Comments on: SIA: Binding Wars- Tyrolia/Head and Salomon/Atomic

By: Frank

Frank — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 01:06:06 +0000

In reply to Cory. I think if they were breaking in droves, we'd all have heard about it by now. then again, maybe not.

By: Cory

Cory — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 06:49:55 +0000

Has anyone broken the tyrolias yet? Im stuck between those and the salomon guardians to place on a new pair of Moment Night trains with 123mm underfoot for backcountry jib and charge. Personally I like how the tyrolias have more of a free flex design than the Salomons, as far as I know a more neutral binding delta, have 3 angles for ascension, and are lighter. But I’m worried about the plastic connection under the foot.

By: Frank

Frank — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:50:56 +0000

Got to ski around for a bit on the Guardian bindings today. The lower stack height is noticeable, and they definitely ski like a good alpine binding. The AFD is fixed, however, so skiing these with a rubber soled AT boot is a gutsy proposition. It’s too bad, because if they hold up they might have been worth having, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable at all putting a rubber soled boot in that binding. I’ll pass.

By: Frank

Frank — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:02:23 +0000

In reply to Keith.

It IS a tough one, Keith, at least for those of us who drank the Dynafit Kool-aid and decided it was simply sugar, food coloring, and artificial flavor. I’m afraid there wasn’t anything else to take note of besides going with Dynafit/Tech bindings or Fritchis as far as true touring bindings go. Basically Fritchis are much more user friendly and tech bindings are much lighter and are rock solid when you’re skiing. Tough call. Although if you haven’t broken your Naxos and don’t despise them, you’ll probably love Fritchis.

Perhaps Lars Chickering-Ayers is on the right track, sliding a dynafit toe in like a splitboard binding and then sliding in an alpine toe for the descent. Super high fiddle factor though, among a number of issues. Handfull of bindings out there getting tested right now from what I hear..

Feel free to get your aerospace on and design something better. Just remember consumers can’t afford the same toys as NASA.

By: Keith

Keith — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:18:16 +0000

Other than weight, I’ve been enjoying my first pair of Dukes on my Folsoms. Tour smooth, rock solid, etc.

What I’ve been puzzling over is what will replace my Naxos on my lighter A/T setup when it’s time to replace it. Hard to cut through the chaff of the Dynafit/Fritschi wars on bulletin boards, etc. with staunch encampment on both sides. When the Marker Tour came out I was pretty thrilled…until I read how it reviewed (and liked to break).

Was there anything at SIA in that “no man’s land” category binding wise? Somewhere between Dynafit and Fritschi? I guess I would be leaning towards Fritschi, assuming they keep evolving and improving, but there is no killer in my mind, no obvious choice.

Maybe I’m just elitist because I build aerospace stuff for a living and know that materials and engineering exist right now to make a binding that hammers like a Duke but weighs close to a Fritschi or Naxo. I got excited at the beginning of your blog entry here until I saw a) that no major weight losses were incurred by either and b) Tyrolia had a complete plastic bridge plate. Arrrgh!

It was cool to see free flex coming back though. Ironically, I remember Marker piston bindings (front side stuff as you remember a few years back), I had a pair. Then they completely eschewed that concept on their next evolution of binding, only to see it come back from their competitors.

Anyway…still waiting for the lighter weight A/T killer….

Good writeups btw, thanks.