Well, you could write an essay about this but here are the options to start you off: Dynafit, Fritschi, Marker, Naxo, Salomon (not launched yet). I'm a fritschi freeride owner at the moment but am probably going to swap to dynafits at the end of the season. (The fritschis have been ok but its hard to justify the weight when you're trying to keep up with people on dynafits!)
Totally depends what you're planning on doing - is it for the odd hike for a bit of resort-side powder or for going further afield. It also totally depends what boots you're planning to wear and whether you're planning on having more than one setup...
Hi mayhem... I'm going to keep hold of my alpine setup and use that in resort so I'm going to get new touring boots and some skis specifically for touring in. I guess it'll be the odd day trip up a peak and hopefully some hut tours in the alps - e.g. Haute Route etc. From what I've heard I'm leaning towards the dynafits to keep things light but I'm still a bit worried about how they ski and whether they stand up beside things like the markers and fritschis. Most of my mates are on fritschis and they seem to like them but I always struggle to keep up so any weight advantage I can give myself seems like a good idea!
Sounds like dynafits would work well for you - especially if you go with one of the models with built in brakes (like the Vertical FT)... they're a bit heavier than the lightweight dynafit models but are a bit more user friendly for people who aren't out-and-out ski tourers. You shouldn't worry about the robustness of them - as far as I've seen they're pretty bomber! Meanwhile I've seen 3 pairs of fritschis break! Remember you need to get touring boots which have dynafit inserts... thats one of the main benefits of the other options like marker etc is that you can use all ski boots in them which is important for some people.
I've got marker dukes from a couple of years ago - they're great for skiing in (basically no difference to alpine bindings) but SOOO heavy to go uphill with. It makes my skis noticably heavier to the extent it really hurts my shoulder if I have to carry them any distance. Fine if you just want a super robust binding but i'm not convinced for skinning on them. The other bug bear i have with them is you have to take the ski completely off in order to change the mode and heel height because the mechanism lies under your foot
Got myself some Dynafits in the end because they're just so much lighter and everyone I know who has them seems to think they're the way forward. Only thing is now I have 2 pairs of skis and 2 pairs of boots to choose from each time I go out! Guess thats where the 'alpine compatible' bindings come into their own...
Re: Which touring bindings?
Posted Mon, 01/16/2012 - 10:28Well, you could write an essay about this but here are the options to start you off: Dynafit, Fritschi, Marker, Naxo, Salomon (not launched yet). I'm a fritschi freeride owner at the moment but am probably going to swap to dynafits at the end of the season. (The fritschis have been ok but its hard to justify the weight when you're trying to keep up with people on dynafits!)
Re: Which touring bindings?
Posted Mon, 01/16/2012 - 17:24Totally depends what you're planning on doing - is it for the odd hike for a bit of resort-side powder or for going further afield. It also totally depends what boots you're planning to wear and whether you're planning on having more than one setup...
Re: Which touring bindings?
Posted Tue, 01/17/2012 - 13:35Hi mayhem... I'm going to keep hold of my alpine setup and use that in resort so I'm going to get new touring boots and some skis specifically for touring in. I guess it'll be the odd day trip up a peak and hopefully some hut tours in the alps - e.g. Haute Route etc. From what I've heard I'm leaning towards the dynafits to keep things light but I'm still a bit worried about how they ski and whether they stand up beside things like the markers and fritschis. Most of my mates are on fritschis and they seem to like them but I always struggle to keep up so any weight advantage I can give myself seems like a good idea!
Re: Which touring bindings?
Posted Tue, 01/17/2012 - 13:42Sounds like dynafits would work well for you - especially if you go with one of the models with built in brakes (like the Vertical FT)... they're a bit heavier than the lightweight dynafit models but are a bit more user friendly for people who aren't out-and-out ski tourers. You shouldn't worry about the robustness of them - as far as I've seen they're pretty bomber! Meanwhile I've seen 3 pairs of fritschis break! Remember you need to get touring boots which have dynafit inserts... thats one of the main benefits of the other options like marker etc is that you can use all ski boots in them which is important for some people.
Re: Which touring bindings?
Posted Tue, 01/17/2012 - 20:40I've got marker dukes from a couple of years ago - they're great for skiing in (basically no difference to alpine bindings) but SOOO heavy to go uphill with. It makes my skis noticably heavier to the extent it really hurts my shoulder if I have to carry them any distance. Fine if you just want a super robust binding but i'm not convinced for skinning on them. The other bug bear i have with them is you have to take the ski completely off in order to change the mode and heel height because the mechanism lies under your foot
Re: Which touring bindings?
Posted Thu, 01/26/2012 - 00:30I've got Fritschi's... can't complain so far...
Re: Which touring bindings?
Posted Thu, 01/26/2012 - 10:45Got myself some Dynafits in the end because they're just so much lighter and everyone I know who has them seems to think they're the way forward. Only thing is now I have 2 pairs of skis and 2 pairs of boots to choose from each time I go out! Guess thats where the 'alpine compatible' bindings come into their own...