Binding Suggestions?

[JamesAnundson]

I broke my bindings on my current ski setup. I’m going to be getting a whole new setup this summer rather than just replacing the bindings. I was skiing on Marker Griffons but want something new this time.

I ski about 50/50 park and all mountain and I actually broke my bindings hitting a natural jump, not skiing park. So I am an aggressive skier and need a decently strong binding. Money is relatively tight as I am a first year medical student but am willing to put in the money for the setup that I want and will last me a while.

I was thinking of going for the Pivot 12s or the STH2 13s. Think I should spend extra money and go for the Pivot 14s or even the 15s? Or should the 12s be able to hold me just fine? Also I’ve heard good things about the STH2 13s, would those be better? They are cheaper which is a plus.

Basically want a binding that’ll hold me and last me a while.

 

[Non_State_Actor]

What binding did you break?

 

[BackBowlOwen]

The higher pivots will have the metal toepeice that’s harder to break.

 

[Greg_K]

You can get metal heel and a DIN of 16 in the ATTACK2 16 bindings for a deal right at Corbetts. $180 CAN/$145 US with free shipping. Got a pair myself for a pair of skis I wanted to weigh down/dampen a bit. Had the lighter and still well built Attack2 13s on them before which are going for about $30 less. Either one are great bindings at great deals!

 

[JamesAnundson]

I broke both the Marker Squires (never getting those again) and the Marker Griffons. Both times it was the heel piece.

What binding did you break?

 

[BradFiAusNzCoCa]

How big are you? I’m 5’8” 160ish and pivot 12s have been great for me. I’ve put them through their paces too. I’m sure if I were hitting 65 footer jumps a lot my needs might be different but I feel the pivot 12s are a good binding for what they cost.

Although, full disclosure - I nabbed FKS 120s for $150 the season after they switched to only Look. I don’t know if I would drop full retail on them when Attack 13s work fine.

 

[anders_a]

how did you break them, and for how long have you had the griffons?

 

[JamesAnundson]

This is about exactly how big I am. Like 5’8 155ish. Are 12s or 13s for it’s Pivots or Attack2s strong enough for butters and aggressive downhill skiing?

How big are you? I’m 5’8” 160ish and pivot 12s have been great for me. I’ve put them through their paces too. I’m sure if I were hitting 65 footer jumps a lot my needs might be different but I feel the pivot 12s are a good binding for what they cost.

Although, full disclosure - I nabbed FKS 120s for $150 the season after they switched to only Look. I don’t know if I would drop full retail on them when Attack 13s work fine.

 

[JamesAnundson]

I actually didn’t break them in the park I broke them landing weirdly on a natural jump skiing downhill. And I’ve had them since about like 2013 so they are old. That’s why I want to just go full new kit.

how did you break them, and for how long have you had the griffons?

 

[BradFiAusNzCoCa]

Yes they are. Easily. Pivots have really good retention. They don’t kick you out easily when you have hard impact or butter.

Also, I haven’t broke either but I did break a lot of cheap bindings as a kid.

This is about exactly how big I am. Like 5’8 155ish. Are 12s or 13s for it’s Pivots or Attack2s strong enough for butters and aggressive downhill skiing?

 

[JamesAnundson]

Price-wise I’m thinking either the Pivot 12s or the Attack2 13s. I could go higher end if I needed to but the prices get steep with anything above 13. You would suggest the Pivots? The plastic toe piece not a problem at all?

Yes they are. Easily. Pivots have really good retention. They don’t kick you out easily when you have hard impact or butter.

Also, I haven’t broke either but I did break a lot of cheap bindings as a kid.

 

[BradFiAusNzCoCa]

No issues. At one point I thought the toe was being weird when I buttered but turns out it was my boot.

Price-wise I’m thinking either the Pivot 12s or the Attack2 13s. I could go higher end if I needed to but the prices get steep with anything above 13. You would suggest the Pivots? The plastic toe piece not a problem at all?

 

[poofartpee]

This is about exactly how big I am. Like 5’8 155ish. Are 12s or 13s for it’s Pivots or Attack2s strong enough for butters and aggressive downhill skiing?

What DIN you normally run? Id be consernd you will max a 12 din binding out if you ride hard

 

[JamesAnundson]

What DIN you normally run? Id be consernd you will max a 12 din binding out if you ride hard

I normally ride at 11. Have not really had too much of a problem with pre-release, but I did ride them hard enough that it broke them. I'd likely max out the din on a 12 din binding, but would that be a problem? I do not know the specifics of some things, like should you not run a 12 din binding maxed out? Should you actually run it at like 10 or something. Sometimes there are non-stated rules like that that you need to be in the know to know but is imperative that you do know it if that makes sense.

I also plan on buying the Reckoner 102's for my new setup, which are said to be playful and quite flexible so I would be buttering more regularly than I currently do when I upgrade my setup. My current skis are very stiff and it makes buttering relatively difficult so I do not do it as much as I likely would on the 102's. I don't know if that would make a huge difference or not.

