Knowing your feet will help prepare you for your next custom ski boot fitting. This information can also be useful if you need some guidance buying ski boots online.
Bony parts
Identifying bony parts to your foot can help get your head around potential fit issues. Does the side of your big toe joint stick out? What about your little toe joint? Do you have have a bunion or a tailor’s bunion (skiers 6th toe) that needs the help of an experienced boot fitting to modify the ski boot shell. What about prominent ankle bones that stick out? This part of a boot can be stretched as well, although nearly all bootfitters will start by stabilizing the foot and ankle joint with a custom footbed.
Forefoot shape
Understanding forefoot shape is important as it allows the selection of the correct shape toe box, particularly when different brands of ski boots will work better with different forefoot shapes! Have a look down are your feet and see what shape matches up to your own. Usually angled and moretons forefoot shapes are associated with medium to narrow width feet. On the other hand (or foot) round and square forefoot shapes are associated with wider feet.
Angled Forefoot                 Moretons Toe
Round Forefoot                  Square Forefoot
Arch height
Knowing your arch height can help you pick the right prefabricated insole to go with your online boot purchase, or start the conversation about a custom footbed during your ski boot fit. If you’re in store for a custom boot fit standing on our Sidas Podoscope will reveal your arch height. However if you’re at home the Wet Test will give you a better idea what you’re dealing with. Simply:
Fill a saucepan with water.
Wet the base of your left foot in the saucepan.
Stand your wet foot on a piece of newspaper or brown paper bag.
Step off the paper, and observe the imprint left by your foot.
Repeat for your right foot.
High arch:
If you have little to no shading connecting the outside of your forefoot to your heel chances are you have a high arch.
Neutral arch:
Shading connecting your heel to forefoot around half the width of your heel tends to indicate neutral or mid arch height.
Flat arch:
Shading greater than half the width of your heel tends to indicate a flat, low height arch.
Instep height/volume
This is one of the key factors in how well a ski boot will fit. The instep is the arched top of the foot between the ankle and the toes, but and where the ankle and instep meet that is crucial to a boot fit. Put a foot with a high instep height and volume in a low volume ski boot and that skier will be in a world of pain, experiencing what we call Boot Compression Syndrome. Similarly if a low volume foot is placed in a high volume ski boot, the skier may experience poor energy transfer into the boot, heel lift, and a general feeling of sloppiness. Not good either.
Calf shape
Knowing your calf size gives you the ability to select a ski boot with an appropriate cuff size. If you know you’ve got bigger, more muscular calves it makes sense for the cuff volume of your ski boot to match that shape. Compression around the back of the leg can cut off the main circulation to the foot causing cold, numb and tingly feet. If you know you have skinny, less developed calves  , not being held securely as a result of too much room through the cuff reduces energy transfer through the boot and can cause shin bang.
The Backcountry world is awash with new products each year & Touring Bindings have to be one of the categories with more exciting upgrades. Deciphering the marketing spiel and working out what bindings are perfect for you is a tricky task. This Guide will hopefully answer any questions you may have about Ski Touring Bindings.
Please note: the majority of our Ski Binding Basics and Ski Boot & Binding Compatibility guides also apply to touring bindings. If you have more questions than what is covered in these few guides. Please get in touch and we should be able to help you out.
Binding Categories
There are two major categories of Touring Bindings, Pin Bindings & Frame Bindings.
Marker Alpinist 9, Salomon Shift, Marker Baron
Pin Touring Bindings
Pin bindings (also known as Tech Bindings, Dynafits, and many other colloquial terms) are categorised and distinguishable by the toe attachment point being through the use of two pins entering specifically designed boots.
G3 Ion 12
Pin Bindings are generally lighter weight, prioritise uphill performance and are widely used by guides and more experienced backcountry users. Pin bindings are known to have a more natural stride while skinning because the pivot point is closer to the ball of your foot. If you are serious about getting into backcountry skiing, Tech bindings are the way to go.
Pin bindings have a wide range of targeted users, from ultra-ultralight bindings used for Ski Mountaineering races, to beefy bindings aimed to hold up to big jumps and tricks in the backcountry. Where you look on the scale depends on your ambitions as a backcountry skier. The lighter you go, the easier it is on the up, but the less performance the bindings will have on the downhill.
Ultralight Pin Bindings
Ultralight Pin bindings range from weighing effectively nothing, up to a few hundred grams. These bindings are designed for taking you deep into the mountains. Primarily paired up with similarly ultralight skis and used as a dedicated backcountry set up.
