FREERIDE AND FRAMELESS
Marker’s answer to the Salomon and Atomic Shift binding is the Duke PT. Like the Shift, the Duke PT skis like a solid alpine binding, with a full wraparound toe and a magnesium heel. When the opportunity to skin up presents itself, the toe transforms—with a quick flip— into a tech-style touring binding, with pins at the toe. Unlike the Shift, most of the Duke’s toe is removable, ditching 300 grams. And moving that weight to the static pack from the swinging ski offers a significant energy saving over time. For the heelpiece, Marker used the heel from its freeride bindings. Switching between downhill and uphill modes is simpler than with the Shift, but like its competitor, the downside to the Duke’s versatility is weight. The DIN 12 version weighs 1.1 kg, and the 16 DIN version is even heavier. It’s a lot of extra weight compared to a dedicated touring binding. But, especially for bigger skiers, the confidence, reliability and safety of adjustable true DIN retention on the down is hard to beat, even in the backcountry. From $900; marker.com