anyone running Marker Dukes or Barons?

[tekweezle]

Now I know there is nothing more "gaperish/poseurish" than sporting backcountry gear for lift accessed/in bounds skiing but I am interested maybe getting into a little "Alpine Touring/Slackcountry" skiing sometime in the future.

So is anyone running Marker Dukes or Barons? if so, how do you like them? I could ask elsewhere but i was looking more for an east coast backcountry and trees perspective. I hear these bindings are pretty solid but heavy. do they affect how the skis perform in moguls and tight trees?

 

[Grassi21]

i have a set of barons on my volkl gotama's. i have 0 bc experience. but i have skied 5 or 6 days on them in the bumps and groomers. mostly bumps. i can only compare the barons to the bindings systems i had on other skis. they are a bit heavier but the weight gain is partially due to mounting them on a longer and much wider ski. you need to step out of the binding to switch it to touring mode. locks in tight and is placed in an area where it is near impossible to accidentally switch into touring mode. once again, not sure if its the binding or ski but my turns seem more parallel. handling on the groomers and bumps has been solid. fun rig inbounds. can't wait to try them in full on touring mode.

 

[amf]

I use naxo bindings (and inbounds on occasion, as I like the skis I have them mounted on), but two of my regular ski partners use dukes & love 'em - thats all they use now, anywhere. Trees, bumps - they do it all. They are heavier, and more cumbersome to switch modes in, but if you want an all around binding it seems hard to beat. Not as tour-comfortable as the naxo, but certainly a good binding. One of them damaged the base plate in an awkward fall - the plate seems to have been pulled out from around the mounting screws - but it was a real freak occurrence & I can't imagine it happening in normal use. I'm the one who has to lug around two pairs of skis and boots... they can get by with one pair of skis and two pairs of boots (I'm not a fan of dh boots for touring).

Gaper/poseur? Hardly... I call it smart.

 

[mondeo]

Gaper/poseur? Hardly... I call it smart.

+1

For $100 I future proofed myself by getting Barons, in case I end up wanting to do some BC. Not any heavier than PX12s, but heavier than other AT bindings. It's only poseurish if it's gear that you show off. Barons and Dukes are just Jesters and Griffons with AT capability.

 

[tekweezle]

so what skis do you have them mounted on?

and any reason for choosing the Baron over the Duke? Was it a weight, price, availability, recommendation or did you get a good deal?

did you mount them yourself or did you get them done at the shop?

 

[mondeo]

Mounted on Watea 94s. Baron over Duke because I don't need a 16 DIN binding and they are significantly cheaper. Had them mounted at the shop I got the Wateas from.

 

[deadheadskier]

Mounted on Watea 94s. Baron over Duke because I don't need a 16 DIN binding and they are significantly cheaper. Had them mounted at the shop I got the Wateas from.

jealous, that's the exact set up I want when I replace my old Rossi powder boards. I'll probably hold onto the Rossi's one more year though.

 

[Trekchick]

I have dukes on two pair of skis.
My bros and also a used pair of Auras I just picked up.
I used the AT set up on the Bros once, because I had a friend teach me how to use the skis/bindings the way they are meant to be used.
I really don't have back country skiing at my ready access, but I want to explore some day.

 

[deadheadskier]

Question

How does the touring mode work with conventional boots? I guess this question would be for Mondeo specifically as he has the same boots as I.

Would be recommended that a set of AT boots are used in conjunction?

 

[Hawkshot99]

I have Dukes mounted on my Rossi B-Squads. I got the Dukes because the Barons were entirely sold out. They are a bit heavy but the B-Squad is not a light ski either. I have used them a decent amount as a lift ski, and the are just fine for riding the lift all day. I have gone on 2 tours with them so far and they did great. The Jester/Duke with the wide binding works awsome on fat skis, helping them get from edge to edge quicker on days when you are on groomers.
I also have a pair of the Griffon's mounted on my Scott P3. Last year I had the same P3, but with a Rossi Axial binding on the ski. Is there a huge difference between the 2? No, but I do prefer the slight amount of easier turning with the Markers(plus I got them cheaper...)

I am not really a fan of skinning in my alpine boots, but for the amount of BC that i actually do, they will have to do.

 

[mondeo]

Question

How does the touring mode work with conventional boots? I guess this question would be for Mondeo specifically as he has the same boots as I.

Would be recommended that a set of AT boots are used in conjunction?

Basically, the difference between alpine and AT boots is comfort and the walking mode, which gives you longer strides. There's a fairly simple adjustment to go between AT boots and alpine boots on the toepiece.

Everything I've heard is that AT boots are definately preferable, but light touring you can get away with alpine boots with. I'll let you know how well it works when I actually do some hiking.

 

[Trekchick]

As mondeo said,
There is an adjustment on the toe piece for the "depth' of the boot toe, (at/alpine).
the adjustment is quite simple.

 

[tekweezle]

so evogear has got a pair of Marker Dukes for $224 after their 25% discount.

as far as I can figure, it;s size small though. my boot size is 27.5 and shell size of 307mm which is the upper limit of what the bindings could fit though. take a flyer on them? or wait for a size large to become available?

 

[snowmonster]

If you have a 307 bsl, pick up the small Duke. I'd rather be on the high end of the size rather than the low end. Plus, you probably save some weight by getting the small.

I have a Duke (small) mounted on B Squads. I have used it with Lange WC 120s (308 bsl, alpine boot) and Black Diamond Factors (307 bsl, AT boot). I did not get the AT attachment for the Factors because I didn't want to have to fiddle with the toepiece adjustment. I may do so after this season though. For now, I can swap between the Langes and Factors as needed.

As folks have mentioned before, the Dukes are great inbounds. You wouldn't even know you have AT bindings on. I've skied them in soft and hard snow, mellow and steep terrain and in bumps and they performed well. Most of the skiing I've done this season is in glades and the Dukes have been good in them. The Squads are a pretty stiff ski and I'm glad that the Dukes are beefy enough to power them.

As folks have also said, on the up, the Dukes are heavy. I would also add that they have a short climbing bar and getting them back on downhill mode can be problematic when the bar underneath the sole has iced up. I've done some short skinning on them both with the alpine and AT boot. The lack of a walk mode on the Langes plus their weight made it a killer skin. The Factors are on the heavy side too (but not as heavy as the Langes) and have a walk mode so that was better for skinning. On the plus side, they do as advertised: release the heel and allow you to skin up a hill. They're designed for short tours and side country excursions and they're adequate for that purpose. I'm planning to take this rig into the Mt. Washington area in the spring. I'll let you know how they hold up in a longer slog.

 

[Hawkshot99]

so evogear has got a pair of Marker Dukes for $224 after their 25% discount.

as far as I can figure, it;s size small though. my boot size is 27.5 and shell size of 307mm which is the upper limit of what the bindings could fit though. take a flyer on them? or wait for a size large to become available?

That is only slightly more than I paid for mine at shop employee pricing. Great deal. My boots are a 27.5, or 315mm, and I have the smalls. Your foot will not be growing so why have extra room on the binding? Just more weight to carry around.

 

[tekweezle]

argh...too late. either somebody snagged the last pair on the outlet page or they withdrew it....I think I was leaning toward the Barons anyway.

Thanks again for all your responses!