Backcountry Access Alpine Trekker Adaptors - 2007 BCS

Just got another pair of these. Last pair went south after 14 years of use, they were first generation. As long as you make sure nuts and bolts are tight they will last, and not beating on them. Over the years I have seen many different ski binding uses with the trekkers. Salomon bindings work perfectly with them, it seems others with the tall heel pieces are a problem with fit. I would say the low profile heels and deeper toe style bindings will be your best bet for a solid fit. I have tried many touring bindings and still fall back to these for the confidence in my own bindings. Be easy taking them on and off as well as inserting them into your binding. Place them in the binding first and step them in before placing your foot in the system. I find with the fatter skis on hardpack or an established skin track you will put alot of torque on the front hinge while side hilling and making corners, thats how the last ones broke trying to stay on the edges on hardpack, but after 14 years the plastic probably was brittle. Also don't use your pole to exit the system, the safety strap area will break for sure. Its always going to be something with any system so inspecting them will save you some on the trail misery. Be nice to them and they will be nice to you!

I've been using the trekkers for a while now...consistent-use over 4 yrs and they are still getting the job done, trouble free (knock on wood). I really like when i take them off at the top and step back into my 9-16s...that is priceless in itself. certainly wish they were lighter...but oh well. just make sure you adjust them at home before going out and you should be good.

There are many good at set ups out there, but for hard charging you will be glad to hear that reassuring "click" as you step into your trusted alpine bindings. The trekker will give you access to the goods and with a few mods you can lighten it up and make it more versatile. It is not the best for side-hilling especially on firm or icy skin tracks. but again, it is worth carrying the extra weight if you are getting into some gnar. If Pow skiing is your main goal out there the AT binders will work fine for you.

Alright so the trekkers are not the best tool ... but they work. When you want to get in the backcountry with your regular alpine set up, they are a means to an end. I have been using them for many years and if used properly they will go the distance with you. They can be heavy, awkward and fragile in some situations. If you spend the time and figure out the techniques, they can help you get wherever you want to go!

they work for simple touring-- but if there is any sort of technical touring involved I tend to ultra struggle with trekkers-- but they got me where I needed to go for four years and are super nice when you want to have the strength of your own binding for your lines during the day?

These are Adequate for the job.

You can pick them up cheap which is good. They get you into the backcountry which is good.

Yes it is another bit of gear to carry around and they aren't very light, but it gives you the opportunity to have fun! Work well w/ Salomon bindings. I had problems on my Look bindings w/ the big knob on the back bumping the trekkers.

If you want a downhill binder with some AT abilities there are other options especially now w the duke/gruardian/MFD's etc. If you only have a little cash and still want in the BC this is a great option and will get the job done.

These devices have their benefits and trade-offs, but if you use them wisely they will treat you well. If skinning up and skiing gnarly terrain is your goal, using "real" bindings is a confidence booster to say the least. These devices allow you to click in and get up and still have your resort setup on your feet. Some call these "day-rekkers" because they can cause some troubles if you don't take care of them, but I have never had an issue. If you make sure they are in good shape before you hit the trail you will be fine as long as you are careful doing kick-turns and avoid skinning on firm cross-hills. Additionally, the extra weight of Trekkers and real bindings will get you in better shape, so when you put on a touring setup you will fly up the mountain.

With the advent of the Maker Duke and Baron, there is simply no need for this setup anymore. For a little extra money you can get a touring binding that is as good as any alpine binding out there without the hassles attendant with this rig. With the Trekkers you are very high off the ski, which can make skinning tough, you have lots of adjustments to deal with and there are numerous steps to get ready to ski once you get to the top of the skin. And, then there is the weight issue. These were a great alternative when they came out, not so much anymore. I have kept my pair for visitors, but they have become a last resort. I give these 3 stars because they do work, but consider the other options first.

So they are heavy, and they are kind sloppy, but what are you a man or a mouse? click these into you high din bindings for that all the confidence you need when you get to the top. These are great for the slack country not the best for extra long distances. If you want you Alpine bindings in the backcountry these are great.

