Weight per binding: 245g (brakeless) or 335g (with brake)
Release Value: 4 – 9
Riser Heights: 0˚, 5˚ & 9˚
Brake Sizes: 90, 105 & 115 mm
Heel Adjustment: 7.5 mm
Price: £275
Why we chose the Marker Alpinist 9: Lightweight, DIN certified heel with elastic travel.
Website: marker.net
When German binding manufacturer Marker weighed into the touring binding market with their hybrid Kingpin design in 2014 – everyone listened. Now Marker have made their attempt at the lightweight ski mountaineering binding market and, once again, people are listening
Firstly, the Alpinist’s price (or lack of) is impressive in itself. £295 is just short of what you’d expect to pay for entry-level frame touring bindings, or a large coke and popcorn at the cinema. It’s great to see companies looking to cut prices in a market that’s typically saturated with overpriced tech.
“£295 is just short of what you’d expect to pay for entry-level frame touring bindings”
Along with the missing pricetag, another absence worth noting is the binding’s lack of weight. At 245g, this is the lightest binding in our gear roundup. Whilst it’s not skimo racing level weight, it’s more than adequate to keep all but the professional ski mountaineers happy from day’s beginning to day’s end, or even over the course of multi-day ascents for that matter. This product has a seriously impressive price-to-weight ratio.