 

[BradFiAusNzCoCa]

You don’t need to run pivots as high because of the nature of the elastic travel of the binding

I normally ride at 11. Have not really had too much of a problem with pre-release, but I did ride them hard enough that it broke them. I'd likely max out the din on a 12 din binding, but would that be a problem? I do not know the specifics of some things, like should you not run a 12 din binding maxed out? Should you actually run it at like 10 or something. Sometimes there are non-stated rules like that that you need to be in the know to know but is imperative that you do know it if that makes sense.

I also plan on buying the Reckoner 102's for my new setup, which are said to be playful and quite flexible so I would be buttering more regularly than I currently do when I upgrade my setup. My current skis are very stiff and it makes buttering relatively difficult so I do not do it as much as I likely would on the 102's. I don't know if that would make a huge difference or not.

 

[poofartpee]

I normally ride at 11. Have not really had too much of a problem with pre-release, but I did ride them hard enough that it broke them. I'd likely max out the din on a 12 din binding, but would that be a problem? I do not know the specifics of some things, like should you not run a 12 din binding maxed out? Should you actually run it at like 10 or something. Sometimes there are non-stated rules like that that you need to be in the know to know but is imperative that you do know it if that makes sense.

I also plan on buying the Reckoner 102's for my new setup, which are said to be playful and quite flexible so I would be buttering more regularly than I currently do when I upgrade my setup. My current skis are very stiff and it makes buttering relatively difficult so I do not do it as much as I likely would on the 102's. I don't know if that would make a huge difference or not.

So I am no expert, but I have always been told you should ideally not be maxing or mining a din out on a binding . The reason for this I am not sure. Could be something to do with the tension spring or an old wives tale.

I run my din around 11-12 like yourself and all my bindings are 14 or 16 din bindings.

You don’t need to run pivots as high because of the nature of the elastic travel of the binding

I have herd this before yet I find I like my pivots around the same Din as my STH's after trying a little lower setting. I am pretty sure this is personal preferance on how I like my foot to feel on the ski rather then science however.

 

[Non_State_Actor]

I broke both the Marker Squires (never getting those again) and the Marker Griffons. Both times it was the heel piece.

If you blew up griffons and are running an 11+DIN go ahead and step up to a 16 Attack or STH or the Pivot 15.

 

[plugs]

I normally ride at 11. Have not really had too much of a problem with pre-release, but I did ride them hard enough that it broke them. I'd likely max out the din on a 12 din binding, but would that be a problem? I do not know the specifics of some things, like should you not run a 12 din binding maxed out? Should you actually run it at like 10 or something. Sometimes there are non-stated rules like that that you need to be in the know to know but is imperative that you do know it if that makes sense.

I also plan on buying the Reckoner 102's for my new setup, which are said to be playful and quite flexible so I would be buttering more regularly than I currently do when I upgrade my setup. My current skis are very stiff and it makes buttering relatively difficult so I do not do it as much as I likely would on the 102's. I don't know if that would make a huge difference or not.

You can run a 12 din binding at 12 but I would much rather run a 15/6 din at 12 myself. The construction is better in a 15+ din binding usually being more suited to the forces more retention brings + more durable and sometimes the springs don't perform perfectly on the extreme ends of the binding range. Pivot 15s are full metal and dope but if you're trying to save money the aaattack 16s that were talked about higher up in the thread are probably your best bet especially compared to a 12 din binding.

 

[JamesAnundson]

You can run a 12 din binding at 12 but I would much rather run a 15/6 din at 12 myself. The construction is better in a 15+ din binding usually being more suited to the forces more retention brings + more durable and sometimes the springs don't perform perfectly on the extreme ends of the binding range. Pivot 15s are full metal and dope but if you're trying to save money the aaattack 16s that were talked about higher up in the thread are probably your best bet especially compared to a 12 din binding.

Based on this and based on the previous couple of responses I feel as though my best option would be the Attack2 16s (maybe I can get last year's model a bit cheaper or something). I've heard great things about the Pivots and the short mounting area is an enticing characteristic. However, they are quite a bit more expensive and it's hard to drop that kind of money while trying to pay my way through med school. I think I need to spend the extra money to go up to 16s though since I busted through Squires (11 DIN) and Griffons (13 DIN). Granted they were both old when I busted through them but I am still riding hard enough that I am breaking bindings like that. I might as well spend the extra money to have bindings that should hold me better than buy cheaper bindings multiple times after breaking them.

I do want to make a PSA that is likely known to nearly everyone on NS: Marker Squires are not a good option for likely anyone on this site. I got them when I was in high school and was not as rough of a rider, but now I am dropping (small) cliffs and throwing down backflips. The Squires have a small spring in the heel held in place by a tiny little plastic piece that, if it breaks, means the bindings are as good as done. If you are a Type III skier they are just not a good option at all. Spend the extra $50-$100 to get a higher quality binding, you'll be happy you did.

