Kneebinding in Powder Mag reviews??? WTF?

**skiing-in-jackson** · 08-11-2009, 05:12 PM

I see the Kneebinding is in the Powder Mag Buyer's Guide.

Does this remove the "gimmick" stigma for this product? I've never had my hands on one, but it seems like a product that guys with rear entry boots and old, faded Head fart bags go on about, it has a funky cult following.

I was pretty surprised to see it in the list. That is all.

**toast2266** · 08-11-2009, 06:00 PM

I was always under the impression that a bit of cash could grease the wheels to get semi-obscure products into the buyer's guide...

**TurxSki** · 08-11-2009, 08:29 PM

Originally Posted by skiing-in-jackson

...it seems like a product that guys with rear entry boots and old, faded Head fart bags...

Well, the inventor was a part of that era. But in bikes, I think. The binding does look a little "dated", I guess...
He has responded on here, before...

As the inventor and developer of the soon-to-be-introduced, KneeBinding, I'd like to respond to the notes in this blog.

An (Eastside?) Maggot was going to try and get their hands on the binding, but we never got a report back

[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85023"]http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=85023[/ame]

**knumbskull** · 08-11-2009, 09:43 PM

Originally Posted by skiing-in-jackson

I see the Kneebinding is in the Powder Mag Buyer's Guide.

Does this remove the "gimmick" stigma for this product? I've never had my hands on one, but it seems like a product that guys with rear entry boots and old, faded Head fart bags go on about, it has a funky cult following.

I was pretty surprised to see it in the list. That is all.

Well what does the Buyers Guide say about it?

**emr** · 08-12-2009, 10:32 AM

If you want to fondle these, ski rack in Burlington has a pair. I messed around with them last year and the sales guy had some positive things to say but I didn't really care much. They did feel like they had some weight to them. Doesn't seem like a binding I'm interested in at this time. Their website said the binder goes up to 12 din with brake widths of 90, 110 and 130 with a price tag of $500.

**huckster989** · 08-12-2009, 10:39 AM

frankly it seems like if the knee binding was a revolutionary idea that was going to make skiing safer and all that jazz wouldn't one of the larger companies (marker, solly, rossi) have invested or purchased the design? I know that you can do revolutionary things without a big company but if your gonna sell em like hot cakes you need that support.

I'll stick with Rossi race style binders for now

**schuss** · 08-12-2009, 10:50 AM

Part of the problem is that probably none of the bigs want to advertise a "knee-safe" binding then have someone blow their knee on it and sue them, even if it's completely unrelated to the binding.

**Big E** · 08-12-2009, 01:28 PM

We've been tossing this subject about for probably 3 years on here, and as far as I can recall, nobody has ever actually skied on a pair. Sure would be nice to get some first-hand info from some impartial sources. I volunteer all the youngsters w/ good (for the moment) knees.

**DoWork** · 08-12-2009, 02:54 PM

I think there was a huge thread about it over on Epic a while back, where the owner of the company gave a huuuuuuuuuuuuge explanation of what it is/what it does/why he made it that way. Blew the socks off of the vast majority of the naysayers- I'd totally find it for you but it's checkout time, bitches... Beer and titties call...

**samhop** · 08-12-2009, 04:41 PM

not ready for prime time, jest my 2 cents
[ame="http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/showthread.php?t=154037"]knee binding now for sale - Teton Gravity Research Forums[/ame]

**knumbskull** · 08-13-2009, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by samhop

not ready for prime time, jest my 2 cents
knee binding now for sale - Teton Gravity Research Forums

How do we know until someone actually skis on a pair?

**samhop** · 08-14-2009, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by knumbskull

How do we know until someone actually skis on a pair?

Jest my 2 cents i have never been a fan of high % plastic binders. i spent 3 dayes in Stowe trying to find a pair to demo and could not but i spent several hours fucking around with them clicking boots and relesing them. its a great idea having done one knee i was hoping for somthing better. I wrought a post if you can read it, apparently my command of the vernacular is somewhat limited, it's at the end of the post i linked

**stuckathuntermtn** · 08-15-2009, 06:32 PM

so powder magazine's buyers' guide is already out?

