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I was hoping to get more like 50 day on these before I wrote a review than the 25 or so days I've had on them so far. However due to the fact that for the 2013/2014 season, Salomon and Atomic will be releasing an updated STH16, I realized I should probably try and get a review of the current STH16s. As quite a lot of you guys might be looking to purchase them in the summer at the low clearance prices they'll be going for.
To start, the STH16 is a 16 DIN binding, so I'm going to quote descriptors of a 16 DIN binding from "the Answer to what Binding" thread on NS created by user @DHogg
-"14/15/16 Din Bindings: I would reccomend a 14/15/16 din binding generally only for people who are 175lbs+ as well as being a pretty aggressive skier. Basically if you're not rating yourself a level III skier and doing big jumps, cliff hucks, and skiing fast etc, you don't need it and you're better off saving your money."
At this point it's worth noting that the Salomon STH16 is the same binding as the Atomic FFG16, the only difference is the colour and branding. This fact is being acknowledged next year with the release of the new STH16, both Salomon and Atomic are going to be selling the new STH16 with the same model name for both companies, - the STH2.
Personal Details:
Height - 6'0"/6'1"
Weight - 185lbs, 85kg or 13 stone 3
Mounted on: 191 ON3P Wrenegade, this was going to be my inbounds/sidecountry charging setup
Rode DIN at: 11/12
Days Skied: ~25
Locations Skied: Sar Mountains of Macedonia, Scotland and BC Interior
Binding Specs:
DIN range: 9-16
Toe Piece: Driver
Heel Piece: STH
Weight: 2322g (pair)
Stand Height: 17.5mm
Max Adjustment: 19mm (don't know who skiing a 16DIN would be changing their BSL by 19mm, but it's good to know, it's not like your feet are growing)
Material: Steel Housing
The current (2013) STH16 is based of the old Salomon binding design. However it replaces the metal toe and heel pieces present in some of Salomon's older designs such as the 916S. If you are looking for a full metal binding from Salomon then the STH16 Steel is the option for you, it's used by guys like Seth, and if you don't know who Seth is, then you probably don't need STH16 Steels. Whilst the STH16 has got a lot of plastic, I would argue this isn't a big issue, in my opinion it has metal in all the right places. The STH16 has a metal heel track and a full metal base plate. This is what you get by upgrading from the STH14 Driver to the STH16, the 14 features a plastic toe base, which isn't as rigid or hard wearing as the metal toe base of the STH16.
I was using the STH16s to drive my Wrenegades, which are a pretty big ski. However the wide mounting pattern on the STH16s gave great power transmission. The STH16 also boasts the a lower stand height at 17.5mm compared to the Look Pivot18s and the Marker Jesters, at 20mm and 22mm respectively. Infact the only binding on the market which has a lower stand height than the STH16s is the Tyrollia Peak15TH and Peak18XTH which have a lower stand height by 0.5mm. The low stand height really gave great ski feel, there was a noticeable difference when skiing these coming off frame AT bindings with a stand height of 36mm.
For me what really sold the STH16 to me was the toe piece. The Driver toe allows me adjust the toe to really fit the shape of my boot, thanks to the micro simultaneous wing adjustments, you adjust the wing height specific to your boot. This minimizes unwanted/unexpected prerelease, which in the past has been an issue for me with my Jesters. However due to the fact this is a manual process (unlike on the Salomon z toe which features automatic adjustment), the toe wings and height must be checked from time to time to make sure you've got them dialed.
For next season Salomon will be replacing the STH heel piece with the Guardian heel piece, which users of both the STH and the Guardian have confirmed is a superior heel piece. Considering the changes to the design you guys should be able to snag some of the older STH16s at a great price, and if you've got the opportunity I would highly reccomend picking these up.
Hope this helps and if you've got any comment just leave them in the comments section.
The STH 16 is the best of the STH series. If you're a bigger person and ski aggressively, its a necessity to have a binding that is going to keep your sticks on your feet.
I've always placed my trust in the STH 16s, and will continue to do so.
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