In the shop, I gave the bindings a visual run-down. Some of the first things I noticed were:

• The torsion bars are much lower profile than any other similar bindings on the market
• Changing the bindings from ski to tour and back to ski modes is super-easy
• The toe pivot is smooth and stiction-free
• The climbing bar only has two settings but moves into and out of position easily

I took a few close-ups of the bindings to call out their specific features.

The overall construction is impressive with solid engagement into and out of touring mode. The ski shop pivot test felt smooth and the low-profile torsion bars really made the Guardian’s ride low to the deck.

Switching it to touring mode requires a thumb or some ski poles to slide the grey tab back and change into touring mode. It did require a firm movement just to make sure you don’t do it accidentally, but can be easily done with or without gloves or using your poles. And… drum roll please… you can do it all without un-clicking from them. Ta da! Switching back into ski mode was as simple as returning the climbing bar to the ski mode and stepping down — it latches back into place with ease.

The two-position climbing bar features a spring-loaded engagement into the highest position, thus making it very easy to hit that position with the flick of a pole in either direction. I found that dragging your pole basket from the back was the easiest way to move it from the ski position to climbing. I did wish for a position inbetween the two offered positions.

While on a short tour, I was impressed with the smooth and efficient stride. While these are no replacements for Dynafit’s in the backcountry, they felt smooth and natural. The ever-important switchback test yielded a 10 on the easiness factor. I was immediately whipping out switchbacks without any difficulty.

As far as ski-ability on the frontside, I didn’t do any twisty-flippy-switchy-pipe-charging-hucks, but I did ski them aggressively and fast. They did what I’d expect a good binding to do — held my boot in place and became invisible. Like any binding, if you are dropping insane cliffs and skiing Bode Miller-fast, you will out-DIN any regular bindings, but for the 99.99% of us, the 7-16 DIN will be perfect.

I can see the new Guardian bindings as the de-facto choice when I want to buy an alpine-friendly binding that doesn’t limit me to frontside use only. I like their overall function and am impressed with the package. They don’t come without some minor faults, but overall they are going to be my top choice for those seeking a “do-it-all” frontside/backside binding.

Good Guardian

• Low-profile design keeps you low to the deck
• Smooth touring stride
• Super-solid clamps allow you to charge with chutzpah
• Switchbacks are easily mastered
• Getting back into ski mode is as simple as stepping down firmly

Bad Guardian

• I wish they had a middle-tier climbing bar setting
• Moving the climbing bar from ski mode and flat mode to climb mode  wasn’t always easy to do with just your poles

Bottom Line: Salomon Guardian 16 Alpine Touring Bindings

If you’re looking for an alternative to the Marker Duke or something burlier than your Fritschi Freerides, these will be your ticket to ride. With a low-profile design and easy-to-use touring system, the Guardian’s are now the sidecountry bindings to beat.

More Info: Visit Salomon.com

Black Diamond Drift Skis

As part of the new Black Diamond Efficient Series of skis and boots, the Drift looks to be the money ski in the line–at least for us living in the Wasatch. The entire series consists of 4 boots and 6 skis with the Drift being the fattest of the quiver. Aimed at lightweight backcountry slashing, the Drift is 100mm underfoot and available in either a 176cm or 186cm length. The full curve profile is 136/100/123.

So, you get a good sidecut for carving turns (yes, some of us still like to carve turns) and a nice rockered tip for extra flotation and crud-busting. The entire package tips the scales at a respectable 7 lbs. 4 oz. per pair. Retail price will be $699 with availability in the Fall. Visit www.SkiBD.com.

Fritschi Freeride Pro

Taking the lessons learned from the Fritschi Eagle and applying them to the more powerful Freeride platform, the new Fritschi Freeride Pro bindings are for hard-charging skiers who still want efficiency in the skintrack. With a wide new mounting platform (narrow skis need not apply), new toepiece and a more natural pivot point, the Freeride Pro is hitting the market just in time to combat the new Marker Tour. I’ve yet to hear a price on this new binder, but I’d guess in the $450 range… stay tuned.

Dynafit Stoke Skis

Revelstoke, super-stoked, stoking the fire… whatever you say, this ski is getting a ton of attention. The new Dynafit Stoke is a lightweight backcountry ski with ample girth to get you through the rough stuff. Tipping the scales right around 7 lbs. 4 oz. in the 182cm length, this ski has a great profile for all-around backcountry use at 130/106/120. As expected, the Stoke is equipped with an early-rise tip for breaking trail and floating in all conditions as well as metal tip/tail reinforcements for skins attachment. The Stoke is ready for backcountry adventure–so long as you’re a Dynafit disciple since it comes pre-mounted for Dynafit bindings. Coming in at $799, these skis are available now at Backcountry.com.

