Shop Talk: Big Skis, Little Bindings

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Just the other day, my predecessor Cy re-shared his thoughts on dabbling in ultralight bindings for everyday backcountry skiing. His main takeaway? The massive weight savings and huge increases in simplicity far outweigh any slight shortcomings in performance, especially for the way 99 percent of us actually ski. This week, I’m going to go a little deeper into that world, and talk about the fact that we shouldn’t be afraid to pair those kinds of bindings with big, heavy freeride skis for some serious foot-powered fun. Why walk all the way to the top of that big, bad, burly line you’ve been eyeing all winter only to drop in on boring skis? Slap a pair of light pin bindings on real skis and cherish every turn–this is #freemo at its finest.

What do I mean by little bindings?

At the risk of excluding any particular model of binding, I’m not going to throw a hard weight number out there. Instead, I’ll define these bindings similarly to how skimoco.com defines their “ Lean ” binding category. These typically have minimalist features, some adjustability, no brakes, and tip the scales around the 250-300 gram mark (per binding).

Some great examples are the Marker Alpinist , ATK Haute Route or Kuluar , or the Atomic/Salomon Backland . I’ve spent a lot of time on those particular models and these have proven incredibly reliable. As in, these are the only bindings in this category that I’ve never broken, torn out of a ski, or had pre-release issues with. Unlike the super-lightweight race bindings that Cy loves, these have slightly wider screw patterns (stronger connection to wider skis). I find that brakes are just added weight and complexity for skis in the backcountry, and aren’t big enough to stop a runaway ski in powder anyway, so why bother? Extra points go to the Alpinist and Kuluar for their gobs of built-in elasticity, something that’s to take for granted until you click into a tech binding that doesn’t have it.

In the end, it doesn’t really matter which particular binding you choose, especially since manufacturers seem to be releasing more and more models in this category every year.

What do I mean by big skis?

This one is a bit easier to define. By “big” skis, I mean skis that are primarily marketed as freeride or resort powder skis. Really, these can be any ski that you personally love skiing on deep days from a chairlift. With a lightweight binding, you’ll quickly realize that your setup isn’t actually that heavy (at least compared to having a Look Pivot or other heavy-duty alpine binding aboard). The added weight might even be a good thing, as heavier skis tend to smooth out variable snow conditions.

I’ve been pretty psyched on the backcountry performance of a few particular skis this past year, including the Salomon QST Blank (a phenomenal variable-snow big mountain charger), Season Forma (a soulful pow surfer that makes low angle pow super fun), the Black Crows Nocta (a pillow-smashing weapon for the deepest days in the trees), the Rossignol Sender Free 110 (a stable and predictable jack of all trades) or the WNDR Alpine Intention 108 (the ultimate do-it-all ski with a sustainably-built core).

Boots?

What kind of boots pair with this kind of setup, you might ask? Since most of these lighter bindings don’t have much of a BSL adjustment range, choosing what boot to mount the skis to can be a tough call. First off, avoid two-buckle skimo slippers. They’re too soft to reap the benefits of the big skis. I think the best options is either a four-buckle touring boot like the Tecnica Zero G or Dynafit Ridge Pro , or a heavier hybrid boot like Salomon’s Shift Alpha , the K2 Mindbender , or the Atomic Hawx XTD .

Why do this?

Because it’s fun, duh! In the ever-evolving quest to optimize equipment for the admittedly weird types of skiing I enjoy, I’ve settled on the fact that saving weight on bindings might be the most effective way to balance the fun-to-efficiency ratio. Light bindings don’t just weigh less, they just tour a whole lot more efficiently. They are designed with easy and quick transitions in mind–don’t take your skis off, just rip your skins and go. These bindings are also much lower profile, so they’ll attach to a pack more securely.

Really, saving a few hundred grams in bindings (without much loss of performance) means you get to add a few hundred grams to your skis (which tends to add a HUGE amount of performance). Also, heavy skis are damper, quieter, and smoother, especially at higher speeds, meaning your legs won’t get quite as tired on the descent. Which means more laps. Which means more fun. It’s simple math.

So maybe next winter it might be time to take your favorite resort powder skis, cut some skins to fit, and slap a pair of pin bindings on them. You’ll thank me later.