A new dedicated touring setup costs about $1,750 to $2,900 for skis, bindings, boots and skins, before any avalanche gear. Starting on the downhill skis, boots and bindings you already own costs about $470 to $520, which covers a pair of Daymaker adapters and climbing skins.
No, not to start. With Daymaker Classic adapters you can ski tour in the regular downhill boots you already own. Touring boots walk easier and weigh less, which matters on long days. For laps and day tours, the boots that already fit you are a great place to begin.
Co-Authored By Giray Dadali, co-founder of Daymaker Touring. Professional skier who has toured Utah on every adapter and hybrid system made since 2008.
Short answer: CAST Freetour and Daymaker Tekdapters solve the same problem. Climb on pins, then ski down on a real alpine binding. CAST converts Look Pivot 15 or 18 bindings and mounts a plate to the ski. Daymaker clicks into whatever downhill binding you already own, on any ski, with nothing to mount. If you’re not on Look Pivots, that settles it.
CAST was built by freeskiers Lars and Silas Chickering-Ayers, and serious skiers have taken it into serious terrain. We respect it. Both companies started from the same idea: when you’re dropping into something consequential, you want a downhill binding underneath you. Your release value, your elastic travel, your trust.
Where we differ is how you get there. If you’re still deciding between any adapter and a dedicated setup, touring adapters vs tech bindings covers that first. This post is for skiers who’ve already decided the descent belongs on an alpine binding.
CAST mounts a toe plate to your ski and pairs it with a Look Pivot 15 or 18. For the climb, you swap the Pivot toe piece off the plate and slide a pin-tech touring toe on. At the top, you swap back and ski down on the Pivot. It requires boots with tech inserts.
You can buy the Freetour 2.0 upgrade kit for Pivots you already own, around $420 at retailers, or a complete Freetour 2.0 with Pivot 15 for around $800 to $850.
Tekdapters click straight into your downhill binding, whatever brand it is. The Teklock jaw closes pins onto your boot’s tech toe inserts, and the three-position Pitch Switch handles heel risers. At the top, you collapse them into your pack and click into your binding.
For boots without inserts, Daymaker Classic does the same job in regular downhill boots. CAST has no equivalent.
| CAST Freetour 2.0 | Daymaker Tekdapters | Daymaker Classic | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Works with | Look Pivot 15 or 18 | Any downhill binding | Any downhill binding |
| Mounting | Toe plate mounted to the ski | None | None |
| Boots | Tech inserts required | Tech toe inserts | Regular downhill or GripWalk |
| Ski down on | Look Pivot | Your own binding | Your own binding |
| Tour on more than one ski | Each ski needs its own plate and Pivots | Yes, one pair | Yes, one pair |
| In your pack on the descent | The touring toe | The adapters | The adapters |
| Price | About $420 kit, Pivots extra; about $800 to $850 complete | $299.99 | $319.99 |
CAST pricing from retailer listings, October 2026.
See a side-by-side comparison of every touring setup
That’s a real skier, and CAST serves them well.
One of our customers put it simply: having her downhill binding in the backcountry makes her feel more secure and confident in freeride terrain. That’s the whole point, and it shouldn’t depend on which brand of binding you bought.
Look at your bindings right now. On Pivots, with one ski you’ll tour on, CAST is a strong choice. On anything else, or on more than one ski, Daymaker gets you the same descent without buying or drilling anything. Freeskiers like Ian Hamilton and Tanner Hall have skied Daymakers for exactly that reason. See who else does on our athletes page.
The Freetour system is built around Look Pivot 15 and 18 bindings. Skiers on other brands would need new bindings.
Yes. Tekdapters work with every downhill binding, Pivots included.
For CAST and for Tekdapters, yes. Daymaker Classic works with regular downhill boots.
With Daymaker, your binding is never touched, so your DIN and release stay exactly as set. CAST keeps the Pivot’s release for the descent.
Our Love It Guarantee lets you tour on them for up to about three days within 30 days of delivery. Details.
