Weight per binding: 620g
Release Value: 6 – 12 (DIN)
Riser Heights: 0˚, 7˚ & 13˚
Brake Sizes: 75 – 100 mm or 100 – 125 mm
Heel Adjustment: 28 mm
Price: £500
Website: marker.net
Why we chose the Marker Kingpin M-Werks 12: Classic binding, made better.
The Marker Kingpin was one of the first ‘hybrid’ bindings that combined a tech (pin) toe, with a more traditional downhill binding heel. Few had tried to create this dream binding setup before the Kingpin, but none ever nailed the execution as well as Marker did.
With that original Kingpin design now being four years old, Marker have handed it over to their “M-Werks” department to give it a good dressing down and keep it fighting with the rest of the competition (in a market that’s progressing at a pretty astonishing rate).
“Marker have handed it over to their “M-Werks” department to give it a good dressing down”
As we’ve discussed in our review for the Atomic Shift, our dream touring binding would carry downhill binding retention and elasticity at a weight of around 600g.
While I’m not going to claim that this binding is able to match the downhill performance of the Shift (you’re going to have to look at the heavier Tyrolia Adrenalin for that), the Kingpin does strike a great balance of retention, elasticity, usability and lightweight design – something that’ll make it the ideal choice for many backcountry skiers. So, let’s drill down on those features a bit…
Retention – probably the most important feature for the everyday ski-tourer. Essentially, how well does this binding hold your foot whilst arcing high-powered turns over firm snow and smoothly release exactly when you want it to?
