In a July 15 press release, Dynafit announced the recall of the Khion ski boot. The Khion, released for winter 2015-16, is a four-buckle freeride boot that was intended to balance chargeability on the descent with lightweight movability on the ascent. This voluntary recall pertains to all North American-distributed men’s and women’s models of both the carbon and non-carbon Khion.
“No injuries have been reported. However, for the safety of our customers we are issuing a precautionary, voluntary recall in North America for all Khion ski boot models,” Dynafit explains in the press release.
Dynafit reports that the reason for the recall is primarily related to a faulty walk/ski mechanism in which improper tooling led to too much play in the mechanism. To solve this issue, Dynafit released a plastic shim that temporarily eliminated issues with the feature.
“People expect [Dynafit] products to last forever, so to have something out that isn’t perfect [isn’t desirable],” says Dynafit sales manager Ross Herr. “The recall is an opportunity for us as a brand to prove our quality commitment to our customers rather than dealing only in warranties.”
A secondary defect Dynafit is addressing with the recall is over-flexion. The Khion was fitted with bumpers intended to create stiffness on the descent—for certain users, these bumpers did not activate appropriately, resulting in the boot over-flexing at times, Herr explains.
Finally, a couple of cracked shells in the carbon version of the Khion led the company to move forward with recall measures.
Dynafit advises that even if customers own a pair of non-faulty Khions, they should cease to use them. Not all boots are defective, but they’re advising caution for all Khion owners and are offering replacement boots or a full refund to recall participants.
For this winter, Dynafit will be releasing a new and improved version of the Khion to be dubbed The Beast. The Beast, designed with solutions to the problems of the Khion, will also boast a new liner, a new shape, power strap and more bumpers along the Achilles to further stiffen the boot. In effect, Dynafit will be replacing the Khion with a new take on a hard-charging backcountry freeride boot for winter 2016-17.
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For more information, visit dynafit.com.
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