BCA Alpine trekkers

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crewman waden 30 Jan 2013
Anyone used these adaptors for day tours? I was all set on avoiding them and getting a set of mfd alltime plates, and was happy to tolerate the weight but have heard the touring action on the mfds is pretty iffy due tot he pivot position, which has put me right off. Interested to hear on how folk find the trekkers in terms of the pivot and being high up off the ski. thanks
Andrew
xrayspex 31 Jan 2013
In reply to crewman waden: I've had some for quite a while and used them a few times. I'm not a regular tourer and found the weight of the whole set up pretty fun-destroying, but of course they do work for easy up-and-back-down tours. The action was ok, but I didn't like the position when traversing hard, steeper snow, mainly because the trekker feels like it could twist out of the binding. I also don't like the need to either put them on the ski and then put that on, leaving you faffing with brakeless skis, or stumbling around with trekkers on your feet. Finally, they have a riser which you have to flick up with your pole or crouch down to do and either way is very awkward. Having said all that, new models might be brilliant (mine are quite old, though they look very similar to the ones on the BCA website). After all that, if you (or somebody else) still would like to try them, mine are just gathering dust. I'd be happy to pass them on for postage only (email for details please, I'll work out how old they are and so on).
 Philip M 01 Feb 2013
In reply to crewman waden:

They are known as day wreckers for a reason...For the odd tour they're fine, but definitely a pain in the arse for steep traverses and tricky 'tour to ski' transitions.

However, if I had to choose between the MFD and trekker, I would probably choose the trekker as it still leaves you with 100% solid alpine binding for the down. With the MFD, all of the torque gets transferred to the plate and pivot (which have been known to bend in several instances). Also, the MFD is very long so has a funny stride and can create a flat spot on the ski.

If you were considering MFD plates, have you thought about Salomon Guardians? (this is what I've ended up with as I don't trust anything made by Marker).
Shearwater 01 Feb 2013
In reply to Philip M:
> have you thought about Salomon Guardians? (this is what I've ended up with as I don't trust anything made by Marker).

Speaking as someone who tries to avoid being an early adopter at all costs, I applaud folk like you willing to use a brand new and minimally tried'n'tested device and work out all of the various manufacturing defects and failure modes so they can be resolved in the next revision.

Marker's touring bindings are hardly perfect, but at least their issues are known

Me, I'd see about getting some binding inserts or swap plates fitted so you can whip off your alpine bindings and slap on a nice set of dynafits for touring. Bit more pricey than a set of Guardians, but the premium is well worth it.
 ClimberEd 01 Feb 2013
In reply to crewman waden:

If you have to go uphill for more than an hour, or on terrain steeper than 25/30degs then avoid them at all costs, spawn of the devil.

If you've got a half hour skin in a straight line up a 20deg slope they will function fine.
 Philip M 02 Feb 2013
In reply to Shearwater:

True enough about being a guinea pig, but for me personally I have eliminated all other options....

- Dynafit still only have low DIN bindings available (other than the Beast for next season which I'm not willing to part $1000 for, and I would be a guinea pig anyway).

- The design of the Duke has multiple flaws including weak plastic around the pivot where metal would prove stronger, a badly designed ski - tour lever that puts a huge amount of pressure on the centre screw in a tail heavy landing, as well as high stack height and sharp dildo to stab you in the arse in a crash.

- The Trekkers are somewhat inefficient to say the least, and whilst they are the only solution that give you a true alpine binding for descent, the amount at which they twist on steep slopes is somewhat worrying.

- The MFD has an inefficient pivot point and there have now been several warranty claims from twisted plates.

The Salomon and Atomic teams have been skiing the Guardian for the last few years and have not had any issues. There has been one known failure so far, but this is likely due to icing under the toe piece, and could be considered user error.

If, however, you are light enough (or ski smooth enough) to ski dynafits, then the swap plates / inserts make perfect sense.

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