Is 120 dollars for JJs with Duke 16s a good deal?

Lots of variables to consider before giving a blanket yes or no. Post a pic and it may help with the advice people give.

- Are you looking for a backcountry setup? or just a resort setup
- Are you looking to just keep the ski and sell the bindings?
- Are the skis in good condition? Any dings? Are they newish?
- How many mounts are the skis?
- Are the frame bindings compatible with gripwalk? (basically how old are they)
- Are the frames the right size? They adjust a ton, but Dukes come in Small/Large so you may want to bring your boot and a screwdriver to make sure they will fit

Frame bindings suck. Especially older ones. End of conversation. You may be able to sell newer ones for like $50. They are heavy, suck to tour on, have a super high stack height, put a ton of holes in the skis, and are fiddly and have a lot of moving parts and can therefore break. The ONLY reason to buy them is if you want to dip your toes into backcountry skiing, or want a resort pow/touring pow ski and you are on a budget. I sold my frame setup (skins and skis included) with frames on them for like $50 since no one wanted them. No one who is serious about touring wants frame bindings.

If I saw that deal: If the skis only had one mount on them, I would see if they would go down to 100, buy the skis, sell/donate the bindings if anyone would take them, and remount with better bindings.

If the skis had more than one mount or were in bad condition I would personally pass since I have a touring setup already and frames put so many holes in your skis it is risky to remount.

Up to you dawg. Touring is fun, and its almost a right of passage to struggle up on frames. Or if you are just lookin for some cheap pow sticks to enjoy for a few days a year then it may be worth it. Post a pic of the listing and we could probably give some more insight.

hamsauceLots of variables to consider before giving a blanket yes or no. Post a pic and it may help with the advice people give.

- Are you looking for a backcountry setup? or just a resort setup
- Are you looking to just keep the ski and sell the bindings?
- Are the skis in good condition? Any dings? Are they newish?
- How many mounts are the skis?
- Are the frame bindings compatible with gripwalk? (basically how old are they)
- Are the frames the right size? They adjust a ton, but Dukes come in Small/Large so you may want to bring your boot and a screwdriver to make sure they will fit

Frame bindings suck. Especially older ones. End of conversation. You may be able to sell newer ones for like $50. They are heavy, suck to tour on, have a super high stack height, put a ton of holes in the skis, and are fiddly and have a lot of moving parts and can therefore break. The ONLY reason to buy them is if you want to dip your toes into backcountry skiing, or want a resort pow/touring pow ski and you are on a budget. I sold my frame setup (skins and skis included) with frames on them for like $50 since no one wanted them. No one who is serious about touring wants frame bindings.

If I saw that deal: If the skis only had one mount on them, I would see if they would go down to 100, buy the skis, sell/donate the bindings if anyone would take them, and remount with better bindings.

If the skis had more than one mount or were in bad condition I would personally pass since I have a touring setup already and frames put so many holes in your skis it is risky to remount.

Up to you dawg. Touring is fun, and its almost a right of passage to struggle up on frames. Or if you are just lookin for some cheap pow sticks to enjoy for a few days a year then it may be worth it. Post a pic of the listing and we could probably give some more insight.

Holy shit thank you for the write up!
I went ahead and bought them anyway because I had the money tbh and I'm mainly gonna use them to start and get into touring, not for any serious shit haha.
Was it worth it tho?

xblthHoly shit thank you for the write up!
I went ahead and bought them anyway because I had the money tbh and I'm mainly gonna use them to start and get into touring, not for any serious shit haha.
Was it worth it tho?

Dang those are the old AK JJs from 2012- the stiffer, fatter version of the JJ. Looks like just one mount too, and good condition. Not a bad deal. I actually had a pair of the 2013 AK JJs. Skied them for a few years and ended up selling because I thinned the quiver. They rip and are super fun to ski big lines with. That is about as heavy of a touring setup you can get, haha. You will need alpine soles though- so if you have gripwalk boots you can buy little replacement soles for like $30 at your local shop (or online) if you want to ski them.

The good news is that if you enjoy touring on that setup, then when you buy a pin setup and some touring skis it will be night and day.

xblthHoly shit thank you for the write up!
I went ahead and bought them anyway because I had the money tbh and I'm mainly gonna use them to start and get into touring, not for any serious shit haha.
Was it worth it tho?

I tour on old JJs so I’ll tell you now they are heavy and yours the AK JJ are even heavier but your legs will get strong and your ego will become enormous when you start passing ultra light dorks on the skin track.


if budget allows ditch the frame bindings for CAST pivots or if you have to shifts/duke pt, these setups walk a lot better and are really the only thing that makes it liveable touring on such a heavy ski.


here’s the 2012s I started touring on with shifts now with soon to be cast converted pivots

I think that’s a solid deal. Congrats. I’ve always wanted a pair of JJ’s like that so I would’ve copped those too if I were you.

My favorite ski’s are some 2011 Moment Bobby’s for $150 that I bought in 2020. Been my daily’s for 4 seasons now.

Rip the old skis till the edges come off!

xblthHoly shit thank you for the write up!
I went ahead and bought them anyway because I had the money tbh and I'm mainly gonna use them to start and get into touring, not for any serious shit haha.
Was it worth it tho?

Hell yeah man, basically my set up but hellbents.

shit is rough but not too bad. Better than walking for sure

Hey that is a great set-up for only $120.

I have a pair of 2008 EP Pros with those old Dukes and I love them to death. I had those EP Pros lying around and I got offered Dukes for $50. I never expected to love the setup so much. Even though I have much more modern skis, I'm riding the EP Pros all the time because:

- I'm not scared to hit rocks
- I can easily switch from resort skiing to touring
- EP Pros slay

I thought I'd struggle more on frame bindings.

For the upcoming season, I got a brand new set-up that is several kilograms lighter. However, I already know how this is going to go with all the rocks early season.

michael_bcHey that is a great set-up for only $120.

I have a pair of 2008 EP Pros with those old Dukes and I love them to death. I had those EP Pros lying around and I got offered Dukes for $50. I never expected to love the setup so much. Even though I have much more modern skis, I'm riding the EP Pros all the time because:

- I'm not scared to hit rocks
- I can easily switch from resort skiing to touring
- EP Pros slay

I thought I'd struggle more on frame bindings.

For the upcoming season, I got a brand new set-up that is several kilograms lighter. However, I already know how this is going to go with all the rocks early season.

Do the dukes hold up well with taking a bit of impact once in a while (say for a bc kicker session or dropping cliffs)?

xblthDo the dukes hold up well with taking a bit of impact once in a while (say for a bc kicker session or dropping cliffs)?

Absolutely. Hard to tell the difference with a Jester.

xblthDo the dukes hold up well with taking a bit of impact once in a while (say for a bc kicker session or dropping cliffs)?

Depends on how the skis were stored, I tore off my toe piece on those exact bindings dropping a small cliff cuz the previous owner kept them outside every once in a while, which turned that old plastic brittle. If the plastic is looking good tho I wouldn’t worry about it too much.