Thread: which tele bindings are the right ones

so ive been trying to pick the right binding and i still dont really know which one would be right. i new to telemark but a very experienced skier so im expecting a easy transition so i want to get nice bindings that i wont have to upgrade in a year or two. i maily want the binding for downhill charging but want to be able to do short tours in them. i was thinking a binding with a free flex option but the downhill may not be as good on those. i saw that the hammer heads offered a possibility for touring but they dont free flex. i have scarpa t2x boots if that helps. any info would be great. thanks in advance.

you answered your own question with the HH-

best for charging and learning on IMHO

It appears that you are also new to grammar.

Try http://www.telemarktips.com/ for comparisons and recommendations of bindings ad nauseum. HH's are the preferred binding of the masses; however, all bindings have pro's and con's.

hhs are nice because they have adjustable activeness.
My experience tells me 01's kick ass.
G3s have a dead spot if you go to low.
02's are ok but no free pivot.

I just got some 01s from bd. Been teleing for about a year and just dropped the coin this year on my own gear. I figured 01s gave the best options for growing into in terms of ability and they have a tour specific mode which is really nice.

I dont Tele, but what about NTN's? All the local Hard-chargers on tele skis(Think 360's of 20+ footers and the likes) here use them, and they all say they are really good.
They also have a walk mode, but i dont know about free flex.

Originally Posted by Howie

I dont Tele, but what about NTN's?

Requires buying new boots

NTN is still in its infancy ,last year scarpas were too stiff ,this year the system is working BUT some of the scarpa's are breaking , my buddy broke his scarpa's in < 20 turns

You can go to TT.com and discuss active vs neutral binding action adnausem ,much better than you could ever get here

personaly after kacking a tib/fib on g3's I would only ski a releasable

HHs or 01's.

I'm liking my HH's the best of these three:

Hammerhead
Voile 3-pin Hardwire CRB's
Black Diamond 02's

HH's are the smoothest of the bunch - I have mine in pos 4 with regular springs. I'll probably change them out after this season for stiffies. The 02's were the most active of the bunch, and the least smooth. Probably good for a more aggressive skier than me. The Voiles are really nice too, but I'll probably outgrow them pretty soon - very smooth though. They'd be great if I were doing any touring, since you can take off the heel throw and just use the 3-pin mount to tour in.

You may "outgrow" your Voiles, but it'll probably be more a matter of preference rather than skill. There are tele skiers out there who are better than you or I will ever be who are skiing on Hardwires or equivalent bindings, when they could be using pretty much anything.

It's different from alpine bindings, where people tend to gravitate towards a few models, since the main thing is how solidly the binding holds boot on the ski in a static manner. The dynamic nature of the tele turn is such that some people prefer one type over another no matter how good or bad they are.

That being said, for the OP, an adjustable binding like the HammerHead or the Bishop Bomber is probably best, to see where his preference lies. And yes, the HH are very smooth. I also agree that the BD O1 and O2 are too active and "hinge-y'" for my taste, but that's just IMO.

Maybe "outgrow" was a bad term. I guess I meant that as I become more of a "charger", the HH's will probably serve *my* needs on blue ice a little better than the Voiles. I love the Voiles for moderate speed BIG turns though. The release function is nice too... I'm kinda thinking about getting some TeleBry's for one set to see how well they work. As much as I wanted to like the BD02's, they just don't have as "refined" a feel as the other two bindings - to me anyway. "Hinge-y" is a good term. I didn't have the preload that heavy, and I was running mid-stiffs. They seemed a little "slappy" to me, even though there was room to make them more active.

Of course you know what they say about opinions... Ask one question, get 100 unique responses. I will say that I'm glad I've had the chance to ski the setups I have though. Buying used gear when you're a noob is a great thing to be able to do. You can get a feel for all kinds of cool stuff, and then decide what's best for you. Think I'll stay away from BB's and NTN's for now though... (Can't find, and can't afford respectively...)

Originally Posted by sdf9235

i mainly want the binding for downhill charging but want to be able to do short tours in them

Are you looking to get into tele for the ease of BC skiing, or do you already have a setup for that? BC skiing is a hellshow for a novice tele'er- suncrust, windcrust, bottomless pow, all = face plant, repeat. That said, it is a nice way to tour around, just less safe, less efficient, until you are a super badass with a few seasons under your belt.

Just sayin'

Originally Posted by gunniride

Are you looking to get into tele for the ease of BC skiing, or do you already have a setup for that? BC skiing is a hellshow for a novice tele'er- suncrust, windcrust, bottomless pow, all = face plant, repeat. That said, it is a nice way to tour around, just less safe, less efficient, until you are a super badass with a few seasons under your belt.

Just sayin'

I'd agree with this. If I were doing BC skiing with a chance of getting into real steeps, I'd personally use an AT setup. My tele skills are not at a good enough level to attack much of anything more than moderate groomers now. I'd be a true shit-show in the BC.

I'm still waiting to hit the level of "super badass"...

Originally Posted by Tri-Ungulate

That being said, for the OP, an adjustable binding like the HammerHead or the Bishop Bomber is probably best, to see where his preference lies. And yes, the HH are very smooth. I also agree that the BD O1 and O2 are too active and "hinge-y'" for my taste, but that's just IMO.

+1

......

superloops or skyhoy

the end

Originally Posted by laseranimal

superloops or skyhoy

the end

Why do you hate America?