 This Product
Marker Kingpin 13 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  | |  |  | |
| Price | $699.99 at Evo Compare at 2 sellers | $599.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $549.99 at Evo Compare at 2 sellers | $600 List $599.95 at Amazon | $260.75 at Backcountry Compare at 2 sellers |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Pros | Excellent downhill energy transition, fully ISO/DIN certified | Light, solid, adjustable, three heel lifts, good brakes | Light, innovative downhill performance | Light, adjustable release, three heel elevations, included sturdy crampon slot | Surprisingly durable for how light they are, killer price, lighter than most |
| Cons | Heavier than most tech bindings, won't fit all tech compatible boots, recent recall to consider | No certification, limited release adjustment | Unsophisticated heel lifters, untested aftermarket brake | Limited other features | No brake option, heel risers are more of a pain to learn |
| Bottom Line | A proven design, albeit heavy, that allows for the most aggressive of downhill backcountry skiing; mind Marker’s recall notices for some versions of this binding | This minimalist binding has exactly what most of you should want, and nothing you don’t need | These are excellent all around functioning bindings made for human powered skiing | The lightest bindings we know of with adjustable release | A simple binding design that has been proven over decades now, available for a fraction of the price of others |
| Rating Categories | Marker Kingpin 13 | Atomic Backland Tour | Marker Alpinist | Dynafit Superlite 150 | Dynafit Speed Turn 2.0 |
| Weight (35%) | |||||
| Downhill Performance (25%) | |||||
| Touring Performance (20%) | |||||
| Ease of Use (15%) | |||||
| Durability (5%) | |||||
| Specs | Marker Kingpin 13 | Atomic Backland Tour | Marker Alpinist | Dynafit Superlite 150 | Dynafit Speed Turn 2.0 |
| Weight (pounds for pair) | 3.25 | 1.26 | 1.18 | 0.79 | 1.63 |
| Weight of one binding and screws, grams. Lightest possible configuration (no brakes). | 737 | 286 | 297 | 179 | 370 |
| Weight of 2 bindings, grams. Multiple options are noted where we have tested multiple options. | 1474 | 572. 770 with brakes | 594. 796 with brakes | 358. 492 with adjustment plate | 740 |
| Release value range | 6 to 13 | "Men", "Women", "Expert" | 4 to 10 | 4 to 13 | 4 to 10 |
| Stack height (mm. average of toe and heel pin height) | 39 | 37 | 36 | 36 | 38 |
| Toe/heel delta (mm difference in height between heel pins and toe pins) | 11.5 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 17 |
| Brakes? | Integrated | Optional | Optional | Optional | No |
| Brake width options | 100, 125mm | 80, 90, 100, 110, 120mm | 90, 105, 115mm | 75, 90, 105mm | N/a |
| ISO/DIN Certified? | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Ski Crampon compatible? | Yes. "Standard" style. Not all crampons will be cross-compatible | Yes. "Standard" style. Not all crampons will be cross-compatible | Yes. "Standard" style. Not all crampons will be cross-compatible | Yes. "Standard" style. Not all crampons will be cross-compatible | Yes. "Standard" style. Not all crampons will be cross-compatible |
This is a specialized product in a niche market. Overall, other products definitely perform better on our scoring rubric.
This model offers almost as much touring efficiency as the other tech bindings. It allows you to tour flat-footed, includes two levels of heel rise, and has toe piece range of motion that should do all you need to do. Despite many moving parts and bulky construction, we did not have particularly notable snow or ice build-up on the KingPin.
The Marker Kingpin was the first tech binding to receive the AT ISO/DIN certification from the German testing organization TUV. Other bindings have since earned this same certification, but Marker did it first and has made minor tweaks along the way. To earn this third-party certification, AT bindings must prove safety and consistent retention, as well as its release values (AKA "DIN settings").
Our testers agreed that the more traditional, alpine-style heel offered our testers efficient energy transfer from boot to the ski. The difference between the KingPin and something like a traditional tech binding is the heel piece. The alpine heel piece creates release "elasticity" and lends downward and forward pressure to your ski boot.
Finally, the Kingpin's 38 mm hole pattern is in line with the widest mounting patterns among tech bindings, allowing the binding greater leverage on the ski, and better energy transmission from your boot to the ski.
Now, how much does this enhanced downhill performance mean to you? We'd argue that it shouldn't mean much unless you are skiing truly fast and hard. No matter who you are or how you are equipped, skiing fast and hard in the backcountry increases your hazard exposure. Most responsible backcountry skiers, especially those truly going into the wild without backup support, are skiing well within their limits. For most skiers, skiing within their limits also means skiing within the limits of more traditional tech bindings. In our expert opinion, Kingpin bindings do indeed make super hard-charging skiing marginally safer. In that same expert opinion (and in decades now of experience with tech bindings), "normal" paced backcountry skiing isn't much safer in Kingpins than it is in traditional tech bindings.
This model is pretty easy to use. When stepping into the toe piece, it uses two very functional toe guides to help line your boot up in the correct spot; the toe piece ease of entry was slightly above average overall (when compared to other tech bindings).
The Kingpin's main usability disadvantage is that it is nearly impossible to transition with your boot still in the binding. From ski to tour, a transition that requires reconfiguring bindings and installing skins, everyone takes their skis off anyway. The Kingpin isn't alone in this requirement. However, to go from tour to ski, a transition that requires binding reconfiguration and skin removal, biomechanics theoretically allows one to keep skis on. Most touring bindings also can be reconfigured from tour to ski with the ski still on one's foot. The Kingpin binding transition is performed with a lever that sits squarely beneath one's foot. You must remove your skis to move the binding between modes. If you remove your skis to remove skins anyway, this attribute will not be a real disadvantage.
After extensive use and side-by-side testing, it required marginally less body coordination to enter than average. Our testers really appreciated how the design of this product's toe made it easy to clean snow and ice out of it. The gap is big enough to fit the end of a pole in, which helps to easily facilitate cleaning ice. This larger opening also makes it easier for snow and ice to fall out on their own.
At 737g per foot (or 1430g for the pair. Converted to imperial: 3 lbs 3 oz for the pair), this is one of the heavier tech bindings on the market and weighs in more than a pound heavier than either highest award winners. These aren't light bindings. They are lighter than some but way heavier than most.
In the long run, with years now of field application, this is one of the burlier tech bindings on the market. We could almost recommend this binding for day-in-day-out in-bounds skiing, which is perhaps the best durability endorsement we could offer.
The 2017/18 KingPin bindings were recalled by Marker. We have tested these bindings and had no problems, but Marker's recall notice points out that the toe pins could fail entirely.
If you need and want the performance of the Kingpin, you'll handily justify the expense. Kingpin bindings are more expensive than some of the competitors, but not by much.
GearLab is founded on the principle of honest, objective, reviews. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. No cherry-picked units sent by manufacturers. No sponsored content. No ads. Just real, honest, side-by-side testing and comparison.
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