Salomon AT binding <world exclusive spy shot>

[neonorchid]

Is it me or does the ski mode "deck" height (not sure the right word), of the boot from the ski look rather high?

[Skidog]

Is it me or does the ski mode "deck" height (not sure the right word), of the boot from the ski look rather high?

All i can comment on is the "stack" height is lower than that of the marker duke.

[F#*k you cat]

any word on the Release Date for the Solly AT binding??
Maggot Group Buy??

cheers
CAT

[davieboot]

If you need need the supposed burl this thing provides compared to other AT options, it shouldn't . People need to harden the fuck up.

I would love to have the "burl" of this thing, but I also am not too stoked about exhaustion on the way up. If you were more burl, you could just shoulder an alpine rig and boot pack up. That is what real men do.

[huge-go]

I would love to have the "burl" of this thing, but I also am not too stoked about exhaustion on the way up. If you were more burl, you could just shoulder an alpine rig and boot pack up. That is what real men do.

Now you're just being ridiculous. Bootpacking through deep snow is another story. I'm just saying, people wanna see burly AT gear, but as soon as they hear the weight, they start being weight weenies. There's tradeoffs unfortunately. What good is a light binding if you can't trust it completely on the way down? I ski for the ride down personally, not the skin up, so if a pound on each leg means I can completely trust my bindings when I'm shredding down, I'll take it. I used trekkers this whole season, and while they are a bitch, I dealt with it because with what I was doing I wanted alpine binding strength. When I got tired I didn't say "fuck, trekkers are SHIT." I realized this was my limitation in physical fitness, not the trekkers. Obviously trekkers suck in more ways than just the weight, but you catch my drift...

[shafty85]

any word on the Release Date for the Solly AT binding??
Maggot Group Buy??

cheers
CAT

Second this motion. Any word?

[davieboot]

Now you're just being ridiculous. Bootpacking through deep snow is another story. I'm just saying, people wanna see burly AT gear, but as soon as they hear the weight, they start being weight weenies. There's tradeoffs unfortunately. What good is a light binding if you can't trust it completely on the way down? I ski for the ride down personally, not the skin up, so if a pound on each leg means I can completely trust my bindings when I'm shredding down, I'll take it. I used trekkers this whole season, and while they are a bitch, I dealt with it because with what I was doing I wanted alpine binding strength. When I got tired I didn't say "fuck, trekkers are SHIT." I realized this was my limitation in physical fitness, not the trekkers. Obviously trekkers suck in more ways than just the weight, but you catch my drift...

Yeah, I catch you drift. But there is a basic problem with having the heaviest part of the binding attached to your heel. It makes them way way more exhausting to skin with. If trekkers weren't so sloppy and prone to break, I would take them in an S916 over an AT version of an S916 because that massive heel piece won't be moving up and down with every step. It is the same reason shaving 1 pound off of your boots makes a much bigger difference than taking 1 pound out of your pack. I would prefer Solomon spend their engineering dollars on an AT insert (like Trekkers) that actually works really well than lug that heel piece up and down 10,000 times a day.

[el hefe]

" I would prefer Solomon spend their engineering dollars on an AT insert (like Trekkers) that actually works really well than lug that heel piece up and down 10,000 times a day." I agree with this, but still make the binding!

[iscariot]

Why don't they make a binding where the toe and heel slide fore and aft out of the way, like a rental binding, and then the separate walk mechanism, not connected to either the toe or the heel, and which normally sits under the boot when skiing, then pops up.

Or even use the same toe, but have the heel slide back, like it does with a forward pressure adjustment. That way the heel gets out of the way, and you don't have to lift the heavy heel piece 10,000 time a day.

When you want to ski, you push a button in the heel, and the spring loaded heel piece automatically returns to its correct BSL for downhill.


[Patent pending iscariot.]

[davieboot]

Why don't they make a binding where the toe and heel slide fore and aft out of the way, like a rental binding, and then the separate walk mechanism, not connected to either the toe or the heel, and which normally sits under the boot when skiing, then pops up.