The Crossover Pin binding category is only a recent creation. These bindings aim to give users the benefits of Pin bindings on the way up and get as close to Alpine Binding performance on the way down. They do this by using a combination of certain Pin Binding designs with components of Alpine Bindings to give them better power transmission and safety.
Fritschi Tecton
These bindings pair with Traditional Skis for your 1 ski quiver and 50/50 resort/backcountry or with Lighter Touring skis as safer* backcountry dedicated options. While not ideal as a dedicated resort binding, there are plenty of people who ski these bindings most of the time, they offer consistent release values and good power transmission but lack in the durability when skied hard compared to traditional alpine bindings or frame touring bindings.
Salomon Shift
(* Safety in Pin bindings is a whole topic best left to people with dummy rigs. We use safe in this context as most of the Crossover bindings generally release more consistently than the Ultralight ones)
Frame touring bindings look and feel like traditional alpine bindings, however are built onto frames to allow you to lift your heel and skin into the backcountry. Their beefy construction allows you to ski them as you would a traditional alpine binding. Big resort days, no worries.
Frame touring bindings main advantage is that they are widely compatible with any boot on the market. If you want to get into touring but don’t want to splash for new pin compatible touring boots, a frame touring binding is the answer.
With the added weight, fact that you have to pick up the entire binding each step and longer pivot point, Frame bindings are a bit of a drag on the way up. But reward you with alpine performance on the way down.
Be careful when buying Frame Touring bindings as most have more than 1 size that relate to your boot size. Check your Boot Sole Length is compatible with the size of binding you are looking at before pulling the trigger.
Ultimately any of these bindings will get you out into the backcountry when coupled with a pair of skins. How far you go and into what terrain will be largely what decides what kind of binding you need. (Sidenote: We always recommend having appropriate Avalanche Safety equipment & the knowledge of how to use it before entering into the Backcountry. Avalanches happen, even in Australia)
Starting off, your Ski Boots play a massive role in deciding what binding to choose. If you don’t have pin compatible boot, you are going to be limited to frame bindings. If are serious about getting into backcountry skiing we would recommend getting a pin boot & pin bindings. If that isn’t an option, pair which frame binding works with your skier ability, weight, and goals.
Marker Tour F10 – Lightweight skiers looking for uphill performance
Marker Tour F12 EPF – Ladies/Lightweight guys looking to mix Uphill/Downhill performance. Powerful skiers use the F12 as a backcountry only binding.
Marker Baron/Salomon Guardian 13 – Advanced skiers looking for a binding they can ski as hard in the resort as they like. Ladies who charge and want a resort focused binding.
Marker Duke/Salomon Guardian 16 – Expert powerful skiers only. There are very few people who need a 16 DIN touring binding.
With the release of the Salomon Shift & Fritschi Tecton, if you have Pin Compatible boots and have any intention to ski Backcountry there are virtually no reasons to buy a frame binding. Even if you ski 100% resort, the Salomon Shift is as good a binding as they come.
Similar to Alpine Bindings, you will want your release setting to be close to the middle of the range of the binding you are looking at. Aggressive, powerful skiers, who regularly run their bindings over a DIN of 8.5 will be limited in the touring bindings they should be using.
We have put together a table of recommendations of what binding to run based on intention & DIN range. Using DIN is a great way of summarising your weight/height & skier ability. This by no way a hard and fast rule, rather a recommendation of where we would likely be looking if you come into the shop. In each category if you want to prioritise uphill, go lighter & vice versa for downhill.
DIN Range
Dedicated Touring Setup
50/50 BC/Resort Setup
Frame Binding
Below 5
Marker Alpinist 9 ATK Haute Route
Marker Tour F10
5-6.5
Marker Alpinist 9 G3 Zed ATK Haute Route
G3 Ion Fritschi Tecton
Marker Tour F10 Marker Tour F12
7-8
Marker Alpinist 12 G3 Zed ATK Raider 12
Fritschi Tecton Marker Kingpin Salomon Shift
Marker Tour F12 Marker Baron Salomon Guardian 13
8.5+
ATK FR14 2.0 G3 Ion Fritschi Tecton
Marker Kingpin Salomon Shift
Marker Baron Marker Duke Salomon Guardian 13 Salomon Guardian 16
One pitfall people end up in is not balancing their gear. You should aim to have Ski, Boots and Bindings all be a similar weight class. If you have heavy alpine boots, and a frame binding on an ultralight ski you will find the performance disappointing and probably end up trying to ski too hard and snapping the ski. Or vice versa, you won’t be able to drive a big heavy all mountain ski if you have ultralight slippers and pin bindings. All of our Backcountry Ski packages aim to pair skis with bindings of an appropriate weight.
