Kickstarter.com - SI&I Alpine Ski Touring System
The developers of the SI&I Alpine Ski Touring System by CAST have reached out on Kickstarter.com to get their concept for the ultimate touring system off the ground. The idea is to provide a setup that is both light wight for the up but yet durable for the down. Here is some more information on their product.
CAST is derived from the collective noun for a group of hawks and named in honor of CAST’s founding member Ryan Hawks. CAST’s innovative patent pending designs have created a product unlike any other on the ski market. The SI&I binding system utilizes the most efficient ski touring capabilities available and couples them with high performance alpine bindings. The result is a binding system that sacrifices nothing in terms of performance, as the ascent and descent components work independently of each other. There is no added footprint to the binding, allowing the ski to flex naturally with minimal added weight.
The SI&I binding system has been designed to be highest performing Alpine Touring option for both the up and the down. We believe we have achieved this. Our head tester, professional skier Silas Chickering-Ayers won the 2011-2012 Freeskiing World Tour stop at Snowbird on the SI&I system (check the video out here: Silas’ Winning Snowbird Run). In the following days, using the same skiing equipment, he completed a 10,000 vertical foot day tour, to the summit of Mount Rainier proving the versatility and ruggedness of the system.
THE IDEA
As professional skiers, CAST’s members are always pushing the limits of skiing and the ski industry products, it’s our job and our passion. Our product line grew from a frustration with the current options in the ski binding industry and their incapability of keeping up with our skiing performance demands. This frustration is pervasive among top tier alpine skiers; these are our competitors, skiing partners and friends. As the fastest growing market in the ski industry the Alpine Ski Touring or ‘AT’ niche of skiing is rapidly evolving, and CAST has developed hardware allowing it to take a leap forward in performance and usability. Alpine Touring is when one uses specialized bindings to essentially walk into/up your ski lines, when lifts are not available, with a hinged toe and unlocked heel. When you reach a point where you wish to downhill ski, you fix your heel, in one of several ways depending on the system used, allowing you to ski as you normally would on lift access terrain.
Existing AT bindings are either geared toward getting you up the mountain while touring, or down the mountain while skiing. And while there are options out there, they still constrain skiers to certain hardware. Simply put, they are a compromise. The revolutionary thinking was CAST realizing that any binding attempting to do both would sacrifice performance in one way or another, so we created the SI&I binding system. This system allows you to easily (in seconds) change from using a touring binding setup to the alpine binding of your choice. The SI&I system eliminates compromise, it puts you on task specific gear allowing you to AT with confidence in your equipment, with the equipment you desire, period.
THE HARDWARE MAKING IT POSSIBLE
The key to CAST’s SI&I system is combining the best of the downhill skiing hardware and the touring hardware in the simplest possible way. In the backcountry you need reliable equipment, this means utilitarian and tough. Over the three years of testing, this is the hardware we’ve come up with.
- Cast aluminum body for the mount plate which is then CNC machined to precise tolerances.
- High precision laser cut aluminum for the slider plates. These attach to the tech and downhill toe pieces allowing them to slide in and out of the mount plate during your binding change over.
- Wire formed steel climbing bails for your heels to keep you balanced on any terrain.
- Laser cut steel locking mechanisms to make sure your toe pieces don’t go anywhere while in use.
- Injection molded high density plastic formed for the heel lifter making the toe and heel pieces of your binding the same height.
- Cast stainless steel tech insert and molded plastic for the boot lifters allowing boots to step into Tech and Alpine bindings with no change over.
SKIER BOYZ!!!!!
What set up do they use to make the race boot Dynafit toe compatible?
Great idea…although carrying dynafits and switch’em up every time sounds like a drag….the same drag as baron’s/dukes…wich im gettin tired of btw
don’t know why you couldn’t just ski with the Dynafit toe piece and alpine heel.
the turntable heel relies on the heel releasing……the dynafit toe relies on the heel releasing. skiing the dynafit toe with turntable heel would lock you in pretty snugly. probably a little too snugly.
Meant to say “the turntable heel relies on the TOE releasing”
This would defeat the purpose of the entire system. The idea is to ride on reliable bindings that allow you to charge yet have a dependable and forgiving release mechanism. Basically allowing for choice in ones preferred and trusted binding.
