There are so many good tech/pin bindings out there right now it’s hard to go wrong. But with all the options it can be confusing to figure out which binding will suit your needs. Every skier is a little different and not every binding will be perfect for every skier. Far from it. In this article we’re going to narrow it down to a few of the best light touring bindings as of early 2022. We aren’t going to rank…
After a couple of seasons of backcountry skiing on the Salomon MTN pin bindings I’m ready to share my thoughts. In short: simple, light, and solid (with one caveat I’ll get into below). The toe clamps are crazy strong, the lifters are easy to use, and they climb and ski like a traditional pin binding. Which is mostly good but can be bad in some scenarios – hard pack in pin bindings is never great. But hard pack isn’t what…
I finally got to spend some time skiing and touring in the Salomon S/Lab Shift MNC 13 this season. Minds were blown when this binding was announced with its radical new design combining pins for touring with an alpine style toe and heel. But has it lived up to the hype? It isn’t perfect, but it’s pretty damn close. It tours like a tech binding (a heavy one, to be fair) but skis a lot like a high quality alpine…
In our roundup of the Best Tech Touring Bindings in 2019 we mentioned a new tech binding: the Fritschi Xenic 10. Fritschi was well known for years as the manufacturers of the ubiquitous Freeride frame touring bindings. But recently they’ve made waves with the Tecton and Vipec Evo touring bindings, which are hybrid tech bindings that ski extremely well. The Xenic 10 is Fritschi’s first foray into the lightweight pin binding arena and one thing they definitely nailed is the…
This is part 2 of our 3 part series on the best bindings for backcountry skiing in the 2019/2020 season. Part 1 of our best alpine touring bindings series looked at 50/50 resort/touring bindings and this looks at the best tech bindings (also known as pin bindings). Part 3 will take a quick look at frame bindings. As I mentioned in Part 1, we’re in what might be the best era ever in terms of choices for touring bindings. It’s…
Although there aren’t any game-changers like the Salomon/Atomic Shift this season, we’re still in what might be the best era ever in terms of choices for touring bindings. It’s a bit overwhelming, but we’ll try and narrow it down based on the type of skiing you do and what you need in a binding. This is the first of a 3 part series comparing the best bindings for backcountry skiing. Part 2 is about the best tech bindings for backcountry…
Updated Feb 8, 2022 to include the Look Pivot GW One of the problems with having only one pair of boots for both touring and resort skiing is binding compatibility. The best touring boots have fully rockered rubber soles that don’t work in most alpine bindings. The best alpine boots are heavy as bricks and tour like crap. To further complicate things, there are all kinds of different boot sole standards and they aren’t all interchangeable. You may not know…
When you’re ready to buy your first backcountry skiing setup, you might be wondering whether you should you get tech bindings or frame bindings. Each style has its pros and cons and is better suited for different skiers with different needs. We’ll go through each and help you decide which is right for you. When you’ve finished this, you should read our article that breaks down the best touring bindings on the market – it covers both tech and frame…
Update: check out the updated 2019 versions of the best bindings for backcountry skiing: The Best Bindings for Alpine Touring in 2019 Part 1 – 50/50 Bindings Part 2 – Tech (Pin) Bindings As the backcountry skiing industry keeps heating up, more and more manufacturers are making high quality touring bindings. The number of choices of bindings for backcountry skiing is a bit overwhelming. Hopefully this guide to the best alpine touring bindings will answer some of the questions you…