Touring bindings
Get kitted out at the best prices in our ski touring section with a selection of bindings from leading manufacturers including Dynafit, Marker, Fritschi, Atomic, Plum, Salomon, Look, G3, ATK... Don’t forget accessories such as ski crampons so you don’t get caught out if you encounter hard snow.
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Recommended price
£61.51
-14%
£52.71
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Recommended price
£61.51
-14%
£52.71
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Recommended price
£28.95
-9%
£26.31
INCLUDED
DAY RETURNS
Fixed costs
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Recommended price
£26.31
-10%
£23.67
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Recommended price
£70.31
-12%
£61.51
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Which ski touring bindings should you choose?
Drawing on a rigorous selection of touring bindings, Glisshop helps you make the right choice from the leading brands according to your style of skiing. As a key component, a touring binding requires the right adjustments, especially the release value, to hold the ski boots securely and keep you safe in the event of a fall. To help you check compatibility between your binding and your boot, take a look at our page dedicated to ski boot sole standards. If you’re unsure, our experts are on hand via chat or by phone to help you choose your ski touring bindings and find the model that suits you best.
What are the various types of ski touring and free-touring bindings?
As in alpine skiing, the binding in ski touring is a safety device designed to protect the skier from injury, particularly to the joints. But a touring binding must also make ascents easier while keeping descents secure. Depending on whether your focus is touring or even freeride, your criteria will differ. If your aim is to rack up as much vertical gain as possible, a lightweight model such as the Marker Alpinist is ideal. For aggressive freeride use, make sure the maximum release value is sufficiently high. Here is an overview of the three categories of touring bindings to help you choose:
Frame (AT) bindings (the closest to piste/alpine bindings)
Very close to alpine bindings, frame/AT bindings can be disengaged. They feature heel lifts and sometimes ski brakes. Usable with standard alpine ski boots, they are the heaviest touring bindings. They’re best kept for approaches or very short, occasional outings. Freeriders will appreciate using them to reach hard-to-access areas, even if the weight of their fat skis plus the bindings won’t help them climb very far. Frame models do, however, offer a safety advantage in the event of a fall, providing a release similar to alpine bindings. They also offer a wide adjustment range for length.
Low Tech (pin) bindings (e.g. Dynafit Speed, ATK Crest or Salomon Mtn Summit): the lightest
Purpose-built for ski touring and ski mountaineering, Low Tech (LT) or pin bindings are only compatible with touring ski boots fitted with inserts. Holes on either side of the front of the shell accept the metal pins of the toe piece which, stripped to the essentials, generally offers just two positions: walk mode, which fully locks the toe to prevent losing the ski on the climb, and ski mode, which allows release on the descent via the heel unit’s set release value. In this category, some models allow you to fit ski brakes.
Hybrid ski touring bindings (e.g. Atomic N Shift, Marker Kingpin 13)
Halfway between Low Tech and frame bindings, low tech hybrids aim to combine the low weight of classic touring bindings with the safety of releasable alpine bindings. To provide a release close to that of alpine bindings, the heel unit now incorporates ski brakes and a lever system engaged by the heel. Marker pioneered the concept with the Kingpin in winter 2015 and continues to demonstrate its expertise with the latest-generation insert binding, the Duke PT. Salomon and Atomic are no slouches either in this area and come highly recommended.
What do the different bindings weigh?
The advantage goes to Low Tech bindings: around 700 g per pair on average—hard to get lighter. But lightness comes at a cost, especially in terms of safety, as there are no ski brakes; instead there’s a leash attaching the ski to your ankle, and the adjustment range is narrower. For example, the Marker Alpinist 8 weighs just 490 g per pair. Hybrid bindings are around 1.5 kg per pair, while frame bindings can reach 3 kg. Weight is therefore an important factor when choosing the right category of ski touring bindings for your intended use.
Choosing your ski touring bindings according to your style of skiing
Each discipline (approach, touring or freetouring) corresponds to a binding suited to the skier’s specific needs.
With the growth of ski touring in recent seasons, brands have focused strongly on developing technologies to offer ever more efficient and lighter bindings, providing greater safety thanks to a broader release-value adjustment range.
Glisshop’s tips for finding the best ski tour binding:
- Assess your level accurately to choose a type of skiing that matches your fitness and technical ability.
- Decide on your priority before choosing your binding: lightness on the climb, performance on the descent, or safety.
- Feel free to contact our experts, who will be delighted to help you choose the best option regarding your bindings or any other piece of ski equipment.