In reply to gooberman-hill:
Very often we start through slush, then just wet snow, then as we get higher it freezes, then we are on very hard snow / ice.
Have you had to get into a pin binding balancing on hard, steep ice/ snow? Bloody scary and next to impossible.
On the rare occasions we get deep snow being unable to see your bindings makes clipping in a long-term proposition: the frame binding guys will be skinning up for the next ascent by the time you are done. With our mini hills this happens multiple times a day.
The rear release mechanism on pins is in the snow a lot of the time and tends to clog up (Scottish wet snow, then ices higher up). The frame binding release is protected behind the boot and gets a snow releasing ' knock' at each 'footstep' so clogs less. Or not at all.
After a night out don't expect everything to work in the morning. It might, it might not .
Pin ski crampons 'sing' to you which is very annoying, and lack the sophistication of the Axions on the frame binding.
I have a reputation for extreme professional patience, but this does not extend to equipment. Nor do I like the prospect of using half a flask of coffee to unfreeze my bindings, which I witnessed in Norway. Not my coffee, but i believe in learning from other people 's mistakes )
Having said all that, I'll tolerate just about anything from a Telemark binding !!e
Maybe I'll try some of the more recent pins? Some look a bit easier to clip. But my next purchase will be some 22 Designs tele bindings. Way to go