Should I get Frame Bindings?

[thowe]

I’ve gotten into backcountry skiing more over the past year or so, and have been doing a reasonable amount of hiking out to peaks and backcountry terrain. I currently use just plain alpine bindings but i’m getting a new pair of skis soon... would it be worth it to buy the at bindings? I spend 60% of my time in bounds, but would a frame binding work well for what i do? Are there really any downsides to getting some?

 

[smh]

I personally don't mind the extra weight of frame bindings and I do 50/50 backcountry and inbounds. My tours are usually an hour and a half long and I use Marker Dukes. Having the option to tour and ski inbounds on a binding that doesn't require tech boots is nice. The only thing people will complain about is weight but in my opinion, it's not that big of a deal. I would say pull the trigger! It will open up a whole new world of skiing for you

 

[AndrewGravesSV]

Get some frame bindings as your introduction into the backcountry and spend the extra dough on an avy class so you can stay safe out there. If the weight is a problem later, go tech!

 

[-WZ-]

Get some frame bindings as your introduction into the backcountry and spend the extra dough on an avy class so you can stay safe out there. If the weight is a problem later, go tech!

Agreed, pretty much everyone I know starts out on frame bindings. If you decide Backcountry isn't for you, you still have a fully functional alpine binder

 

[mike_magee]

Some things that you would need to consider is also boots. Which, per usual with ski gear, are not cheap. You can absolutely use a frame binding but the weight aspect if it is what turns a lot of people off about them. With new technology coming up in the binding market there are tech bindings that ski just as well, if not better than frame bindings (Marker Kingpins or the Fritschi Tecton 12). But then you might need new boots. A lot of these newer bindings that are a little more "heavy duty" have alpine binding heels which is what gives the binding itself a lot more strength and greater ability to control skis on steeper angles and even fatter skis in general. Or just for getting sendy .

 

[clorox]

I don't at all regret going for kingpins, and put alpine soles on my Dalbello lupo ti's, so I have one pair of boots that I can use for all my skis. If you are unsure and don't have the dough for a new pair of boots then I'm sure some frame bindings will be fine, but after using dukes for a day, I can say they weren't for me. I'm really curious to see how the new salomon is going to affect the market and hopefully force other binding companies to follow suit, so we can finally have a no compromises AT binding.