Best Advanced skier Binding?

A snowHead

What binding should I buy for this coming season ? It needs to be stiff no play, little as possible torsional flex and give great edge control for very aggressive skiers ! It definately has to be a high end durable piece of equipment. What do you think?

A snowHead

huckingfellers, I'm a fan of Look bindings because I believe their turntable heel fixing is the safest. I've also found them to be very durable and reliable. They have the added advantage of being easy to lock into, which is not always the case in deep snow. Their top model the 14 has a very high DIN setting as well.

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

Defo go for Look pivots. If im not mistaken the rossi bindings are exactly the same too. They also do a binding that has a din of 18 which comes in handy if you are an aggressive 7'4 32 stone skier

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Yep Look/Rossi pivot ones, they have high elasticity which means that the binding moves but hold you in rather than releasing, good when a landing doesn't go quite right (but you still want/need your skis on) or in heavy pow. Salomon bindings apparently also have higher elasticity (not as much as the look ones so you have to crank the DIN up a bit) and favour retention. I have them because the shop (and in fact most of Whistler) ran out of Look/Rossi bindings, the Salomon ones are also very light and easy to get into.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I'm not sure I have ever noticed any difference in binding "performance" - please forgive me if I inadvertently cast any aspersions while suggesting that if you are good enough to notice you won't be paying for them so you won't really care (i.e. you'll be sponsored)???

...and so anything that has a DIN range high enough for you will be fine.

That said, I have always believed the marketing puff emitted by Look/Rossi (and Marker in the good old days) have much loved my 99s, ZRs, etc. so would second the Rossi/Look turntable recommendations.

But: I rather like the look of VIST a relatively new Italian producer (founded by an Italian racer so with a proper pedigree). The most important thing is that the plastic covers are interchangeable which means your bindings will always match the colour of your skis (and your boots if you're properly co-ordinated).

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I have the Rossi 120Tis on my Pistols, and they are excellent. My Heads have Tyrollia which I've had no problem with either.

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I'd endorse any binding truly based on the original

Look engineering (this N77 was far from the first example).
It's a brilliant piece of metal. Salomon copied the Look toe, decades ago, when the patent expired.
I'd still ski a pair of N77s today, with total confidence of safety.
Simple bindings always beat complex bindings, and are more durable because there are fewer small parts.

After all it is free

If we're dissing; I have had three mates breaking Tyrolias (vintage 1988 or so) once necessitating one legged skiing with mates non-functional ski over shoulder - an entertaining project.

However, Atomics were based originally on ESS and I must say last year's (2004) model were pigs in soft snow. I believe they're a little better this year (2005).

huckingfellers, just so you know, there are three main reasons for LOOKs (and Rossi carrying on the reputation) being in such favour: 1. the bindings were reputed to have more elastic release springs than others, so in marginal situations you had a little more movement before a potentially troublesome release 2. the turntable mounting rotated along the same axis as your shin, so contributing to fewer injuries in such a type of release and 3. the heel being effectively mounted "higher" up the ski meant a shorter length of the ski was being constrained by the binding, so you apparently got a more even flex.

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For this coming winter Rossignol have re-engineered the Axial binding. It has maintained it's elastisity but has dropped the turntable heel. As Look bindings are re-badged Rossi's I'm fairly sure their binding range will change as well.

snow reports

mr-everton, welcome to snowheads

Although with a name like that I'm not sure if I should welcome you wink

You know it makes sense.

comprex, a binding prereleased in moguls when i was going quite fast. i continued sliding on the ski that was still attached and caught the trailing boot on the side of a mogul. The impact caused my leg to jerk and twist and bang went the ACL. I think the whole thing was pretty unlucky, but it wouldn't have happened if the ski hadn't fallen off.

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

Yes, that's truly unlucky. What a bummer.

A snowHead

As always, the depth of (obsessive?) knowledge on this site leaves me speechless.

A snowHead

Arno, ah. There is a third outcome, of course, both of them falling off reasonably close in time to each other. Now that NEOX gizmology is in, would you have preferred a (cryptologically secure) Bluetooth link to the other binding telling it to let go?

David Goldsmith, I still think the N77 should only be used with steel boot heel inserts.

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

I thought I'd seen else-thread that Rossi/Look were keeping a few models with turntables? Maybe that was last year...

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Turntables (I've just learnt) will be available but race DIN. Fine if you like your release setting higher than your IQ!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

comprex, my memory is that the N77 didn't have the little roller on the heel unit - didn't that end with the N17? - so I'm not sure I agree with you there [but I stand to be corrected!]

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David Goldsmith, your memory serves you right, the roller was gone. I am merely uncomfortable with the narrow cam on the bottom of the heelcup.

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Appreciate all the info you guys/girls have supplied. I decided to go with the look P12 Lifter,/ wide brake for the 81mm underfoot of the Legend 8000. Now I have to find a pair here in the US. No luck as of yet. Quite the popular binding! Seems to be really safe as well. Thats good!

After all it is free

I see the main problem being that its the middle of june an most stock will have long since been sold. However try ebay or proctorjones.com

For 80 mm underfoot you dont need wide breaks, ive got standard brakes on my p10s mounted on chronics which are about same width. 80mm aint as wide as it used to be!

huckingfellers, call, do not email, christy sports. The guys in the shops are much more helpful than the emailers. If reliable racing or proctor jones can't get it for you that is.

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David Goldsmith, But what about the N17? And on Dynamic VR17s?? Woooo! Woooo! http://snowmall.com/id31.htm

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And, thinking about it, a friend of mine who was French team late '50s was skiing until relatively recently on Look bindings that had a turntable heel (I think, it may have had no heel movement at all) only so your foot could rotate out the front. No forward fall release at all. Now, he would be able to tell - and resolutely maintains - that he got better feel through them. (Not to be tried at home or on holiday!)

Then again, my father in law used to simply nail his clogs to his barrel staves (I kid you not) and head off to school. That's a precision fit in my book.

snow reports

David Murdoch, from now on, whenever I'm drinking in an alpine bar, and see some prehistoric skis mounted on the wall, it's going to make me think of you. Very Happy

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Best Advanced skier Binding?

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