Introducing the new Marker Tour alpine touring ski bindings that will be coming to ski shops near you, Fall 2010. Looking it over, the toepiece looks very similar, but better optimized for touring instead of stomping 50-footers. Other similarities exist between the tour and the Royal Family, but I’m sure materials completely differ, but at least the looks of them appear pretty similar.

I’m seeing some improvements in the heelpiece to reduce weight as well as a more adjustable climbing bar (definitely needed). What remains that is still a bit of a hassle is the requirement to click out of your bindings to switch between ski and tour modes. As well as the climbing bar, which seems difficult to adjust on-the-fly with a pole tip (since I haven’t seen them, this may not be the case, but it looks as such). Fritschi still hs ‘em beat there.

But, the respectable fighting weight of 1690 grams (FT10) puts them a few hundred grams less than the Fritschi Freeride bindings. Expect these to hit the stores in the Fall… very impressive, Marker!

What Marker says about the Tour F10 and F12:

Focusing on producing the right binding for the end use that each skier needs has always been the Marker way. For the new Marker Tour bindings, our engineers set out to offer a binding for the skier who wants an all-day touring rig, but still wants great skiing performance. To date, in order to have light weight for climbing, the skier had to give up downhill skiing performance. Not any more. Built based on a 76mm minimum ski width, the innovative Marker Tour 12 and and Tour 10 bindings feature new, lighter weight Triple Pivot Compact toe, and Hollow Linkage heel components.

The new toe and heel sit atop a smooth-flexing frame design which features a new, glove-friendly release lever that puts the binding in touring mode. The gliding afd in the new toe is height adjustable, and designed specifically for AT boot soles, while also compatible with alpine boots. A weight-saving ‘hollow’ axle forms the pivot point in the heel. Its design is light weight, compact, and easy to step into, while the spring focuses energy directly toward the heel of the boot for optimum skiing performance. Weight for the Tour 10 is approximately 1690 grams/pair. Stand height is 34mm for the Tour 10 and Tour 12.

More Info: Visit Marker-Tour.com

Look Bindings has officially re-launched the legendary Pivot binding-the most trustworthy alpine binding in the history of alpine skis. The Pivot delivers more precision and performance, combined with the famous retention and prevention of pre-release that made the binding a stand-out.

“Athletes and consumers of all ages were tired of worrying about pre-release and bindings breaking. They demanded the return of the famous Pivot, so here it is,” says North American Freeskiing Team Manager Matt Rihm. “The team is extremely excited to have this binding back under their feet this season. It doesn’t matter if it’s a jibber or big mountain skier, this binding holds up better in any aggressive skiing situation than other bindings on the market, it’s bomb proof.”

The Pivot’s seven points of boot contact and high range of elastic travel help make it the leader in preventing pre-release. The widest binding footprint on the mountain, shortest mounting zone and full metal construction, make it the best performing alpine binding on the market. The Pivot features the legendary “turntable” heel piece that rotates under the heel of the boot instead of behind the boot to more accurately control retention and release. The translation: Look’s Pivot bindings deliver greater control over the ski and more reliable release when you need it.

The Look Pivot, and sister binding, the Rossignol FKS, are available in two DIN ranges, 5-14 and 8-18 and are available at a specialty retailer near you or on line at Lookpivot.com or Rossignol.com.

Look Pivot Video from Newschoolers.com

More Info: Visit LookPivot.com

Honestly, it’s not much of a surprise given the troubles that Naxo has seen over the years. Their introduction to the marketplace was problematic at best (broken toe pieces and heel pieces galore) with some improvements in subsequent years (read our NX01 Review), but they never fully recovered from the problems out the gate. When Rottefella purchased Naxo in 2006,  I thought maybe they would have a chance at resurrecting them, but alas that wasn’t to be.

I dug up the following quote from Torbjorn Ragg of Rottefella.

“Despite strong sales and marketing support for Naxo since Rottefella purchased it in 2006, the bottom line is that Naxo hasn’t achieved the critical mass worldwide that we needed in a very crowded market,” said Torbjorn Ragg, Marketing and Sales Manager for Rottefella.