These don't clear the heel piece on the look turn-table bindings. but these tankasourses are a blast.

The metal is weak and bent super easily. Your boot also flops around everywhere. Spend the money and get the Marker AT bindings

These are not a backcountry binding. They are not light. They do not tour well. They take up room in your pack. They're expensive. They are known as "Day Wreckers." And the list of complaints go on and on. However there is one thing that makes these stand out above everything else. YOU CAN USE YOUR DOWNHILL BINDINGS IN THE BACKCOUNTRY!!! For those of you that need to feel the reassurance of your 916s, p18s, etc. this is the ultimate bc accessory. You can tour wherever you want, and still have an awesome, reassuring ski down, hucking off anything you want, because you are using a super solid downhill binding while skiing down. I've never been on a long tour with these, and would never do that. But when skinning out to a booter, or for some short sidecountry action, this thing is the best out there, and there's nothing else like it.

The good news is...they work. If you are doing a lot of sidecountry skiing, or short tours and require the use of your high din, all metal bindings, and are afraid of breaking your touring binders, then these do the trick. The problem is that if you're touring on anything steep or technical, these don't work very well. They are clunky, bulky, and awkward. Also, now that bindings like the duke/baron are on the market, trekkers are now obsolete, because you get the same rigidity, retention and bomberness of an alpine binding with touring capabilities. Also, even though the dukes are little on the heavy side, they are still lighter than most alpine bindings with trekkers in them. Also, trekkers do take up a decent amount of room in your pack. There are lots of flaw, and negatives to trekkers, but if you want an alpine binding on the way down, these are your best, and only option.

These are a great solution if you have a good ski set-up you like and want to get into to the BC. There are some things you need to do right out of the box that will save you some major troubles. Number one being, make sure they fit your binding well, not just that they get in there but that they stay in there when you have a boot in them and are touring. I thought they fit great in my look PX12's but when you tour the toe of your ski boot pushes on the toe piece of the binding just enough to tweak them out in the heel. I also learned the first time I used them that the front screws that hole the rails your boot sits on are not in very good. 30 steps and the screw fell out and was gone, leaving me with one boot locked in to the regular binding and one in a trekker. Buy some red lock tight, or do what I did and JB weld the screws in, (when would you ever need to take them back out?). I now have them on some Marker Jesters and they hold superbly in them.

Just be glad you didn't have to use the original secura fixes.These are a step up for sure.If you are a downhill skier and want to go for a quick hike these are for you.Clip and climb.Clip out and ski.Just get used to carrying a lot of extra weight in your pack.It will make you stronger when you can afford lighter bindings.

Alpine Trekkers are obsolete. Please save yourself the hassle and money and buy a real AT binding. Sure they eventually do the job and you get to use your own burly bindings, however, the drawbacks far outweigh the benefits. First off, the trekkers take up so much time during a day of touring. Making laps is hard b/c you must take your skis off and the trekkers out of your bindings to ski down then pull them out of your pack and fiddle with them till they sit in your bindings right. Sounds easy, but the trekkers always put up a good fight. Second, they break. The heel piece on mine snapped the first day i skied them. Finally, if you ski Rossi binders or another binding with a really tall heel piece, dont even bother. the heel of your boot will come down on the heel piece of the binding and not let go all the way down to the 0 degreee position (major pain on long flats). The Day Wrekkers are no longer a necessity to get into the backcountry and a Fritschi, Duke, or MFD is a much better option.

I got these and I was stoked to finally get into the backcountry with my friends. 300 meters later one of the main axle screws fell out leaving my ski dangling from my boot by one screw. So I clicked in to my binding regular alpine style and did a half and half maneuver. Which worked for a while till the strange torque I was putting on the one trekker caused it to twist and then it would not hold in my binding and then I was stuck shuffling up the rest of the way in my regular bindings while my trekkers hung useless off my back pack. I don't see why you would ever need to take that cage off so I bought some replacement screws from the hardware store (standard size 10-32 X 3/8) and some JB weld to make sure those screws never come out again. Now I feel like they will be great for many more adventures and would recommend everyone to at least put some lock-tight on those front screws before using them.

