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Thread: Salomon Guardian
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08-22-2012, 07:43 PM #1Registered User
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Salomon Guardian
90% resort, 10% hiking. Is there a better choice? Downhill performance reigns supreme.
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08-22-2012, 09:01 PM #2
check out the salomon guardian thread first...
"Remember, if you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do." -Warren Miller
Ephesians 4:7
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08-22-2012, 09:13 PM #3
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.
Magic Mountain Freeride Team...bringing your grom's game to the next level.
The only ski you'll ever need...http://worthskis.com/skis/the-magic/
"Errare Humanum Est"
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08-23-2012, 12:10 PM #4Registered User
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08-23-2012, 12:37 PM #5
The guardian and tracker both showed up at the shop today and they look good and feel burly.
If ski companies didn't make new skis every year I wouldn't have to get new skis every year.
www.levelninesports.com
http://skiingyeti.blogspot.com/
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08-23-2012, 04:48 PM #6
Does this mean they are available for sale...?
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08-24-2012, 12:26 AM #7
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.
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08-24-2012, 12:31 AM #8
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08-24-2012, 12:55 AM #9
Been In stores this southern season.
My drinking buddies say i have a skiing problem...
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08-24-2012, 07:53 AM #10
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.bumps are for poor people
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08-24-2012, 08:14 AM #11Registered User
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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.
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08-24-2012, 09:12 AM #12
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.
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08-24-2012, 10:09 AM #13
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'...
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08-24-2012, 10:15 AM #14
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08-24-2012, 10:23 AM #15
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08-24-2012, 10:34 AM #16
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08-24-2012, 10:41 AM #17
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08-24-2012, 11:45 AM #18
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.
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08-24-2012, 12:12 PM #19
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.
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08-24-2012, 01:37 PM #20Registered User
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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?
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08-24-2012, 01:42 PM #21
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.Old's Cool.
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08-24-2012, 01:55 PM #22Registered User
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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.
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08-24-2012, 04:50 PM #23
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.
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08-24-2012, 10:31 PM #24
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08-25-2012, 12:38 AM #25Hugh Conway Guest
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