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Marker Alpinist 12 Ski Touring Binding 2022 – 2023 | Review

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

Why we chose the Marker Alpinist 12: Affordable, lightweight, user-friendly 

Weight per binding: 245g (brakeless) or 335g (with brake)
Release Value: 6 – 12
Riser Heights: 0˚, 5˚ & 9˚
Brake Sizes: 90, 105 & 115 mm
Heel Adjustment: 7.5 mm
Price: £275

MORE INFO

The Alpinist range from Marker has quickly cemented itself as one of the ‘go-to’ ski touring bindings for skiers who value a lightweight, reliable and affordable binding. At just under £300, this is one of the most affordable bindings out there. Now, for the 22/23 winter season, Marker has made some slight tweaks to this platform; making it an even more refined binding.

The first change is to the toe unit. By inserting a bit of extra padding to the toe, Marker say they’ve made the binding easier to click into. This bit of extra rubber at the toe stretches to below the toe wings in an effort to keep any snow and ice at bay. The next (slightly more straightforward) update can be seen in the addition of a few extra colourways, moving things away from the slightly more plain white and black versions (although, in this case, Marker has sent us the black version).

Let’s take a look at what’s going on with this lightweight binding.

Marker Alpinist 12 Build

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 and your boot in the binding even when you’re bending the skis hard through high-speed turns.

The whole platform is built on a fairly wide 38 mm screw pattern to help transfer power to the ski edges, giving greater control and steering. A wider screw pattern also helps to improve screw retention and reduces the chance of anything ripping from your skis.

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. 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 12 For?

The Marker Alpinist family has long impressed us with its combination of low weight, affordability and 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.

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