I know this an old thread, but since Kingpins are still very much around thought I’d chuck in my two-pence – I’m an (ex) instructor-level skier who started doing more touring about 10 years ago. Oh, I have a good deal on some boots and bindings if anyone is interested. If you plan on taking risks with your skiing, I would advise looking elsewhere. So if you’re putting yourself over some exposure, be forewarned, these are a light touring binding, as all tech bindings are. Over the cliff I went for a fun slide down the hill. Side stepping down some steep exposed rock, both popped off as if the Din were set to 2. They popped off pretty easily on Din 8, so upped the Din to 10. I bought a pair of Kingpins and some Salomon Quest Max 130 boots recently for a month long trip to the Alps, hoping that I would find nirvana. I suffered with pre-releasing Dynafits with 3 different boots over 5 years and finally threw in the towel. I once attended to a poor chap who had both Dynafits pop off his feet at a no fall zone, and over the cliff he went. Interesting that you’ve had no pre-releases, the bane of tech bindings since inception. Namely, I’ve found that stepping into the ION can be a bit more finicky than the Kingpin, but I wouldn’t say this is a huge deal. I still prefer the Kingpin to the ION for touring / going up, but for relatively minor reasons. The G3 ION is probably the other AT binding that I’ve spent the most time on recently, and I think that binding goes uphill quite well, too. I’ll also qualify my comments in this section to say that I don’t think I’ve hated going uphill on any tech binding. Jonathan Ellsworth in the Marker Kingpin 13, Mt Cheeseman backcountry. Because given how well this binding works (both uphill and downhill), I find the weight of the Kingpin to be a cause for celebration. Note: if you are bummed out because you think the Kingpin is too heavy, then you probably shouldn’t care about my Kingpin review, because you and I likely are looking for pretty different things out of an AT binding. I like the risers, I like the way the brakes get out of the way, and I like the weight of the setup. I really like touring in the Kingpin 13 & 10. Jonathan Ellsworth in the Marker Kingpin 13, Mt Cheeseman backcountry.īecome a Blister Member or Deep Dive subscriber to check out our AT Binding Deep Dive where we directly compare the Kingpin, Marker Duke PT 16, Salomon Shift MNC 13, Fritschi Tecton 12, Fritschi Vipec Evo 12, Dynafit ST Rotation, G3 ION 12, & CAST Freetour, and discuss what you tend to gain and give up by going to much lighter AT bindings. The Kingpin is still a relatively new product, and I can appreciate why some people are reluctant to be early adopters of new AT equipment-I’m usually one of those people.īut, for now, I feel like the Kingpin is such a significant improvement over the other tech bindings I’ve used that I’m not looking back. It’s just not going to argue that you are dumb for using or preferring something else. (3) But-and spoiler alert here-this review is going to explain why the Kingpin is currently the only binding I want to tour in. (2) I’m not interested in trying to talk you out of whatever AT binding you like best or trust most, and I encourage you to use the one you feel most comfortable with. Before reading my review, you should read our 1st review of the Kingpin, by Paul Forward, because I’m not going to rehash all the details Paul talks about. (1) This is our 2nd review of the Marker Kingpin 13. Test Locations: Canterbury, New Zealand, backcountry Santa Fe & Taos, NM, backcountry Salomon MTN Lab, 26.5 Salomon MTN Explore, 26.5 Scarpa Freedom RS, 27.0 Fischer Trans Alp, 26.5 Total Weight per Binding (with 75-100 mm brakes): 774 & 775 grams.Heel platform with 75-100mm brakes (with screws): 212 grams.Toe pieces: 199 & 200 grams (with screws).
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