AT vs Alpine in the Resort ???

yeah, try demos. I really enjoy having full-on alpine gear for the resorts but then my AT gear is on the light side so not comparable to your heavier setup. So I don't have a relevant personal comparison to offer.

That said, one of my perceived benefits of not trying to straddle is that I know my setup takes much more of a pounding at the resorts, both due to increased vertical skied as well as due to my style of skiing at resorts where potential consequences aren't quite as great. I like that the gear I'm counting on to get me back out from a tour hasn't been subject to said pounding.

I opted to go Alpine for for skiing hard-snow & shallow-snow groomers and bumps after having a serious leg injury with Volkl Nanuqs, Radical Sts, and Mercury boots.  I justed wanted to have as good as possible safety for me and the bindings , including release, shock absorption, flexing, etc.  I bought Dalbello Panterra 120s with after-market Intuition Liners and Booster straps, Tyrolia Attack binding, and Ficscher Motive 95 ti skis.  Works great for the groomers and bumps and does ok off piste and in the woods.  It is a heavy setup, esp. the Dalbellos [which I bought because I could micro-adjust the last width, the ramp angle, the flex, and buckle tension as well as cant}  and thus is not as nimble as I would like in the woods off-piste. Often there are very good off-season buys on boots, bindings, and skis.

I have Mercury boots (with Booster Strap, but I don't use the accessory tongues leaving about a 100 flex) mounted with Kingpins to Fischer Ranger 98 ti as a softer-snow piste, off-piste, sidecountry, and sometimes backcountry outfit.  It is superb for the way I ski lift-served but, of course a little heavy bc, but I have 4 different bc-dedicated skis [Voile Vector BC, Movement Vertex-X, Dynafit Cho Oyu, and Movement Shifts] and 3 boots [TLT6, Scarpa F1, Dynafit Mercury--all with Booster Straps ]..

I also use the Mercs with Voile V8 skis with Plum Yak bindings for lift-served deep, soft snow--super fun, playful, quick etc.  I also use this outfit bc with really deep snow.

There are always trade-offs.  But IMHO it is worthwhile to have a dedicated alpine setup for the hard snow, fast speed groomer and bumps skiing.  Lots of discussion on Wildsnow and elsewhere of the limitation of tech bindings on-piste; YMMV.  Depending on skiing style and frequency, the new Tectons and the forthcoming Salomon Shift bindings offer more versatility.  I reallly liked the progressive flex of my Zzeus and a similar boot with a 100+ flex, with Techtons/Shifts, and Ranger 98ti might well substitute for the 3 combos I now use lift-served.  Not putting down other skis--I loved my Volkl Mantras, Kastle LX92s, Rossi S7s, etc but I've just have more fun on the Rangers and V8s but my V8s can be punishing in hard, icy snow.i

Whenever I am in the resort with my touring gear, I fear injury from release followed by a slide into the trees. I usually use dedicated alpine gear in the resort and have way more fun. I see people skiing fast on pin bindings, but they scare me.

At the resort, I only ski my tele rig, or my AT rig. I don't own dedicated alpine. My AT is Scarpa Maestrale with dynafit radical bindings. I don't find that I am limited at all by my gear.

I may be limited by my desire not to f&$k myself up, however. So, the way I ski in my mid-40s is a lot different than how I skied in my mid-20s. I take the bumps a bit easier, I avoid air, etc.

And my gear is GREAT for the way I ski.

D.

Thanks everyone for the influx of helpful comments.

The demo idea has been on the radar and is, in reality, probably the best option off the bat to see how green the grass might be on the other side.

Interesting questions and replies. I have been  through the process so I can throw in.


There are a few questions to ask but I would ask what conditions you are going to be skiing inbounds?

IMO if you are a dedicated resort SOFT snow skier your mid weight AT set up will ski the pow as well inbounds as out of bounds.  Having a light and easy swing weight is terrific in the pow Especially in the trees because they turn so much quicker and easier than a heavy set up.

If you're going to be skiing groomers, chundery snow (that's a thing right?)
and/or  hard pack a super light AT set up is going to get thrown around.
A heavier and stiffer set up will give you more control and confidence in those conditions.

Since Resort skiing is usually a pretty mixed bag of conditions you almost need a setup that can handle it.

I have two dedicated set ups. Ultra lightweight AT for touring.
Ion 12, DPS Wailer Tour 1,  Atomic Backland Carbon.

Mid weight AT  for soft snow resort and side country skiing.
Kingpins on Soul 7 HD with a stiffer AT boot.

I tend to ski faster and a little more aggressive inbounds so I was a little nervous about a prerelease when I started skiing with a tech set up inbounds. But,  I haven't had any issues with the Kingpin. The heel piece does a great job holding it all down.