These are a super sweet alternative to a telle or randonee setup. I would rather have a super sturdy alpine binding , so these get me where i need to go. Now my Trekkers did not push my brake all the way down so nothing a little duct tape cant fix. I just wrapped the tape around the center shaft until it was thick enough to push it down. Plus ypu really dont have to mess with your trekker.you can take the tape off if it get crappy but it will probably be a while.

Ok these are decent for the skier on a tight budget, but not for $179. I was given these by someone who was sick of them. Mine have broken twice both times at the toe piece. On the good side BCA has always been really cool to warrenty them. Still there heavy, time consuming, and they break. Just buy some Fritchis

I just finished using trekkers on a trip which was a couple of weeks long. This poem sums it all up.

POEM ABOUT TREKKERS

Trekkers are pieces of crap. I hate them so much. Not only are they slow but they hurt my knees oh so frigging much.

The clinky jingle- endless; painful, i dont want to talk about it. Shut up.

Why must I be cursed with such a damed contraption? I dont know.
Maybe its because people told me they wernt that bad. Ass Holes.
Maybe its because back country access advertises them as follows, convert your traditional down hil binding into alpine tour machines. Assholes.

What a lie. A load of crap.

Hears a better tag line. convert your traditional downhill binding into a combersome fake-crapass version of a A/T binding.

IN the future you will see trekkers as a horrifically monumental engineering blunder. You will also see the damage done to your knees.
F**** trekkers.

Really, there terrible.

Understand that slapping them onto an alpine setup will NOT be the same as a proper touring binding, even if you disregard the increased weight. Since the toe section of the Alpine Trekkers is just a metal ring to go over your boot, skinning cross-fall-line can be a little sketchy since the ski will tend to tilt with the hill instead of staying parallel to the bottom of your boot. When that happens, you might find your boot has a tendency to rotate out of the Trekkers, or rotate the trekkers out of your base bindings.

HOWEVER: what these are fantastic for is sidecountry and ascents that aren't too difficult. If you like to take a lift and then skin along a ridge out of bounds before making your descent for some fresh snow, these might be just what you need.

One might wonder why you wouldn't get just a beefier touring binding like the Black Diamond Fritschi Freeride Pro's or the Marker Dukes. They're generally a little more expensive than a your typical alpine binding, but around the same price as an alpine binding plus alpine trekkers.Final Note: You probably shouldn't use this if you have a large boot. These are adjustable length, sure, but if you extend it out a long ways (I have 330mm boots - 6'2") then you can tweak the central support (those screws). Sitting on the summit after two ascents I noticed that one of my screws had popped out!

On first impressions I was stoked to get these things on and get to trekkin. After gettin to trekkin wasn't much stokin. I had thought I had them dialed in before I left but they move around a lot in the binding. I tightened my bindings so that at least they couldn't get out while I was walking in them. After one time up the hill they were all crooked in my binding and for some reason would not go back straight into my binding. When I got home I was checking them out and the aluminum shaft had totally bent. Not to mention how heavy a normal alpine setup is to lug up a frikin hill, plus the weight of these things. Also the pivot point being way out in front of your toe felt really weird. Whenever you try to put any kind of pressure on the inside or outside of your foot it starts to slip out in the front, and YES I had that frikin thing fully adjusted in to the binding. These things just put you so high out of your ski that you feel like your walking on stilts. I would have had a much better experience if I'd of rented actual AT gear.

Look, I have a set of Securafix that would be 15 years old, still OK. The AT Trackers that I bought seem a little argicultural, the plastic spacers that are used for he cage adjustment are shit, the first time I put the screws in the plastic stripped, the the screws, kept spinning, which means either change the screws or loctite and never adjust again, a threaded insert is needed,...................it took me and hour to adjust them. Never give them to a friend or adjust them in the backcountry..................................................

I have had trekkers and marker dukes but nothing beats having good bindings on when your skiing down. Marker dukes are pretty high off the ski. Lifters under your bindings are a thing of the past. skinning up is much better with a true AT set up but whats the point if you ski like crap coming down.

