These were my first tele bindings that have the touring mode. I love the idea of it but the switch to change them to ski mode always ices up. My last tour it was perfect powder and I had to ski down in tour mode because a was unable to switch over. I've tried just about everything from silicone spray, to wd40, to pouring water over them. I will not ever buy another pair!

I've been looking to upgrade to a free pivot binding for when I earn my turns. I decided on these for three reasons A) G3's reputation and the netural feel that Targa's are know for. B) The bolt pattern was compatable with my K2 Work Stinx. C) I was using a hard wire binding before and I experienced unpredictable breakage when over time the flexing of the hard wire cable would cause the metal to fatigue and break unpredictably at the worst of times.

How did they work? I'm 6'2" and just under 200 lbs and I ski aggressively. I'm using the X-Mountain cartridges. 181 K2 Work Stinx with 3 buckle T1 Scarpa boots. A day at the resort (icy, windblown conditions) - After I got the cartridges set up to engage immediately when my heal started to come up these worked well giving me excellent control on steep, icy slopes. They did not hold me back doing tele jump turns in steep couloirs and negotiating frozen crud and other less desirable conditions. There were a few times that I was thinking that the Word Cup cartridges 40% stiffer springs would give me the ultimate in control on tough conditions like this, but my real passion is powder. I'm very pleased with this bindings ability to rip it up at the resort, I think if did more resort skiing then back country or you prefer a stiffer spring the World Cup option would be your best choice.
Powder day - Back country I started the day skiing with the binding in ski mode and it felt just like my old set up. No problems... Then I stuck my pole down and flipped the switch to open and wow...so this is a huge difference. I had to concentrate on keeping the ski on the snow and shuffling as my legs came up so easy I was picking the skis up of the snow at first. What a difference!

Now about the skiing - typical Colorado powder day - light and fluffy, 20" fresh. I'm sold on the G3 feel after a day in these conditions. My skis seemed to disappear under me and I had more controlled and fluid turns then I ever did before. Where I once struggled to keep my turns nice and rounded to control my speed in the steep and deep I was now rounding out my turns and really feeling the different soft and hard sections in the snow as I came down the mountain. This is what I was hoping for and the product delivered.

Addressing grips - I see some noted that climbing lifts would fall back down - mine came with an optional heel lock, basically a flat metal plate that mounts between the ski and the heel plate. It has a small ridge in it that locks the heal lifts in when up. There is an "click" sound when you snap the lifts in the locked up position. A flick of the pole is all thats need to get them back down. The lifts work smooth and are a nice upgrade from the old wire bails. I'd like to see a two stage climbing lift that you could easily switch while on the skin track.

Icing of the switch - I've not seen anything that does not ice up in the field. To clear it you just tap the switch open and closed with you pole and your heal in the lifted position. It's easy to tell if you have the binding in the lock or open position. Some times the whole binding is covered with snow so I would just brush it off and make sure I had it locked in with a gloved hand.

Hard to move switch - One one of my skies I noticed that after I mounted the binding the switch was sticky or hard to move. I took the binding off and it was smooth as butter...I noticed that the top sheet of the ski had a slight high spot just under the switch. I just sanded that down the slightest bit, reinstalled the binding and it worked perfect.

Parts and durability - I have several ski buddies who have run G3 Targas for years and they have proven to be durable and if you do need parts they are easy to find. I went with the SS (stainless steel) version for that extra durability since I ski often.

I did experience the cable pulling through the front of the binding at bit so the heel bail was off center. I skied on it that way all day with no issues but I was concered why it moved. I was running the cables in the max length position where they run straight through the front of the binding for the max cable length. At that position I had to screw the cartriges in almost to their limit to get the correct tension. In the medium setting the wire is looped over a cam, thus it's not going to pull through like that again, and I found that the cartriges were right in the middle of their adjustment at this setting. All around better and I have not experienced this issue again with the cable in this position. This would only be an issue if your foot (boot) is so big that you have to run the binding in the longest position.