I saw Carston on these a few weeks ago, wondering what they were.. any chance you can add different binders on there?? not a fan of the butthole killers
Jerry, these are the bindings that currently work with the SI&I.
Current Compatible Bindings: Rossignol FKS 15 and 18, Look Pivot 15 and 18, Tyrolia Peak T.H. 15, X T. H. 18, 4FRNT Deadbolt 15 and 18, and Head Mojo 15 and 18 bindings
Our next step is to expand this list, thus making this system cheaper for everyone but we have to start somewhere.
What is this and how would it make its way into a pair of Alpine boots?
“Cast stainless steel tech insert and molded plastic for the boot lifters allowing boots to step into Tech and Alpine bindings with no change over”
David, we have designed a lifter (essentially a race lifter) that has a built in tech toe. This allows any hard soled boots along with a growing list of other boots, to be modified with a small tweak to standard boot fitting practices.
Interesting concept. Would be sweet to see but they sure don’t seem very enthusiastic about it
i like the idea but youre not exactly dropping much weight by carrying those extra toepieces in your bag when you climb
weight on your foot and weight in your bag makes a big difference
Have you ever seen a touring-system with real bindings that is actually reliable and safer than the Look p18? “Marker duke, Solomon Guardian” you say? They both have a very high ride height and they are not more solid or more safe than a set of look p18. I rather have the p18 bindings in my back and hike up with a tech binding that weights about 150g? Then ride my solid and reliable look binding on the way down.
it looks like only a bit of extra weight. balance it out by just packing 5 beers instead of 6.
for the man who wants the weight of the pivot with the convenience of having to replace their toe piece at the top and bottom of each run
hoji doesnt seem to have a problem with dynafiddles.
Dynafits have been skiing gnar long before EH.
Quick research (Via backcountry.com):
Look Pivots: 2.5 kgs
Dynafit TLT Radical FTs: 1.2 kgs
Solomon Guardians: 2.96 kgs
Marker Dukes: 2.78 kgs,
….SI&Is .250 kgs
Their setup ends up being 2.75 kgs when riding and when its in your backpack, just lighter than the dukes. Worth it to put some of that wieght in your back on the way up? Maybe…
& to the previous anonymous: Hoji and many others (so far as I can tell) lock down their toe piece while riding Dynafits as they’ve been known to release otherwise, sorta playing russian roullette with their knees.
Dynafit announced the 18 din, pivoting (releasible) toe big mountain iteration for next year at a price of a grand, kinda steep.
Dig the ideas guys! Love to see people trying to figure this one out!
well said
Ah the classic dilemma of weight v. Performance. Personally I think you can’t beat Dynafit up and Pivot 18 down. Ok. Cool. Put that aside. Almost nobody but a Pro goes 10 miles uphill and 100000 vert downhill on 65 degree terrain at 75 mph. Yeah great to have the versatility, maybe this is the best it will ever get, but who needs it? Get 5 pairs and stock them in the quiver for the next 3 years just like you always have.
Looks like a great concept, but to make it work they would have to work out a deal with dynafit to sell cheap toe pieces otherwise you would have to drop 400 bones just for a toepiece
Spark snowboard bindings sell toes only…..
Not bad.
Not to mention, you have to strap up the brakes manually as well. You might as well shell out the $1000 for the new dynafit 16 din next year. It will cost you just as much as purchasing 2 separate binding systems along with their plate and a conversion kit for your boots.
Well it will cost you $600. So not quite. The goal is to have most binding platforms compatible in the future (see above for the current list of compatible bindings) but we have to start somewhere. Plus, you only need one pair of skis for in and out of bounds with the SI&I making things a lot cheaper right off the bat.
Is this an alternative to having to waitt for my splitboard friends fiddle fuck with their spit board. I don’t get it. take two steps forward to take four back. Hoji’s coming out with the beast soon. These jokers are trying to reinvent the wheel instead of an original Idea. Day wreckers would be lighter in your pack.
great idea. the market for these is pretty small now but they’re right that it’s growing. best of luck to you
what should the si&i system cost?
$275 without tech toes or boot mod. $600 with boot mod and tech toe.
So you are looking at 600$ and the cost of a binding? plus 400$ for FKS’s right?
