First impression
If you know one of the Fritschi Vipec versions, the Tecton will immediately look familiar. This is not surprising, as it shares the front jaw with the current version, the Vipec Evo. This means that, like the latter, it also has lateral release and elasticity on the toe piece as well as the option of release on the ascent, for example in the event of a fall. Thanks to an optimized design of the locking lever, it is now also possible to use all boots without the colour clips familiar from older versions of the Vipec - one lever now fits all boots. However, you still have the option of customizing the colour of the binding.
The big innovation of the Tecton is in the rear jaw. This has no pins, but instead grips the edge of the ski boot like a frame binding, as well as the heel inserts using a type of plastic guide. As a result, the binding not only achieves a high degree of elasticity in the rear jaw, but also optimum lateral stiffness and power transmission when skiing downhill. In addition, unlike many other touring bindings that grip the edge of the ski boot, a minimally pronounced ski boot edge is sufficient to use the binding. To switch the binding to ascent mode, the rear jaw is moved backwards and is therefore out of the way. The two metal climbing aids can be easily activated with the ski pole.
Compared to the Vipec, the Tecton is only a few grams heavier. With a weight of 1260g per pair (including stoppers), the Tecton is in the mid-range of pin bindings and is therefore by no means too heavy to be used on very long tours or ski crossings without any problems.
Of course, the Tecton also fits the famously ingenious Fritschi crampons, which penetrate deep into the snow even when using climbing aids and thus always offer good grip.
Tester and test conditions
I am 183cm tall, weigh about 75kg and ski a lot, mostly on ski tours. However, downhill skiing is particularly important to me, which is why I don't shy away from slightly heavier material on the ascent either. I was able to test the new Tecton on around 10 days in the second half of March last season, covering a wide range of conditions. In addition to a day with deep fresh snow, which quickly became very wet, there were also mixed spring conditions with hard snow, firn and slush. In order to be able to take a closer look at the downhill performance, I also skied the binding on and off-piste on two days in the ski resort. The ski used was a Scott Cascade 110 in 189cm.
Practical test
The test of the Tecton begins with getting into the binding. While this took some getting used to with the first versions of the Vipec, it is now really great with the new Vipec Evo and Tecton toe pieces. The boot can be positioned really easily and then clicks reliably first into the toe piece and then into the back piece. The movement sequence is similar to that of an alpine or frame binding and should probably help the current Fritschi models to first place in the "pin binding with the easiest entry" ranking.
To get out of the binding, as is usual with pin bindings, the lever on the toe piece is pressed down, releasing the boot. Before re-entering the boot, the rear jaw must be opened again, which may seem unusual at first.