Do yourself a favor and get a real AT setup. If you get some AT binders in SAC you won't even be out any extra coin.

Bought a pair of these for me and my son to do some front side skinning in bounds. He weighs 135 lbs I weigh 240 lbs. His bindings work flawlessly. Mine had some bugs; probably because of my size. I found in flat to moderate green terrain my trekkers tend to torque out of the ski binding. This did not occur on steeper terrain. This happens without the ski binding opening and can happen at the toe or heel. Also the screws holding the cage together backed out after one ascent and I had to tightening them. Good idea to bring tools with you. I solved this problem later by installing two three inch 8 / 32 stainless through bolts with marine style locking nuts to replace the self tapping screws. While the trekker looked to be the correct length I lengthened the trekker a bit more after the first tour. This increased the forward pressure the heel binding exerts and mostly solved my problem of the trekker coming out of the ski binding- it happens less frequently but still occurs if I am not careful to limit side or lateral forces. In general these devices don't like to go side ways or up a pitch with a double fall line as they don’t like lateral force. It is better to have your ski flat on the snow and "north and south" if you can visualize what I mean; the less lateral force exerted on the trekker, the better; again, probably due to my weight. A previous reviewer Seth pointed out the trekker is not ideal for high tail bindings. I have such a binding, Look PX 12 and Seth is correct. The boot hits the heel binding tail if the heel elevator is not deployed. With the elevator deployed the heel does not hit the binding tail. The highest heal elevator is adequate for most blue terrain. However a steep pitch will leave you feeling your heel needs more elevation especially if you are using traditional ski boots with limited forward flex. Although a pitch that makes you feel out of balance is going to be approaching a steepness that may not be “skin-able” without the aid of a crampon if conditions are icy. Over all they work as advertised- with a few bugs.

The trekkers are alright for the occasional, low-angle tour. I do not recommend these for long tours, or anything technical with steep switch-backs.

They can be fully adjusted for boot size and generally stay on pretty well, although I had a problem with the heel strap breaking...I replaced it with a strap from some old crampons and it works better than the original setup.

With the additional height and lateral movement between the boot, device, and binding, it's almost impossible to get a good edge when traversing.

They can get the job done when needed, but I do not recommend them if you plan on touring frequently.

The trekkers work okay for touring. I only tour a few times a season, and my trips arent that long, so they work great form me. I took them on a week long hut trip and used them all week and they did fine. They are a bit heavy, and they take a lot longer to switch out then do AT bindings, but they get the job done. I would not recommend these to people that do serious touring, but if you are looking for a cheaper way to do a little bit of touring, these would be great. The biggest benefit to the trekkers is that when you get to the top, you have a good ol' solid pair of alpine bindings that you can trust on the way down.
P.S. Make sure all of your screws are tight each time you use them!

I did a small tour with them and the Trekkers are not bad. I think they are best if you decide you would like to use more than one ski in the backcountry and you don't want to buy more than one randonee binding. They are a bit ackward on steeper terrain because you are higher up off the ski then you normally would be on a normal tour binding. My plan is to use the adaptors on my Gotama's and get a real tour binding for the Rossignol Scratch. If you are sticking to short tours then the adaptors are cool and cost effective. I had no trouble keeping up with the group I was with who had real tour bindings and they fit in my Dakine pack along with my skins, beacon, shovel and other clothing. The heel elevators help a lot going up hill. If you want to use more than one ski in the backcountry and save money on bindings, then the trekkers are worth it. I would definitely have in mind a real tour binding for another ski you have so you can do longer tours.

I had some minimal problems with my trekkers. When using look px bindings, if you don't use one of the risers, they can hit the rear piece of your binding and pop themselves out.
Today i took them out and ended up having to ski down a small hill in my skins to get to some more uphill. I took a head first dive and the front plastic toepiece of the trekker broke off. So i guess make sure you don't wreck in these things. It also sucks having to put them in your pack and have one more thing to fiddle with. And you'll have more swing weight than with an at binding, at least when you are going up.
If you can afford it, stay away from these. The marker duke might be the answer some of us have been waiting for.

