Gear Review: Dynafit Radical ST 10 Ultralight Binding

Tiny parts lead to powerful turns with the Radical ST. And low weight (just over a pound per binding) doesn’t mean flimsy—it’s made of forged aluminum for greater durability. The heelpiece features a vertical release mechanism with traditional alpine DIN settings. (DIN settings let users adjust the “tightness” of the binding so they can control the force required to eject them during a crash—a great safety feature.) Newly designed side towers, located on each side of the toepiece, help dramatically when it comes to aligning your Dynafit-compatible boot toes with the tiny pin grabbers. And the bars also reduce lateral movement during impact or stress, like hitting a rock or bogging down in heavy snow—a feature one tester pushed during an early-summer ski tour on the Continental Divide.

“I’ve been skeptical of Dynafit technology in really serious conditions. But after the first few turns, I felt as secure as I do on my regular step-ins.” Gone, too, are the days of futzing with the heelpiece to rotate it to different climbing heights. With the ST, you rotate just once, and then flick the heel lifters up and down with your pole. Like with previous models, it’s possible to keep your toe locked down while changing climbing heights, but several testers griped that going back to a fixed heel position (after touring) was more difficult due to a obligatory three-quarter turn of the heel unit.

$490 (w/ brakes)

2 lbs. 3 oz.; one size

dynafit.com