Skibindung

The Upper Bavarian equipment manufacturer is upgrading with a new ascent-oriented binding for ski tourers of all kinds. The Straubing-based company has expanded the horizons of its binding world: in addition to the Duke for big mountain and the KingPIN for all downhill-oriented "freeski mountaineers", the ALPINist is now a fully equipped Pintech binding that is available from just 300 euros and weighs just 245g (without suspension line and without ski topper).

After Fritschi, the traditional manufacturer of ski touring bindings from Switzerland, was able to gain a foothold in the pin binding market in recent years with the Vipec models, the new Tecton now presents a logical further development of the concept that is definitely worth seeing.

A few years ago, the brothers Lars and Silas Chikering-Ayres developed a binding system due to a lack of alternatives, which makes it possible to ascend with a pin toe piece and descend with an alpine binding and boots. What is the background to the Cast system, why is the original system no longer being sold and what is coming next?

Ski touring has changed dramatically in recent years. Whereas 10 years ago, the "supreme discipline" of winter sports was still largely in the hands of mountain dwellers, took place in spring and was mainly for early risers, today there are so many facets that we can't even list them all. From freeriders who often only make short ascents with skins to get to certain lines, to "classic" ski tourers who are all about experiencing nature and summits, to the ever-increasing number of "speed" tourers who focus on fitness. In recent years, this development has led to a veritable diversity of materials, which has not even stopped at bindings.

After a number of new ideas have been implemented in the world of ski touring bindings in recent years, it is hardly surprising that Dynafit has also revised the "standard" binding and added a few new features.

As in previous years, a number of innovations from the booming ski touring sector were presented at ISPO 2017. Both the "classic" ski tourer and the "modern" freetourer are addressed. And the ever-growing sector of piste tourers and ski tour racers will also be provided with new equipment. We took a look around the trade fair and provide an overview of new ski boots and bindings that will be of interest to freeriders and downhill-oriented ski tourers.

The telemark trend that seemed to be on the rise a few years ago may be over, but the scene lives on. You could even say that there is more going on in the area of material development for the free heel group than for the chronically uninnovative alpine bindings. The New Telemark Norm is already several years old and the latest news is more about tech-tele hybrid bindings, which are gradually making it from garage tinkering to market maturity. We took a look at the Meidjo from The M Equipment at the Telemark Opening in Hintertux.

The ION 12 pin binding from Genuine Guide Gear (G3) follows the trend of freeride-oriented tech bindings: Puristic in its approach, but equipped with some clever details, the successor to the Onyx offers ascent-oriented freeriders another option when choosing a binding. We tested the strengths and weaknesses of the ION 12 in a long-term gear review.

After only a short test last season, several PowderGuide testers are now out and about with the Marker Kingpin and have gained some experience with the binding. The impressions and opinions of various people have therefore been incorporated into this test report. The good overall picture of the binding remains.

Climbing race bindings also have their raison d'être for weight-optimized ski tourers with a not too aggressive skiing style and without the option of adjusting the release values.

Blocking the front cheek is always a topic of discussion. Some may block rather carelessly, others think more about it - but the question still arises: when, why and how do you block "correctly"?

Some of the descriptions in this article are linguistically abstract and may be difficult to understand without holding something analog in your hand. I am trying to make the whole thing more or less tangible for low-tech newbies, even if some things are taken for granted by experienced colleagues. Recommendation: A cozy evening at home where you can see some of the points in this article for yourself on a "living object".