Marker Kingpin Binding | Gear Institute
MARKER KINGPIN BINDING – BEST NEW GEAR
The question: Will more skiers go for tech bindings if they lock in and release more like alpine bindings? Marker, lord of the alpine binding, certainly believes so. The DIN-certified Kingpin has a burly spring tech toepiece up front (with a six-pack of springs designed to prevent pre-releases), with a familiar alpine-release in the heel designed to boost power transfer. âAll of a sudden we are clicking into what is essentially an alpine heelpiece, and thatâs a big deal for vertical release,â predicts our AT binding test director, Jordan White. Switching between ski and tour mode promises to be an improvement on past Marker offerings, and the binding offers three (not two) climbing heightsâincluding a 7-degree and 13-degree mode. At 730 grams (with brake), its significantly lighter the Marker Baron, Lord, and Tour, the Kingpin looks like itâs going to be the backcountry binding to beat next year.