Breakage Marker bindings with serious injuries

[powdork]

Everything is capable of breaking (regardless of design). Sorry you got hurt but if everyone that has ever bopped their head when a piece of their gear broke sued the manufacturer, the outdoor gear industry would no longer exist.

On the flip side, if companies were allowed to continue to make unsafe equipment with no repercussions, we'd all be dead. Based on adrenalated's comments and experience, I'd say this is more than just one piece of gear braking in a rare circumstance. This is what recalls are for.

[1000-oaks]

Those look like plastic to me, which is consistent with the Duke/Jester having aluminum towers and the Baron/Griffon having plastic towers.

I don't see a ski edge cut in the plastic on this pair, but some of the photos I've seen of broken Baron/Griffon towers looked like a sharp edge impact could have initiated the cracking. IMHO, Marker should have added a lot of "extra" plastic right there to help resist edge impacts and residual damage, which the engineers may not have considered when designing the structure.

All-plastic heels are certainly nice and lightweight, but there's something to be said for metal structural elements in the heel assembly that tie into metal heel tracks (FKS/Pivot/STH/914/916). The whole binding doesn't have to be metal, but it's nice if the load-bearing components are.

[old goat]

Everything is capable of breaking (regardless of design). Sorry you got hurt but if everyone that has ever bopped their head when a piece of their gear broke sued the manufacturer, the outdoor gear industry would no longer exist.
A running shoe's sole can delam and cause you to fall, A mountain bike wheel can taco and cause you to fall, A kayak paddle can break and cause you harm, A ski can snap in two and cause you to fall, etc,...

There is gear that can be expected to break occasionally due to the nature of the gear and the sport--Chris Chelios snapped a stick on a slap shot from the point and cost the Wings a Stanley Cup. That's expected breakage. This kind of binding failure is not. And a basilar skull fracture is not a bop on the head.

[TBS]

Davide - how long ago did you contact Marker (Jardan) about this? Has anyone responded? If so, what did they say?

Holding good thoughts for a complete recovery

[adrenalated]

Yes, the heel towers on Jester and Duke are metal. All other Royal series bindings (Griffon, Baron, Tour, Squire, Lord) are composite of some sort.

The 25% failure rate we experienced was most likely a bad batch. I recall hearing about a number of issues that season. It was somewhere around 11/12 or 12/13.

[powdork]

Hello TBS.
In the presence of my technicians, Marker have answered that they are not responsible of what it happened,because these bindings (Griffon etc...) can be mounted only on K2 skis and not on the other ski brands.
Thanks for your interest

Seriously?? I have to think something was lost in translation. And why would this be an issue at all? They didn't rip out of the ski, the binding broke.

[Quicksilver]

Yeah, that's crazy. You can only mount Jarden bindings on Jarden skis? Something tells me the courts would disagree.

[powdork]

especially given that it says that Nowhere ever on their specs

[FatKidFromFL]

After thinking about my Barons that I ride constantly, that I purchased used, 4 seasons ago: Time to get some new bindings. Any further info or clarification about the k2 comment would be awesome. Best of luck with your recovery and compensation. Nobody deserves to have that happen while having a nice day out on the snow.

[old goat]

That explanation for denying responsibility sounds like complete bullshit to me. Hope you don't give up on it.
I'm not surprised that Marker would deny responsibility though. 4 years after purchase this would not be a warranty issue and that would only get you new bindings anyway (and I doubt you would want another pair of Markers). I don't know how things work in Italy but in the US you would almost always have to hire a lawyer and sue to be compensated for an injury due to a faulty product. Good luck to you.

[TBS]

Agreed it's bullshit for Marker to say their clamps are only warranted to work on K2s...what about Volkls or Lines, both of which are owned by Jarden?

Old Goat brings up a good point too. Markers warranty obligation in the U.S. is to repair, replace or refund the cost, at their option. Consequential damages (like, for instance a severe head injury) resulting from failure are not covered.

Exception-consequential damages are awarded in cases where manufacturer has failed to recall products with known problems

One thing for certain - I won't be using Marker clamps after reading this.
Good luck OP

[TomCrac]

After thinking about my Barons that I ride constantly, that I purchased used, 4 seasons ago: Time to get some new bindings. Any further info or clarification about the k2 comment would be awesome. Best of luck with your recovery and compensation. Nobody deserves to have that happen while having a nice day out on the snow.

