Bottom line: Skis like an STH…..and it can tour.
Buy it if: You are looking for a burly binding that you can still tour on. You don’t like how the Duke/Baron engages/disengages from its touring mode or crave your bindings close to the ski.
Don’t Buy If: You are looking for a light weight alternative to the Duke/Baron.
DIN: 7 – 16
Pay close enough attention to the ski movies this fall and you might have noticed some of the new Salomon skiers on a fancy blue binding. Athlete tested for the past few season the all new Guardian 16 binding is a joint project of Salomon and Atomic and their entrance into side/backcountry binders. Look for the Atomic Tracker 16 this fall as well. Same binding, same price, different color scheme and an Atomic logo.
After a week of Northwest storms I had a chance to take some turns on the new binding last weekend. The story with the Guardian is wider, lower and stiffer. Clearly taking aim at the Marker Duke the Guardian has an 80 mm wide mounting point and sits really low to the ski compared to other touring capable bindings. The metal rails through the middle keep it pretty solid both while skiing and hiking.
The heel is right off the STH so a proven design with no surprises there. First glance at the toe piece has you quickly thinking Duke/Baron. But as the guys at Salomon will tell you, it’s simply the only shape that will allow full 90 degree angle rotation when in touring mode. The only downside to the binding is while it does have adjustable toe height, Salomon says it is not designed to accept a full vibram touring sole. That means all alpine soles including the Salomon Quest series, Atomic Tracker, Tecnica Cochise ect. will work great but full AT boots from Garmont, Scarpa, Dynafit are a no go. At least not advised.
Salomon really focuses on the downhill ski ability so expect weights to be right in there with the Duke and Baron, its clear main competitors. The place that the Guardian really sets itself apart though is the “Hike and Ride” switch. In order to kick it over to hike mode, simply reach back with your pole and click it, and flip the heel lifter up, no need to take off your ski. To reengage the skiing mode, just flip down the lifter and step back down. Excited to finally have another option in the category and one that competition will help progress both sides in the coming years.