The market isn’t nearly as crowded as the alpine ski binding market, but there are two dominant players: Fritschi and Dynafit. However, Marker’s Duke and Baron bindings have also put the hurt on Naxo’s business as the burly touring binding of choice. Those interested in bombproof downhill performance are opting for the Dukes.

Last season, I got the chance to tour on the Naxos for a few months.  Their “ergonomic” design, though clunky, really did make for a smoother stride–until things got steep.  On steep skintracks and especially switchbacks, the forward pivot point made for serious challenges when needing to step on the edge for traction because the leverage point was so far in front of the toe.

I’m sure someone will pick up the pieces and potentially re-introduce the Naxo platform under a different design at some point in the future, but for now, it’s Fritschi or Duke for those seeking alpine/backcountry crossover ski bindings.

Buy Now: Search for Fritschi or Marker Duke Bindings

I knew it was gone… and I knew right then that my bindings had failed me.  I was riding old-school Look turntable bindings that didn’t even hint at releasing during my slow-motion twist and pop.

Introducing the KneeBinding

The vividness of that day sits at the forefront of my mind as I write this post about the new KneeBinding. This new ski binding is built with “PureLateral” heel release that allows the heel to move directly sideways without having to lift up or diagonally in its release. Here’s a little more from KeeBinding:

Ordinary bindings are “two-dimensional,” allowing a skier’s foot to twist out sideways at the toe, or to pull up and forward at the heel. The combination of these two release mechanisms are standard on all alpine bindings, and they work well to prevent some injuries. But neither of these mechanisms can detect or respond to the specific forces that cause most of the ACL injuries in skiing.

The revolutionary new KneeBinding #M09 and #W09 ski bindings are premium products, providing all the convenience and performance, and all the retention and reliability of the best ordinary bindings.

PLUS – KneeBinding ski bindings provide a third dimension – a “PureLateral” heel release that specifically detects these combined forces and allows a skier’s heel to twist out sideways just before such an ACL injury can occur – without pre-release issues!

While no ski binding can eliminate all injury, I’m stoked that the KneeBinding is getting acclaim and hope it gains traction in the marketplace. I’m interested to see how it’s received. Here are a few more details:

• Available in 5-12 DIN or 3-9 DIN
• 90mm, 110mm or 130mm brake options
• MSRP: $479-$499

These bindings don’t come cheap and you may not be able to get them mounted easily, but getting your ACL repaired and dealing with downtime isn’t cheap either. I’ll reserve full judgment until I get my hands on these and can see them in action, but I’ve got to give them the initial nod.

More Info: Visit KneeBinding.com

These new bindings allow G3 to complement their excellent touring ski lineup with both telemark and alpine touring binding options. Look for a little more information on these new bindings after Outdoor Retailer later this month.

Here are a few more details from G3:

G3 Genuine Guide Gear today unveiled the ONYX, the world’s new standard for Alpine Touring usability and performance. The ONYX offers up uncompromised uphill and downhill performance in an easy-to use tech-compatible design. Incorporating a series of intuitive and innovative features including the ability for skiers to change from ski to tour mode on-the-fly, an easy step-in toe, oversized high strength forged aluminum jaws and chassis, topped only by its lightweight design, the ONYX is a binding built for those who are not willing to sacrifice.

“With an unsurpassed degree of engineering and complete attention to detail, the ONYX represents G3′s commitment to industry-leading innovation,” says Oliver Steffen, G3′s President. “This product is built for skiers who want outstanding uphill usability and rock-solid downhill performance from the same binding.”

More Info: Visit G3Onyx.com

The Duke enters a market that is dominated by Fritschi Freerides, but hopes to capture the wallets of a specific target market… those unwilling to sacrifice downhill performance in their short backcountry trips or quick hauls in the sidecountry at their local resort. With many resorts offering quick access to backcountry terrain, the Duke offers the best of both worlds for those times when groomers and moguls just won’t do. Ummm… isn’t that all the time?

Course, with all the burl of the Duke, it looks to have some trade-offs:

1. You must release your boot out of the binding to switch to and from touring and skiing modes
2. Access to the climbing bar doesn’t look possible with the simple flick of your poles
3. The overall weight of the Duke will limit its use to sidecountry and short backcountry trips

Despite the above trade-offs, the Duke will be a great option for those who want a do-it-all binding. Personally, I think the Marker Duke will be perfect for people like me who demand versatility. At this point, I wouldn’t even consider buying traditional bindings and if I’m going to buy “resort” skis and bindings, the Duke’s would be my choice for clamps. They are burly enough to handle east coast blue ice and still skin up the sidecountry or hammer out some quick BC trips.

