Dynafit Blacklight Plus Binding, 105 mm review: specs, sizing and what it costs you
The Dynafit Blacklight Plus Binding, 105 mm sits in the under-$500 budget tier. Published specifications: Type Tech pin, Brake Optional, Use Fast and light touring. Best for: A tourer doing long days who values a fast, reliable transition.
The Dynafit Blacklight Plus Binding, 105 mm is a touring binding in the under-$500 budget tier, and this page is the short version of everything published about it: the manufacturer's own specifications, who it suits, what it gives up against the alternatives, and where it sits on the shelf it competes on. We have not skied this item and we do not pretend to have. Everything below is researched from published specifications, published certification standards and verified owner reviews.
Dynafit invented this binding category and the Blacklight is their current light-touring answer. Step-in feel is noticeably better than the cheapest pin bindings, which matters when you are transitioning on a windy ridge with cold hands.
A tech binding holds the boot on four steel pins and weighs roughly a third of an alpine binding, which is the entire reason it exists. It is not an alpine binding with a walk mode: release behaviour differs, many models are not certified to the alpine standard, and none of them belong under a resort ski.
Published specifications
These are the manufacturer's figures, not measurements we took. Specifications change between model years and between sizes, and a listing tied to one size is exactly that, so confirm the numbers on the retailer page for the size you are actually buying before you commit.
| Category | Touring bindings |
|---|---|
| Brand | Dynafit |
| Budget | Under $500 |
| Tier | Intermediate |
| Type | Tech pin |
| Brake | Optional |
| Use | Fast and light touring |
| Used for | Backcountry touring, outside a ski area boundary |
Who it suits
A tourer doing long days who values a fast, reliable transition.
What it costs you
Light means less elastic travel. Aggressive skiing on firm snow is not what it is for.
That trade is worth stating plainly because it is the thing a product page will never tell you. Nothing in snow sports is free: every gram removed from a ski comes out of its damping, every degree of cuff rotation added to a boot comes out of its downhill stiffness, and every dollar saved on a shell comes out of either the fabric or the features. The question is never whether an item has a weakness, it is whether that particular weakness lands on the days you actually ski.
Where it sits on the shelf
It is the least expensive touring binding on this shelf, which makes it the entry point rather than the compromise.
Compared with the rest of the shelf
| Touring bindings | Tier | Budget | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dynafit Blacklight Plus Binding, 105 mm (this page) Rotating toe | Intermediate | Under $500 | BC category Amazon |
| Marker Alpinist 8 Touring Bindings Lightest way in | Beginner | Under $500 | BC category Amazon |
| Marker Alpinist 12 Touring Bindings Wider range | Intermediate | Under $1,000 | BC category Amazon |
| Dynafit Superlite 150+ Alpine Touring Binding Uphill obsessive | Expert | Under $1,000 | BC category Amazon |
| ATK Raider Evo Free Touring Binding Freeride touring | Expert | Under $1,000 | BC category Amazon |
Prices are what the retailer listed when this page was last checked and change constantly. We earn commissions from Backcountry and from qualifying Amazon purchases, and every outbound link in this table is one or the other. A button reading "BC category" opens a Backcountry search for that category rather than that exact model, so it finds comparable gear alongside it.
How to shop this category
A tech binding, also called a pin binding, holds the boot on four steel pins that engage fittings moulded into the toe and heel of a compatible touring boot. That is the entire reason it exists: it weighs roughly a third of an alpine binding, and on a long climb that difference is felt continuously. It is not an alpine binding with a walk mode, and treating it as one is the mistake this category produces.
Release behaviour differs in ways that matter. Elastic travel, the amount a binding can deflect and return without releasing, is far smaller than on an alpine binding, which is why pin bindings pre-release more readily in chop and why they are less forgiving inbounds. Many models are not certified to the alpine standard at all, and the ones certified to ISO 13992 are tested against a touring standard rather than the alpine one. The numbers printed on the heel are not directly equivalent to an alpine DIN.
Weight, range and features are the shopping axes after compatibility. A minimal race-style binding can be under 200 grams and has no brake and limited adjustment. A mid-weight touring binding around 300 to 400 grams with a brake and a proper release range is the practical answer for most people. A freeride touring binding over 500 grams skis closest to alpine and climbs worst. Confirm your boot has the right toe and heel fittings, and confirm the brake width against your ski, before buying either.
