Alpine bindings - current best?

[Shorty_J]

While we're on the Knee topic, what about the protector? Any beta after the first full season? Having a dildo heel I'm curious about how much vertical heel elasticity it has.

Gregorys started a thread on them but I don't think he has a full year in them yet.

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[singlesline]

I'm curious about strives if anyone has experience with them. They're available cheap to me, low stand height and light weight is appealing but I'm wary of a first year binding

Got a day on Strive demos and came away feeling unsure.

1. Didn't have the satisfying clunk of the STH2. The Strive 16 probably does (since its heel looks identical to the STH2), this new one for the 14/demo looks more like the Warden 11 heel.
2. Had a sketchy prerelease. Landed a 360 on a small park jump and as I skied away from it, suddenly I walked out of one ski. Went for a slide and crashed into a pole knocking the other ski off. Don't know exactly what happened, but I was halfway down the landing, skiing straight, and suddenly it was gone. Sure felt like I walked out of it, but when my buddy brought my ski down, the heel was still "up" (is it possible to come out of the heel without it snapping back down?).

I went and checked the settings after the crash, DINs were right, but forward pressure was slightly out of spec. I clicked the heel one position forward which put the indicator in the correct range. I didn't have any more releases that day (but I also can't believe being just a mm or so out of range on the forward pressure would be that big of a deal).

Can't really comment too much on how they actually ski as I was testing an unfamiliar ski (deathwish 104). There was a lot of refrozen chunk and I feel like they didn't feel quite as damp as the driver toes, but it seemed to ski well overall. Again, unfamiliar ski and everything, but I felt like I could maybe tell that they weighed less/had lower center of mass?

So I'm not yet in the "start hoarding STH2s" camp, but I'd like to hear more opinions.

[1000-oaks]

STH2's put me in the "hoarding STH1's" camp...

Salomon updates appear to be about reducing manufacturing cost, and not improving performance.

[BlazersTimbers503]

STH2's put me in the "hoarding STH1's" camp...

Salomon updates appear to be about reducing manufacturing cost, and not improving performance.

I’ve been a fan of the STH2’s but never had the chance to ride the STH1’s. What did they change? Less metal, I’m guessing?

[singlesline]

I dunno--I went from S9XX to STH2 and never had a real complaint about them. Never skied an STH1...

Never been big on the "gotta be metal" camp, plastic seems to work pretty well for me. Don't run my DINs super high though, which might be a factor (always counter-intuitive to me that longer BSL==lower DIN...the wrench analogy makes sense, but it still feels "wrong").

[toast2266]

I’ve been a fan of the STH2’s but never had the chance to ride the STH1’s. What did they change? Less metal, I’m guessing?

The STH2's are a bit more plastic-y, but they gained the floating heel track that lets the ski flex a bit better. I never had a problem with either the 1's or 2's aside from the usual toe wings loosening up, but I'm also in the "don't need a crazy high DIN" camp.

[singlesline]

aside from the usual toe wings loosening up

I take it back, I also have that complaint. Occasionally I have to grab a screwdriver and tighten the wings. I usually notice it wiggling my feet around on the chair and finding one ski has developed play.

Come to think of it, I haven't done it in a while. Maybe my screw corroded and is stuck in place now?

[altacoup]

Sth2 doesn’t develop the heel wiggle that every sth1 develops. That said I’ve had issues with heel prerelease on sth2 and never on sth1.


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[1000-oaks]

STH2 is plastic heel housing on a plastic track. The STH1 heel housing is more narrow, but it does have metal tabs keyed into an extruded aluminum track. It's true the STH1 housing can wiggle in the track without a boot clamped, but does it happen much while skiing? (I'm not a big guy and haven't experienced it.) Still gotta be more rigid than Pivot heels though.

[SnowMachine]

Got a day on Strive demos and came away feeling unsure.

1. Didn't have the satisfying clunk of the STH2. The Strive 16 probably does (since its heel looks identical to the STH2), this new one for the 14/demo looks more like the Warden 11 heel.
2. Had a sketchy prerelease. Landed a 360 on a small park jump and as I skied away from it, suddenly I walked out of one ski. Went for a slide and crashed into a pole knocking the other ski off. Don't know exactly what happened, but I was halfway down the landing, skiing straight, and suddenly it was gone. Sure felt like I walked out of it, but when my buddy brought my ski down, the heel was still "up" (is it possible to come out of the heel without it snapping back down?).

I went and checked the settings after the crash, DINs were right, but forward pressure was slightly out of spec. I clicked the heel one position forward which put the indicator in the correct range. I didn't have any more releases that day (but I also can't believe being just a mm or so out of range on the forward pressure would be that big of a deal).

Can't really comment too much on how they actually ski as I was testing an unfamiliar ski (deathwish 104). There was a lot of refrozen chunk and I feel like they didn't feel quite as damp as the driver toes, but it seemed to ski well overall. Again, unfamiliar ski and everything, but I felt like I could maybe tell that they weighed less/had lower center of mass?

So I'm not yet in the "start hoarding STH2s" camp, but I'd like to hear more opinions.

16's have the same thunk as STH2'S. Mine are not demos, so maybe apples to oranges. They ski just fine. My toe height adjustment has needed to be adjusted twice already (toes working loose after setting them correctly before riding). If that keeps up they'll get shit canned for Pivots (I'm a fanboi that was talked into Strives).

[SnowMachine]

In case I haven't mentioned it before, I like Pivots.