The Fritcshi Freerides are burly enough for my short-lived inbounds adventures, but I do worry a bit if I do stray onto boilerplate or wander into VW Beetle-sized moguls. If I had the Duke’s mounted to my “resort” skis, I could confidently bomb anything in bounds and still make efficient trips into the backcountry.

It’s great to see traditional binding manufacturers jump into the A/T market. Hopefully we’ll get our hands on a pair soon and bring you a full review.

Buy Now: Search for Marker Duke Bindings on GEAR.com

For those of you who don’t know already, the Naxo is the only alpine ski touring binding available with a downhill-style toe piece. It’s also the only touring binding with a triple-pivot point under the toe – created by having two hinges that allow for a “less-locked-in” feel during the stride. The Naxo’s pivot points create a stride that is downright buttery. Rarely have I felt as comfortable touring moderate-angle slopes as I do when using the Naxo. I mean, I know what it’s like to have a grin ear-to-ear after skiing a great downhill lap – but grinning while climbing? I admit – I caught myself more than once. It’s that good. Now, with that smooth gait I felt I had to give up a little on the “stomp up the steeps” factor (because the final pivot is farther out in front of the toe), but those are the trade-offs you make for a comfortable stride overall.

Now for what applies to most of us “cross-over” alpiners – the downhill performance. Can I ride the Naxo and feel confident that it will perform like my Salomons? I guess it depends on what you do on your Salomons, but I would say that for most skiers it will fit the bill solidly. I even took them to the resort this winter and hit some laps through the terrain park, landing several 5’s on them without a pre-release and without a single worry. They were rock-solid and unyielding. Three cheers for BCA! Would they be the binding for a 90-foot gap jump? Probably not. Grab some Alpine Trekkers for your Salomons if that’s your thing. Would they be the binding for aggressive dawn patrol laps in the Cottonwood Canyons to charge knee-deep turns with speed? Absolutely.

The 2006 Naxo nx01 binding has a few great features I’ve got to point out. First of all, it comes with a DIN that goes up to 12. If you need a touring binding that goes up to 13, BCA delivers once again with the even-brawnier Naxo nx21. Another thing – the Naxo’s 3-stage climbing elevator is also the burliest in the industry. This is a particular point of concern for those who have blown out the cheaper, softer plastic elevators on other big mountain touring bindings. There is no worry of that type of failure with the Naxo – it locks down with conviction and also gives a very stable platform while climbing. Third, the Naxo has two stabilizer bars underfoot, which gives an unwavering platform with increased torsional rigidity.

The Naxo also has a great little feature I love: tool-free length adjustment. It’s just a little lock-switch that you open, then slide to adjust, and then lock it back down. Genius! It’s one of those “why in the world didn’t somebody think of this sooner” sort of things. Its DIN setting is also tool-free – just twist to set. But I found it to be a little tough to twist and ended up just using a flat-head screwdriver. One last point – the elevator/lock-down mechanism closes in the upright position, not down against the tail of the ski. This is great news if you’ve ever fully flexed-out your ski and inadvertently unlocked to touring mode when using other bindings. That won’t happen with Naxo’s design. And that’s one of those things that reinforces what an innovative company BCA is: their relentless attention to details.

There’s one item I hope will be tweaked in a future version: the heel piece is not as smooth & easy to step into as most step-in bindings. Yes, it’s solid. Yes, it’s beefy. Don’t worry about that. I just found it to be a little awkward. I ended up setting the length 2mm shorter than my actual boot sole, and that seemed to make it easier for me.

So, hats off to BCA for putting out a great binding alternative for the hard-charging alpiner who earns his turns each morning before work. Like a German-engineered automobile, the Naxo pays attention to the details and you notice it on the mountain. Enjoy the ride.

Naxo bindings have now been discontinued from production. Search below for Fritschi bindings (the best alternative). – Ed.

Buy Now: Search for Fritschi Bindings

A Bit o’ Trivia

For a couple years now fat-twins have been at the forefront of every serious rider’s consciousness. The Line Mothership and the Salomon Pocket Rocket christened the fat-twin category, and were quickly followed by the K2 AK Enemy, the Rossigol Scratch BC, and many others. In 2004 there is nothing new about making a fat-twin – unless it’s the first fat-twin built from the ground up for touring and hard-core riding by a backcountry champion like Black Diamond.

