AT Bindings

[aggressivepedestrian]

I'm trying to decide between Dynafit and Marker AT bindings. I'll probably be lift skiing more than backcountry (75/25, probably), and I'm fairly aggressive: no cliffs or big air, but dropping cornices and skiing fast on hardpack. I don't need a DIN higher than 8, though. I'm about 160 pounds, and the skis are K2 Hardside (131/98/119).

 

So, will a Dynafit hold up? If so, is the Vertial ST good enough? Or should I spend the extra bucks on the Vertical FT. Or should I just get a Marker binding? I figure the Baron will hold up to anything I throw at it, and it's a lot cheaper, but damn it sure is heavy.

 

[Hugh Conway]

Marker AT bindings suck big fat floppy donkey dick.

 

Dynafits tour better but aren't ideal for what you want. If you want something step in/step out Fritschi. Markers suck ass

[ryanb]

I've been wondering about the g3 onyx. Seem like a cheaper, maybe burlier alternative to the dynafit but i hear rumor of them failing in the field. Any one here have any experience with them?

[Fairweather]

If you're skiing mostly lifts as described, the Marker Baron is a good call. It's tortionally stiffer by far than any full-on AT binding, but probably not a good choice for extended touring. I use them with a pair of Garmont Adrenalins and BD Kilowatts.

[Dannible]

I've used Dynafits for 100+ days this winter, mostly on groomers, ice, and bumpy chunder kind of stuff because I worked at a ski area and that's all we had through most of the winter. Broke one part on a heel tower at one point but I bought the bindings very used and I think that it was set too close to the boot, putting extra stress on the tower as the ski flexed. They take some getting used to as far as clicking and and keeping them ice free, but its not a huge issue. The one big advantage is obviously how light they are so if you are thinking of just doing short tours out of ski areas, you probably don't need to be as worried about the weight. Can't comment on Markers.

[sneaky_steve]

 

Dynafits tour better but aren't ideal for what you want. If you want something step in/step out Fritschi. Markers suck ass

 

The Fritschi line sounds like just what you are looking for. I have the Explore set and they are great. Get Freerides if you want more durability.

[JoshK]

I use dynafits for everything, including the few times a year I ski on lifts. I think they stand up to abuse and have used my same pair for 7 years now across a few different pairs of skis. With that said, if I skied at lifts more I'd go with the fritschi. I have heard the G3 onyx is crap from several people, though I have no first hand experience with it. The Marker Baron is a joke unless you want extra weight on your feet for training.

[Bronco]

Sounds like a common conundrum, you just need two sets of skis and bindings, one for BC and one for shredding the resorts. I'd bet you can find a decent used set of skis and bindings for $250 each.

 

 

[Maine-iac]

If you ski "hard" imo don't get the explorers. I've broken mine twice and its a shitty thing to have happen.

 

Why are people not liking the marker touring bindings?? Just because they are heavy?

It is all about the style of skiing one does... For purely a tour, i've got my nordic set up; if I am making turns I don't want shit breaking on me. I'd take a little extra weight any day and know that my bindings will hold up to things than skimp and take a chance on something failing.

[Bronco]

http://seattle.craigslist.org/search/?areaID=2&subAreaID=&query=climbing&catAbbreviation=sss

 

pair of skis and fritschi's for $150

[Maine-iac]

I just bought a pair of Marker Dukes!

I then mounted them on a pair of K2 Hellbents!

 

Now I have the option of "touring" and skiing hard!

[Joe_Poulton]

I love the Marker Dukes. I put them on 191 BD Zealots at the season start this year. I would not go with anything else. I've skinned up to near Tie-in Rock on Hood a few times and done laps to the top of Palmer on the Southside. Wish I carried around for my Cooper Spur climb last month so I wouldn't have had to walk through the South Crater. I've done the Alpine Trail and White River Canyon with them. I don't mind stepping out to flip a switch to change modes knowing that they won't break. I even lugged them up in October and skied the patches early this year just because I wanted to test'em out. They're not has heavy as I thought they'd be. Of course I won't win a Rando race with them....but damn I can haul ass with no worries. If you want to huck at all go for the dukes or baron in your case. I'm 190 so the Duke is my choice.

Edited April 10, 2010 by Joe_Poulton

[MisterMo]

I've got about a hundred days on Dynafit Verticals in the past year with no problems. This is in area and out in all snow conditions. I'm big, 6'/200lbs, and ski hard but smooth. I run DIN 7-8 & almost never blow out. They're a bit fiddly: I've got a nagging inner sense that some really nasty future day while trying to get them ON or upside down in a tree well somewhere trying to get them OFF that I'm really going to hate them. In the meantime they're light & work just fine.

 

Before that I spent a number of years on Fritschi Diamirs with no problems either. I was more nervous about them due to the many plastic parts but they never let me down.

 

Can't comment on the Markers, save that the published weights make my old legs hurt.

[Rotary786]

Given the scenario you said I would definitely suggest getting a pair of Freeride pluses. I have skied mine 140+ days so far this season (plus another 80 from previous seasons) without any problems. People complain about the slop but I haven't found this to be an issue at all, even on hardpack, and I ski pretty aggressively.

I know several people on patrol who ski exclusively dynafit without any problems, but I dont have any experience with them, yet...

Almost all of my touring partners ski Markers and here are my problems with them:

-weight: they are about 11 ounces heavier per binding then the Fritschi's and approximately 11 metric tons heavier then dynafits.

-inability to engage/ disengage ski mode without removing ski. People argue if this is really that big of a deal but I have noticed several situations where it did make a difference. The first is a local tour that requires a short sidestep in low snow conditions where having the ability to lock your heel was a big advantage. The second is if you remove your ski and put it in the snow the brakes cant stop your ski from sliding forward without the heel locked. And finally you can't remove your skins without removing your skis, although I usually find myself removing my skis anyway.

-Heel elevation adjustment: Adjusting the elevation of the heel seems harder to do then on other touring bindings (this is a big one for my touring partners)

-Difficulty getting back to ski mode due to ice buildup: The track that makes the markers so bomber in ski mode seems to be prone to ice buildup especially when the snow is wet. This often takes a while to clear out. My Fritschi's also have this issue at the heel post but I can usually whack them a couple times to clear it.

-Durability: several people I know have had issues with their sliding AFD breaking, which apparently is a fairly common complaint.

 

If you actually plan on doing some touring I would definitely lean towards the Dynafit or Freerides.

 

[aggressivepedestrian]

Thanks for all the comments. I think I'm opting for Dynafit. What else am I going to spend my money on, if not gear?

[Hugh Conway]

I don't mind stepping out to flip a switch to change modes knowing that they won't break.

 

Oddly the lever change mode is one of the known failure points on the Duke

[aggressivepedestrian]

After all the angst over which Dynafit ST vs Dynafit FT vs Marker Baron, I opted for the G3 Onyx. I guess durability is a bit of an unknown, but the plate mounting system sounds good, and overall it just seems a little less fiddly than Dynafits.