UKH

Hi, I'm looking at fitting a pair of pin bindings to a pair of K2 hard side skis (96mm waist, heavy & 174cm) and I'm struggling to decide on which model to buy.

Last year I was on the haute route with a similar ski but with an old school pair of fritschi frame bindings and was happy to lug the extra weight uphill in order to really enjoy the downhill.

These skis will be used for some hut to hut touring, day tours and some pisted skiing.

I've compared the following bindings, Plum Guide M, Plum Yak 14 with brakes and Dynafit radical FT 2.0.

I wouldn't describe myself as a charger but i do enjoy off piste descents and would therefore like a binding that inspires confidence.

I'd rather have a binding that was slightly overkill than not quite up to the job and reliable for multi-day tours.

NB I weigh 83kg and wear Scarpa Maestrale RS2 boots. I don't want marker kingpin's as two skiers had breakages with these on the haute route!

If you want value then the Dynafit Beast 14 on offer at Sport Conrad are hard to better. I've used mine on Kästle FX85 for a few seasons and they ski very well and tour well enough plus have a downhill like brake. The 16 are good as well but the toe is a bit more fiddly. 

On the lighter side the ATK Raider 12/14 are very good. I have the 12 on some Black Crows Camox and they ski nicely with a bit of heel elasticity but the brake is only good for putting the ski on. Don't expect them to stop a ski should one escape.

Personally, having used both, I don't like the Plum Guide and think ATK are a better design and implementation.

The other, albeit untested, option would be the shift from Salomon. 

As EwanR says, look at ATK. Raider or Freeraider perhaps. They are beautifully made and engineered, light and simple. I don’t have those more freeride oriented bindings but have three other ATK bindings and IMO they are the best pin bindings you can get.

I went for Dynafit Radical 2, a big factor was their reputation for toughness. I use them on Whitedot r.98s for everything. Piste, off piste and touring. They feel really solid up and down and seem to release well when needed and not when not needed. I’m around 67kg and have heard that heavier skiers may prefer the Beast. I did find the Radicals a faff to step into at first but solved by painting yellow spots at the boot toe socket position 

You could consider G3 Ions too. I’ve about 100 days on them, have previously used Plum Guides, Radicals, and also use Kruezspitze GTs on a light set up.

I really like the Ions, and they supposedly have the strongest toe retention of the major pin bindings, according to Wildsnow, for what that’s worth. Depending on your boot, they are also a lot easier to step into that Plums or Dyna-fiddle, if you’re not already used to tech bindings.

I considered the Shifts this season for a heavier slack country set up, but decided I’d give them another year to iron out any issues first.

I use the Dynafit Radical ST 2.0 and really like them. I was skiing on them at 100kg although I am down arround 88-90kg now. I've skied piste and off piste with no issues, they've released when I've fallen (and would consider a release was required), they've stayed on when I've needed them to. I really like them and don't find them too hard to get into. One issue I found last season when switching between up and down a lot, was the toe mechanism packing up with compacted snow, but this was more due to me not clearing my boots and the bindings before stepping in.