Alpine Touring (AT)

Lightweight touring binding for uncompromising backcountry adventure. For alpine touring performance, the MTN + Leash binding boasts convenience, reliability, and light weight. The precision Lowtech system has multiple climbing aid heights with quick, easy access, and the wider screw pattern gives you confidence descending. Specification: Convenient:Access the climbing aids with less manipulation because you dont need to turn the heel, and step in more easily with Salomons patented step-in aid technology. Light:295 gr half pr Reliable:Simple construction with fewer pieces adds robustness, and a wider screw pattern offers better energy transmission.

The uphill ease of a tech binding counts for a lot, but sometimes the smooth skinning isn't worth the occasionally questionable performance on the way down. When you need bomber skiing as well as solid skinning, an alpine-inspired AT binding like the Salomon Guardian MNC 13 Binding is where it's at. With retention that's virtually identical to trusted alpine clamps, the Guardian has a DIN that can be cranked all the way up to 13, so you won't worry about stepping out of your bindings in sketchy areas, and a sliding AFD and U Power toe piece for consistent lateral and twisting release and reliable power transfer. The Double Full Flex baseplate and burly aluminum tubes provide a flex-free platform, so you don't feel like you're floating independently of your skis, and the low-profile chassis keeps you close to the snow for increased control and a natural feel. Of course, all this would be for naught if the Guardian was a POS on the way up. Luckily, it isn't, with features like a flat nose that pivots 90 degrees for a natural stride and an easy Hike & Ride switch that can be activated without stepping out of the binding. A single flip-up climbing bail provides heel elevation for steeper ascents. Even better, the Guardian uses Salomon's MNC (Multi-Norm Compatible) system, which means it'll work with traditional alpine boots, AT boots with rubber soles, Salomon's WTR boots, and even some tech boots, so you don't have to buy extra gear to access your dream line.

Get excited, because the Salomon S/Lab Shift MNC Alpine Touring Binding is a completely new touring binding design—the ultimate hybrid—with all the efficiency you need on the uphill and all the capabilities of a traditional alpine binding for high performance on the descent. Besides skiing like a solid alpine binding, the Shift can pretty much accommodate any boot type—even traditional alpine boots—when it's in descent mode. Though it does require a boot with tech toe fittings for hike mode, the toe height adjustment lets you easily switch between different boot norms so you can go for a tour in your lightweight tech boots in the morning, and rip the resort in your stiff alpine boots for the rest of the day. This binding is for the skier who truly wants freedom to travel in the backcountry paired with the versatility to rip terrain in the resort, and since it weighs just over three pounds a pair, you get full skiing and touring performance without compromise or the need to have two different set-ups. Historically, touring bindings fell into two different categories: tech bindings or frame bindings. Tech, or pin bindings, are extremely lightweight for uphill efficiency but don't have the reliable release values that traditional alpine bindings have because of the lack of elasticity in pins of the toe piece. Frame bindings, on the other hand, have the reliable release values of a true alpine binding, but are extremely heavy, meaning you are sacrificing uphill efficiency for a more dependable, consistent release. Now, there are a few brands that have attempted to solve the issue of weight versus release reliability by designing bindings that have a tech toe coupled with an alpine-style heel so you can still crush the climbs and enjoy more reliable release values on the descents, but the problem still remains that these bindings employ a tech toe. The Shift has taken this long-standing issue facing the backcountry skiing community and completely revolutionized the touring binding category. It's not a hybrid—it's in a class of its own. On the climb, the toe piece has pins to accommodate a boot with a tech toe, just like a tech binding, so you can kick turn and maneuver easily on the skin track. When it's time to descend, the pins retract with the flick of a lever, and you have a solid alpine toe. The heel, which functions like a traditional alpine heel on the descent, works in hike mode by flicking up the brake lever and stepping your heel down. The brakes will rise into "up" position, and you're free to adjust the independent climb aid based on the steepness of the terrain you're ascending. For the descent, flip the brake lever back down to deploy your brakes so you can switch the toe piece without sending your ski for a ride and simply step into the binding. With DIN TUV-certified release values you'll feel as solid ripping your line as you would in your alpine bindings, which makes the Shift a wonderfully groundbreaking option for the best of both worlds.

The Salomon Warden MNC 13 Ski Binding is the county's new sheriff, and he's not much interested in whether you're sporting traditional alpine boots or AT boots; he'll ride them all. In addition to being a burly 13-DIN ripper, the Warden is designed to be compatible with pretty much any boot (just check that your boot is either ISO 5355, ISO 9523, or WTR-certified), saving you the cash and hassle of investing in a whole quiver of different boots and bindings. It still shreds, too, with an oversized platform for increased control of wide skis, a U-Power toepiece and Heel Flex Interface for bomber retention and reliable release, and Progressive Transfer Pads for a smooth, powerful feel and excellent lateral power transmission. Salomon hooked the Warden up with enough brake options to fit pretty much any skis and designed it with a low stand height to keep your weight close to the snow for a stable, powerful ride.