes when going from steep to moderate in a few seconds, the heel will release. Placing the cotter pin in there will solve this issue. While I haven't experienced it, I'm just not a very good skiier so most of my experience is on terrain less than 45 degrees.

On the good side, they are light, walk with ease, easy to adjust, and generally get the job done. You don't notice them, which is a good thing about things like ski bindings, where you should be minding things other than that nagging binding while descending the fun stuff...