National Outdoors -- Snowboard Gear Shop

The Fritschi Freeride has received accolades from the top ski magazines and, from what I’ve seen, is the choice of AT skiers. Most AT skiers I know ride on these bindings. The Freeride is lightweight for touring, and sturdy for bombing the groomers at the resort. You can quickly adjust the climbing block height to three levels, and lock the binding down with the handle of your ski pole.

PROS

Alpine Trekkers offer a cheaper way to outfit skis with downhill bindings for backcountry skiing. The Alpine Trekkers work very similar to traditional Alpine Touring or Randonee bindings, except they use the existing bindings. On the uphill touring you snap the trekker into the bindings, then strap your boot onto the trekker. For the descent, you remove the trekker from your boot and from the ski, then use the ski just like you would for downhill skiing.

PROS

Amazing. Insane. Wow. This is the way telemark bindings are headed. It will take time and a lower price, but someday we’ll all probably ride something like these bindings. I can still feel the ski digging into the ice. With this binding, I could carve the ski in a telemark turn, like I carve the ski in an alpine turn with alpine bindings. The first few turns I made, I thought there was something wrong with the binding because it's got so much tension in it. You've really got to slam your knee down.