Salomon AT binding <world exclusive spy shot>

**jondrums** · 03-04-2011, 11:03 AM

What I don't understand, is why the aluminum rails? Carbon tube is almost as cheap these days, and way sweeter. Can't wait to see if I can replace them to bling em' out.

**SiSt** · 03-04-2011, 11:32 AM

How does carbon tube hold up to repeated bangs, being stepped on and generally abused? And wouldn´t they wear down at the contact points or be very weak if open underneath? (Assuming they´re connected along the length, Duke-style.)

Sounds cool though.

**jondrums** · 03-04-2011, 11:56 AM

I've mistreated the crap out of my windsurfing mast and it'll last another 5 years no doubt. I'm not talking thin-wall tube. I was more stating this in jest, since we know nothing about the bindings and I wanted to stir something up.

**SiSt** · 03-04-2011, 12:04 PM

Ah, just being a nerd in reply. Always nice to learn something.

**khyber.pass** · 03-04-2011, 12:33 PM

^^ You'd have to coat the carbon in the kind of resin that BD uses for its ice tools for it to be damage resistant. Cost would be nearly double.

What I've heard through the Solly grapevine is that 11/12 Quest will retain nearly the same (wide shell). Unless they rushed production, we won't see a narrower Ghost-style touring boot until 12/13.

I wonder if they've done anything to make a walk mode lever that actually locks off the cuff from forward motion (like all other touring boots), or if it's still the same click-in metal bar that only stops rearward motion, leaving the boot to flex forward until you get buckle bang....

My questions are: (a) did they purchase proper Dynafit inserts for their soles? (b) have they compensated TC yet? (c) have they changed their production model so that new customers aren't being used as human-stuntman-beta-testers risking life and limb?

**BiggC** · 03-04-2011, 03:42 PM

Can't really tell much from that picture.

As khyber said, here's hoping they didn't fuck up the engineering.

**Skidog** · 03-04-2011, 03:48 PM

Originally Posted by BiggC

Can't really tell much from that picture.

As khyber said, here's hoping they didn't fuck up the engineering.

FYI...this things been in the works for like 3+ years...I too hope they dont fuck up engineering, but i see it as highly unlikely.

**stuckathuntermtn** · 03-04-2011, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by Mustonen

One grainy, zoomed in photo and you can make a determination of quality?

Is it just me or should huntermtn shut the fuck up? You don't need to post every poorly constructed thought that pops into your bird brain.

but it's the internet!

**powtario** · 03-04-2011, 08:52 PM

Originally Posted by SiSt

How does carbon tube hold up to repeated bangs, being stepped on and generally abused? And wouldn´t they wear down at the contact points or be very weak if open underneath? (Assuming they´re connected along the length, Duke-style.)

Sounds cool though.

If Santa Cruz can make a carbon DH bike that is stronger than its Al predecessor......

**mc_roon** · 03-04-2011, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by Skidog

I know you dont have to take off yer skis.

oh reallllyyyyy...

now if the pivot point is set up right and doesnt develop the same kind of slop dukes do then we have a winner

Hugh Conway · 03-04-2011, 09:51 PM

Originally Posted by SiSt

How does carbon tube hold up to repeated bangs, being stepped on and generally abused?

In the aforementioned Silvretta's, not always great.

**Jethro** · 03-04-2011, 10:27 PM

Originally Posted by Mustonen

Not having skied them, the Silvretta's anti-torsion solution IS those two bars, attached way behind the heel. Of course that sucks. The Duke (and it looks like the Sally's, from the little I can see) relies on an interface underneath and around the heel. It doesn't matter if the connection between toe and heel is made of out of a dowel rod, because it doesn't have anything to do w/ the torsional rigidity.

second this opinion. The plate connecting the toe to the heel really only needs to be strong enough to retain you while skinning. I skied an emery binding in 1995-1997 with an MRR heel piece installed. The plate connecting the toe to the heel was a flexible piece of plastic. It was kind of a pain to put into ski mode, but once in it was very solid.

It seems like there should be a more reliable version of an old Petzl binding by now. They used a solly toe and a Look heel with a breakage prone plastic plate connecting them. I see no reason to have heavy yet fragile rods connecting the toe to the heel like most AT bindings have today (Dynafit excepted). These plate systems also have to deal with the changing radius of a flexing ski and the fixed length of the binding

**Alkasquawlik** · 03-05-2011, 03:05 AM

Just so all that care to know will know and so that rampant speculation doesn't get too inflamed, I have been skiing these bindings daily for a month now. I've done all day tours, done a shit ton of skin to ski transitions, skied and toured them in waist deep pow, thigh deep pow, ankle deep pow, mank, wet mank, freezing mank, hardpack, windcrust and just about every other conditions the PNW and BC can offer up. I've sent them into flips off some pretty hefty cliffs, hit big pillow lines in the trees, skied spines, hit kickers, skied over exposure and generally have tried to abuse the crap out of them and treat them like a complete moron would treat them. I've skied laps on groomers in touring mode, repeatedly kicked the shit out of the toe and heel piece with my boots, let them sit out most nights in the back of my truck in rain, sleet and snow and have generally just have thrown them around like a monkey throws poo. In other words, I'm try to test the shit out of them.

While I don't know what I details I can into right now, in a recent write up I handed back to the Salomon boys I gave the binders a 9 out 10 and called them "my new favorite toy". But I think that's all I can say right now. Otherwise I'm off to Frenchieland on Monday to meet up with the designers, so after the little get together, I should know whether or not I can spill the rest of the beans.

Nice spy shots by the way. I gotta say that at first I was honestly a little disappointed in the maggots. I'm surprised it took this long to post some spy shots up. I surely would have figured that shots would have been posted after my first day on them.

**SimB** · 03-05-2011, 01:43 PM

Finally, I've been waiting to see these. First thing that came to mind was, as some has said, silvretta and that is not a very good grade for what I think is supposed to be a very burly touring binding. But on the other hand, it does look like it doesn't build as much from the ski as the silvretta, or Duke for that matter. Exciting times coming up!

Couldn't care less about the new quest boot though, I know of 3 seperat incidents were both buckles and shells have broken. Add the fucked up AT soles to that... Wouldn't wear 'em if you paid me!

**Huck_Schmuck** · 03-05-2011, 04:24 PM