AT bindings!

More info is needed.... Are you looking for a resort friendly binding that can take abuse like Dukes or Barons or something more suitable for longer treks? Would you be willing to get Dynafit compatible boots?

Very true. It would be something I'd throw on my older Prophet 100's with some skins and make the slog up Mt. Herman/Table Creek Saddle and what not (Baker area). Nothing for a 20 mile lodge trek, just moreso something to make the BC more accessible. That and I need the bindings off my Prophets for the Caylors on the way.

I don't really have any $$ right now for new boots along with bindings. I mean if it's absolutely necessary for worthwhile bindings then I can wait for new bindings.

I would recommend Fritschi Freeride. Dukes would be an option but theyre heavy and you have to be out of the binding to put it in AT mode. Which would suck for Baker. On Mt. Hood I try to stay in my bindings as much as I can when I'm touring to prevent me from sinking to my waist.

your options are fr +s, naxos, barons or dukes. unless your a big guy or huck i dont think youll want dukes. fr +s are lighter than barons, and easier to go back and forth between at and ski mode. and naxos are really good in at mode from what ive heared because of the virtual pivot thing, but ive heared they break really easy. id go for fr +s.

Freerides will tour better,  dukes/barons will ski better.  it depends which is more important to you.

I've heard problems with all of them.  I have the NAXO NX21s and like them a lot.  You have to figure out the right DIN though because I popped out a lot at the suggested DIN for my weight/ability.  I had to crank them up a bit but I haven't had any problems with them since. I suggest just putting them at 1 DIN level higher than suggested.  I still pop out when needed but dont' pop out randomly when simply catching an edge like I did before adjusting them.  Some people complain about some of the parts being plastic and breaking them but you have to either weigh a ton or be stompin HUGE drops to do that.  I've heard the same problem with the Fritschi's except that rather than breaking, they pop into touring mode which is really sketchy.  Again, you have to weight a lot or be hitting huge drops for that. 

I can't really review the other ones since I haven't ridden them but ss far as my NAXO NX21s go, they have an amazing warrentee policy albeit I think the company might have recently gone under but I think Rossi was trying to buy them out or something.  They just replace them for you if you break them, you just have to wait for them to arrive in teh mail.  Switching to touring mode is really easy, you dont' even have to take off your gloves (unless you're wearing mittens).  Ascending is really fluid, almost feels like walking, which I've heard is one of the stronger points of the NAXOs.  Descending took a little getting used to but so does any AT binding.  Once I got used to them, I can ski them just like they had Alpine Bindings on them.  In fact, it feels wierd getting back on my Karmas which have alpine bindings now.


What skis are you thinking of throwing them on?

Thanks everyone for the info!

I'll throw them on my Prophet 100's once the Caylors arrive.

do yourself a favor and get either Dynafit or Dukes. The Fritschi line, as well as silvretta and Naxo are mediocre touring bindings, but they suck for skiing. The reason, is that the touring function of the binding moves the boot about 4 billion inches from the ski, si it feels like your skiing on platform shoes. If you want a dedicated touring rig, get dynafits, but if you want something that you can thrash in and out of resort, get Dukes. Both Dynafit bindings and Dukes are much closer to the ski, making for a solid stable touring function, as well as keeping them skiable.

Hope that helps

Oh and by the way, Baker backcountry is sweet. I miss it.

agreed but I got used to being raised above the ski on the NAXOs really easily.  it's second nature now.

While yes the FR+ is a slightly higher mount it is not really noticeable after a little use. They take a ton of abuse and I have ridden them both on and off resort. The insta-tele problems are fixed with the new FR+ model.

I personally do not like the Naxo's simply because of previously seen durability issues, as well as a fair bit of play in the toe piece while skiing.

Dukes ski like a regular binding, and are fine for side country, but they weight and need to remove the ski are a limitation for longer treks

Dynafit would be key, provided you can afford a pair of boots as well

get the freerides they are only a couple milimeters higher than dukes and you can change the tour mode with your pole. they are also fine for skiing normally i used them all year on madrver moguls and about them going into tour mode that never happened to me but it happened to my dad who hit a jump and landed in a hole that stopped him anyway.

Agreed, the FR+ is a solid binding, but because you are so far off the ski, and there are a lot of moving parts between you and the ski, there is a fair amount of binding slop. With Dynafit bindings, The ski contacts the metal binding, which contacts metal clip holes on the boot itself. You get excellent torsional response from the ski, they only weigh a pound and a half, and they are bomber as hell. But yes, they are damn expensive. The only other touring binding that I can say matches the boot to ski feel is the Dukes. The guy who started the thread said he would be doing peaks around Baker, which means he will probably be doing some lift accessed skiing as well. For this reason, I suggest Dukes. He will not be touring far, and the terrain calls for good skiability.

Thanks for the help.

I know it's sweet I just want to be able to make that trek to Herman that much easier.

Dukes- i think of them as alpine bindings with a touring capability. if you'll be using the prophets for a lot of inbounds charging and the occasional tour, go with dukes, otherwise they won't be very fun as a full out touring ski

Naxo- never really understood these, they break like it's their job and are a bit heavy, but help bridge the gap between bomber and light but i wouldn't really recommend them...i haven't had good experiences with naxos

Dynafit- unbelievable for touring, okay for descending if you lock the toes, new boots required, you seem to not want to do that, case closed

Silvretta- somewhat of a weaker binding but pretty light, less burly than naxos but heavier than dynafits

Freeride+ I'd recommend these actually for what you described, if you get the forward pressure and adjustments right (which is harder than it seems) they will withstand a ton of abuse. light enough to handle tours and burly enough not to limit you on descents. i rode the prophet 100 fr+ combo a lot and it was really nice. don't worry about the height of the fritschis, you get used to it and it's actually nice after a bit

Thanks for the detailed responses, it definitely helps out.
So far awesome responses guys, I really appreciate it.

yeah, i can definitely see where people come from with the problems of the NAXOs.  I just don't weight a lot (depending on the day... 105-110lbs....) so I don't really have to worry about breaking them and I got pro form on them so I got 'em for realll cheap. personally, i haven't had any problems with them though and last year I used them for alpine much much more than touring.

a friend of mine swore by naxo until he broke 4 pairs, i've just heard a lot about durability issues with them but i bet they're banger for a lighter dude

yeah man, i like htem a lot being a lighter guy but i have friends that have broken theirs multiple times. then again, that same kid broke a pair of Dukes too...

ok i have to jump in here, there seems like a lot of at savvyness going on... just wondering if the line elizabeths would be good a good ski for touring? i have an old pair and dont want to get something new just for touring since im not going to be doing toooo much. thanks!

they would work good they just might be a little heavy i dont know trhe weight of elizebiths

Dynafit if you want a pure touring binding.  If you want an alpine binding with a touring function, the the duke.

Duke or barons all the way. If weight is an issue and ur not an aggresive skier, then don't get them.  They are the most durable AT binding out there. And the reason you have to get out of your bindings to switch them to AT mode, is becasue its a safety issue. Who wants to be shredding a huge line and all of a sudden click into AT mode and be free-healing off a 50ft cliff?!

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^