Randonee Binding Info Wanted

Don't forget to consider Fritschis. I've been pretty happy with mine despite them being supposedly "heavy". It seems like most of the people with dynafits spend all day trying to get in their bindings after random pop outs, ice build ups etc. I like being able to just step in and go without the hassles. From the types of trips you listed they should be fine. Plus there's plenty of used ones available so you don't get exsanguinated paying for them.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the information. At this point, the bindings that I'm considering are the Speed Radical (which is the one I'm leaning towards) the La Sportiva and the Plum. The Plum bindings I have seen seem to be about the same weight as the Speed Radical, whereas the La Sportiva ones are significantly less. Is that correct?

If so, then I would probably get the Speed Radical or the La Sportiva. Marmot has the Speed Radical but they don't have either of the other two bindings. Then it becomes a simple choice of saving weight (and buying online) versus saving money, buying locally, and perhaps having a binding a bit easier to use. Oh, I forgot to mention that I really don't mind using a leash (rather than a ski break).

Of course, at this point, I may end up getting Telemark gear. I agree, runningclouds; one of the big misconceptions of Telemark gear is that you need to master the telemark turn for the gear to be appropriate. Since I can't telemark very well (despite being on skinny skis a really long time) I would probably make parallel turns with my Telemark gear. The main reason I've been leaning towards A. T. gear is because of the advancements made in the recent years with that gear. The TLT5 boots, for example, are supposed to be extremely comfortable. Likewise, the bindings are much lighter than the Telemark bindings. As I try on more boots, the first issue may not be significant. It is quite possible that I'll find a pair of Telemark boots that I find more comfortable than any Randonee boot.

To a certain extent, I'm jumping the gun by asking about A. T. bindings. But if I find boots of either type that I find equally comfortable, than I'll be better able to compare the weights of the bindings to see how much I'll save by going with Randonee.

Don't forget to consider Fritschis.  I've been pretty happy with mine despite them being supposedly "heavy".  It seems like most of the people with dynafits spend all day trying to get in their bindings after random pop outs, ice build ups etc.  I like being able to just step in and go without the hassles.  From the types of trips you listed they should be fine.  Plus there's plenty of used ones available so you don't get exsanguinated paying for them.

I used to think this way and even defend Fritschi's on this same website......that was until I learnt how to use my Dynafits. I do not spend all day trying to get into my bindings or clearing them of ice I can assure you.
Fristchi is HEAVY binding and not particularly a good binding because of the stack height and play/wobble in the boot/binding interface.
Especially unsuited for RossB's intended usage.

Now Barons or Dukes, don't get me started..... waiting, waiting at transitions for the person to clean the rail of ice to get back into ski mode....terrible, terrible, terrible.....shouldn't be allowed!

Well, I ended up buying the La Sportiva. It was available at Marmot after all. It is one elegant piece of machinery. I'll never own a Ferrari, but now I can ski on something that is the binding equivalent.

One thing to keep in mind if you do buy it is that the second riser (which is optional) can be pushed out of line quite easily. That is why the folks at Marmot don't recommend using poles to switch positions. I managed to mess it up when I attached a leash to it (and stepped in and out a few times). It is easy to realign (no damage done). The same screw that holds it in place also controls one of the DIN settings, so I can't adjust the tension on it. Anyway, I'm going to move the leash to the front of the binding (which is where I believe folks typically tie it).

Cheers,
Ross

I can attest to scotty being the quickest in and out of Dynafits I've ever seen.

I used to think this way and even defend Fritschi's on this same website......that was until I learnt how to use my Dynafits. I do not spend all day trying to get into my bindings or clearing them of ice I can assure you.
Fristchi is HEAVY binding and not particularly a good binding because of the stack height and play/wobble in the boot/binding interface.
Especially unsuited for RossB's intended usage.

Now Barons or Dukes, don't get me started..... waiting, waiting at transitions for the person to clean the rail of ice to get back into ski mode....terrible, terrible, terrible.....shouldn't be allowed!

I can attest to scotty being the quickest in and out of Dynafits I've ever seen.

Funny you should mention that. That is one thing I'm going to have to work on. I took my new gear to Kendall on Saturday. This isn't the type of route I would normally do with this gear, but it provided a good test. I was able to ski down some slopes that I normally don't do on Kendall. The snow was pretty thick and wet, so it showed the value of the sturdier gear. However, getting in and out was pretty slow (as expected) which meant that I decided to skip it a couple of times and just used my poles (good tricep exercise, if nothing else). I was jealous of my brother, who not only made smooth telemark turns going down the steep stuff, but switched from downhill to level mode extremely quickly. I will probably never be able to switch that fast, but I'm sure I'll get better (the little mess with the ascender played a part with my troubles as well).