Need Binding Advice for Lightweight Skier

[BigSlick]

I was out skiing with my daughter today who has a pair of marker TP2 10 bindings on her skis. At the base she had no problem clicking in however, after she fell in some powder, it took us literally 10 minutes to get her back in the bindings between clearing the snow and me physically helping the binding. I chalked it up to marker being hard to get into in pow. But we had the same thing happened to two other times on groomers. I’ve never seen a more unforgiving binding.

So now I’m thinking it’s the marker design that is the issue for someone who weighs 95 pounds and has a shorter BSL with a 4 DIN. I was looking at Salomon’s STAGE GW 10 as an alternative, and would get rid of the excess weight of the system.

 

[The Retired Skier]

Tyrolia Attack 11 bindings are very easy to get into.

 

[GB_Ski]

Look NX7/11 are easy to get into for my 9 year old.

 

[Philpug]

Tyrolia Attack 11 bindings are very easy to get into.

The Attack 12 has the dual stage heel, a nice step up.

 

[tomahawkins]

In powder, all bindings can be difficult. A good skill to practice is getting your ski on when you're sitting down on the slope. Sometimes on steep slopes it is unpractical, even unsafe to stand up to click in. @BigSlick, if your daughter can master this, maybe it becomes her goto move and you don't need new bindings:

1. Situate yourself sideways to the hill so that your ski free boot is uphill and your boot with the ski still attached is downhill, the ski perpendicular across the fall line, edged into the snow for support.
2. Spend time to clean off all the snow on the boot and the bindings.
3. Put the toe lug in, align and gently step into the heel, then reach down and pull the binding lever up.

I think it's somewhat easier to do this with a single cam binding -- I always had my kid in a SPX with success -- but it works with a dual stage heel too.

 

[BigSlick]

In powder, all bindings can be difficult. A good skill to practice is getting your ski on when you're sitting down on the slope. Sometimes on steep slopes it is unpractical, even unsafe to stand up to click in. @BigSlick, if your daughter can master this, maybe it becomes her goto move and you don't need new bindings:

1. Situate yourself sideways to the hill so that your ski free boot is uphill and your boot with the ski still attached is downhill, the ski perpendicular across the fall line, edged into the snow for support.
2. Spend time to clean off all the snow on the boot and the bindings.
3. Put the toe lug in, align and gently step into the heel, then reach down and pull the binding lever up.

I think it's somewhat easier to do this with a single cam binding -- I always had my kid in a SPX with success -- but it works with a dual stage heel too.

Technique wasn’t the issue. It happened when not in powder as well, which is why I’m thinking it was either the setup or the binding design.

Thanks for some of the suggestions, but I need a brake that fits a 78mm wide ski. Unfortunately, that eliminates the Attack. I was also looking at the SLR 10 protector, but I’m a little wary of the single cam and remounting with another system.

 

[az29okg]

I was out skiing with my daughter today who has a pair of marker TP2 10 bindings on her skis. At the base she had no problem clicking in however, after she fell in some powder, it took us literally 10 minutes to get her back in the bindings between clearing the snow and me physically helping the binding. I chalked it up to marker being hard to get into in pow. But we had the same thing happened to two other times on groomers. I’ve never seen a more unforgiving binding.

So now I’m thinking it’s the marker design that is the issue for someone who weighs 95 pounds and has a shorter BSL with a 4 DIN. I was looking at Salomon’s STAGE GW 10 as an alternative, and would get rid of the excess weight of the system.

My daughter is about 100 lbs, ski boots have a BSL of 275 and uses a DIN of 4. She has no problems clicking into Tyrolia Protector SLR 11 bindings on groomed surfaces. We haven't been fortunate enough to try on powder.

My other daughter is about 140 lbs, BSL of 275 and DIN of 6. She has difficulty getting into Tyrolia Protector PR 13 bindings on flat groomed surfaces, i doubt she would be successfulin powder. She hasn't had the chance to try the hint someone suggested above - to get the heel to click in, think about lifting the toe. I am looking at switching her binding to the Protector PR 11.

 

[BigSlick]

I ended up getting the STAGE GW 10 bindings ($90) and a pair of NOS Ripstick 88w for a screaming deal ($275, shipped!). Figured the bindings on the Astral 78s work on hardpack, and she can use the Ripsticks in variable conditions up at Mt. Bachelor when she goes off to college in the fall.

 

[dcoral]

I think it's somewhat easier to do this with a single cam binding -- I always had my kid in a SPX with success -- but it works with a dual stage heel too.

I'm also thinking to keep using Look SPX 12 bindings for my kids. My 11 year old boy has them and seem pretty good so far.

am curious about the Tyrolia Protector SLR 11 though. It's good to hear from @az29okg that 100 lb daughter can click into them easily.

 

[BigSlick]

I'm also thinking to keep using Look SPX 12 bindings for my kids. My 11 year old boy has them and seem pretty good so far.

am curious about the Tyrolia Protector SLR 11 though. It's good to hear from @az29okg that 100 lb daughter can click into them easily.

I was looking at the Protector SLR 11s too, but it sounds like from the Protector thread that it is a bit of a crap shoot whether they get mounted correctly whereas it seems ski shops have an easier time with the PR-based systems.

 

[silverback]

Have her practice putting the toe in and focus on lifting the toe rather than pushing or stomping down on the heel. The racer kids with their bindings set at 13+ actually lift the tip of the ski up in the air with only the last couple inches of the ski tail touching the snow using the leverage to easily click in.