**BroGnar** · 08-15-2009, 07:41 PM

phall has skied them, he didn't have anything bad to say about them as far as I know.

**bossass** · 08-16-2009, 11:52 PM

Originally Posted by toast2266

I was always under the impression that a bit of cash could grease the wheels to get semi-obscure products into the buyer's guide...

This is not true in Powder's case, I can't speak for other ski mags. Snowboarder mag's buyer's guide is "pay to play" for companies, but Powder's is not.

**jerr** · 08-17-2009, 04:12 AM

^^^^ This is true

**toast2266** · 08-17-2009, 07:38 AM

good to hear.

**Jonathan S.** · 08-17-2009, 11:15 AM

Originally Posted by knumbskull

Well what does the Buyers Guide say about it?

Nothing really: just three sentences that could have been copied from the binding's website, with no indication that any on-snow tests were performed by Powder Mag staff.

Then again, out of the dozen profiled bindings, only one has anything that looks like feedback from testers: "This rig [Dynafit FT12] tested well on variable, steep terrain, crushing all skepticism."

**El Chupacabra** · 08-17-2009, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by Jonathan S.

Nothing really: just three sentences that could have been copied from the binding's website, with no indication that any on-snow tests were performed by Powder Mag staff.

Then again, out of the dozen profiled bindings, only one has anything that looks like feedback from testers: "This rig [Dynafit FT12] tested well on variable, steep terrain, crushing all skepticism."

The entire buyer's guide section from this year's Powder is terrible. It's pretty much just photos of skis with dimensions printed next to them, plus a handful of reviews (maybe 1/10 of the skis pictured have reviews). Why even bother?

A few years back, I remember the Powder buyer's guide being really well done -- the one with various classic album covers. Freeskier and Skiing do a decent job in their buyer's guides, though for some reason Freeskier feels it necessary to review hats, gloves, jackets, etc.

Wouldn't the buyer's guide issue be the best-selling for retail (cover price - not subscription) issues? Powder can do a lot better than this.

**slim** · 08-17-2009, 02:07 PM

In the modern era of the internet in which any ski has 50-million reviews available on line even before the skis are released to the public is a print buyer's guide even necessary?

I personally liked this year's approach with more page space dedicated to an article discussing the progression of ski design.

**The Dad** · 08-17-2009, 02:44 PM

Originally Posted by El Chupacabra

The entire buyer's guide section from this year's Powder is terrible. It's pretty much just photos of skis with dimensions printed next to them, plus a handful of reviews (maybe 1/10 of the skis pictured have reviews). Why even bother?

Quoted for truth.

**El Chupacabra** · 08-17-2009, 05:33 PM

Originally Posted by slim

In the modern era of the internet in which any ski has 50-million reviews available on line even before the skis are released to the public is a print buyer's guide even necessary?

To the TGR crowd, not really necessary.

To the general public, I would think they'd sell a lot at newsstands/ bookstores/ etc., because then the buyer gets a guide they can take with to the ski shop or ski swap. Most people have no idea what the differences are between skis, and can't tell anything from looking at them on the wall in a shop or at a swap.

Hugh Conway · 08-17-2009, 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by slim

is a print buyer's guide even necessary?

Yes, because they are easy to make and sell really well.

But that applies to the rest of the year as well.

**jaobrien6** · 08-18-2009, 12:33 AM

Originally Posted by slim

In the modern era of the internet in which any ski has 50-million reviews available on line even before the skis are released to the public is a print buyer's guide even necessary?

Even though I know they're mostly worthless, I still like to read 'em. I wouldn't base any buying decisions on anything they said, but hell, I just like to read about skiing.

**babybear** · 08-18-2009, 08:56 AM

I agree- the buyers guide section was really weak. I definitely surf the reviews online but I still like to see what powder says about them too. they barely had any skis in there. They spent a whole week at JH this year testing skis and there were basically no opinions stated. seems weird?