I used Alpine Trekkers for 2 seasons. They are awkward and unreliable. I got a pair of Fritschi Diamir Freerides and have not looked back.

I just got these yesterday and tried to click them into my bindings. I found that part of the heel piece on my Rossignol sas bindings got in the way of the Trekkers lowering all the way. The work fine with either of the riser bars up but it doesn't allow you to go to the flat position. I think i'm just going to keep them anyways because all I'm really planning on doing with them is climbing, but if you have rossignol bindings I would definitely suggest some at bindings.

I just got these yesterday and tried to click them into my bindings. I found that part of the heel piece on my Rossignol sas bindings got in the way of the Trekkers lowering all the way. The work fine with either of the riser bars up but it doesn't allow you to go to the flat position. I think i'm just going to keep them anyways because all I'm really planning on doing with them is climbing, but if you have rossignol bindings I would definitely suggest some at bindings.

These are great for moderate skinning conditions. Horrible on side-hills (but manageable). I've used these multiple times already in the Bridger backcountry and they have been great! When side-hilling, my front hinging pin is bent a little bit because of the force. Otherwise they've been great!

I used these for the first time over the weekend on a fairly moderate incline. They worked fine, except for one MAJOR issue. I just mounted Dynastar PX 14 bindings on my Scott P4s. When on flat terrain or moderate climbs, I wanted to put the Trekker heel lifter bars down so I could walk and stand flatfooted. When I did that, the heel of my ski boot bashed into the long, steep heel piece of my PX 14 bindings every time I took a step forward and put my heel down. In order to avoid destroying my bindings, I had to keep the smaller Trekker heel lifter bar up at all times. That was incredibly uncomfortable, even on a very short trip.

After speaking to the BCA customer service rep, I learned that they were aware of the compatibility problems with PX 14 bindings and similar Rossignol bindings. It's very poor form that they don't make you aware of this before you spend the cash. If I had known, I would have foregone the Trekker/PX14 combo and bought Barons or Dukes instead. I can't use my P4s to tour now, and am restricted to using only my Mojo 90s. So much for Trekkers expanding your touring quiver.

Amazingly bad design for 4 reasons:

1) NOT for today's fat skis. When a fat ski was 70mm at the waist, it was fine, as there was very little lateral torque that could be applied to the trekker-binding interface. Not the case now. With so much ski hanging off the side of the bindings, it applies enough torque to rotate the narrow trekkers right out of the binding. If you end up side-hilling up something over a couple degrees, which is pretty much anything other than a powder skin track across a flat field, you'll be hating life. They'll either pop out completely, or the ski will flatten out to the point that they start to slip down the hill sideways.

2) I have lost nearly every original bolt and nut on these, and that was when i had a screwdriver with me, checking as I hiked!! They didn't get the sizes, thread-counts, etc right on their hardware, and you end up needing to check them every quarter mile or so because they loosen constantly, even with red Loctite on them. It really makes for a bad day in the mountains when you and friends have to dig in the snow for a tiny screw just to be able to keep going.

3) Failure of the main pivot. When plastic gets cold, it gets more brittle. On a rather cold day (~10 deg F), I had the plastic toe piece that houses the main hinge pin shatter on me. It tripped me up and i fell over. Raging mad. Upon standing up on the other foot, that one broke too! Literally, 6" from each other, they both broke to the point of no hope of further use.

4) HEAVY!!! Like adding a 10lb sack of potatoes to each foot. You'll burn out MUCH faster with these than with a real pair of AT bindings.

If you are a person who likes to occasionally go about 200 meters outside a ski area boundary across perfectly flat terrain, then these are fine. But don't even think of getting them as a tool to access backcountry stuff, because they aren't. I've been going backcountry for over a decade now, and these are the worst product I have ever seen. Horrible design, and horrible craftsmanship. Save your money and get a pair of Fritschis or Dynafits.

I went out for the first time on my new trekkers and I liked em. Side hilling isn't the greatest, but it never is any way. I didn't mind sitting a little higher up either. They work as they are supposed to. There's a definate learning curve with balance at times. I learned quick to take a knee and use a quasi/telemark stance when making your way down a depression. if you don't you will fall forward and eat it on your face! If they break on you all the time then consider losing some weight. I found they're pretty beefy for inbound/outbound day trips.

