Salomon Guardian

[dynamike]

90% resort, 10% hiking. Is there a better choice? Downhill performance reigns supreme.

[Karl May]

check out the salomon guardian thread first...

[njfreeskier]

I have to say that after the all the hype, based on the reviews i've read from all the new magazines, it doesn't seem like any improvement over the duke. Duke looks like it has a better pivot.

[mikedski]

I have to say that after the all the hype, based on the reviews i've read from all the new magazines, it doesn't seem like any improvement over the duke. Duke looks like it has a better pivot.

Guardian is wider, lower, torsionally stiffer, and easier to use.

[fat yeti]

The guardian and tracker both showed up at the shop today and they look good and feel burly.

[josef]

Does this mean they are available for sale...?

[MC Slayer]

I managed to break the mounting plates on my dukes, rendering the rest of my day finished. Guardian doesn't seem like it will break easily. Additionally, the guardian seemed more torsionally rigid and had a lower staking height, both are dealbreakers for me; I'll be going with the guardian next year.

[TheDon]

Does this mean they are available for sale...?

Yes

1234567

[DHogg]

Been In stores this southern season.

[westoxified]

canwilf, I think the Guardian vs. Tracker "fits" might be more entertaining. Only time will tell...

but, the jury is no longer in deliberation...higher bindings suck at everything but racing. AT boots also suck at most things too, so maybe there is something to your statement.

[dynamike]

Should have mentioned that the hiking will only be short, lift access stuff so not concerned about weight. The skis will not be resold as its a sweet custom top sheet courtesy of Praxis, so extra holes are not a concern.
Inserts certainly a possibility, though.

[josef]

* Switch from tour mode to ski mode without removing boot? W-T-Hell? U gonna ski with your skins on? Start skinning with your skins off? Please show me the benefit. OK, maybe if you are the flexible-rando-racer type you can rip your skins off and then switch to ski mode without taking your feet out of the binding. I suppose it could be useful to those who carry a pack and want to ski down sketchy sections with skins still on. That's a feature looking for a problem unless its a race crowd or someone always switching skins on and off and can do that without stepping out of the binding.

I think the bigger upside is that you do not have to deal with the lever that the dukes and barons have. You can take your skis off to remove your skins then simply click back in and switch to tour mode. To me that sounds like a cleaner process than what I currently have with my dukes and that lever. I havent skied the guardian yet though so take all of this with a grain of salt.

[Beyond]

Should have mentioned that the hiking will only be short, lift access stuff so not concerned about weight.

I'm thinking of all the long lines of hikers I see at every major resort, working along the ridge up to xxxx peak or xxxx bowl, skiing down to a lift, repeat. And I always wonder why anyone even bothers with Dukes et al. unless they routinely go OB and actually (gasp) put on skins, use that function for which the binding is designed. So, I'll ask a very dumb/jong question here: You keep repeating the word "hiking." In my book that means walking uphill with skis on my pack, making/following holes in the snow unless I'm on a rock exposure. You also keep emphasizing how short the hikes will be, so presumably above a lift to get to some chute or bowl.

So does "hiking" mean postholes or skins to you? And even if you mean skins, for that 10% have you considered the scenario of biting the bullet and postholing instead, so you can just use a standard alpine rig? Seriously, climbing with skis on their shoulders or packs is what most lift served skiers do, whether they have AT on their skis or not. Trying to skin outside a long line of hikers can be a PITA, even dangerous, in some cases of terrain or conditions. And even if there's space, putting on and taking off skins for a really short access is silly unless the snow is so deep hiking is unfeasible. Which is very rare at a resort, with everyone else having the same goal as you. Just askin'...

[marshalolson]

So does "hiking" mean postholes or skins to you? And even if you mean skins, for that 10% have you considered the scenario of biting the bullet and postholing instead, so you can just use a standard alpine rig? Seriously, climbing with skis on their shoulders or packs is what most lift served skiers do, whether they have AT on their skis or not. Trying to skin outside a long line of hikers can be a PITA, even dangerous, in some cases of terrain or conditions. And even if there's space, putting on and taking off skins for a really short access is silly. Just askin'

gotta agree here.

not to mention, for 10% "hiking", chalk me up for alpine bindings. ESPECIALLY if most often you are boot packing, with the occasional short skin.... i'd stick trekkers in my pack.

[MJbumper1121]

Yikes...

