While the Atomic Shift comes in a little heavyweight, yet retains high downhill performance, the ST Rotation 12 comes in lightweight at only the slightest sacrifice to downhill performance. It’s always a tradeoff with these kind of things but this binding is good for a variety of ski touring and resort-based backcountry stuff. Let’s take a look at the features that give the ST Rotation its level of performance.
The ST Rotation 12 has a similar construction to that of the Radical 2.0 – the first tech binding to incorporate a rotating toe in order to smooth out the “locked in” feeling of traditional tech bindings (because of this the Radical 2.0 was one of the first to gain DIN certification).
“The ST Rotation 12 comes in lightweight at only the slightest sacrifice to downhill performance”
One frustration with the Radical 2.0 was with this pivoting toe. Users frequently found that as they were stepping into the freely-rotating to piece, they’d need to keep to their boot perfectly straight to lock out into touring mode, or to then step into the heel pins. It was one of those easier said than done scenarios that had the potential to become irritating quickly.
Fortunately, Dynafit have solved this common problem by updating the toe so that it’s able to recenter itself once you’ve stepped in – meaning that you’ll avoid the faff of trying to perfectly realign the toe before stepping in.
The ST Rotation can be seen as a beefed up version of the original TLT binding first created by Dynafit, with some additional features chucked in the mix to enhance its ease of use.
These features include side towers in the toe that’ll help you easily locate the toe of the binding, allowing you to easily and quickly step in. Dynafit have also used aluminium components over steel, helping to save around 30 – 50g per binding.
And finally, we love that there’s a 7 DIN version of the ST Rotation – making it the lowest DIN tech binding on the market. The low DIN makes it ideally suited for lighter weight and younger skiers looking to get into ski touring.
If you don’t like the fact that you’re unable to get your boot completely flat to the ski whilst touring on the Shift and/or you’re looking to shave more weight from your binding for all day touring usability, then you should definitely take a look at the Dynafit ST Rotation 12.
“There’s a 7 DIN version of the ST Rotation – making it the lowest DIN tech binding on the market”
Coming in at an impressive weight of 599g, compared to the Shift’s 850g, and with only a slight downgrade in downhill performance – this binding really is one to consider. And with Dynafit’s reputation for creating some of the most reliable bindings on the market, you’re buying into an excellent safety record when you purchase one of their products.
Industry Insider
Mark Mitchell, Dynafit Sales Rep
“TUV Certified pin binding that tours exceptionally well but when in ski mode with the aid of the rotational toe skis downhill incredibly well. The rotational toe is not only safer buy gives the elasticity that you feel in an alpine binding. With a release setting of 12 you can really push these bindings, with the correct ski and boot there is no compromise anymore”
Expert’s Verdict
Chris Fecher, NZMGA Assistant Ski Guide, BASI L4 Instructor
“Apart from looking the complete business paired with the Hojo Pro boot the ST is the classic go to pin binding it always was but on a whole new level. The toe is where design simplicity and function meet, enabling me to ski as hard as I like and enjoying the practicality of quick and simple transitions. The rotation element of the toe design adds another layer of safety.
“The redesigned heel feels sturdy and also gives me the confidence to ski hard in varied conditions.
“I’ve used me current bindings now for two NZ winters and toured around 50days, with another 30 days heli guiding and ski patrol work. The new heal design is stronger with improved wear resistance compared to the old FT ST heal post design.
“The guiding and patrol environment demands performance and dependability. Over all the ST is my go to touring binding and continues to serve me well in this role”
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