The 8 Best Ski Bindings of 2023 | By Types of Bindings

Look’s reputation on the slopes and ski gear message boards is sterling. There’s a good reason for this: the Nevada was released in 1950 and is largely considered the first modern ski binding. The design was widely imitated through the 1960s, and the basic design of Look bindings remains the same to this day.

Look can be credited with saving thousands of knees. The word on the hill is that they more consistently and reliably allow for lateral release than any other binding on the market. Their “turntable” heel piece rotates in event of a fall and effectively absorbs impact when you’re stomping jumps.

The Look Pivot’s legendary reputation doesn’t stop with the safety features. It’s an intimate pairing with your ski, it allows for the full range of natural flex across its length. The binding’s low profile design also allows for a lot of lateral stability, meaning you can accurately get your ski on edge and trust the transfer of power throughout the length of your turns.

The heel piece has 7 separate points of connection with your boot, so you can trust it to hold you in place despite its reputation for reliable bailing. Pivot bindings have been trusted by ski professionals and the hardest recreational riders for years. If you get on the wrong ski message boards and recommend anything but Look bindings, you’ll be ripped apart in the threads.

In an exciting side note, we thought it was worth noting the CAST system is an awesome way to turn your Pivot bindings into a hybrid touring set-up. Before there was the Shift, Kingpin, or the Baron; these guys delivered a revolutionary product. Even though there are lighter ways to get your hands on a touring setup, this gives you the option to use your Look Pivot bindings in the backcountry, and it’s the setup that I’m working on transitioning to in my own, personal kit.

Marker is one of the trusted titans of the binding scene. The “Royal Family” line of bindings has set the standard for alpine and frame bindings for a decade. Despite the lighthearted implications of its name, the Jester is their most serious downhill binding.

It’s been favored by big, aggressive freeride skiers who need their ski binding to hold their boot like an eagle claw around a salmon’s belly. Despite the trappings of tenure, the 2021 Jester holds up to standard. This year’s model is fully updated with some exciting features that make marked improvements to a proven design.

The Jester is a burly ski binding, that much has stayed the same. The biggest update to this year’s model is the expanded boot sole compatibility, so they pretty much work with any alpine boot, along with 95243 touring boots. They’ve also rebuilt part of the toe and heel housing from magnesium to save on weight and add a little more stiffness for driving power.

If, for some reason, this isn’t enough for you the Jester 18 ID Pro model is just what you’re looking for.

The Jester 16 is major overkill for the majority of skiers, but it has a wide enough DIN range to be acceptable for nearly any adult. There are cheaper, more practical options on the market, but none of them do quite the job that the Jester can when it comes to freeride playfulness and stomp-power.

In terms of sheer slope presence, the Marker Griffon is one of the most popular ski bindings on the market. It’s basically a less overbuilt version of the Jester, and resembles it in design in every way aside from the materials and the price.

It splits the difference between performance and weight, not really failing or excelling in either case. Practicality and base-level dependability are the words to focus on. The Griffon is among the most affordable bindings on the market worthy of your attention and money.

For most riders, the Griffon is plenty of binding to take you anywhere you need to go. It has a full DIN range from 4-13, so there’s plenty of opportunities for new skiers to grow into their bindings as their skills and demands progress.

It’s still a Marker binding, with the same caveats that run through the rest of their line, snappy heel pieces and all. It can be difficult to engage in deep snow or steep slopes.

If you ask around serious freeride circles, the Griffon doesn’t have the reputation of the Jester or any Look bindings. Certain hard chargers are quick to criticize anything without a full-metal toe piece, which is fine. In reality, the Griffon is put through the same tests and held to the same base standards as any other ski binding on this list. It’s an alpine binding, nothing more, nothing less.

The outdoor gear industry is always trying to push the boundary when it comes to weight, the Lange XT3 or the K2 Recon boots new to this season are evidence that lightweight construction no longer means balking on durability or performance. They also show that there’s a real market for lightweight alpine gear, not just ski touring.

The Tyrolia Attack series is the undisputed lightweight champion in the Freeski category. It occupies the coveted, paradoxical space between endurance and maneuverability. From the moment you click in, the quality of engineering is apparent. From a practical standpoint, it’s much easier to get the ski on your foot in powder or steeply angled slopes. Playfulness is the focus. The low stack height makes landings a little smoother, and they allow you to engage your ski without too much twisting.

