Reviewed February 2020

by Ken BÉLANGER

I recently guided two guests with these bindings.  Unfortunately I can't recommend them for the following reasons:

1. A brake release cord broke on its 2nd day.  I changed both of them for thicker cord tied with a fisherman's knot (photo). Tjhis is much easier to slip your finger into than the wimpy cord these come with.

2. It’s difficult to switch the brakes into walk (up) mode, particularly in cold, snowy weather. Which seems fairly prevalent in good ski weather. The “paper clip” has to be very clean and sometimes hit with a ski pole. This paper clip thickness of the brake retention system leaves a lot to be desired: I'm wary of its long-term durability.  

3. On two different pairs of bindings, I noticed my guests' heels sliding sideways when in walk mode.  The single spring toe jaws don't seem to have enough strength to keep the boots from moving.  This could cause problems especially in firm spring conditions and/or with ski crampons.

4. Like their Kingpin, the toe piece has insufficient clearance for snow buildup.  To get a secure step-in, one often has to clear the snow first.  Not always practical in deep and/or wet snow.

Hopefully Marker addresses these problems with later versions.