New tech binding Marker "King"

[The Gnarwhale]

The part about and alpine-like heel sounds intriguing. Trab was showing a heel that style like 5 years ago but it turned into that dumb system that needs a proprietary heel. If Marker can figure out a heel mechanism where there's some downward pressure so boot soles are on something solid instead of just air, that could be a big step forward in tech binding performance.

http://www.wildsnow.com/13542/marker...nding-pintech/

Update: We just got the following (condensed and lightly edited) email from Jonathan Wiant, CEO of the Marker Völkl Group. This is big news, they’re claiming their new tech binding (we’re guessing it might be called “King”) will have TUV certification to the ISO 13992 standard for ski touring bindings — possibly the first ever such certification for a “pintech” binding based on the now common “tech” system of ski boot fittings that mate with special binding parts.

Hi Lou,
We have made significant efforts to keep the lid on our development of a new ski touring binding. …So far our efforts of clandestine testing has been successful. Until the most recent “sighting” as communicated by Mr. L.R. from Austria on WildSnow.com the market is full of anticipation and rumors but no concrete evidence. …Our final step for testing had the misfortune of involving 3rd party testers and to make this test convenient and accommodating to fulfil test objectives we had to risk a public appearance. Yes, we have been “outed”!
Caught on the Stubai Glacier with the German TÜV Süd organization we were in the final stage of testing toward certification for ISO 13992. And yes, I am proud to announce that Marker is the first company to receive ISO certification for our new PinTech touring binding…
Best Regards, Jonathan Wiant

The spy email below came in June 22, 2014. Since I’m headed down to Chile at the end of August to a Marker/Volkl press event I thought it fun to get our buzz up. I’m of course the last person anyone in the industry tells about this sort of stuff, so I have to depend on our informants. Truth, while I suspected the press event was related to this, I had very little info and out of respect for Marker didn’t feel good about sharing anything. Luckily L.R. delivered the goods below. Can you imagine some kind of Marker tech binding paired with those mean black Volkl carbon skis? Get out! Marker Duke, Baron, Bishop, King? Pinch me, but did they really leave the “King” Marker model name for when they made a tech binding? Get out!

Hi Lou,
Maybe this is interesting for you:
Two weeks ago I saw a group of people at Stubai Glacier/Tyrol with eye-catching bindings on their Völkl skis: A Lowtech front part (similar to G3 ION) and a standard heel part of an alpine binding but with two heel lifters to flip. I asked them about their bindings, one of them didn’t say anything and started to escape from the situation and the second said in a southern-Germany-idiom: “You’ll see that next year at ISPO.” After that I didn’t get any answer to my further questions. He ignored me.
On the heel part I read “King….” and the Marker logo. Unfortunately I couldn’t take a photo.
Obviously they were testing their first tech binding. I think, due to their clothing and skiing style, two of them were athletes and three engineers. They often stopped to get out of the binding and step in again.
Best regards, L.R.
Austria

(Disclaimer: Above is from an unsolicited email and could be a troll or joke — but it jibes with a lot of other stuff we’re hearing.)

[lynchdogger]

Ya im subscribing to this thread. Would love to test a pair too. Now that the "cat's outofthebag" any of you third party testers out there want to shed some light on these? Very interesting.

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[cat in january]

Hope they can keep it lighter than the Beast.

Edit:read a bit closer and it is not going to be lighter.

[Vt-Freeheel]

So some secret testing going on this year, maybe showing at ISPO next year, bugs worked out and reasonably available in 3 years?

[DoWork]

Somebody needs to lock a bunch of enginerds from all the big LT binding companies into a room, give them a pair of every existing LT bindings/boots and give a fistful of acid to each of them. Nobody gets out until a) everyone's dead or b) they figure out- and agree upon- the next step in low tech.


All this "more of the same but with stupid details so nobody else can use this without buying into our whole proprietary system" bullshit has got to stop. If it doesn't work with an existing LT boot, it gets thrown the fuck out. No shackle systems, no heel spurs, no fucking doohickeys. Make it fucking happen guys, they're ski boots not a fucking Mars rover.

[cat in january]

I think the answer might come from the boot side. We have interchangeable soles. Whats the big deal with interchangeable heels?

[GeezerSteve]

Whats the big deal with interchangeable heels?

Heavy678

[Hugh Conway]

If it fails I bet it'll be the person skiing's ski-style, not the binding.

[The Gnarwhale]

If it fails I bet it'll be the person skiing's ski-style, not the binding.

Yeah they better not Solly it up. Lawsuits are expensive, I imagine.