The Attack is a great option for dedicated park skiers and freeskier jib-fanatics. The lightweight construction and low profile make it a great option for people who spend a lot of time in the air. It’s also compatible with a wide range of boots, which gives you as a skier a lot more freedom.

The ski industry has gone through several periods of rapid development. The rise of the fiberglass ski, the development of modern alpine bindings, massive advances in boot technology are some of the obvious examples. You could argue that, since the release of the original Duke binding in 2007, we’ve seen a similar revolution happening within the realm of alpine touring.

The Duke was one of the first frame bindings on the market, and the newest incarnation is a forerunner of the latest hybrid binding technology.

The Duke takes a different approach than the Salomon shift. They have a full pin binding setup that an alpine toe can be mounted on top of. It’s very similar to the CAST system paired with Pivot bindings but just sold in one package. The toe piece can be flipped up for ascents or is totally removable if you prefer to save weight at the risk of dropping them on the skin track.

It can feel disconcerting to look at the detached toe piece, but the overall construction is up to the Royal Family standard that you see in the Jester and the Griffon. Magnesium housing, a full 6-16 DIN range, and compatibility with normal alpine boots and GripWalk makes it a totally acceptable downhill binding as well.

Marker is a dominating force in the binding market, so much so that it’s difficult to stand out from the “Royal Family” line unless you have some kind of touring capability or other special features. The exception to this rule is Salomon’s STH2, another one of those bindings you’ll see a whole lot of on the slopes. They occupy a very similar space to the Griffon, incredibly practical and relatively affordable.

The only reason we would hesitate to recommend the STH2 over other alpine options such as the Griffon is less compatibility with different boot soles.

The STH2 has a relatively low stack height and great lateral stiffness. These two factors combined make it a great binding for your wider waisted skis, something that you can dependably rail on hardpack and float in powder alike.

It’s similar to Tyrolia in that they are easier to click-in in deep snow, which might be a deciding factor if you spend a lot of time stomping around the top of boot-pack zones trying to get your skis back on your feet.

In total, it’s a great ski binding. While there’s nothing that really sets it apart from the rest of the pack it’s an option, it’s out there, and it might be right for you.

With the recent uptake in tec/hybrid technology, frame bindings are slowly becoming something of an antiquated thing. And while the engineering behind newfangled ski bindings is rapidly improving, there are plenty of kinks left to work out. That’s where frame bindings come in, and our favorite of the lot is the Tyrolia Adrenalin.

This is by no means a lightweight touring setup; but, it is lighter than a lot of frame binding options, and in that regard, you should check out the Ambition 12 to push the weight even further down.

I love frame bindings. As a new skier I knew right away that I had a vested interest in the backcountry, and I learned the basics of alpine skiing on a pair of Salomon Guardians. For a long time, the only thing I had ever toured in was alpine boots without a walk mode, so the earn-your-turns ethic always sat well with me. I liked the fact I could transition with my skis on, which is sometimes tricky even with the newest tech bindings.

That being said, if I could do it over again, I would have opted for a pair of the Adrenalin 16s. If you’re interested in the backcountry and want a single-quiver option without a tech toe, I can’t recommend these enough. At the very least, you can expect your quads to get toned.

Two years ago Salomon released the Shift binding and brought the true possibility of a single quiver frontside and backside setup to the average consumer. The Shift was the first single-piece touring binding that offered the downhill safety and performance features of a frame binding, without necessitating the suffering on the way up.

It’s truly a revolutionary piece of equipment that is being imitated and played with across the ranks of their competition.

What we appreciate about the shift is its wide range of appeal. The Shift is an awesome product for dedicated alpine skiers who are anticipating spending more time exploring the backcountry, and for seasoned backside skiers who want the freedom to huck without worrying about not releasing if they don’t stomp the landing.

It’s truly a frontrunner in the industry, and though the Baron and the Kingpin offer a similar compromise, no one is doing it quite like Salmon. But the Shift is not without its caveats.

As much as Salomon would love to market the Shift as an instant transition super ski binding, it’s subject to many of the same problems as any other touring binding. They’re finicky when it comes to snow buildup, and chances are you’re going to end up taking your skis off between topping out and dropping in. We’ve also received some feedback with uphill brake detachment, and the occasional break in the toe piece, presumably from cold making the plastic brittle.