These work very well as a half AT set up. I use my alpine boots in them and i have not had any trouble. my only anti about the trekkers is that you are about 1 to 1.5 in. above the ski so side hills are not as friendly esp in the spring. i would recomend them to anyone who would like to get off the lift line and into the deeps without the AT prices.

I used these along with my regular downhill skis and boots to skin up a mountain around Tahoe and absolutely hated it. The weight was awful.

The trekkers are also a hinderance with brief downhill transitions that you may encounter on an ascent. Whereas with regular rando bindings you could just lock the heels down to slide down a small hill, the Trekkers do not have this lockdown feature.

Furthermore, these take up alot of room in your pack. I returned mine for a refund and bought a used pair of rando skis with Fritschi bindings off ebay for the same price.

Sweet setup until they explode on you. Used maybe 10 times, slipped forward one day and both of them snapped into five different pieces. I was fortunate enough to be at the summit when it all went down. I'm going for the Duke's now.

They work well, but you are a little high off the ski making them awkward at times.

It works exactly like it's supposed to work.

I've owned a pair for about 3 years and they're fine if you just need to get up a slope of moderate angle. They leave you pretty high off the ski and climbing very far in alpine boots isn't too fun. Still, if your goal is just to get above the lifts or climb a ridgeline and not to tour, these will do the trick.
Pretty beefy construction and fairly easy to use. Heavy, though. I'd save the $179 and buy a pair of Diamir 2's instead! (Those will work with alpine boots, too!)

The Alpine Trekkers served me well during my recent skin up Mt. Talac in South lake Tahoe. The Trekkers put you a little high off your skis and also give a little too much tortional flex when traversing steep slopes. Overall, they are awesome for occasional jaunts into the backcountry, if I did more BC I would get some AT bindings.

If you’ve ever dreamed of finding freedom skiing in the backcountry hills, but you don’t have tons of cash ready to burn, the Alpine Trekker may be your ticket to freedom. At ~$180, these things are a ton cheaper than any of the AT bindings on the market. Plus you get to keep your current pair of alpine skis, boots and bindings, and in the backcountry, these are invaluable contributions in your quest for freedom

If it gets below zero where you are, the plastic on the back of the binding can snap very easily, and they are not good for anything longer than 2-3 miles. However, if you are doing lift accessed BC, like ridge hopping at Kicking Horse, nothing is better because you keep your normal bindings, which keep your boots glued to your skis when you need it. Remember, every mountain has a line down it, the question is, do you have the tenacity to hold it?

If you're new to backcountry and want to try it out without dropping a lot of cash or insist on the performance of traditional alpine bindings, these may work for you. Personally, I had three issues with the adaptors: The heel height adjustment is difficult to set with a ski pole, which leads to the next point. Kneeling to adjust the heel often causes the bindings to release the adaptor. There is no way to lock the heel on the fly when you run into a short downhill that's not worthy of removing the adaptors (it takes a couple minutes), which leads to amusing face plants for the not-so-free-heel-inclined.

These are definitely a worthwhile choice for the beginning tourer or someone on a budget. I have not had any problems with them yet. My only complaint is having to find room for them on the trip down in a relatively small pack.

My trekkers work great. If you are in the market, pick some up. You will not be disappointed.

If you can't afford a full AT setup for the backcountry, this is a great alternative. They definitely perform as expected, but adjustments can be a bit tedious and annoying (especially when you're slope side & it's cold and windy)! The 3 levels of height adjustment are nice for differing slope degrees, but can be hard to manipulate on the fly.

So here is the deal. The nickname of these backcountry trekkers are the "Backcountry day wreckers" These things break all the time on me. If i were you i would spend the extra cabbage and just get some AT bindings, i recommend the fritchee freerides by BD. Again I would stay away from anything BCA, their AT bindings, the naxo's also have a bad rep for breaking. I know the setup is not cheap, but the bca trekkers are not even close to being the same as a randonee setup.