* Is that 6 f#@! screws I see? The Salomon wins for most (6) screws in the heel-piece. Who needs no-pull-out screws when there are six to keep the heel attached to the ski! Please don't try selling me your second-hand swiss-cheese skis after this binding.

[PNWbrit]

I'm thinking of all the long lines of hikers I see at every major resort, working along the ridge up to xxxx peak or xxxx bowl, skiing down to a lift, repeat. And I always wonder why anyone even bothers with Dukes et al. unless they routinely go OB and actually (gasp) put on skins, use that function for which the binding is designed. So, I'll ask a very dumb/jong question here: You keep repeating the word "hiking." In my book that means walking uphill with skis on my pack, making/following holes in the snow unless I'm on a rock exposure. You also keep emphasizing how short the hikes will be, so presumably above a lift to get to some chute or bowl.

So does "hiking" mean postholes or skins to you? And even if you mean skins, for that 10% have you considered the scenario of biting the bullet and postholing instead, so you can just use a standard alpine rig? Seriously, climbing with skis on their shoulders or packs is what most lift served skiers do, whether they have AT on their skis or not. Trying to skin outside a long line of hikers can be a PITA, even dangerous, in some cases of terrain or conditions. And even if there's space, putting on and taking off skins for a really short access is silly unless the snow is so deep hiking is unfeasible. Which is very rare at a resort, with everyone else having the same goal as you. Just askin'...

You have to wonder how many of the many duke/baron owners you see in the resort actually own a pair of skins.

[Buster Highmen]

You can take your skis off to remove your skins then simply click back in and switch to tour mode.

Yup, you sure can.

[coreshot-tourettes]

I have the MFD Alltime, and the ability to be touring with skins on and then lock your heel down easily without boot removal is useful when you need to descend a bit with skins on before resuming the climb, this way you can descend alpine style with skins instead of having to telemark turn.

[XavierD]

I have to agree with Marshal and Beyond for 90% of the places I access from the ski area. the place where I have used my dukes (other than 100% backcountry) is on the logging/FS roads to get back to the highway/lifts. Those roads can often be a very long slog. You often don't even need skins, but being able to get a longer stride can double your pace.

Dynafit will still be king for anything that is not accessed from outside the resort.

[dynamike]

Replace hiking with skinning. My apologies. Postholing only when too steep to skin.
Trekkers? I remember my first day touring on those fucking things. As soon as the day was done, I bypassed the bar, went to the shop and whipped out my credit card.
So to be clear, I want a binding that will spend most of its day at the resort, but if I decide to go for an hour SKIN, and maybe a couple of laps, which binding?

[cmsummit]

I'm a proponent of having a tourable setup w/skins whenever I leave resort boundaries. Summit addressed those benefits in this thread:

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...ed)?highlight=

So even if you are just bootpacking with an AT binding setup on your back, they could still be very useful in certain situations.

[dynamike]

Already have touring set-up. But if I'm skiing solo, run into some buddies who are about to go for a SKIN, I'm good to go.

[adrenalated]

Rather than try to convince you that you need something you clearly don't need or want like everybody else is apparently trying to do, I will say that yes, the Guardian is probably your best choice. Dukes are fine too. I've skied both and think that the Guardian skis a little bit better. I can tell no difference in ski performance between Guardians and STH14s. Durability is yet to be proven, but the design seems right. I will be putting Guardians on my skis that will serve the same purpose - 90% inbounds, occasional short skinning under 1hr.

[Alkasquawlik]

* Switch from tour mode to ski mode without removing boot? W-T-Hell? U gonna ski with your skins on? Start skinning with your skins off? Please show me the benefit. OK, maybe if you are the flexible-rando-racer type you can rip your skins off and then switch to ski mode without taking your feet out of the binding. I suppose it could be useful to those who carry a pack and want to ski down sketchy sections with skins still on. That's a feature looking for a problem unless its a race crowd or someone always switching skins on and off and can do that without stepping out of the binding.

Really? I can barely touch my toes and take my skins off with ease without having to step out of the bindings. I personally love that feature. I go from skinning to skiing in about a minute flat.

[Hugh Conway]

I have the MFD Alltime, and the ability to be touring with skins on and then lock your heel down easily without boot removal is useful when you need to descend a bit with skins on before resuming the climb, this way you can descend alpine style with skins instead of having to telemark turn.

WTF?....