A tech binding is not an alpine binding
Pin bindings hold the boot on four steel points engaging fittings moulded into the toe and heel. That system saves enormous weight and it behaves differently in a fall: elastic travel is far smaller, many models are not certified to ISO 13992 or the alpine standard at all, and the numbers printed on the heel are not directly equivalent to an alpine DIN. Treat the setting as something a shop configures for your boot, treat the boot fittings as a compatibility question to confirm before buying, and never fit a pin binding to a ski you intend to ski inbounds hard.
The three mistakes this category produces
Fitting a tech binding to a ski you intend to ski hard inbounds
The smaller elastic travel and lighter construction are not designed for repeated hard resort skiing. If the ski lives inbounds, use an alpine binding or a hybrid.
Assuming the heel number is a DIN
It is a release value on the binding own scale, tested under a different standard where it is tested at all. Have a shop set it for your boot and do not translate it from an alpine chart in your head.
Buying before checking boot fittings
Tech fittings are not universal, and some touring boots have toe fittings that work poorly with certain toe pieces. Confirm the exact boot and binding pairing.
Looking after it
Keep the toe pin sockets on your boots clean and free of ice, because a packed socket is how a toe fails to lock. Check mounting screws at the start of the season and after any hard landing. Do not walk on rocks in touring boots more than you must, since worn toe fittings are a real failure mode. Have a shop check the release settings annually.
None of that is glamorous and all of it is cheaper than replacing the item. The pattern across every category on this site is the same: snow sports equipment is destroyed by water, heat and neglect far more often than by use, and the difference between gear that lasts three seasons and gear that lasts ten is almost entirely what happens to it in the twenty minutes after you get home.
What to read next
If you are still deciding between models, the full touring bindings roundup ranks the shelf by tier with the same published specifications used here. If you have not settled on the rest of the kit yet, the first backcountry touring setup budgets a complete setup line by line with a running total, which is a more useful way to spend a budget than optimising one item.
For sizing, the calculators cover ski length, snowboard size, mondopoint boot sizing, skin width and the skier code your shop uses to set a binding. The reference charts hold the same numbers in printable table form, and the comparisons work through the decisions where two reasonable options genuinely pull in different directions.
If this is your first piece of backcountry equipment, read avalanche safety basics and how to get into backcountry skiing before you buy anything else. The order that keeps people alive is training first, then the three minimum items, then practise, then everything on this page.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Dynafit Blacklight Plus Binding, 105 mm best for?
A tourer doing long days who values a fast, reliable transition.
What are the drawbacks of the Dynafit Blacklight Plus Binding, 105 mm?
Light means less elastic travel. Aggressive skiing on firm snow is not what it is for.
Are tech bindings safe?
They are the accepted standard for backcountry travel and are used by essentially every ski tourer, but they behave differently from alpine bindings and should be understood that way. Elastic travel is smaller, so pre-release in rough snow is more likely, and many models are not certified to the alpine release standard. Have the settings configured by a shop for your specific boot, and do not treat the printed number as an alpine DIN.
Can I use my alpine boots with a tech binding?
No, unless the boot has tech fittings moulded into the toe and heel. Most alpine boots do not. Some hybrid boots have both tech fittings and alpine soles, and those are the crossover option, but the fittings have to be there.
Do I need brakes on a touring binding?
Brakes are convenient and worth having for most people, particularly for anyone who skis the resort on the same setup. Leashes are the lighter alternative and are what race and ultralight setups use, at the cost of a ski that stays attached to you in a slide, which is its own hazard.
How much lighter is a tech binding than an alpine binding?
Roughly a third of the weight for a mid-weight touring model against a typical alpine binding, and under a quarter for a minimal race binding. Over a 3,000 foot climb that difference is lifted every step, which is why the category exists at all.
How we choose: we compare published manufacturer specifications, published certification standards and verified owner reviews across retailers. We do not test equipment in person, and every figure quoted here is the manufacturer's published number unless we say otherwise. This is researched buying guidance and not professional instruction: binding release values are set by a certified technician on a calibrated jig, and avalanche terrain requires formal training and a current regional forecast that no article can replace.
