I wholeheartedly, 100% agree. Consider Lou Dawson's WS review of the venerable Salomon MTN/Atomic Backland binding. "
Could the Atomic/Salomon Backland/MTN be the best tech binding ever made?" he asks? Maybe, but the reasons he gives don't seem to be very powerful: "
In other words, Backland is simple, light, and just works." If that's what you're looking for, a race binding will be simpler, lighter, and it will also just work.
I think the only non-race bindings that make sense under 350g are gapless bindings like the Ski Trab Titan Vario.2, the G3 Zed, or the Market Alpinist. The benefit you get there is actual elasticity and consistent release while your ski is flexed (most of the time...) Of those three bindings, the Ski Trab Titan Vario.2 is clearly the best binding. The G3 Zed is too heavy, and the Market Alpinist is not very reliable from what I've heard. I went with the Vario.2 for my daily driver ski because I knew I would be skiing that ski in the most varied of conditions. So I wanted the add'l elasticity. And the Trab toe is very, very good.
If you're not going to get the Titan Vario.2, then I think it's most sensible to drop straight down to the 120-170g range. And I think those are all great bindings. First, I actually prefer a race-style heel. Fiddling with heel risers - or skinning behind someone who constantly does so - is a pet peeve of mine. I ski race bindings most days, and I never want for an extra riser height. I was talking about this with my ski partner just yesterday while on a steep uptrack. Set it and forget it. Sheesh!
The same goes for release value. I'm totally mystified why I need the ability to set release value between 4 and 13. I know my release value... it is approximately 8.5. Maybe it's a bit safer because you can stop thinking about the numbers (they aren't standard anyways) and just adjust the binding tighter if you're releasing too much (and then dial it down looser once you get injured). But since it's a tech binding anyways, I try to just err on the side of skiing conservatively and hoping I never come out of my binding.
Of the various race bindings under 170g, I don't think you can really go wrong these days. The Trab Gara Titan is the best because of the toe piece construction. The toe elasticity and independent wings are noticeable. Other than the Titan, I've skied the ATK Trofeo, which is totally bomber but hard to spin, and the Dynafit LTR, which has no flat mode (aka it sucks). Plum bindings are pretty comparable to ATK, and Skimoco have the Plum 150 for $390 right now, so that's a pretty good deal. I've heard Kreutzpitze are fine as well, but not spectacular. I'm also very intrigued by the Dynafit Superlite 150, but they are $550 and I don't see why you would get those over the Trab Gara Titan. I think I know of a used pair for cheaper if you're interested. PM me.
The bindings below 120g are not suitable for general ski touring use imo. They are super sick - I briefly had a pair of Plum 99s, and they are really well-engineered. The binding has tons of cut outs and careful shaping to minimize weight. But they are not as durable as the 120-170g bindings and sometimes they are less user friendly and just don't seem as bomber. Titanium u-springs are not worth it imo.
On the question of will you notice weight: I think you would notice 250g vs 150g. Also, cutting weight from your foot involves cutting weight from everything around your foot. So drop 100g from your binding, drop 300g from your boot, and drop 300g from your ski (looks like you dropped way, way more than that) and suddenly you're flying up the hill. It will legitimately feel magical. It also depends on your typical ski partners. When you use the ski in question, are you likely to be faster than your partners or slower than your partners? A quiver helps here, too. If you're faster than your partners on a given day, maybe you can take a heavier ski and binding combo. But if you got invited to hit some volcanoes with some local crushers, I bet you'll be happy to have a 150g (or less) binding with a 1300g ski.
To sum up, I like race bindings because they are simple, and they are bomber. IMHO - and I know I'm outside the norm - more features = more stuff to go wrong in any icy, wet, hard-wearing environment. I can't stand it when my ski partners' stop every 90 seconds to fiddle with something on their binding, and it would drive me crazy if I had to do that too. I would have almost zero confidence if I ever came out of my binding or something didn't seem to be working quite right (like a heel spring is wonky or the tower rotates funny or the heel slips on the track or stuff like that).
IMO, the decision tree is: Do you need a beef binding because you are an actual, legitimate freeride skier or you have a super burly ski? Then get a beef binding like the ATK Raider. Next, stepping one category down, do you want to trade 100g for the elasticity of the Titan Vario.2 (250g) or not? If not, then you want a race binding. Can you get the ATK Trofeo or the Plum 150/170 for cheaper than the Gara Titan AND do you care about that price difference? If so, get ATK/Plum. If you're paying full retail (all 450ish) then get the Gara Titan.
This season, I have Gara Titans on race skis, I have Vario.2s on my daily drivers, and I have Trofeos on my powder skis. My decision tree: I never wanted a beef binding. I wanted elasticity for my daily drivers, but I prioritized weight on my race skis, and I didn't need elasticity on my powder skis. On my powder skis, I got the Trofeos from Europe for cheap last spring, and I cared about the cost difference (although I tried damn hard to shill the Trofeos to some people I met in hopes they'd buy them off of me for full US retail price).
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