The tip rise is fairly generous and keeps the tip floating in powder and chop while the traditional camber underfoot allows the ski to carve on groomers and hard pack. Lot's of choices, just get educated and pick what you like the best.Salomon’s "Utility Rocker" is the combination of an early rise tip, camber under foot and a subtle tail rise. I don't want to carry extra parts and wanted light weight without going to a tech binding. Cast is heaviest and all metal, PT's are next and mostly metal, shifts are lighest and mostly carbon/plastic. The PT's and cast have removeable toe pieces, the shifts are one piece and the pins flip out of the way. The shifts, Marker Duke PT's, and cast have alpine toes and alpine heels. To quote my normal ski buddies "I don't walk uphill, that is why they have ski lifts". I feel I spent a lot for the use I get out of the setup, but I am working on some backcountry plans for the future. Not the best for running gates, but the racers do that a lot more than I do, or I switch to my race boots. I use the boots to ski race coach in due to rubber soles and walk mode. I use the skis with the shifts with my Alpine boots a lot in spring snow or soft snow. It tours really well on the up, fairly light weight and versitile. The setup skis very good on piste, except on rough boilerplate snow. I bought shift bindings, Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD boots, Blizzard Zero G 108mm skis, and Black Diamond GlideLight Mix skins. I went with choice 3 with downhill performance and low weight as my top priorities. Can vary performance some based on gear choices. Usually will give up some downhill performance for much better touring (at least less effort uphill). Buy tech bindings, touring boots w/pins, skins, and touring skis. Downhill performace will vary a lot based on gear choices.Ĥ. Hybrid bindings would be shifts, cast system, Duke PT's. Weight can vary a lot depending on gear choices. Now you will have much better touring performance, especially depending on skis. Buy hybrid bindings, touring boots w/pins, skins, use light alpine skis. Always have extra weight of frame bindings on skis, rather than removeable weight of daymakers.ģ. Next lowest lowest cost (depends on binding price and remount vs daymaker price) Less heavy than daymakers, don't have to carry daymakers, frame bindings don't tour as well as daymakers with alpine boots. Buy Frame bindings and skins, use all your existing alpine equipment. Lowest cost approach, best for occasional sidecountry use. Buy Daymakers and skins, use your all your existing alpine equipment. I did a touring setup recently for the first time, here is what my research found:ġ. They do ski differently with the Tyrolia offering a more remote but smoother ride, and the Salomons slightly more directly responsive. While the two pairs of skis do ski differently, I don’t think there’s any issue of them skiing less well, particularly on piste. I also own an identical pair of QLab skis and have them mounted with Salomon Sth 13 WTR bindings. Ive got them mounted on Salomon QLab skis. This little duck says that if you’re predominantly skiing in bounds but doing some side country from time to time and want one do it all ski or a small quiver, a frame binding is probably your best choice, or at the very least should be a real consideration. Plus it will work for short side country hikes with standard alpine boots. However, it will ski a lot better in bounds, and will be enormously safer than a pin binding anywhere. Yes a frame binding won’t tour as well as a low tech pin binding. To be honest I think there’s a bit of unfair dialogue going around in the ski community around frame bindings, driven by hard core ski tourers. Click to expand.I own Tyrolia Adrenalin 13 bindings.