Are Marker Bindings Bad?

A snowHead

I hope I am not bringing up an old topic but... I demoed the Volkl Supersport 4 star last weekend and I really liked them but I hear so much about how terrible Marker bindings are and as far as I know, its the only binding you can use with this ski because they are all intergrated. I don't really know alot about bindings but right now I am probably going to get the Atomic neox 412 with the metron 10 or 11 because I am hesitant to get Marker bindings. Are they really that bad or is it more of an emotional thing with some people?

A snowHead

dubdub57, For my money, Marker kick Neox's ass. Little Angel

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

wren't binding invented by Mr (Herr) Marker?

You need to Login to know who's really who.

dubdub57, never heard anything of the sort although had personal experience of 3 sets of Tyrolias falling apart. Not all mine but friends.

Marker used to have a stonking rep on the WC circuit. They're owned by the group that make the excellent Tecnica boots (yes, yes, apart from the fluo orange ones) and the excellent Volkl skis. I see no reason for an excellence shortfall in the bindings.

Curious, me, where do you hear so much about the bindings being "bad"?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Marker bindings are good.

Because their design is different to older Salomons, etc, there was a time when people used to say they were getting pre-releases. It was actually the binding doing its job properly, when the Salomon binding was holding them in.

I've used Salomon, Rossignol and Tyrollia bindings. The only ones I've had problems with were Salomon.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Really? Mostly, all of my friends just tell me how terrible they are, and I have always believed them I guess. Now I feel like an idiot. Thanks for enlightening me.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

dubdub57, are most of your friends speaking from first hand experience, or is it all "I know someone who knows someone", or that sort of thing?

After all it is free

are the complaints about structural and build quality or the release consistency? I've never used Marker bindings but what are the perceptions actually relating to?

dubdub57, Do not ever, ever, take any response from SHs as suggesting in any way you are an idiot and I apologise if I contributed to that feeling Happy

It's very interesting that this is what you hear re Markers. Generally I hear they get a good rep. But I suppose that 1. if someone gets a bad pair and is vociferous about it and 2. there is this manufacturer mandate to only buy bindings as a system then one might find one's PR in territory that it might not want to be in!

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

What I HEARD (emphasis on heard) is that, for a select few skiers who like very aggressive skiing and jumping off cliffs, the vertical release of the toe piece can be too weak and hence on landings etc they eject when they'd rather had stayed in. This applies to Markers designed for the public (i.e. not race) and the vertical release is, as far as I've heard, intended by Marker to protect ACLs. Great for a lot of skiers but obviously not right for some others.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Cedric, so not much of a problem for the average punter then?

snow reports

I have no problems with the build quality, however I have found them almost impossible to get the binding back on with snow packed under the boot. Salomons, I have been able to get back on in deep snow, never Markers.

snowbunny, for powder, go with Rossi or Look Axial bindings - way better than Salomons or Markers, cause you can pull the ski on, not push into it.

You know it makes sense.

My friend who I hear this most from, is really into the backcountry stuff, and he has always told me Marker bindings are bad. He says they are lower quality and do not last. I have never really bothered to look into it until I thought about the Volkl 4 star. I have actually owned a Marker binding on my first pair of skis.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

I just bought the same type of skis in Austria two weeks ago and the slide-on bindings are " Motion " - is this another Marker brand name or is it a separate binding?

A snowHead

dubdub57, I have 2 sets of Marker clad skis in my household right now. Never had any problems, though they are on skis largely/exclusively used on piste. Have rossis on the skis I take off piste as they came with the ski wink

. 4* are v.nice skis - my wife has the fem equiv model gammas.

A snowHead

hibernia, yes, the "Motion" system is Marker's name for their rail mount bindings.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

My all-metal tyrolia 490s have performed flawlessly for decades.
I've only had two pre-releases in over thirty years of skiing. One was on a marker twincam46 that was long past it's prime on a pair of garage-sale skis that I was checking out to see if they were worth buying bindings for (they weren't), and one was a marker on a rental pair of SLX or SLX fusions that had obviously been sabotaged as a joke on someone working at the resort or completely trashed by the previous renter (zero ice grip, came off skating to the lift, and again later for no reason). If you have them set up properly and are skiing at normal speeds where you would be better off without skis attached if you fall, then don't worry about markers. If your going to be racing or going 80mph bombing down some crazy chutes with rocks all around get some Tyrolias and crank them up.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Wear The Fox Hat, Thanks snowHead

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

dubdub57, I've never heard of any problems with Markers, and have used them from time to time without any trouble. It seems to me that most bindings are much of a muchness, and I usually go with what's cheap and suitable. Currently Scott (really Salomon) on the Fischers and Rossi lights on the Zags. No problems in either case so far. Very Happy

You'll need to Register first of course.

