Freerides popping into Walk mode

Saturday while on this trip with Sobchack and Gimpy, I had my Freeride pop into Walk mode as I was making jump turns down a couloir. Luckily I was towards the bottom of the chute, and I immediately noticed it after one turn (duh) and was able to just stop and lock it back down....but it definitely has me sketched out.

Last year, I had a Diamir I pop into Walk mode while making high-speed GS turns out of Bloody Couloir which resulted in a nasty crash & hematoma on my thigh. I was hoping that with the Freeride, this problem wouldn't rear its head again, but it did....

My Freerides are mounted on some 190 Solly AK Rockets (the green ones). They are VERY soft. I'm thinking the rapid cambering / de-cambering of the ski while making jump turns on firm snow caused the failure.....which absolutely sucks....has this happened to anyone else?

I don't remember it ever happening when I had them on my AK Launchers, but it happened once using Seth Pistols - luckily it was in a lift line. It was early in the day and they were borrowed skis, so maybe it just wasn't securely locked into place when I started. And I remember a friend of mine said that happened to him with Freerides on his G4s. Very disconcerting, but at least it didn't end up being catastrophic. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt in my experience and say it could possibly have been user error even though it popped loose after a run.

Ive had this happen numberous times on my R:EXs. Dont really understand it but at least i havent got seriously hurt.

Mr. Pink Eye Odin has had this happen a few times also i think.

Yup, happened to me.

High speed gs turns, inbounds, probably 5th run of the day. i was really flexing the ski. (bandit xxx). popped into walk mode, I face planted to ragdoll. One of the worst falls i have taken all year. It was inbounds and I wouldn't usually ski that hard in the b/c.

I will never bring that set-up in bounds again. Equipment failure really sketches me out.

I know we have had this discussion before and didn't we come to the same conclusion, something about flexing the ski? someone smart had an explanation for why it can happen.

hmmm....Has anyone had this happen with Naxo's yet? Does anyone know if Naxo's design is inherently better in anyway regarding this issue?

Luckily, I'm not very confident on my BC skis the way it is (too soft for me) and generally hold back a lot on them. I'm glad I wasn't charging that chute in any way shape or form when the failure occured.

I thought I was sold on Freerides...but now I'm reconsidering Trekkers and Naxos....urrgghhhhh

EDIT: Trekkers OR Naxo's.......not Trekkers IN Naxo's ;)

It happend to me earlier in the season dropping into a chute, and then TWICE at Squaw on Saturday, both times during normal turning behaviour . . . sketched me out cuz you can't get your feet below you when you're falling since the ski just points straight down fall-line from the pivot . . . sketched me out in the open terrain I was on . . . wouldn't want it to happen in seriously sketchy terrain. I've ridden mine over 100 days in bounds/touring and I feel like it's just wear and tear on the connection piece. The heel riser falls when weighted on climbs wiht frequency also, so I feel like the plastic connections may just be worn - anybody ever taken them apart?

My thoughts are going toward having a b/c ski and an inbounds ski to charge on . . . maybe my theories on freeride versatility aren't being upheld.

Pink Eye McGee Here,

I have had this happen to me on both my no ka ois and my roids.

Pow built up under the walk mechanism and when I would land something the snow would jam it up. Also, then there was the time when I walked out of my freerides in a steep couloir on the backside of oddesey and I had a slide for life over (quite literaly) a rock garden.

Boy, I love these bindings.:rolleyes:

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Originally posted by Walter Sobchak
The heel tab on my Freerides wore down and would rattle up and down a little, but it never popped into walk mode. Got the part replaced, and since then I've tried to clear the heel area out thoroughly before locking them down. Sounds like this explain's Odin's walk-outs.

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Under warranty or did ya have to buy it?

Tyrone Shoelaces,

The reason I bought two pairs of Naxo's this year was because the heel locking mechanism cannot pop up in ski mode. The reason is because it locks vertical as opposed to flat on the ski.

in addition to the decambering effect, there is also the 'cambering' effect--i initially had my freerides on a pair of 240ra iggies, while waiting for adam to finish the 275 ffls they were eventually going to go on. they popped into walk a couple of times when the skis really got loaded up hitting compressions and such. the ski flexed alot, mashing the little plastic backstops on the heel-tab, wearing the backstops until they let the binding release into walk mode at speed, with the resulting cartwheel ripping the binding out of the ski, breaking the toepeice baseplate, etc etc. bd replaced them after giving me the 'well we haven't seen this before, so we don't think it's a warranty issue' with me saying 'shut the fuck up and give me new bindings'. haven't had the problem on the 275s, but god, those bindings are such crap. SUCH FUCKING SHITTY BINDINGS. ugh. i'm going to take a valium now.