Yes, but the idea is that you buy this to work with a binding you already have making it cheaper than other options (for example a whole new setup). We will also be releasing another tech slider plate allowing people to use the tech toe they already have. Eventually we hope to have enough hardware available so this is just a low cost add on allowing people to have a touring setup on their normal equipment.
Too specialized to be anything more than a niche product. Mainstream bindings in the next few years will continue to minimize any current advantages of the system.
http://www.earnyourturns.com/15526/backcountry-binding-fritschis-zenith-12/
12 din, lateral toe release, mode switch without stepping out of binding. Fritschi is about to kill the game.
Also, half the price of the beast.
Still beats what dynafits got even with the new bindings coming out, This is the only setup where you can skin via dynafit stride in a 150 flex race boot, im sorry the touring boots out there are garbage, 3 buckle nonsense, ill take a doberman any day and this makes it doable. Good job.
you my friend dont have a clue
3 buckles where do you live? under a rock? theirs been 4 buckle AT boots out for several yrs with supposed 130 flex. If your skiing race boots in the bc whats the point their made for icy hard pack water infused race courses. You ski with no style if your boots are that stiff bud. and you obviously havent spent any time figuring out a tech binding… see HoJi’s helmet cam vids. Stomps it in dynafit and soft AT boots must be not of this earth according to your theory
Squawbrobrah is a little ornery, and wrong. While Hoji does stomp on dynafit, he also locks them out, guarantee it. I like my knees and legs a lot, not so keen on that. Elastic releasing bindings are far superior to any tech binding. And maybe that’s just Hoji’s choice (or has to be because he skis for them) but you can’t say people don’t have style because of what they choose to ride. Go look at the FWT and see what all those guys ride and then tell me who has style. You can go with techs in and out of bounds all day, I’ll be laughing at you when I’m pointing falling and your heel comes out as you try to keep up. Expanding peoples choice is what it’s all about, there is no such thing as a silver bullet in ski gear.
So what happens when you send the big line and dont stick it. When you’re falling and your ski pops off is there any chance that the toe piece will slide out and you’ll lose it? Then you’re truly boned.
So what happens… you’ve already psyched yourself out. You are going to lose it
You put your dynafit toe piece in and limp it back to home.
Kinda like this? https://web.mobilerider.com/clients/MSI/fwt/api/share/65425
Oh yea then he had to ski down the rest of the way, not the most mellow run I’ve ever seen. Seems to be doing pretty well.
We´ll see in the next months, but what can suppose:
Dynafit Beast -> price far too high (1000 = are you kidding me???)
Duke/Guardian/… -> too heavy (different, limited field of application)
Cast SI&I -> sliding out toe piece?, price?, replacing toe piece (for me only an ,hopefully cheap, inconvenient compromise)
Fritischi Zenith -> acceptable price, lateral toe release, light, stable,…
=> Fritschis seems to be future backcountry all day solution no.1
did you see the Vid, the binder blew up. Plastic heel lifts… waste of time, going to break at the hinge point. similar probs with the FreeRide… Plastic parts in the heel tour mode= shit.
my only complaint with tech binders is the exposed moving part under toe. ie wet snow turn ice as gaining elevation have to clean out with knife. Fritschis’ Zenith expands upon this with more moving parts to freeze and or just break. More moving parts=weaker and fiddle fuck with and really sets you up for a really bad day in the bc
Dyna Fit : worried about your knee keep the shitty plastic toe lever in Alpine mode. you’ll come out if you need to. Want the confidence lock em down in Tour. Your heel will pop before your toe releases. Im sure were going to see DIN of 14 and 16 soon and it looks to me HoJis working on an awesome toe release. Screw it buy it at REI with your dividend at full price and get a lifetime warranty
This Zenith thing that I hope we all never see again is so not thought out. I cant believe they brought this shit to SIA and then let some one film him. poor attempt at challenging the market and Dynfit to come out with something better
Keep it Aluminium and Titanium!!
MFD all time is FTW
MFD ALL TIME is THE BEst
Mfd all time is one everyone should get I love MFD all time every day.
You are so right it is the only way to go!
a good, but heavy way to go. depends on your sort of use…
MFDFTW
Hi there, You’ve done an excellent job. I will definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I’m
confident they’ll be benefited from this website.
….shit