Now, you may argue that Karhu released the Jak last year and K2 has the Hippie Stinx (both fat-twins marketed as backcountry tools). But truth be told, those models are essentially alpine skis with different graphics. The Jak is the same design as the Mothership (both the Mothership and the Jak were built from the same design created by French ski designer François Sylvain, formerly of Geze binding fame), and the Hippie Stinx is basically the Seth Pistol with different paint.

The Ride

Black Diamond, on the other hand, has looked at the current technology and used different ideas to put together a fat-twin touring ski from the ground up. BD took some of the Torsion Bow technology from its popular Crossbow tele/AT ski and modified it into X-shaped torsion bars in front of and behind the binding area called a 3-D Densolite core. This makes for a lightweight ski that is rock-solid torsionally, making it a surprisingly great performer on harder snow. If you’ve ever had to ski a wind-scoured slope to avoid avalanche danger on the leeward side, you’ll definitely appreciate this bit of technology. But then again, you wouldn’t expect less than the best in technology from an Austrian-built ski that comes out of the same factory where Atomic makes its world-class race skis.

The great hard-snow performance surprised our testers because the ski has an extraordinarily lightweight feel while touring and while airborne. We tried the ski on hard, early-season snow in Colorado and we rode it in the deep, light snow that dumped on the Wasatch during December and January. There is no condition where this ski doesn’t shine.

Black Diamond Havoc Dimensions

In addition to the torsional rigidity and relative light weight of this fat-twin, the Havoc has another endearing quality. Its width dimensions are pretty close to ideal: 120mm tip/88mm waist/113mm tail on our 183cm model. Some might argue that 88mm underfoot is too narrow to be called a serious fat ski, but do you really need a super-fat, Alaska-only ski like the K2 Kahuna, Line Prophet, or the fabled Rossi B4? I would compare it to cars in this way: Sure, the original Hummer can do more than the H2 in hairy situations. But how often are you REALLY in those types of over-the-top situations? Wouldn’t you rather be rocking an H2 as your everyday ride? You’d be more comfortable the majority of the time, while sacrificing only a little of the high-end performance. The Black Diamond Havoc is the H2 of touring skis. It uses less fuel (sweat) to haul the thing around, and it can rip through almost any realistic situation you may get yourself into.

“The Havoc’s wide underfoot platform (88-mm waist) not only stomps out big-air landings, but ensures that nothing moves this baby off-mark in choppy crud.” -Black Diamond website, www.bdel.com

This statement is absolutely true, but it would be a crime not to mention how well the Havoc carves, too. Its relatively stiff tip initiates the turn aggressively and holds a smooth edge throughout, making it a blast for those on-piste runs we inevitably take while getting to and from many backcountry gates. The Havoc can lay trenches with the best of them.

Possible Improvements

For as solid a ski as the Havoc is, there are two things I would have changed about the model we had for review. First of all, our model had the Fritschi Freerides mounted toe-center which for me is way too far back on the ski. It gave the ski an “always in the backseat” sort of ride. And though turns initiated aggressively, the mounting style left the end of the turn lacking energy – it didn’t rebound readily into the next turn. Now, where the binding is mounted on the ski is absolutely a matter of personal preference. But after riding traditional twin-tips for years, which are usually mounted almost exactly boot-center to ski-center, we would definitely recommend mounting your bindings farther forward than toe-center to get a stronger finish to your turns and make riding switch a lot more comfortable. I found it very tough to land switch with much confidence when there’s not an equal amount of a tail behind the heel-piece.

Secondly, the graphics are definitely lackluster. Small thing, I know (shows you how deep you have to dig to find something wrong with this ski). But with such a sick, ground-breaking ski it’s frankly a shame to clothe it in the same, indistinguishable computer blah that every other ski on the wall has. This ski needs to pop in a strong way. I’m not talking bright orange. But I am saying it would communicate more clearness of purpose, taste, and uniqueness (because it is a unique ski) if it were a solid color. Or maybe a landscape image stretched across both skis. Or maybe even a faux-wood finish like the old Authier skis. I’m no designer, but I think a ski as innovative as the Havoc is in the AT market should distinguish itself from the rest in image as well as performance.

Or you could just slap a bunch of stickers on it after you buy it. It’s not like you’ll notice while you’re ripping big turns down a few hundred vert in the Utah backcountry. And that’s where the Havoc shows its true colors, anyway.

