Marker Alpinist 10 Ski Touring Binding 2021 – 2022 | Review - Mpora

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Marker Alpinist 10 Ski Touring Binding 2021 – 2022 | Review

The Marker Alpinist 10 is lightweight, safe and comes with a shockingly low price tag

Why we chose the Marker Alpinist 10: Affordable, lightweight, user-friendly 

Weight per binding: 245g (brakeless) or 335g (with brake)
Release Value: 4 – 10
Riser Heights: 0˚, 5˚ & 9˚
Brake Sizes: 90, 105 & 115 mm
Heel Adjustment: 7.5 mm
Price: £275

BUY HERE

Let’s face it; there’s no other company that has a better coverage of the ski touring binding market than German-based Marker bindings. They’ve covered the high performance end with the Duke PT 16, midweight hybrid bindings with the Kingpin M-Werks and the budget-friendly low release value end of the spectrum with this, the Alpinist 10.

The Marker Alpinist 10 sits in the middle of the lightweight and affordable Alpinist range, offering a DIN certified release value of 4 – 10. On the other side of the family is the Alpinist 8 and Alpinist 12 – all coming in at a more than affordable £300. You can barely get away with a round at a London pub with that cash.

Marker Alpinist 10 Build

While we’re on the subject of the affordability of this binding, it’s worth noting how this has been achieved; there’s a lot of plastic components in this binding. While it’s got to be stressed that this plastic has been reinforced with carbon to ensure strength, durability and power distribution is maintained to a high standard, it certainly feels cheaper than, say, a Plum Oazo, or an ATK Kuluar. But, then again, those bindings cost well over double the price of the Alpinist.

Again, the use of plastic isn’t a bad thing in touring bindings, particularly for bindings designed towards lighter skiers, like this one. What’s impressive with this binding is the amount of features Marker has managed to pack into this little number.

First up, and most importantly for any kind of ski binding, is the 4 mm of elastic travel in the heel. Similar to the forward pressure spring in the heel of an alpine binding, this spring will move forwards and backwards to compensate for ski flex as you arc your skis around a turn. In turn, this subtle movement of the binding will help to keep you boot in the binding, even when you’re bending the skis hard through high-speed turns.

Just like the binding we’ve shot in our studio, you can add a brake onto the Alpinist, with three different widths available: 90, 105 & 115 mm. But, if you’re keen to strip a little more weight from your setup then you can also just run the binding brakeless no bother.

Finally, the Alpinist offers three different levels of climbing aids with 0, 5 and 9 degrees of heel lift available. 0 and 5 are both accessible when the binding has been twisted 180 degrees, while 9 is flipped down when the binding is in ‘ski’ mode. The heel still can’t be twisted while standing up, so get practicing those lunges.

Who Is The Marker Alpinist 10 For?

The Marker Alpinist family has long impressed us with its combination of low weight, affordability and a feature set that you’d usually see on a pair of bindings double the price. Not only that, but this all comes in a package that you can rely on when you’re deep in the backcountry. This lower release value version lets lighter skiers to milk all the advantages of an advanced tech binding in a safe package.

What Is The Marker Alpinist 10 Good At?

Affordability: 9/10
Reliability: 8/10
Weight: 7/10

Topics:

Marker Ski 100 2021/22 Ski Bindings
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