Blizzard are backing their strengths into the 19/20 season, with narrower versions of the Black Pearl and Brahma, their two strongest skis. The new Black Pearl 82 and Brahma 82 are the same strong construction as their namesake. These will be skis that excel on piste even more than their wider counterparts.
Rustler 9, 10 and 11
Sheeva 9, 10 and 11
Rustler Tips
Sheeva Tips
Black Pearl 78, 82, 88 and 98
Blizzard Brahma 82, Bushwacker, Brahma 88, Bonafide and Cochise
Black Pearl Tails
The rest of the range gets beautiful graphical updates. Rustlers, Sheevas, Black Pearls, the lot, all looking stunning going into 19/20. You can find them all at aussieskier.com in May 2019.
MIPS is one of the most exciting new technologies in helmets from the last few years. Aimed at making helmets safer and minimising the impact of hitting your head. MIPS stands for Multi-Directional Impact Protection System, i.e. it improves the safety of a helmet when impacted on an angle.
It achieves this protection by the addition of a slip plane between the helmet and your head. The yellow layer inside any MIPS helmet or the video above is a thin, plastic layer that lets the helmet rotate independently of your head. Trying to minimize the rotational force on your brain.
The way in which your brain sits inside your head is more sensitive to rotational impacts than linear impacts. A non-MIPS helmet is great for preventing your skull from fracturing, but not as effective as a MIPS helmet in preventing brain damage.
MIPS aims to improve helmets for real life scenarios
MIPS Helmets look, fit and function the same way as non-MIPS helmets do, but with an extra layer of safety built in. MIPS is available in Salomon, Giro, POC, Anon, and Scott Helmets @ aussieskier. Shop all MIPS Helmets Here.
POC SPIN
POC, not one to be outdone, has been in a similar development cycle in producing their SPIN technology. SPIN stands for Shearing Pad INside and functions in a very similar way as MIPS. The SPIN pads inside the helmet, give the helmet the same rotational ability and minimises the effect of rotational impacts as well.
POC have often been at the forefront of innovation in terms of helmet technology. Their helmets are some of the safest around, now a lot of their helmets either feature SPIN or MIPS and these technologies take them to the next level.
The Mindbender 90 Ti is the ski that we have been talking about being missing from the K2 Lineup for years. A ~90mm All-Mountain ski that can reliably handle going fast on hard snow, chopped up day old powder, ice, or really any conditions.
Combining a typical K2 solid core, with a ‘Y-Beam’ titanal plate and injected ABS sidewalls, the Mindbender 90 Ti is solid. The Y shape of the metal plate provides the benefits of metal where you need it, underfoot and in the tips, but allows for manoeuvrability in the tail. The Mindbender 90 Ti is a purpose built, Australian All Mountain charger.
In the early days of Aussieskier, the AMP Rictor 90 XTi was one of the most popular skis. So popular we still get a lot of requests from our customers to replace them. Even though the construction is different, the Mindbender 90 Ti is the definitive answer to replace that ski.
We spent a fair chunk of time on the Mindbenders prior to release at both the Outdoor Retailer On-Snow Demo in Colorado and the SIGB Snow Show in Italy. Boy did we come away impressed! The Mindbender 90Ti is a beautiful balance of stiffness and manoeuvrability.
Why we love it?
Skiing in Australia means being tough and skiing in every condition known to man. The Mindbender 90 Ti is versatile, stable at speed and smooth. Its the type of ski that skis incredibly well on-piste, but can handle off-piste conditions if necessary.
Who’s It For?
Short Answer: Everyone.
The Mindbender 90 Ti has a really nice sweet spot for Intermediate-Expert skiers who ski in Australia, Intermediates may find it a little tough at slower speeds, but will appreciate the stability at higher speeds. If you are the type of skier who likes to ski quickly, whether it be in control or not, the Mindbender will back you.
We see our fair share of new and exciting gear. It’s one of the perks of our job, being able to play with the latest and greatest, innovative, and downright cool gear. Because of this, we see it as one of our responsibilities to make sure that you have access to the best and most innovative gear that’s out in the wild.
There are a few brands which we thought would be great to partner up with. Some you may have heard of and seem obvious, whilst others are smaller companies making fantastic products.