Who should buy this binding? Anyone looking for a back country set up that shines in the powder that can also rip it up on resort days.

I broke three cables on these bindings in less than a season. My spring pre-tension wasn't too tight, so that's not what did it. I have size 29.5 boots, and routed the cable straight through the toe box. I think this might be the issue. After the third cable broke on my birthday, I talked to the guys at 22 Designs. I was working at Targhee at the time and they hooked me up. Best bindings ever. The change was incredible. My first day skiing on Hammerheads forever changed my skiing for the better.
It's not that G3's are terrible, it's just that the Hammerheads are soooo much better. Don't even mess around with anything else. Hammerheads all the way!

I've had the Ascents for four years now and have logged on almost a hundred ski days with them. No mechanical failures and the bindings still function like new. I ski about 70% backcountry and 30% resort (hey, gotta practice turns before hitting the couloirs) and although they don't look beefy, they've always responded beautifully when dropping some parallel turns on steep terrain. I'm driving these with G3 Reverends (93mm waist) and Scarpa T2X...pretty mainstream. Yes, on my version, the heel lifts would fall down occasionally, but there's a counterintuitive fix: lubricate the heel pivot joint with some bike chain oil. then the elastic can oversome the friction of the joint and will stay in the contracted (up) position.

I had wanted to get a touring Tele binding for about two seasons and found them necessary to have once I moved to the Rockies of Colorado. I only have one season under the belt on these bindings and have snapped a cable already. They do ice up pretty easy when in touring/ free pivot mode. The cables rub a bit on the toe end as it comes off the edge. But overall they have done the job but I won't be getting another pair on any ski I purchase in the future.

Bought my ascents three seasons ago and just got tired of the heel climber collapsing every few steps. Haven't used them since 09. Just what you want in your gear... hassels. Leave these alone until they figure out the obvious. Someone at G3 should take up telemark skiing...

They break all the time. "Just carry extra cables!"
There's rocker launch. "You can get a wedge!"
They're not very powerful. "It must be your boots!"
They ice up. "Just carry a knife!"
They're squeaky as hell. REEE REEE REEE every turn. "oh come on you get used to it"

Howbout you just buy bindings that don't suck?

I am 6'1" weight 200 and ski t2 boots on Rossignol T4 skis. I have 3 continually recurring problems with these bindings.

1. Freezing up. I have tried H20-Proof grease, & white lithium grease to keep the ice from clogging 2 locations in this binding. Both ice up way too often.

Location A: Icy build up in front of the latch which moves forward to lock the binding in downhill mode. Location B: icy built up between the bar and the bottom of the toe plate that the latch moves into. Between those 2 locations, I almost never get to the top of a mtn without having to kick off my skis to dig out the ice.

Complaint #2 The climbing lifts don't stay up. These climbing lift fall back down way too easy. When there is lots of heavy snow falling on the ski while climbing steep slope, I often can't get more than 5-10 steps without the climbing lift falling down.

Complaint #3. I am only on my 2nd season of using these binding and the joint which enable the toe to pivot is getting loose. I can wiggle the bindings left<->right way more than I like. It is also a little loose in the vertical direction. It makes me nervous that it will fail soon.

The first season I had my G3 Targa Ascents, I was a girl in love. The switch from touring mode to ski mode occurred without a hitch and I loved the freedom of the full pivot binding- genius!

Little did I know the honeymoon would end in season #2. This season these bindings have frozen up, gotten stuck, and have been a pain to switch into ski mode on almost every single tour I've done. One tour I was forced to ski parallel down in tour mode because the switch was so completely jammed. Now the knife I carry is more for chipping ice/soft snow out of the bindings than for slicing cheese at lunch.

It makes me wish I bought the BD bindings, unless someone has a tip out there for making the slide mechanism less susceptible to freeze.

These are not my first choice for free pivot bindings. I thought these bindings were ok until I skied the Voile Switchbacks they are far and away better then the Ascents.