Teleskiers, I’m upgrading my setup and I need your help. I’ve decided on the skis. Atomic RT-86s. 176cm, 128-86-114mm, snappy. And the boots. Scarpa T2Xs.
The question really is about bindings. Currently I’m skiing on a Targa G3. It seems pretty good to me. I especially like the light weight and the easy of entry. This set up will be my quiver of one for Gore: groomers, powder and possibly trees, if I can turn those Atomics tight enough.
Would love to hear any opinions on what binders to connect it all together.
Well I don’t think I will be much help but you asked for it.
Background – Nordic skier since ’73, raced in college, blah blah.
Learned to alpine ’76 worked at Gore 78-81 Highwinds ’87 when I was introduced to tele.
Skied tele on karhu extremes and leather until ’99 when I got t-2s. ’00 got Tua Razors w/Superloops. About ’04 got Atomic TM22s with 7tm’s. Last year I got silver ’05 t1’s and 7tm power tours.
I really don’t notice my bindings much. The whole power to the back foot thing is lost on me. I pretty much ski and if I fall, it’s my fault not the equipment. However, The 7tm power tours are the nuts. It really makes skinning in big boots easy, giving some nice extension on the glide part of the kick and glide as compared to loosening your boots and only having your heel come up 1.5 inches. This is probably true for all free pivot bindings. Don’t know. Sorry I can’t be of more help but after starting skiing on cable bindings with hiking boots and old wooden army skis with the sides cut down to make them narrower all this new equipment is gravy.
I run G3 Targas on all of my Tele skis, but for the next setup, I was thinking of rocking the Hammerhead . . .
No particular reason (in fact, it’s supposed to be worse than the Targa on the uphills), but I generally find them to be bad ass, and will enjoy relishing the gear envy that they will inspire from nearby tele skiers.
Kieth…my progression sounds really similar to yours…the leather….to T2s…riding on (and loving) TM22s for a long time.
And Matt…it seems like everyone lusts after the hammerheads. Maybe I should try them.
I’m not sure why I’m drawn to the aethestic of a simpler binding like the G3. Simpler than the 7TM or the HH. How good is the release on the 7TM? How’s the torsional performance? The way that thing hold the boot looks funky to me.
The guy at inside edge pushed me toward the hammerhead too.
And of course the first time the release saves my butt…who cares what the darn thing looks like.
Thanks for the input.
Turns out the RT-86s were good for everything I imagined … EXCEPT …as I suspected, I could not turn them in the trees. While I don’t believe any binding should ever separate from any ski, I do think my inability to get those boards around in the trees, may have ultimately led to binding failure.