ATK Bindings are an Italian manufacturer of lightweight, low tech bindings. They have redefined what we thought was possible in the world of touring bindings, creating lightweight and strong pin-style bindings. One look at these beauties and you’ll see a high level of precision and innovation which only the best manufacturing could create. Their Haute Route 2.0 binding weighs a measly 165 grams, whilst the burliest offering, the Freeraider 14.0 comes in at 395 grams.
As the backcountry market continues to expand, we continue to expand the range available to our customers. It made sense to bring in one of the biggest names in the outdoor industry, Black Diamond, to add their line of technical backcountry hardware to our range. We’ll be carrying their touring packs, avalungs, beacons, shovels, probes, and telescopic touring ski poles.
Coal Headwear has been around for 16 years finding their way onto peoples heads. Fashionable, functional, comfy and warm, Coal uses the best materials and don’t skimp out on manufacturing costs so you can be sure your accessories will last the test of time.
Not exactly new to Aussieskier, we quietly had the new Fritschi Tecton binding available last Winter. However, we love the binding so much we thought it appropriate to give it a proper introduction. Innovative, lightweight performance is the name of the game with Fritschi. Their tech bindings are the only tech bindings currently on the market which offer an added degree of safety and ski ability through lateral elasticity at the toe. Not sure what that means? Get in touch with us and ask why it may be an influencing factor in your next touring binding choice.
Head Skis are well known for creating strong piste skis for advanced skiers. Our customers have been asking for us to carry the Supershape series, well, we’ve listened and you’ll find them in our shop this year. The extremely popular Kore 93, described as the success story of innovation and design, is an extremely lightweight and high-performance ski will also be available but won’t last long!
Komperdell make ski poles. And given they’ve been doing it since 1922, they’re really good at it too. Their poles have won countless Winter Olympics and World Cup medals, climbed the highest peaks in the world, and are continually updated with new technologies to make them lighter, stronger and more comfortable for use. We’ll have a range of telescopic and regular ski poles to have you speeding down, or up, the hill in style.
Planks are a rider-owned clothing company drawing inspiration from decades of having fun in the mountains. Passionate skiers, their outerwear represents technical fabrics in stylish cuts and colourways. With an eco-friendly approach and sustainability at the front of their designs, we think Planks offer fashionable and technical outerwear that won’t break the bank. Their motto ‘drop cliffs not bombs’ is pretty awesome too.
Creators of the first plastic ski boots, Lange Ski Boots have been innovators in the ski industry for over 50 years. The new Dual Core construction utilized in their ski boots allows for fantastic performance across all types of terrain. We’ll be carrying a variety of styles and widths, including the RX series and the XT touring series.
Look Bindings feature a long and rich history dating back to the 1950s, and are credited to developing some the first modern alpine bindings. The legendary Pivot Binding is a burly binding that absorbs more shock and prevents unwanted pre-release better than any other binding on the market.
Mammut stands for years of experience in harsh mountain environments, where reliable gear that performs as expected is a necessity. For this Winter we’ll be carrying a range of their avalanche safety equipment. With over 45 years of experience developing avalanche transceivers, the Barryvox and Barryvox S represent the pinnacle of technology currently available.
Rossignol is one of the biggest brands in the ski industry and has been manufacturing great products for decades. Whether it’s on the race circuit or in big mountain competitions, their skis and ski boots are a regular sighting. We’ll be adding limited numbers of the sought after Soul 7 HD and Sky 7 HD series to our ski range. We’ve also had many requests to carry the Experience lineup of skis for Men and Women too, so you’ll see those on our ski wall and website when Winter rolls around.
Vigilante crosses the threshold of form and function to create stylish pieces appropriate for use on and off the ski hill. Whether your lounging around the lodge or in need of some serious warmth on the coldest of days, Vigilante’s range of products will have your back. We’re particularly excited to introduce 3/4 length thermal compression pants that are perfect for warmth and muscle recovery.
Nordica keeps on doing what they do best: Enforcers. A slew of new Enforcers is bound to keep a ton of people really happy. The Enforcer 88 is the most interesting for the Australian market. Same construction and a similar profile to the ever popular Enforcer 93 but with a narrower footprint.
Enforcer 88, 93 and 100
Enforcer Free 104, Free 110, Free 115
The other new Enforcers are wider options called Enforcer Free. These new skis share DNA with the Enforcers we love – 2 layers of metal running through them making these aggressive skis for advanced to expert skiers. However, the Enforcer Free series features more of a freeride shape with a tail rocker for increased pivot off-piste. They’ll be bound to ski variable snow excellently.
