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In a for the��ski industry,��Dynafit is extending its tech-binding��warranty from two to ten years. (Warranties from other��manufacturers range from one to three years.)��The brand is calling the new policy a lifetime warranty,��referring to the expected decade-long lifetime of the product. It will apply to bindings purchased during or after the 2019–20 ���𲹲��Dz�.��

For more than 30��years, Dynafit has tracked��how its��bindings perform, how often they are warrantied,��and how long they are typically used. (The brand was the first to debut��pin-style tech bindings,��.)��It��used that data to determine��how long to extend the��guarantee.��Ross Herr, the brand’s sales and marketing manager, says��the timing of this decision is a response to improvements in manufacturing that have resulted in increased durability.��“We have seen this huge reduction in breakage and warranty over the past several years,” says Herr. “We don’t see problems within the ten-year expected lifespan of the binding.”

The shift comes at a time when other major brands, including L.L.Bean and REI, are reeling over��replacement policies.��

“It says a lot to have them go from a two- to a ten-year [warranty], because they’re like, We’re still the best,��we’re still what everybody wants to be,” says Nate Protsman, manager and ski tech at the Estes Park Mountain Shop in Colorado. “It says a lot about the confidence they have in their product.”��

Herr explains that it��reflects informal practices Dynafit has had in place for a while: the company has serviced��its��products long after the original two-year window expired, in an effort to keep customers in the backcountry and using their gear.��

Turning that unspoken practice into official��policy is a way for the brand to differentiate itself in an��increasingly crowded��product category.��Dynafit is one of only two brands��to have had tech bindings on the market for ten years. Until 2005, it held a key patent, preventing competitors from adapting its��own pin-style systems. G3 capitalized on the patent’s expiration and , , in early 2009. Since then, most major binding��brands have come out with their own versions of the tech binding. With the launch of the��innovative��Shift��in 2018,��Salomon has pioneered a new kind of touring binding that achieves better downhill performance with minimal weight penalty, further increasing competition in the category.��

The new warranty states that Dynafit will repair or replace any registered bindings��that fail due to manufacturer defects during the time frame. With good care and normal use, the company says that skiers��can expect their bindings to last through the end of the new warranty. What if��your bindings are installed correctly and aren’t misused��but��break after an off-piste yard sale five years in? “We’ve got you covered,” Herr says. If they fall off your ski rack and get run over by a car? “Bummer, no,” he says.��“But we will likely sell you a spare part for a really great price to hopefully ease the pain.”