[Hugh Conway]

Yeah they better not Solly it up. Lawsuits are expensive, I imagine.

I'm sorry you are so fucking shallow and stupid you believe that shit. Get out your industry carebear stare gnary!

[Hugh Conway]

really though it's a fascinatingly incestuous community which is hardening itself against outside views and opinions (because some dude tested prototypes - which weren't the same fucking thing as production - they are faultless). I'm sure we can get another couple pages here to establish the merits or demerits of this new tech binding to end all tech bindings and whether or not it'll fit the agressive - never in the back seat, ever not so ever - ski style of the extreme people who make up the bulk of posters on TGR.

Lead us oh Gnarwhale!

[The Gnarwhale]

really though it's a fascinatingly incestuous community which is hardening itself against outside views and opinions (because some dude tested prototypes - which weren't the same fucking thing as production - they are faultless). I'm sure we can get another couple pages here to establish the merits or demerits of this new tech binding to end all tech bindings and whether or not it'll fit the agressive - never in the back seat, ever not so ever - ski style of the extreme people who make up the bulk of posters on TGR.

Lead us oh Gnarwhale!

I agree 0% with Gunder's position. You were the one who just posted, "If it fails I bet it'll be the person skiing's ski-style, not the binding."

[Hugh Conway]

Is your online brand wound so fucking tight you can't take sarcasm?

[PNWbrit]

Heavy678

Slower transitions....fiddle factor.... more shit to fail, ice, curse at, be badly designed, be less good than stuff it's supposed to be better than.

[The Gnarwhale]

Is your online brand wound so fucking tight you can't take sarcasm?

I got your sarcasm and replied with the same. Is your online brand wound so fucking tight you cant take sarcasm?

[cat in january]

Hold on now only HC has sarcasm, the rest of us are internet wannabe pros

[abraham]

they better not Solly it up.

Well that's one way to teach people to ski with proper technique

[Spyderjon]

.....If Marker can figure out a heel mechanism where there's some downward pressure so boot soles are on something solid instead of just air, that could be a big step forward in tech binding performance.

Existing tech bindings suspended at the toe/rear, & especially the Beast with it's oversize rear pins, are actually more solid/direct than if the boot was sitting on a afd/platform as there's no 'squish' from the AT/vibram sole to soften the interface.

[Hugh Conway]

damnit the Gnarwhale spoke. he's an expert. not at sarcasm, but something, I'm sure.


I'm throwing all my Dukes/Plums/Dynafits/Fritschi's in the trash and getting these, they'll revolutionize my skiing.

[lynchdogger]

Hugh, you off your meds again or just particularly spiteful because its summer?
Somebody on here must have tested these or knows someone who did. Pics?
More info?

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[coldandwet]

All this "more of the same but with stupid details so nobody else can use this without buying into our whole proprietary system" bullshit has got to stop. If it doesn't work with an existing LT boot, it gets thrown the fuck out. No shackle systems, no heel spurs, no fucking doohickeys. Make it fucking happen guys, they're ski boots not a fucking Mars rover.

Eh, the current system isn't exactly perfect, and despite all the key bits being over 20 years old no-one seems to be able to copy them competently. Even standardising what we've got would be a good start.

Heavy678

So's stuff like the Beast, and inevitably the King. Plenty of people who just don't care about it. Isn't it the just effort of changing the soles that irritates people most?

[Hugh Conway]

Somebody on here must have tested these

I'm "off my meds" but surely by now you realize that anybody who's testing prototypes
1) likely won't be able to comment publicly
2) definitely won't have anything meaningfully bad to say about the binding. if they comment it'll be the greatest thing ever, so much better than anything else out there, any problem anyone's brought up "just doesn't matter, it works" "weighs like a feather, you don't notice it's 3lbs heavier than the competition" blah de fucking blah
which doesn't really matter because
3) if you give a fuck how a touring binding skis and its durability you should wait a season for all the fools to beta test it for you

now back to you, lynchlobotomized (right- everyone needs to be happy, no short term memory, high sex drive, lots of exercise?)

[lynchdogger]

Yup ... you're definitely off your meds! Classic. Thanks for the laughs. Bwaaahaha.

And agree with 123 ... just want some tech porn. Lighten up Francis.

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[XXX-er]

this^^ likely someone who has read this thread has skied the proto-type, if they did post it would be a carefuly crafted "leak" at least thats how I would do it and whom wouldn't?

I don't think the meds make any difference, one day Hugh will slit his wrists and with his last dying words ...complain about the knife

[PNWbrit]

one day Hugh will slit his wrists and with his last dying words ...complain about the knife

That's nearly funny.