 

[CaIeb]

Tyrolia attacks or look pivots/rossignol fks. I wouldn’t recommend marker bindings, they tend to blow out

 

[Non_State_Actor]

Based on this and based on the previous couple of responses I feel as though my best option would be the Attack2 16s (maybe I can get last year's model a bit cheaper or something). I've heard great things about the Pivots and the short mounting area is an enticing characteristic. However, they are quite a bit more expensive and it's hard to drop that kind of money while trying to pay my way through med school. I think I need to spend the extra money to go up to 16s though since I busted through Squires (11 DIN) and Griffons (13 DIN). Granted they were both old when I busted through them but I am still riding hard enough that I am breaking bindings like that. I might as well spend the extra money to have bindings that should hold me better than buy cheaper bindings multiple times after breaking them.

I do want to make a PSA that is likely known to nearly everyone on NS: Marker Squires are not a good option for likely anyone on this site. I got them when I was in high school and was not as rough of a rider, but now I am dropping (small) cliffs and throwing down backflips. The Squires have a small spring in the heel held in place by a tiny little plastic piece that, if it breaks, means the bindings are as good as done. If you are a Type III skier they are just not a good option at all. Spend the extra $50-$100 to get a higher quality binding, you'll be happy you did.

https://www.corbetts.com/2019-head-attack2-16-gw-ski-bindings/

That price is CAD so USD is roughly 20% cheaper. You can buy brakes for $30 or so if they don't have the size you need.

 

[BradFiAusNzCoCa]

The attack 16s are a good choice. Squires suck - not quite a kids binding, not quite an adult binding.

I don’t use Markers but I have heard Jesters are good. The only Marker worth even remotely considering.

Based on this and based on the previous couple of responses I feel as though my best option would be the Attack2 16s (maybe I can get last year's model a bit cheaper or something). I've heard great things about the Pivots and the short mounting area is an enticing characteristic. However, they are quite a bit more expensive and it's hard to drop that kind of money while trying to pay my way through med school. I think I need to spend the extra money to go up to 16s though since I busted through Squires (11 DIN) and Griffons (13 DIN). Granted they were both old when I busted through them but I am still riding hard enough that I am breaking bindings like that. I might as well spend the extra money to have bindings that should hold me better than buy cheaper bindings multiple times after breaking them.

I do want to make a PSA that is likely known to nearly everyone on NS: Marker Squires are not a good option for likely anyone on this site. I got them when I was in high school and was not as rough of a rider, but now I am dropping (small) cliffs and throwing down backflips. The Squires have a small spring in the heel held in place by a tiny little plastic piece that, if it breaks, means the bindings are as good as done. If you are a Type III skier they are just not a good option at all. Spend the extra $50-$100 to get a higher quality binding, you'll be happy you did.

 

[piss.boy]

Personally I prefer attacks over any binding ive ever rode ( griffon, pivot{only for a few laps} some random atomic things, and attacks.) They are super light and for me are more confidence inducing then pivots or maybe thats just cause I wasnt used to how "loose" they felt.

 

[BigPurpleSkiSuit]

I ride around a 9-9.5 on attack 13s and love it. Also have an STH2 16 on my pow skis and love that binding too. Griffons broke on me as well and I had them on an 8, the plastic tracker that attaches the heelpiece to the ski broke.

 

[skiP.E.I.]

Pivots are the best imo. Having used Jesters, various Salomons and PX series, I've had the least amount of issues with the pivots.

 

[anders_a]

show me pics of your blown up (not 10 year old) jester and jester pro guys.

pivots are solid, but the mount patttern is very narrow and you can kill weaker skis.

 

[skiP.E.I.]

show me pics of your blown up (not 10 year old) jester and jester pro guys.

pivots are solid, but the mount patttern is very narrow and you can kill weaker skis.

My Jesters never broke, they just wore out to the point where the heelpiece moves a lot on its own.

 

[anders_a]

My Jesters never broke, they just wore out to the point where the heelpiece moves a lot on its own.

and they are how old? heel moving around on track? or loose mount? I've had some toes wiggle a bit on me, but they are ooooold an WORN

 

[BradFiAusNzCoCa]

Were they just your buddies that you stepped into? Pivots are a retention binding so they usually feel more secure

Personally I prefer attacks over any binding ive ever rode ( griffon, pivot{only for a few laps} some random atomic things, and attacks.) They are super light and for me are more confidence inducing then pivots or maybe thats just cause I wasnt used to how "loose" they felt.

 

[anders_a]

stepping into a 2020 jester vs 2020 pivot is pretty darn different, but pivots does ski nice.

improperly setup pivot will... pivot and feel wtf in the heel.

 

[skiP.E.I.]

and they are how old? heel moving around on track? or loose mount? I've had some toes wiggle a bit on me, but they are ooooold an WORN

Heel moving around on track. I got them barely used- just aesthetic blemishes and I skiied them for 2 or 3 seasons.

 

[anders_a]

Heel is metal so doubt thats it, must be plastic track, or the wormscrew, either way should be easy/cheap to fix.