Cedric, this is the view of lots of American huskstars... and mainly all made up rumour spread on the pages of forums like TGR. There can be issues with vertical release but I think this is rubbish.

I have two pairs of Markers, Comp 1800s and Comp 1600s and they both rock. My 1800s I either set to 12 when I want out and 14/15 when loosing a ski = death.

I would always recomend, when you have a choice, Look (or Rossi version) bindings because their turntable release heal units are superb.

IMO Salomons suck for hard skiing. Everyone I know that skis hard on Sollys has to tighten the toe wings every other day. Slop city.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

Marker's reputation for pre-releasing is well known and documented in the past.

Perhaps the best example of this was during a WC - the photographer managed to capture racer Steven Lee coming over a roller, with both feet in the air, but with one of his skis 3 foot below his ski boot -

- with the caption "At 80mph - it's not a good time for one wheel of your car to come off........."

Shocked

Today's current Marker Bindings forward pressure have to be set bang-on - if you don't want any mishaps. This from personal experience with the Nordica Hot Rods.

You can form your own opinion by browsing the Teuton Gravity Research forums, as well as Epicski.

wrt the Look turntable heel - AFAIK only the top end PA18 Race binding has the turntable, all the other Look bindings are going the conventional heel piece route.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

rjs , I would be interested in Pivot heels for 2007. More details, please. Is this the binding you're talking about:

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

You know it makes sense.

As I understand it, the latest Rossi/Look consumer bindings (the Axial range) do not have any pivoting movement on the heel binding. This is what WTFH is referring to. US stores have recently been selling off the old Axial's at bargain prices Laughing

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

The marker LT bindings on my volkl 4 stars have been much better then the old M8.1 I had previously, that did pre release sometimes.

I also have the new look design heel piece on my Legend 8000 and am not very happy with them. They seem to have huge amounts of forward pressure compared to the old axial, They have also got iced up twice now and have been really difficult to get off, and i am convinced they have not released in a fall when they should have done. The amount of pressure required to push the heel down to release the boot from the binding seems to be very high, (so much my pole bends) The old axial turntable was much better in my opinion. (The new bindings are set correctly before anyone suggests this)

A snowHead

I have motion lts on my 4*s too. No problems. Would have preferred the pcos (i thinK) ones though. They are a very lightweight binding and I would recommend them, much better than something like an axium 100, which wouldnt fit anyway with the rails. I got 4* last year (end of season) for £190 fitted from filarinskis and the only diff I think is cosmetic, mine are grey red and black as opposed to being blue. one criticism of the Volkls is that the bases are a bit soft and can get chewed up easily.

A snowHead

A bit of "hearsay" for what it's worth:- the guy who ran my local ski shop said Marker had a bad rep years ago when one of their factories in eastern europe starting churning out bindings made of sub-standard materials, iffy metal etc. But the build quality got sorted and they are now fine.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I've had Marker on 5 pairs of skis over about 10-12 years. Thery have always been excellent, no pre release problems, no non release problems. I have had release problems on Saloman, in the past which is why I changed to Marker. I'm now using Atomic Neox, which are also excellent. Volkls 4 star is designed to run with an integrated rail binding, seems likely that if you then opt to bolt something else onto the ski you may them impact the oberall flex/carving ability/performance of the ski.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

You can also get the 4 star in a flat ski with no rail, although they are quite rare like that. The rails will only accept motion type bindings, there is also an option (sometimes) of the motion piston binding which i didn't like the feel of, so i went for the LT.

The reason for the comment on the new look/rossi binding was in response to the previous posts, not that they would fit the 4 stars........... telemark-pyrennes have them on special offer.........................count me out I want to take them off my Legends and put some old pivots back on.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Unless you are doing something that is outside the remit of the binding I can't see why Marker's aren't as good as anyone else'. You may have a preference here and there for deep snow ease of use etc but I don't overly ovoid any of them.

You'll need to Register first of course.

I'm a marker bloke all the way and in the last 15 years have used M46R, MRR, M48R x2 pairs and now use 1400 frees and apart from my scott P3s (soon to be Volkl Karmas) they have always been matched with K2 or Volkl skis.

The only problems I've ever had with the bindings was the clear pastic cover on the din display kepts coming of on my second pair of M48s.

Excellent bindings!!!!!!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Not had a problem I with mine as well and I've skiied on them for a whole week now Wink

Help!!

Are Marker Bindings Bad?

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Equipment Reviews/Questions