Pin binding with lots of functions and great reliability with low weight.
With the Xenic, Fritschi is once again breaking new ground. They are the only binding manufacturer to date to depart from the classic knee lever system for closing the front pins. Although the knee lever system is simple (and that's a good thing), it does have a problem that can ruin everyday touring for ski tourers. When open, snow or ice can accumulate under the "knee", which prevents the binding from closing completely and leads to false releases because the binding snaps open again too quickly. Because the toggle system on pin bindings only works with minimal movement, even a little snow in the binding can cause the binding to snap open at the slightest impact. Fritschi wanted to eliminate this snapping, and their solution is a closed system in which the pins or pin arms can be moved horizontally. This means that no snow can prevent them from closing completely, nor can a blow lead to premature release. In terms of operation, however, the front head does not differ in any way from a conventional pin binding type. Although the rear head is not quite as revolutionary, it offers much more functionality than comparable binding types in terms of weight. The most outstanding feature is certainly that the lateral and horizontal release can be defined individually. This is not a matter of course with such a light head. The big advantage of this is of course that the binding can be individually adjusted to the weight and skiing style of the skier. It is also striking that the Xenic is mounted on the same base plate as the Vipec and Tecton and that the tower on which the binding rotates sideways is correspondingly very wide and also very flat. This makes the rear binding head very stable and at the same time quite elastic. In other words, the Xenic is also designed to prevent false releases at the rear by centering again cleanly after a hit. Packing so much functions into 280 grams (325 with stopper) is of course exciting and makes the binding particularly interesting for ski touring enthusiasts who want to save weight but still expect the best possible safety and reliability. Or who want to rely on a Swiss quality product that stands out from the competition through innovation in a creative way.