Or even use the same toe, but have the heel slide back, like it does with a forward pressure adjustment. That way the heel gets out of the way, and you don't have to lift the heavy heel piece 10,000 time a day.

When you want to ski, you push a button in the heel, and the spring loaded heel piece automatically returns to its correct BSL for downhill.


[Patent pending iscariot.]

I like this idea.

[Alkasquawlik]

Why don't they make a binding where the toe and heel slide fore and aft out of the way, like a rental binding, and then the separate walk mechanism, not connected to either the toe or the heel, and which normally sits under the boot when skiing, then pops up.

Or even use the same toe, but have the heel slide back, like it does with a forward pressure adjustment. That way the heel gets out of the way, and you don't have to lift the heavy heel piece 10,000 time a day.

When you want to ski, you push a button in the heel, and the spring loaded heel piece automatically returns to its correct BSL for downhill.


[Patent pending iscariot.]

That sounds incredibly complicated to make but at the same time kind of a genius idea. Consider idea stolen!

[huge-go]

Yeah, I catch you drift. But there is a basic problem with having the heaviest part of the binding attached to your heel. It makes them way way more exhausting to skin with. If trekkers weren't so sloppy and prone to break, I would take them in an S916 over an AT version of an S916 because that massive heel piece won't be moving up and down with every step. It is the same reason shaving 1 pound off of your boots makes a much bigger difference than taking 1 pound out of your pack. I would prefer Solomon spend their engineering dollars on an AT insert (like Trekkers) that actually works really well than lug that heel piece up and down 10,000 times a day.

I definitely get what you're saying. And yeah, I agree about the trekkers. In theory they are a great idea, but the execution is FLAWED. Personally, I'm sticking with trekkers as of now because I'm young and can lug the weight. That and I'm cheap. Mostly I'm cheap. And until I try a real AT binding, I won't know the difference. Ignorance is bliss right?

[D(C)]

I found the real issue with trekkers was not the performance while they were on your feet, more that they're really slow and awkward to get on and off. What would be neat is a touring adapter that fits in alpine bindings but works with Dynafit-like toe jaws instead of a heel bail, with the ability to step in. Think Dynafit toe piece mounted on a dummy boot. You lose the pivot breakage issue and gain the ability to step in and not have to fiddle with heel bails. There's still the matter of snapping the adapter into the binding, but that would be tough to overcome.

[icelanticskier]

fritschi.

rog

[davieboot]

fritschi.

rog

But you're missing the point of having a full metal, bomber alpine binding for the down. If I'm going fritschi, I might as well go dynafit. As a matter of fact, I have.

[davieboot]

I found the real issue with trekkers was not the performance while they were on your feet, more that they're really slow and awkward to get on and off. What would be neat is a touring adapter that fits in alpine bindings but works with Dynafit-like toe jaws instead of a heel bail, with the ability to step in. Think Dynafit toe piece mounted on a dummy boot. You lose the pivot breakage issue and gain the ability to step in and not have to fiddle with heel bails. There's still the matter of snapping the adapter into the binding, but that would be tough to overcome.

Or perhaps dynafit-compatible pinchers as part of the toe piece. Not necessarily an add-on device, but something integrated with the toe piece. So you just step out of the alpine binding, and snap your toe into the dynafit pivot. Here's to dreaming.

[ectreeskier11]

But you're missing the point of having a full metal, bomber alpine binding for the down. If I'm going fritschi, I might as well go dynafit. As a matter of fact, I have.

that's my train of thought... if i want some lightweight binding that's probably going to break at the least ideal time, it might as well be very, very light as opposed to a big hunk of shitty plastic.

