Gear reviews | G3 ION 12

First impression

When you take the ION 12 out of its packaging for the first time, you immediately get the feeling that you are holding a solid, well-made binding in your hand. The front jaw in particular, which is made almost entirely of metal, is very successful. The equally well-made rear jaw is made of much more plastic and therefore does not look quite as high-quality. The front jaw with 4 springs was designed to be particularly wide in order to achieve better power transmission to the edges thanks to the resulting position. The toe piece is mounted using four screws, which are positioned as wide as possible in the binding in order to transfer the power from the ski boot via the binding to the ski in the best possible way. Between the springs and the binding plate on the ION there is a channel through which snow can slide to prevent clogging of the binding. Two plastic stoppers have been installed in the area of the four springs of the front jaw, which are intended to serve as a guide when entering the front pins.

The main feature of the rear jaw, in addition to the solid release value of up to 12, is a spring that triggers pressure on the ski boot from the rear jaw. This contact pressure keeps the back jaw and therefore the pins on or in the boot, even when the ski is bent. Our esteemed colleague Lorenzo once described this functionality very aptly in another test as follows: "The rear jaw is mounted on a sliding bearing, which guarantees the binding a length compensation to the ski bend and thus constant holding forces and reliable release."
With a mobility of 6 mm, the contact pressure is somewhat lower than with comparable bindings, but still represents an advance over classic pin bindings. Unlike some competitors, the rear jaw can be turned in both directions when switching from ascent to descent mode. This eliminates the risk of damaging your binding with a quick, ill-considered movement. The stoppers, which are available in four widths (85, 100, 115 and 130 mm), are also locked and unlocked by turning the toe piece. The two climbing aids built into the rear jaw (without: 2.5°, step 1: 8.5°, step 2: 14°) can be easily folded in and out - for example using the handles on the poles. The rear jaw of the standard models (not rental models) can be moved by 22 mm to adapt to different shoes without reassembly. The stand height is 27 mm on the toe piece and 30 mm on the heel piece. The crampons, available in 3 widths (85, 105 and 130 mm), are attached to the toe piece with an additional small plate using a click system and can be easily removed again using a loop.

Practical test

The ION 12 was tested for just over a year in a wide range of conditions from early winter to spring. The binding was tested on a Downskis Countdown 102 and Atomic Automatic 102 by an 82 kg, 182 cm tall, sporty skier. The binding proved itself in the test. On the ascent, the advantages of the pin binding outweigh the disadvantages (pivot point, heavy rear jaw does not have to be lifted, etc., unlike with frame bindings) and the downhill performance is good. The manufacturer G3 has summarized some tips for using the binding in a video:

The option shown in the "Clear" part of the video to remove snow from the toe piece using a stick via the specially designed channels has also proven itself well in practice. The plastic stoppers behind the springs of the toe piece are helpful, but compared to other pin bindings, no clear advantage could be recognized here. If you are used to frame bindings, you will immediately notice the relatively low weight on the ascent. If you put the weight in relation to comparable downhill-oriented pin bindings, the ION is in the good midfield. However, unlike the ION, many pin bindings of comparable weight have TÜV certification as safety ski bindings in accordance with DIN ISO 13992.

Turning the rear jaws into ascent mode works reliably, but not without some effort. Switching between ascent and descent mode is again done by turning the rear jaw. Theoretically, this can be done without getting out of the binding. Theoretically, that is, if you are agile enough to reach both rear jaws and then turn them. Compared to other models, this is more complicated, but still better than other models where you have to get out of the binding in any case. In downhill mode, the G3 ION 12 performed very well. There were no false releases during the entire test. With other pin bindings, I have used the locking mechanism before because my confidence was limited in certain conditions. I never had to do that with the ION. The binding worked reliably even on faster runs on icy and rough slopes. As the inventors intended, releases only occurred in the event of falls. The power transmission on the descent worked well and the ION also reliably absorbed the odd jump.