AT Binding Review

One Ski to Review them All.

The Bro Model
The Bros and I spent 5 days together exploring Alta before it opened for the season.

 

I got lucky. A friend of a friend contacted me to help her with a Alpine Touring binding review. AND just so happens that she writes for my most favorite publication in the world: The New York Times

The rules were simple: I had to ski 5 different Alpine Touring bindings in the backcountry and report back so she could write the article. I also had to pick the ski that I wanted to use for the test.

I wasn't planning on new skis this year. I felt a little out of the loop and needed to start some reasearch. Suddenly I found myself dreaming of waist and shovel dimentions, flexes and core materials, tip and tail heights, more than I usually do.

I decided that to be fair to the range of bindings, I had to choose an all-conditions ski. I wanted to try the bindings out in the usual conditions I encounter in the bc: crusts, powders, corns and the variable conditions in-between.

Bros in the workshop
The Bros have a bomber topsheet and had no problems handling the many holes necessary for multiple binding mountings.

 

 

100mm under foot seemed perfect. Fat enough to float way over tasty wind-board, but not so fat that an icy traverse would blow me away. Then I started reading about PM Gear's Bro Model 179... and it was perfect:

DIMENSIONS: 125-99-114 (tip-waist-tail in mm)

LENGTH: 179

TURN RADIUS: 32 meters

Check out their website: PM Gear

Bros at alta
Powder Princess and the Bro's, ready to go. Now all we need is snow.

AT Binding Review Links

Fritschi Freeride : Naxo 21 : Marker Duke : Silveretta Pure : TLT Vertical ST : The testing ski