The Santa Ana’s are back and look as beautiful as ever. For the lady who rips, these skis share the same construction as their male counterparts. Of note is the addition of the narrower Santa Ana 88 which will be right at home in Australian conditions.
Santa Ana 88, 93, 100, 110
Santa Ana Tips
Santa Ana Tails
Nordica skis have always been a favourite of ours at aussieskier. You can find the new skis at aussieskier.com in May 2020.
Black Crows have been mega busy in the offseason. 3 new skis, 5 skis redesigned and an artsy top sheet theme across the whole range.
New in the Freebird range, the Ferox Freebird. Replacing the ever popular powder touring ski, the Anima Freebird, the Ferox is a little narrower and more akin to an Atris. The Ferox still features generous tip and tail rocker and will be your best friend for man powered, powder hunting missions.
Black Crows Fabled Touring Collection – The Freebirds
The Navis Freebird has had an overhaul as well. New sizes to bridge the gap in smaller lengths and Titanal reinforcement to improve binding hold. We have now spent time on both the new and old and these small changes don’t change the fact it is still the best Australian touring ski on the market.
Black Crows Orb, Vertis, Divus (New)
Black Crows Navis, Daemon, Camox, Captis
Black Crows Nocta, Anima, Atris, Corvus
The Orb has been fully redesigned, and let it be known: the Australian All mountain powerhouse has arrived. Narrower waist, more aggressive camber and cut-out ‘H shaped’ metal laminate construction. The Orb is as powerful as before but more precise than ever. Black Crows have also been generous enough to include a birdie option of the Orb. Ladies look out, we spent time on the Orb Birdie in Italy this year and its a winner.
The Divus is an all new ski that is going after the Carving ski market. Orb construction in a narrower waist width, we are fans. The Divus sadly won’t be available in Australia for this season.
The Birdie range is now more complete than ever, including two resort based skis, two all mountain twins, the powerful all mountain Daemon, and the powder delight Atris. There is truly a birdie for all ladies out there now.
We are super excited to be backing Black Crows into the 2019 season. Get in early because all of the good models have a tendency to fly out the door.
Last season saw big changes in Atomic’s product offering, and following on from the big year, Atomic have only released minor updates for 2019/20.
Bent Chetler 100 TIps
Bent Chetler 100 Body
Bent Chetler 100 Tails
We see new graphics across the whole range, including the Bent Chetler 120 and Bent Chetler 100. Chris Bentchetler has been designing his pro-model for years now, and last years update saw the wide powder ski come in at a much lighter weight but still retain the same playfulness and stability. The new kid on the block last year was the Bent Chetler 100. The Chetler 100 is a more directional, 100mm waisted ski designed for all-mountain skiing. It too is lighter weight and can be paired with a touring binding like the Atomic Shift can cover all your skiing needs. The graphics update for this year for the Chetler 100 is amazing and the ski looks fantastic. Whilst there were no Chetler 120s for us to photograph, the top sheet will be the same as the Chetler Mini below.
Chetler Mini Tips
Chetler Mini Body
Chetler Mini Tails
Atomic also introduced the new Vantage series in the 2018 season. Having skied them at numerous demo days, we were impressed with their liveliness and on-piste performance, especially in the Vantage 97Ti and the Vantage 90Ti, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them for a skier who spends time off-piste as well. This year we see graphics updates and changes to the top sheets which should improve durability.
Check out the new Atomic skis for 2019/20 at aussieskier.com in May 2019!
Salomon has re-done the entire QST range and we are really excited about it. They have taken away the Koroyd and the lightweight focus of the QST’s. This means they will be beefier and more aggressive, which is something many Salomon lovers will appreciate.
We got the chance to ski a handful of the new Salomons while overseas this year. The New Salomon QST 92 was a large improvement in our eyes, it’s a really well-balanced, energetic and versatile ski for both on and off-piste and appropriate for intermediates through experts.
QST105, QST99, QST92 and QST 85
QST105 Stella, QST99 Lumen, QST92 Lux and QST85 Myriad
The New QST 99 was hugely different. Aggressive and smooth, similar to the Rockr 2s of old. Great one ski quiver for travelling if you like feeling grounded and plowing through whatever is in your path.
QST106 Stella, QST99 Lumen, QST92 Lux and QST85 Myriad
Following on from the development of Shift is downright impossible, but Salomon has done a wicked job. You can find the full range at aussieskier.com in May 2019.
Neutral arch:
