Quote Originally Posted by rfconroy View Post
heels, the turret connection to the mounting plate is small and tends to break. Also, the Alpanist uses a U spring, which typically should be changed out approximately ~50-ish step-ins before it begins to loose some of its retention. Zeds and ATKs are about the same weight, with better skiing performance, easier to use risers, and more reliability.

ATK Freeraider - is the best fully featured touring touring binding on the market right now

Zed - Best bang for the buck right now, a pair can be had from G3 directly for $250
With respect, I’ve had different and positive experiences on my alpinists. 300+ days between 4 pairs and have 1 pair well over 100 days.

My oldest pair of u springs are barely perceptibly softer than a brand new pair for the medium springs. I’m only 155# but ski them with reckless hucking enjoyment. They have always released when I wanted them too but never before.

My main gripe is that the heel riser can pack with snow and become floppy during wallowy trailbreaking. The low ramp angle and low heel risers are polarizing but folks have successfully modified both without too much trouble.