If it aint broke, don't fix it. I have my own reasons for never going without Look.

[m3ec55]

Hello everyone,sorry for the delay.
I'm writing to inform you of the behavior of MARKER and it's insurance company.
In April 2016 my lawyer and my legal technician,met in Brescia at the office of the engineer Mr Cesenni (technician of Marker insurance) Mr Alfred Boehm MARKER's engineer.
Mr Alfred Boehm, after examining the bindings that caused me the accident,said that the bindings had been perfectly fitted,adding vaguley that pheraps the skiman who fitted the bindings "made some confusion in the Marker mounting box"............
Mr Alfred Boehm sayd also that these Marker bindings,can be only fitted on K2 skis and no other brands.
It's a big shame that after four years,Marker and it's insurance company, despite my willingness to be subjected to medical and technical expertise had never answered me (if not for this meeting).
Few days ago my lawyer contacted the lawyer of Marker insurance,who sayd that the Italian branch insurance company would be totally available to me,but depending from the German branch it cannot make decisions.
Considering my injuries and my psychophysical state this is a shameful behavior.I'm just a consumer who has bought a product and this because of defectiveness caused me a damage.
Sorry for my english.
Thanks to you all

[Duckpond]

I purchased a pair of Barons which I blew through in my third day of skiing them. Almost identical issue to those posted by Mce55 and Adrenalated. Luckily I did not suffer an injury, however as half of the binding ripped off the track, my ski continued down the mountain and deep into the woods as the brake had become detached.

I will say that Marker's customer service was killer. The ski I lost was an older S7, and to compensate me they sent a brand new set of Barons and a pair of Volkl One's. For this I was grateful, but it does make me worry a bit about charging on the barons.

For reference, I am 6'1'' 200lbs. I ski aggressively, but I am not hucking any cliffs.

[old goat]

I still don't understand the K2 thing. The only thing I can think of is that Marker has a system Baron for K2 marketed in Europe and the OP or the mistakenly mounted the system version, although I don't know how you would do that--I don't think the system bindings have the screw holes to do a flat mount. In the US K2's with bindings use only other Markers but not the Royal series, and Barons and other Royal series bindings are routinely mounted on all brands of skis. I still think Marker is giving you a bunch of bullshit. I can only think that the laws in Europe favor the company enough that they're not afraid of a lawsuit. Good luck.

[ak_powder_monkey]

My biggest fear....

[CallMeAl]

Took these out of the box, mounted them, trusted customer took one blue warm up run, came back with this. It wasn't a K2 ski, so I guess that explains it.

Hope you're doing alright, man.

[Angle Parking]

This stuff scares me so much. I am haunted be a pre release (different but similar) bail. Worst bail i have ever had. Equipment failure is so so nightmarish. A local quad ended up that way as a consequence of front fork (maybe rim ?) failure while out for a little put-put cruise with the fam and some friends. Hope the OP is doing well.

[Skidog]

Seriously?? I have to think something was lost in translation. And why would this be an issue at all? They didn't rip out of the ski, the binding broke.

Ummm why would marker make a binding specific to a ski maker thats its competition? Something was for sure lost in translation here... Marker is Volkl. If anything the binding would be made only for Volkl skis...which it surely, without question, not the case.

[wasatchback]

Marker is Jarden.... Jarden is Volkl, K2, Dalbello, Mr Coffe, Marmot, Rawlings, Coleman, Yankee candle, etc, etc

[babybear]

And Jarden is now Newell. As in rubbermaid

[Skidog]

Marker is Jarden.... Jarden is Volkl, K2, Dalbello, Mr Coffe, Marmot, Rawlings, Coleman, Yankee candle, etc, etc

Was this the case in 11/12 12/13 (presumably when bindings/skis were made)? I had forgotten that K2 was included under that umbrella.

[babybear]

Was this the case in 11/12 12/13 (presumably when bindings/skis were made)?

Yes

[m3ec55]

Greetings to all the users of the forum. I apologize for the 4 years of silence, with the many who had asked me to keep them informed on the progress of my civil case against marker. However, I can tell you without going into detail the development of the current situation.
In the past months the technical-legal has been carried out in a correct and positive way. The medical examiner also took place, where the medical commission established a pathology against me without having carried out a clinical examination.
This is currently moving towards a possible sentence.
For now I will just inform you of this.
A greeting

[galibier_numero_un]

Hopefully this is moving toward a positive ourcome for you, Davide!

... Thom