Dynafit fittings in Alpine boots(a how to guide)

[laseranimal]

FYI I'm not done with it, so this is still a work in progress, but there's really no step by step guide on the web, just Lou's article showing the final product. So here goes


First off, locate thrashed dynafit compatible boots(in this case a pair of Scarpa F1's)

Now remove the vibram sole in the boot toe



I used a hammer and a flat head screwdriver to pry the vibram away from the boot

Next you have to get the toe fitting out, I didn't have access to a grinder so I had to chisel it out. Don't worry about hurting the plate, its hella strong. Just remove all of the plastic surrounding it and then pry it out, once you remove the surrounding plastic it comes out pretty easy




this is what you're after



here's a pic of the toe without the fitting


Now remove the DIN sole from your Alpine boot and try to somehow attach the dynafit insert plate to the toe, for me I simply screwed through the holes in the Dynafit plate using the existing screws and holes used by the DIN sole



now use the binding to center the plate in the boot and mark the location of the inserts(btw I put both boots in the binding and shuffled across the carpet and was amazed at how smooth the stride was even without a walk function)



I decided against dremelling out the holes for the inserts tonight because I'm tired and don't want to mess it up, but the toe seems like its going to be pretty simple to finish off. I may need to throw some kind of plastic spacer + epoxy/jb weld in to take up the space between the plate and the sole but other then that I think there should be no further problems.

Now here's the part where I'm stumped

I've pulled the heel fittings off the F1's with no problem whatsoever, but when I pull the DIN sole off the heel on my alpines I'm stuck with this:


the area where the two bars are at the top of the picture is completely hollow, and the fitting needs to be recessed into the boot, so I'm not sure how to get around this. My initial thought was to fill the area with Epoxy or JB Weld and then use a dremel tool to grind out the space I need, but I'm not positive thats the right way to go.

Maggot input?

[corn dog]

These look even more like tele boots now.




Good luck, you're a brave man.

[Eds]

These look even more like tele boots now.

Good luck, you're a brave man.

+1


We should find someone who has a CNC machine and some know how, I'm not huge on taking apart expensive boots.
Oh yeah, also, are you sure you won't have problems with the ramp angle of your boots (on the bindings)? It looks like the scarpa's have an indent for the dynafit plate.

[pechelman]

maybe im missing something here

but why does it need to be recessed into the heel?
are you still planning on using them with alpine bindings? (if so the answer to my 1st q is obvious)

but if youre not, then just cut a small slot so it doesnt swivel around and just bolt it to the outside.

otherwise, id probably try to go a bit more hardcore than just JB weld, but that would probably work. Id probably try to find a similar plastic material, cut and grind it to size, and then epoxy the shit out of it in there so its more solid. then cut your recess and your 2 grooves for the heel pins, and then just make sure the central bolt that holds the heel metal plate dealy on, goes through both the boot and the insert\epoxies peice.

also, will the peice have to be recessed more than the thickness of the existing material? if so, maybe a metal backing plate? something like .065 sheet steel bonded in place between the boot and that insert i described above (or jb weld stick aka quick steel)

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

Go to Salvation Army and buy a five dollar pair of boots to cut the heels out of to get thick chunks of the correct durometer plastic, then go to auto body shop after carving/fitting all your pieces and have them plastic weld all that shit together.

[LeeLau]

Best use of Scarpa F1s I have seen. two thumbs up

[laseranimal]

Pech, yeah I still want to use them in my Alpine bindings

It doesn't need to be completely recessed I just don't wanna tear out the fitting or ski with less forward pressure in an alpine boot

Eds I'm going to grind the toe so that the dynafit plate sits flush, then I'm sure I'm going to have to add some material to fill that void.

the other problem is that I'm gonna have to go to comforts/st's if I want to use the boots cause the Classics I have won't adjust far enough

[powstash]

Lou would be proud

[Dirk Diggler]

You're nuts. Why don't you just buy some Spirit 4's. Hope it all works out and you don't trash two pair of boots.

[laseranimal]

You're nuts. Why don't you just buy some Spirit 4's. Hope it all works out and you don't trash two pair of boots.

cause I can't get spirits into Alpine bindings, if I pull this off, I can ski dynafits and alpines with one pair of boots

[Dirk Diggler]

I'm pulling for you. At 215lbs you'll put that mod to the test. Are you going to try to add vibram soles like Idris did a couple years back?

[laseranimal]

no vibram keeping the DIN sole

it would be so much easier if I could just find an alpine binding that safely accepts an AT sole so I could ski my Pow Plus's and PE's without having to lug an extra pair of boots.

[snoboy]

Where did this end up? Are you ripping it up on your Dynafitted Dalbellos yet?

[laseranimal]

Not done yet

finding a pair of Freeride Aero's for a steal has made putting fittings in an alpine boot less of a priority for me

now that I'm not using the shells I might get around to doing it as a summer project cause I think its a worthy challenge

[snoboy]

Very worthy. I've got my eyes open for some Flexons in my size to do similar things with. Hoping they might be a bit more comfy to tour in than a wrap style alpine boot.

[leroy jenkins]

The part I would be worried about is how you attached the metal plate to the toe of the boot. Those screws into plastic are fine to hold the alpine sole on, since there would be no strain on it, but metal screws into plastic do not seem like they'd be enough to hold the dynafit plate on, especially since there is all the strain in the world on that link.