Need advice on AT bindings for K2 Apache Outlaws

[DeutschBag]

I've been told that the Dukes and the Freerides are what I need to get since I'm a bigger guy. I'm 6' and 220bs and am a fairly experienced backcountry skier. I've done my share of touring in Oregon, Japan, Alaska and Austria/Germany, but mostly on Randonee gear (Karhu with Silverettas). I've never tried AT gear but am looking to get some mainly because I will be doing some ski patrolling this winter.

I bought the Outlaws at the end of last season and they are still in plastic wrap. I skied some Outlaw demos at Mt Bachelor last December after a two foot dump (pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/atwoodn...7603605962344/) and loved them.

My main question is - good idea to put some AT bindings on these skis? Will it be a good setup? I plan on doing a lot of side country and back country skiing this winter in Bavaria and Austria. Will these skis hold up? How will they be for ski patrol duties?

Thanks for any input you can give me!

[Wetdog]

Dukes will give you better, more alpine like performance for skiing frontside and side country, but they are heavier and don't have a great heel riser setup, max height being low and more finicky to deploy. You also have to remove your boot from the binding to switch from ski to tour mode and back. They are a great binding though and tour nicely otherwise. They are especially good for side country which was their intended design. I have a pair on my Praxis powders and they are great for shorter forays.

The Freerides are more tour friendly if you are going to be doing a lot of touring. They are lighter, have more ergonomic touring features and they work well enough at the resort as well, though they have a higher stack height and are not as rock solid as the Duke. This is most noticeable in firmer conditions. They are pretty burly though. I have a pair on my 190 Gotamas for resort and side county and like the set up a lot. You will find them sturdier than the Silverettas with all the features.

I am not all that familiar with the skis. Being an alpine ski, they are probably not the lightest for a long distance touring rig, but for resort side country with the above bindings, they would be alright.

[Optimus Prime]

I'd go Dynafits personally, I am the exact same height/weight as you and Dynafits are all I ski. Never had any problems with releasing issues or durability...ever. They tour much better then the Freerides, and are certainly lighter then the Dukes or Freerides

My $.02

[LightRanger]

I was going to suggest Dynafits too, especially if you're not hucking huge all the time.

[hutash]

Can you even mount any of the above on Outlaws? I thought they only came with rails that fit Markers, at least that is how mine are. They are also heavy as hell. there are better choices for AT skis, but with that said Klar tours her Chiefs with tele binders.

[MarnMan]

hutash is right the outlaw has rails on it so that you have to use the marker binder. And yes the duke/baron setup is the burliest setups. I would also vote dynafit if you are into weight. But is would look at some of the Blizzard stuff, you can get the duke or baron on them. and they are lighter than the normal Duke/Baron. This is because they use only one screw. Just some of my thoughts

[Fuorilegge]

Ill cast a vote for the Freeride +s!

[chodezilla]

I might be wrong, but I am fairly certain that the outlaws come in a flat design (without the rails for markers) as well so make sure you have the right ones.

Other than that I can't help you on which binders to get, as I haven't tried either of them.

[time2clmb]

^^^correct. I have seen both flat, and with rails in the store.

[DeutschBag]

My Outlaws came with marker II's. They are still in the box as well. I'll probably end up mounting those on some carve skis for shit on-piste days (we get those often here in the Alps).

Weight issues don't bother me. I actually prefer a heavier ski and can handle them just fine. So, from what I'm hearing, it's probably best to go with the Dukes. I don't like the fact that I have to take the ski off to switch modes, but that shouldn't be a huge deal. What's important is that they stay on and from what I've read, these things are pretty burly. Being comfortable with Randonee gear should help with this as the R gear can be a bitch to deal with.

I really do appreciate the advice!

Okay, next question - BOOTS! I'm looking at some Scarpas right now. My Lange Boots I currently have are so beaten up and stretched out......, I'm going to be dropping a lot of dough in the next month.....

[BeastOfTheEast]

Yeah Duke should be OK. Even Freerides. Check for websites, you can get some cheaper gear, otherwise it is way more expensive than in the US.

Boots
Main question should be do you plan on using Dynafit later on? If you like damn stiff alpine boots then there are not many AT boots that will be anywhere near stiff alpine boots.