Touring bindings...

ForeverYung

ForeverYung

Active member
So I will so been getting a pair of on3p caylors (stoked) and wanted to get a touring binding for BC and side country. I will not be doing any epic treks, and would like them to be pretty solid for cliffs and what not. I do not really know a whole lot (nothing) about them, and wanted some help choosing.

NS help me
 
If you're not looking at epic treks marker duke/barron would work. Also look at the Salomon guardian or atomic tracker(i think that's what it's called)
 
Guardian/trecker would be a great option. Supper solid feel to the binding, very close to a alpine binding. Lower then the dukes and only 3g heavier.

MFD's are too heavy simple as that
 
Here are the weights:

MFD: 2086 (FKS140) + 1200 (plates) = 3286 g

Guardian = 2960 g

Adrenalin = 2650 g

Duke: 2630 g

So...I would say that while the MFD is the heaviest, it offers the most stability on the downhills (in my opinion, and I own them). Between the Guardian and Adrenalin, I would get the Adrenalin because it is lighter, while both bindings achieve essentially the same thing. Lastly, I would stay the hell away from Dukes because Marker does not make a decent non-race binding, and you have to eject out of it to transition. That may not seem like a big deal, but the mechanism does tend to ice up and I can transition in under 30 seconds from either my MFDs or Dynafits because I don't need to remove my skins.

Basically, I recommend Adrenalins. Best compromise.
 
the only binding i can comment on is the guardian 16, did a couple runs in whistler purely to test the down hill performance, would buy, didn't feel very different to an alpine binding, super easy to release the heel when i was still clicked in, and felt very stable, im 6'3' 75kgs and can ski fast.
 
there is also more metal on metal interfacing with the Tracker/Guardian- metal frame underfoot, heel frame, heel tray, and metal where the heel connects back to the ski.
 
Your boot alone restricts the natural flex of the ski. One of the main complaints concerning the downhill performance of A/T bindings is the typical play in the system, that you don't have as secure of a connection to the ski the way a normal alpine binding does. That coupled with a raised stand height are usually what most people complain about when talking about skiing performance.

The Tracker/Guardian have the most secure connection to the ski and a super low stand height, which is part of the reason why they ski so well.
 
How the fuck you did that ?

Btw Kool_aid: I'm in the same situation as you, and I'm buying some Guardian for my Bg's. I played whit the guardian at the if3 and really like them. And for 300$ shipped it's a great deal
 
Think about it. You have a 2 foot metal plate on top of a ski. The ski bends, its supposed to... the plate bends too! but it doesn't bend back... It won't be a problem for many people, but it is advertised to be the touring option for going huge, and people who DO go huge, will probably end up bending them. Especially heavy people.

P.S. they also suck at touring, and the stack height ruins the ski feeling of whatever binding is on them IMHO.
 
mfd alltimes for ulitmate downhill performance. fritschi freeride pros for ultimate uphill performance. or 4frnt adrenlalin or salomon gaurdian for a perfect blend of both
 
i'm interested to see how the guardian/tracker do over time. My dukes are starting to get sloppy
 
Well I'm in no way a touring binding (or alpine for that matter) expert, but I assume because a lot of the binding is metal on metal I assume it would be better than plastic on plastic or plastic on metal, what ever the duke is.
 
Lots of good info thus far, but here's how I'd sort it.
Alpine Trekkers (also called Tour Wreckers or Day Wreckers) would be an option for you if you're going to be skinning on fairly mellow terrain and not skinning for more than an hour or so each way. No gnarly climbs, no bad sidehilling, no full day tours, and you'd be fine with a pair of Trekkers mounted into your downhill binders. Mostly, this would allow you to tour some but have the solidity of downhill bindings for jibbing and stuff.
Fritschis aren't a horrible option, but I've seen enough dudes accidentally go into tele mode to scare me off them. All the plastic in the heel lock seems doomed for people jumping off stuff.
The Alltimes are heavy, and don't solve the issue of a jibbable touring binding, they just work around it. Next.
Guardians/Trackers seem like a really good option. They've gotten good press, a hell of a long time in development, all metal heel connections from ski upwards, and no click out to switch modes. My only caution would be that they are new on the consumer market, and new technologies aren't always what they're cracked up to be( Line Reactor bindings, anyone?). The Duke has changed significantly in a few years; often times a product gets a few fixes after its first consumer season. So buy into the hype with caution. That said, they're probably my favorite option for jibbing on a touring binding. Hope for good things.
The Tyrolia Adrenalins seem interesting, but they've got plastic in the heel connection, so I'm really leery. And again, this is their first consumer season. But maybe they're great. No experience yet.
Dukes. Oh Dukes. Mine are from the first year, and they're incredibly loose and wobbly. They've been beaten to hell and back several times, so I don't blame Marker. I've had the climbing risers pop out on steep switchbacks. I've double ejected several times when it was unwarranted; I'd totally echo the sentiment that Marker's touring bindings don't release consistently at DIN. They ice up in touring mode and the plastic on plastic in the heel is terrifying for switch landings. All that said, the newer ones have fixed a lot of the issues, and offer the widest platform of anything (because they use the connecting bar base to contact the ski topsheet, thus making it even wider). I'd probably buy another pair if I was looking to do minimal longer touring days on a ski that I also wanted to charge inbounds, albeit only forward.
Dynafit/Plum/G3: Tech Bindings.
If you're going to jib, these aren't for you. But if you're looking to tour or do ski mountainerding, they're the best options going. They require special plates/grooves in your boots to work properly, the toe connection is both binding and touring pivot, and they don't transmit power as well as a race clamp might, but they're light and generally dependable if you're careful, not jibbing, and not sending huge cliffs. I'm headed this direction this year for long tours, and can't wait to drop 10+ lbs off my setup weight. (Probably will be 186 Vicik + BD Quadrants + Radical FT 12s).

Your boots are also something to think about. You mentioned that you'll be rocking SPKs, so know that they've got no touring mode and will keep your ankle locked the whole time. You can tour like this, but it's not nearly as comfortable as something with a walk mode.
This is all personal opinion. Good luck with touring; the first time you skin up something you used to bootpack or struggle along your life will change forever. Amazing feeling.
 
Quality post with lots of info. I didn't want to quote the whole thing but I wanted to point out the weights I posted earlier.

Guardian: ~2960 g

MFD/FKS:
 
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