Tyrolia Protector Series of Bindings

[Philpug]

@Philpug anyone have a list of skis that come with these bindings as system skis?

Head, Fischer and Elan. It will be optional on most $899 and up system skis. Whether the shop ordered the skis with the Protector is a case by case basis.

 

[tomahawkins]

Head, Fischer and Elan. It will be optional on most $899 and up system skis. Whether the shop ordered the skis with the Protector is a case by case basis.

@Slim , here's the family of Supershapes with Protector minus the Rally for $720 (when you time it right, when not they're $1K):

Bob Leisure

www.bobleisure.com

 

[Slim]

@tomahawkins , ouch, all I see is $1300!
I was thinking, my wife ‘needs’ some new skis for around home. Something fun for short radius turns.
She also has some knee damage, so the protector bindings seem like a great fit.

I am hoping @Philpug is right, and I can find something in the <$1000 MSRP range. Head or Fischer.

 

[Philpug]

I am hoping @Philpug is right, and I can find something in the <$1000 retail. Head or Fischer.

Head Shape V8 and V10

 

[tomahawkins]

@tomahawkins , ouch, all I see is $1300!

Keep checking back over the next few days. The price will drop back down to $720. It's the weirdest pricing scheme. I suspect it's automated based on traffic and search results.

 

[ronnieb]

Just got the Protector PR 11 GW Ski Bindings. These are heavy bindings. The website has the 11 weight at 2320g/pr. when I weighed the binding base plates and brakes it came in at 2836g. 500+grams or 1 lb more than expected but I suppose they don't count the bases and brakes. I guess there is a price to pay for better knee protection.

 

[Andy Mink]

Just got the Protector PR 11 GW Ski Bindings. These are heavy bindings. The website has the 11 weight at 2320g/pr. when I weighed the binding base plates and brakes it came in at 2836g. 500+grams or 1 lb more than expected but I suppose they don't count the bases and brakes. I guess there is a price to pay for better knee protection.

I've skied heavy bindings, the Protector being one, and lighter ones. The only place I really notice it, if at all, is on the lift. Since that weight isn't at the tip or tail and I'm not going uphill I'd go with the knee protection!

 

[KingGrump]

I guess there is a price to pay for better knee protection.

Are light weight ski equipment = good?

 

[Uncle-A]

Are light weight ski equipment = good?

Yes.

 

[KingGrump]

Yes.

How so?

 

[Uncle-A]

How so?

You will find out when you get to my age.

 

[KingGrump]

You will find out when you get to my age.

Don't know about you. I stand on my skis rather than the other way around.
Anyway, I have a butler lined up to carry my skis to the lift when I get to be your age.

 

[ronnieb]

Don't know about you. I stand on my skis rather than the other way around.
Anyway, I have a butler lined up to carry my skis to the lift when I get to be your age.

As I get older all the weight I carry adds up. My skis leave the snow at times when I ski . Ski and binding weight is most noticeable to me on a chairlift but works my leg muscles more skating around on flats or lifting legs on turns.

 

[Philpug]

There is a cost for everything and with the Protector, the extra weight of the mechanisms is the additional cost. IMHO that weight is a small cost and cheap insurance. YMMV.

IMHO the weight is not the short coming of the Protector, it is the stack height. While I am fine with the stack height on a narrower ski, sub 85mm under foot. To the point we will be swapping my Protector heels on any ski that had a Tyrolia bindings that is sub 85 mm. The Protector heel has the same height as the regular PRD heel.

 

[KingGrump]

As I get older all the weight I carry adds up. My skis leave the snow at times when I ski . Ski and binding weight is most noticeable to me on a chairlift but works my leg muscles more skating around on flats or lifting legs on turns.

TBH, I never noticed the weight of the skis and bindings when I am skiing. Carrying on my shoulder to and from the car, yes.
One of my favorite ski is the Atomic FIS SL 157 cm with X16 VAR bindings. Those puppies is a least 1.5 times the weight of my wider 106 & 116 skis. Real drudge to carry but a dream to ski on. I skied on them way more than carried them. Maybe that is why I have 6 pairs.

BTW, I am 68.

 

[Philpug]

We are wayyyyy into the weeds comparing a race ski with a race binding to the average recreational ski. Lets get back to the discussion at hand.

 

[Uncle-A]

Don't know about you. I stand on my skis rather than the other way around.
Anyway, I have a butler lined up to carry my skis to the lift when I get to be your age.

Does every chair lift you ride have footrests? I stopped going to Loon in NH because their chairs don't have footrests. Maybe the skis and bindings weight is not important when skiing but your legs don't last as long if they are hanging with additional weight every time you get on a chair.

 

[tomahawkins]

We are treating this as a foregone conclusion, but is there good evidence that shows this mechanism reduces risk, for either Protector or KneeBinding? My reservation is the lateral retention force needed for upright, normal, leg-mostly-straight skiing is fairly high; applying this same force when the knee is bent at 90 deg would seem to be a painful, potentially injury inducing experience.

Granted, something is better than nothing — unless we start accounting for hazardous pre-releases — but I am wondering just how many knees will be saved by these bindings. Obviously, I hope the answer is “nearly all of them”.

 

[Nobody]

Personally I am very curious as how the competitors will react and what,if any, product they will put on the market in response.

 

[tomahawkins]

The Protector is offered with a PR and Attack toe. The PR provides vertical release while the Attack doesn't, but the Attack supports multi-norm. If safety was the goal, I'm wondering why they didn't design MN into the PR toe binding. I hope it wasn't just because of broader skier recognition of the Attacks.