[icelanticskier]

But you're missing the point of having a full metal, bomber alpine binding for the down. If I'm going fritschi, I might as well go dynafit. As a matter of fact, I have.

no point missed. just amused. everyone wants bomber, many of those same folks don't want to lug it around. it's not THAT heavy and it's on a fucking pivot. just slide yer little girly foot forward pussies! you'll get there! dynafit? light yes, but ^^^^^those same folks are scared of the little mouse traps and that they won't retain thier gnardom.

my point with fritschi is that they just plain fucking work for thier intended pupose. not the lightest, not the stiffest, but click in anywhere with no fiddling and just go. wanna make a fritschi stiffer? get rid of the damn AT boot and throw a lange RS 130 on yer feet. "oh, but it's heavy and doesn't have a walk mode!" blah blah blah. yer booting/skinning up hill. who needs a walk mode for that?!

"i'll brake a fritschi". not if yer skiing properly. skiing pow? fuck, xc skis and laceups is all you need to schralp that foofy shit.

carry on...........

fucking hot as ballz out.

rog

[davieboot]

no point missed. just amused. everyone wants bomber, many of those same folks don't want to lug it around. it's not THAT heavy and it's on a fucking pivot. just slide yer little girly foot forward pussies! you'll get there! dynafit? light yes, but ^^^^^those same folks are scared of the little mouse traps and that they won't retain thier gnardom.

my point with fritschi is that they just plain fucking work for thier intended pupose. not the lightest, not the stiffest, but click in anywhere with no fiddling and just go. wanna make a fritschi stiffer? get rid of the damn AT boot and throw a lange RS 130 on yer feet. "oh, but it's heavy and doesn't have a walk mode!" blah blah blah. yer booting/skinning up hill. who needs a walk mode for that?!

"i'll brake a fritschi". not if yer skiing properly. skiing pow? fuck, xc skis and laceups is all you need to schralp that foofy shit.

carry on...........

fucking hot as ballz out.

rog

But the point is missed. We aren't looking for the best product for our purposes that is currently available. Fritschis might be the best available tool from some people. Dynafits for others. But there is room for improvement. We're talking about new technology. Fritschis are OK, but they certainly aren't the best possible thing that anyone will ever think of.

[iscariot]

wanna make a fritschi stiffer? get rid of the damn AT boot and throw a lange RS 130 on yer feet.

Except that the Lange 130 won't help at all with the tortional/lateral slop that fritschi's typically exhibit, thereby nullifying the potential advantages of a stiffer boot.

[jeffamantea]

all i know is that i'm looking forward to seeing reviews when these rigs hit the snow more widespread this winter.

[coldfeet]

Why don't they make a binding where the toe and heel slide fore and aft out of the way, like a rental binding, and then the separate walk mechanism, not connected to either the toe or the heel, and which normally sits under the boot when skiing, then pops up.

Or even use the same toe, but have the heel slide back, like it does with a forward pressure adjustment. That way the heel gets out of the way, and you don't have to lift the heavy heel piece 10,000 time a day.

When you want to ski, you push a button in the heel, and the spring loaded heel piece automatically returns to its correct BSL for downhill.


[Patent pending iscariot.]

Check this out then:

http://www.wildsnow.com/backcountry-...ter-1960s.html

[TripleT]

im guessing the binding you see at 2:00 min in this video is it?
http://youtu.be/csqurHJSTC4?t=2m

[Moralkaka]

[iscariot]

Check this out then:

Well shit. Somebody obviously stole my idea, and then went back in time to build it over 50 years ago.





So, yah. That's pretty much the idea, but with modern materials. Not sure why the binding manufacturers aren't doing something similar to that. It seems link a much simpler/cheaper/lighter/stiffer solution than what they are currently producing. Or why a company isn't making the adapter plates so that you can do that with bindings, as in the video.

In my vision the toe would pivot similar to the Duke/SalomonAT; the under-boot plate would clip into the boot similar to the heel bail of a AlpineTrekker, but designed so the bail wouldn't interfere with the heel of the binding on the way down; and the heel would slide out of the way and back, just as in the video.


jondrums?







P.S. Thanks for the find.