Fritschi Freeride Touring Binding

Mounted on these killer Havocs were a pair of Fritschi Freerides. If you don’t already know, in the course of just a few short seasons the Freeride has gained the reputation of being the ultimate alpine touring binding for hard-core riders. The “best-performing AT binding in the world,” according to Black Diamond (US importer of the Freeride).

“Why all the stoke?” you may ask. Well, here’s the breakdown – DIN up to 12 for both the toe and the heel, a light weight (compared to regular alpine bindings) of just 2.12kg per pair, and an ease of use that is almost foolproof. The idea is that you have a binding that is nice and lightweight, has a 4-stage elevator for climbing and an easy-to-use step-in design, but is just as reliable for retention and release as a regular alpine binding. So….why would you still be riding alpine bindings? If you never plan on going into the backcountry at all, then you’re probably okay with regular alpine bindings. But if you never plan on going into the backcountry at all, why are you reading this gear review?? And even if you go touring only a couple times a year, you’ll still appreciate the slim profile and the reliable alpine-style release system of the Freeride.

The main worry of many riders has been that the Freeride’s toe piece wouldn’t release as reliably as a standard alpine binding, but I have put my meniscus on the line to test that theory for all our loyal readers. Yes, yours truly was ripping down a nice glade with fresh Wasatch pow when my left ski went to the left side of a small aspen. In a brief moment I thought the end of my season had come, but then – at just the right moment – I felt the toe piece release as smoothly as any alpine binding I’ve ever ridden. So, while this binding is definitely not for racing or hitting the park regularly, you can still be confident in it protecting your knees almost flawlessly when you need it most.

One thing to note when in climbing mode: The Freeride sports only a single pivot point under the toe for climbing, so your gait is about as fluid as a door hinge. Frankly, this is a good thing on the steeps, because it keeps the pivot point right where it needs to be throughout the stride. This is an advantage over a design like the much-hyped Naxo touring binding, which has a dual pivot point. The dual pivot point makes the Naxo much smoother than the Freeride on average-angle slopes but slightly more difficult to manage on angles over 35 degrees. This is because the main pivot point is about 10cm farther in front of the boot toe than the Freeride. That extra 10cm slightly reduces your leverage while climbing steep slopes, and makes kick-turns more of a balancing act than with the Freerides. Another advantage of the Freeride over the Naxo is that the Freeride is a few grams lighter – and when you’re hauling your own butt up a few thousand vertical feet of the Rocky Mountains, that makes bit of a difference.

However, there are two weak spots with the Freeride. First is its lock-down mechanism. It is made of what appears to be a relatively soft plastic, making it vulnerable to breakage under heavy stresses. I was able to do lincolns and front flips without much worry, but I certainly would not be trying cork 7′s or misties regularly on the Freerides for fear of blowing them up. And if you’ve skinned into Grizzly Gulch to hit a 90-foot gap jump, the last thing you want to do is have binding failure and have to post-hole your way through avalanche terrain to make it back to the car.

Secondly, the cross-bar that connects the toe piece to the heel piece is made of aluminum. This is fine for regular riding, but there are definitely situations where it’s a downfall. When stomping big airs to pow most skis flex out their camber completely so that for a brief moment the ski looks like a Volant Spatula. When this happens there is definite binding pinch between the toe and the heel, and all the weight of the skier presses down hard on the center of that single aluminum cross bar and it can be bent or deformed. It sounds amazing, but there are legitimate stories of this happening on airs as small as 20 feet. And then you’re left with no option but to replace the binding. Currently I know of no solid AT binding that has solved this problem. My proposal to Fritschi for the next generation is the following: Make a new model, called the Freeride Ti or something, with a titanium crossbar that can withstand the flex and snap back to form. Or, at the very least, make the crossbar a replaceable piece that you can buy separately and carry in your pack as a spare, so you can fix your binding in the field should something like this happen to you.

The Bottom Line

The Black Diamond Havoc mounted with some Fritschi Freerides is an almost unbeatable combination for big mountain skiers looking to cross over to alpine touring. The Havoc is a lightweight and versatile fat-twin with bomber edgehold and real carving skills, too. And the Fritschi Freeride is fast becoming a fixture on at least one pair of skis for every serious skier. Get out there on this gear and you can’t help but start thinking of all the possibilities there are outside of the zoos we call ski resorts. Enjoy!

Buy Now: Search for Black Diamond Skis or Fritschi Freeride Bindings