Thread: Downhill (not touring) binding question.

It's been many years since I've purchased non-touring ski bindings.

I'm thinking about getting some dedicated resort-only downhill ski bindings.

If I'm not a racer or cliff hucker, and don't need a really high DIN setting, are they all pretty much the same?

Should I just go and buy something that's on sale? If there is a real performance difference, is there a general consensus on which bindings are great and which bindings suck?

Originally Posted by Kai

If I'm not a racer or cliff hucker, and don't need a really high DIN setting, are they all pretty much the same?

Should I just go and buy something that's on sale?

Yes. Buy something that's on clearance and looks pretty on your skis.

Search in the recommended skis/binders thread.

But in reality, you are either a look/rossi guy or a solly guy. Marker has been making a comeback as well.

Bindings are a good piece of gear to drop some extra coin on, but deals can be found. A top of the line pair will last 20 years, and a bottom of the barrel pair won't last 2 seasons.

salmon z-series will last about 30 days before a plate under the heel snaps in half and the heel pulls itself out of the ski. You will pre-release for a few days before it rips apart.

the 5yr warranty you get with them doesn't cover this.

I have always been a fan of Tyrolia bindings.

The 12/13 DIN models have a diagonal release that I really like. I run a very low DIN due to previous football injuries, I am 225 lbs and I set my DIN at 6 and have never pre-released out of my Tyrolias. When I take a beating they have always released smoothly.

I have no problems with their durability. As I ski Big Sky, my skis only last a year or two until the Lone Peak rocks do them in. I recycle the bindings so my current 12 DIN Tyrolias are about 5 or six years old.

The 15 DIN models do not have the diagonal release. They are super beefy though.

Level Nine Sports has some Heads (which are just re-badged Tyrolias) on sale for a little over a hundred bucks. 4FRNT's are also re-badged Tyrolias too.

What DIN will you be skiing at? If you ski at a higher DIN, go with an all metal binding, like 916's FKS etc. I always go for the race bindings. Most of them are made to have the crap kicked out of them. Nothing beats up / tests a binding like chatter in a bullet proof race course.

One of the biggest differences is elastic travel, which will equal consistency of release. Cheaper bindings are made for people who fall over on easy trails at low speeds, and need something to err on the side of release.
Salomon Pilot toe, Look/Rossi, Tyrolia LD or Race toe are all great classes of bindings that seem to release consistently and ski well. People bitch about torsional stiffness in Tyrolias, and they can be a bit plasticy. On my LD12's, they've always release well, and I have them on skinnier skis, so it's not a big deal. OTOH, I find the fact that they painted the heal lever shiny, but made it a cheap plastic is rather chintzy, and doesn't really stand up to being thrown in the back of a wagon or something.
Salomon driver toe is great, but with spheric, it has a lot of play, and it can develop even more.
Look/Rossi can be plasticy and heavy. More money = more metal (usually a 6-14 binding). OTOH, they have great elastic travel, and great torsional stiffness.
Heavy bindings aren't such a big deal, but it can get old if you have to hike, or have old slow lifts.
Stay away from 10-DIN bindings.
Look for 12 or 14 DIN. Or even a 15 if it has a lot of range (think Mojo 15, or whatever they call it now it goes from 5-15.)
Then set the DIN to type III by the chart. When you go skiing, zipper some moguls or hit a cattrack hard, and if you come out, give it a little more (half a DIN number). repeat.

my preference is a binding with an FKS/Look turntable heel.

-awesome lateral elastic travel (~ +/- 25mm)
- short mounting footprint (very short)
- when releasing from the heel, the moment (?) is around your tibia/fibula axis,which puts less stress on one's lower leg/knee (than if the moment of rotation were placed elsewhere)
- super smooth release (and i've never experienced a pre-release)
- don't worry too much about having too high a din (i set my lookp18s (8-18) @ 10))

most people around here seem to be married to either FKS/Look or Salomon (w/ the driver toe).