It hasn't happened to me. I put them on some Atomic Beta Ride 9.22s. I've skied them pretty hard with no ill results.

However, Divegirl and I were recently talking to someone who it did happen to quite often. He had some Sollys with the Pro-link dampeners on. He said that every time he'd make a hard turn, they'd pop out into Walk Mode because the Prolinks would push up on the tab upwards and pop out into walk mode.

Tyrone - do your AK Rockets have them? If this is the case, then there's nothing you can do except for put lifters on under your Freerides, which would give you more room in your turns between the Prolinks and the binding tabs.

I have no idea why they'd pop out on the rest of the skis y'all are skiing on - especially Altagirls friend on the G4s. I can understand how the back would pop out with a softer flexing ski where the tab would get pushed up, but on G4's??? :confused:

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Originally posted by mildbill.
the ski flexed alot, mashing the little plastic backstops on the heel-tab, wearing the backstops until they let the binding release into walk mode at speed

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This sorta sounds like what I was talking about. I would be nice if the dudes at Fritchi read this forum...

If you haven't made tele turns on your freerides you just aren't trying.

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pussies
:D

(to be fair, my walk out was more a combination of the toe box not being tightened down enough - one sheet of paper my ass tighten that damn thing down)

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Originally posted by Hugh Jardon
Tyrone Shoelaces,

The reason I bought two pairs of Naxo's this year was because the heel locking mechanism cannot pop up in ski mode. The reason is because it locks vertical as opposed to flat on the ski.

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aha! Looks like I'll have to go and fondle some Naxo's a little. Thanks for the tip.

uber -- no, AK Rockets don't have the pro-link stuff.

No pro-link on the AK Rockets. The old AK Rockets were long purpose built powder noodles, so they might be one of the easiest skis to flex out of freerides. I was thinking about putting freerides on my 2m Rockets, but now I am not so sure. Thanks for the heads up.

Hasn't happened to me on my Naxos yet and I ski them pretty hard inbounds.

Hasn't happened to me, and I've been on freerides for three seasons now? Two and half? I don't huck, and I do dial it a leeeeeeeetle bit back when on my freerides, but not much. The one and only time the heel has come up was during a nice header in ultra soft corn. In all the other beaters I've taken they've performed admirably. ;)

I'm still sold. Tried and true, they're as good as it gets. But no, they will never be replacements for alpine binders. So don't ski them that way, and you'll be fine.

Freerides on 10.EXs since mid-season 01-02
Freerides on AK Enemies (pretty soft, btw) since mid-season 02-03.

0 scary problems. Sorry they haven't been as good for the rest of you.

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Originally posted by Yossarian


I'm still sold. Tried and true, they're as good as it gets. But no, they will never be replacements for alpine binders. So don't ski them that way, and you'll be fine.

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yeah I know so many more people who love them than have had problems, and there are legions of better skiers than I laying down amazing descents with them.....but I'm definitely going to look for something else now (Naxo, Dynafit).....I was skiing that chute so freaking cautiously, and yet, it still popped.....

Hmmmm. I'm so glad I just bought some. I probably won't put them to a whole lot of use and I'm not that big, so I'm not that concerned about wearing them out quickly, but I'm definitely thinking that I should think twice about putting them on Pistols- or on XXXs, for that matter, given that I would like to use those inbounds once in a while.

Fix your problem, Free your heel.....


:D

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Originally posted by Telenater
Free your heel.....


:D

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That sir, is EXACTLY the problem!

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Originally posted by Tyrone Shoelaces
That sir, is EXACTLY the problem!

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At least it won't be unexpected......

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Originally posted by Telenater
At least it won't be unexpected......

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heh, for the most part......

only time my naxos ever had a heel come free was during an extremely messy fall at night... i was already far into the fall and the skis really were banging together...

but never otherwise... even when skiing through brush and branches... or hucking 35ft... or railing in the chop or on the hardpack

Yup, happened to me too.

Dropped 20 ft to cut pow at a pretty high speed. Resulted in a spectacular front flip header. I'm not certain if the binder popping led to the wreck or vice versa.