The Best Bindings
Salomon dove head first into the touring game a couple years ago, and the MTN Tech Binding is the perfect way for them to continue their dominance as a leading ski brand with a great binding with just a few caveats.
The Dynafit Radical 2.0 makes some big and significant changes from its predecessor, moving it closer to a perfect binding. For a tech binding, the elasticity promoting toe piece is one of its best features and the binding tours and skis very well. This binding is a great choice for all skiers, except for the extremely weight conscious.
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The Ion LT is a solid binding for the crowd who wants the security and downhill performance of a heavier setup, but are less concerned with all the extra features such as brakes and step in guides. The Ion LT is a great binding for the experienced tech user looking to lighten their load.
There’s no other binding design like Now’s on the market: taking inspiration from a skateboard truck, the binding pivots on a kingpin to deliver pressure only to the outside edge. On the snow the kingpin helps deliver more power to edges and provides quicker response. Although it’s the best binding we tested, it’s also the most expensive.
The Union Contact Pro is an affordable, lightweight, high-performance binding. You know that old saw about gear: “Do you want it cheap, light, or good? Choose two.” This binding goes three for three. The drawbacks were minimal—the footbed showed wear earlier than some and set-up took a couple of extra minutes.
The Ride Rodeo is for the all mountain freestyle rider who wants more flexible bindings and some signature style when it comes to aesthetics. The canted footbeds provided more comfort and better performance—more pop—than similar bindings. Although we liked the Spidey-like look of the webbing on the toe strap, we question its long term durability.
