Salomon Shift w/ Salomon QST 106 181

[I've seen black diamonds!]

^^^^^ My pair of Shifts have been flawless, yet I mostly agree with Thom. They are very complicated, a pain to set up properly, and at least some of the people having issues with them know what they're doing. I would never trust a shop to set up a pair. They have served me well, but I wouldn't recommend them. And when I say they served me well, I mean they served me well as a resort/sidecountry binding. It is not a good touring binding, imo.

Here is another nugget:

50/50 setups suck much more than 50% of the time. Touring on heavy ass bindings is less fun (although touring on heavyish skis can be worth it). Lift served skiing on light skis is less fun (there is no 1800g ski I have slightest interest in using at a ski area unless the snow is very good). These setup only make sense if you are doing a lot of lift assisted touring. Even then, I think you're better off with a heavier ski that compromises nothing going down hill. When the lift is doing most of the work for me I don't mind dealing with extra weight. QST 106's (the newer heavier ones) with Shifts would work fine for this. But for a full day of BC skiing? No thanks. Pointlessly heavy.

People often buy these so-called 50/50 setups to facilitate an entry into ski touring, then one of two things happens: They pretty much never use them for touring, or they become avid backcountry skiers and immediately want something lighter and more efficient. Or just something different.

My advice is to buy multiple pairs of skis, boots and binding that do the jobs they were designed to do well. One pair for lifts and one for touring. Buy cheap and used if you need to. Heck, buy cheap and used even if you don't need to. If you become a dedicated BC skier I can pretty much guarantee you won't be satisfied with your first setup no matter how much you paid for it. After ten days you'll find 5 things wrong with it. So go cheap and then sell it for close to what you paid when you either a) decide ski touring isn't your thing or b) decide ski touring is the best thing ever and you have a better idea what skis and bindings will meet your needs.

You can't really go cheap on the boots though. You can buy a cheap used pair and hope they fit your feet, but they probably won't. It's better to go to a boot fitter and get it done right.

[nconzey]

Thank you ALL! This is really helpful and I so appreciate the TGR community and stoke ! I am going to take the senior advice here and try to find an cheap touring set up to get started !


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[MyNameIsAugustWest]

^^^^^ My pair of Shifts have been flawless, yet I mostly agree with Thom. They are very complicated, a pain to set up properly, and at least some of the people having issues with them know what they're doing. I would never trust a shop to set up a pair. They have served me well, but I wouldn't recommend them. And when I say they served me well, I mean they served me well as a resort/sidecountry binding. It is not a good touring binding, imo.

Here is another nugget:

50/50 setups suck much more than 50% of the time. Touring on heavy ass bindings is less fun (although touring on heavyish skis can be worth it). Lift served skiing on light skis is less fun (there is no 1800g ski I have slightest interest in using at a ski area unless the snow is very good). These setup only make sense if you are doing a lot of lift assisted touring. Even then, I think you're better off with a heavier ski that compromises nothing going down hill. When the lift is doing most of the work for me I don't mind dealing with extra weight. QST 106's (the newer heavier ones) with Shifts would work fine for this. But for a full day of BC skiing? No thanks. Pointlessly heavy.

People often buy these so-called 50/50 setups to facilitate an entry into ski touring, then one of two things happens: They pretty much never use them for touring, or they become avid backcountry skiers and immediately want something lighter and more efficient. Or just something different.

My advice is to buy multiple pairs of skis, boots and binding that do the jobs they were designed to do well. One pair for lifts and one for touring. Buy cheap and used if you need to. Heck, buy cheap and used even if you don't need to. If you become a dedicated BC skier I can pretty much guarantee you won't be satisfied with your first setup no matter how much you paid for it. After ten days you'll find 5 things wrong with it. So go cheap and then sell it for close to what you paid when you either a) decide ski touring isn't your thing or b) decide ski touring is the best thing ever and you have a better idea what skis and bindings will meet your needs.

You can't really go cheap on the boots though. You can buy a cheap used pair and hope they fit your feet, but they probably won't. It's better to go to a boot fitter and get it done right.

I’m the guy ISBD is talking about. Toured for a couple of years on Marker Barons and Scarpa Freedoms cause they were solid for my more numerous lift-served days. They were also ok for solo fitness laps at the resort. But I was always the anchor when doing real tours with people on dedicated touring gear. Now have F1s and Vipecs and the difference is night and day.


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[WILLSKIFAST]

Have this exact setup and pretty much DD it in addition to spring tours and meadow skipping here. Def agree with most everything folks have said here. It's honestly been my favorite ski to date due to it's versatility...I have yet to find a condition that it's not comfortable in, including a 15" day at Bridger.

One thing I have not been able to get over with this setup tho...and I'm not totally sure if this is just something that's been covered in the Shift thread (gonna go look now that I think about it), is how damn annoying this setup is to shoulder. The brakes do not lock together very well, which makes short bootpacks, and even the damn walk from the parking lot annoying as all get out. Am I alone???

[xconverge]

I have shifts + hawx + line visions and LOVE the setup for 50/50 for me. I don't charge hard, tour hard, or do anything extreme so it works for me.

[xconverge]

Have this exact setup and pretty much DD it in addition to spring tours and meadow skipping here. Def agree with most everything folks have said here. It's honestly been my favorite ski to date due to it's versatility...I have yet to find a condition that it's not comfortable in, including a 15" day at Bridger.

One thing I have not been able to get over with this setup tho...and I'm not totally sure if this is just something that's been covered in the Shift thread (gonna go look now that I think about it), is how damn annoying this setup is to shoulder. The brakes do not lock together very well, which makes short bootpacks, and even the damn walk from the parking lot annoying as all get out. Am I alone???

They lock together TOO WELL, making them hard to separate, yes i agree