Garmont 7tm Power Tour Releasable Telemark Binding - 2007 BCS

I'm a big fan of 7tm bindings, I've had them since the non-power version. This is my first pair of tours and I like them. The only minor glitch is that the tour mode lever on the left ski hits the brake when engaging, so it takes more a push to lock it in place. No biggie, it works fine.

I mounted this binding on my all-around skis, and it works really well for backcountry and pretty well for resorts. It is not a super active binding, and so if you have it on a soft-flex powder ski, you might not have as much fun on groomers as you would with a more active binding. In the backcountry, however, it is an excellent binding; lightweight, easy to switch between tour and ski modes, and comes with climbing bars. I liked this binding because it seemed a lot simpler than other releasable bindings. It is really easy to change the release pressure and easy to put back on once it releases. The only complaint I have is that snow tends to get jammed up under the toe area when in tour mode, which can be annoying.

Hi people, I've had the 7tm power tour binding for a couple years now, here in the North Cascades. When I bought it, it was the only binding that had the free climb feature ( so maybe I've had it for more than a couple years?) anyway, the free climb feature was essential, the release feature was comforting,I love the crampons, and I could deal with the weight. however, after a few years of use, not super heavy use (OK....about 12 times each year riding the lifts, about 12 times each year on long day trips, and about 10 days of ski camping backcountry trips), I have issues with the bindings.
OK, now the bad stuff.

There is too much side to side play in the binding in tour mode on the steep stuff. set at the proper binding tension, I still get my heel sliding side to side sometimes ( I do have a size 13 foot, though). A big negative is that in free climb mode, due to the binding and heel lifter being mounted to the foot and not the ski, the balance of the ski is not good for deep snow trail breaking. In other words, when you are high stepping in deep snow and lifting your foot, the tip does not come up / the tail does not drop. I've mitigated that somewhat by two things: first, I added two big washers taped to the tail lever of my skins to weight them down some. And second, I use some small bungie cord routed through the run away loop on the binding and then stretched up to my boot buckle, in an effort to ge the front of the ski to lift for me.
And now, I've got the stainless steel rivits coming loose on the little part that recieves the pivot pin and is mounted to the bottom of the (nicely heavy duty) toe piece. I can't seem to get those tightened up (by peening). and also, my pivot pins themselves seem to be wearing out.

Another problem I've had was easily fixed by mounting a couple sink faucet washers on each ski in the proper place to keep the heel lifter from slipping forward and collapsing from high position to mid high position when you least wanted that to happen.
The rubber piece that runs under the boot and attaches with one little tiny bolt always scared me too, so I carried extras in the field, but I never had one fail.
I do have to add that being able to buy an extra toe mounting plate for another pair of skis has been nice for me, and I use the same binding on my work skis when reading meters around town.

The power binding upped my skiing a notch, to be sure. Now I'm looking to go up again with the axl. I hope I'm not jumping the gun on that binding however, due to the fact I will be losing the release feature and it looks like no crampon either..

I've had this binding for 2 years now. Since many bindings now have touring mode, I don't think this binding is worth it anymore.
First - the release mode: It's false safety! I only had releases when I didn't need it!!! It can release on steep icy climbs going up. It also released in really heavy "slush", when really putting pressure in the turns. It never released when crashing!
Second the "power" is not really that powerfull (and nothing compared to the rottefella R8 I've tested) , meaning you get little pressure on the "back" foot. It also lacks in sidewards stability since.
In the end, the heel-clip broke off twice while skiing in the pist. Lucky it didn't do it in the powder, then I'd be lost!! When you can't trust your gear - it's time to change. The only binding they had there was the BD O2, which is much more solid, better power and sidewards stability.
If you want the tour-mode look for Targa ascent, BD O2 or the new NTN. I can't recommend the 7tm, even if I had wonderful backcountry experiences with it!!!

Bottom line: These bindings have solid construction, reliable release, and ski great.

The mode change is not the easiest to engage, but NEVER ices up. This is much better than my friends' experiences with BD 01 bindings.

BTW - Getting in after release is VERY easy. Just put your boot with binding attached into position on the binding plate, slide the front tab into its place, and step down firmly. You'll hear a satisfying click and you are securely reattached.

Releasable bindings make me more confident about tight trees, early/late season "snow snakes" and avalanche safety. Easily worth the small weight penalty!

I got these to go with a new set of G3 telemark skies. Being a downhill skier who's converted to lightweight world of telemarking for ski-mountaineering, I really wanted something that offered additional safety in case of a fall. These bindings are perfect, although finding someone who was comfortable mounting them was a little challenging.

The bindings themselves are very clever. One frustration I did have was that other elements; like brakes and leashes, were additional extras which can make it kind of expensive to get a complete binding solution.

Nice bindings. The tour mode is great! The release mechanism is sweet; easy to snap back in after a fall. Also, the turning power curve is very smooth.

I got this binding for my K2 Super Stinx.

The product photo shows the brake and crampon, neither of which are included in the price. Buy them separately if you want them.

The brake and crampon nest below the toe plate. Pay close attention to the waist width of your ski, the brake size, and the crampon size. Don't buy oversize.

What makes the K2 installation especially tricky is that the K2's have pre-drilled screw holes with threaded inserts. Karhu in all its wisdom decided not to make the 7tm's mounting screws align with any of these holes. If you try to mount the 7tm's directly onto the skis, you'll rip out the inserts and ruin your skis.

I made a video of the K2 installation with the REQUIRED adapter plates. The YouTube tutorial "Karhu 7tm Binding Installation on K2 Skis" shows you exactly what you need and how it works.

It includes a demo of the binding's Tour mode.

Having a free-pivot Tour mode is a dream. Climbing takes less effort. Kick turns are really easy. Breaking trail is easier, my tips stay up better. I can kick and glide on the flats. Even skating is easier.

It takes a minute-long stop to switch in and out of Tour mode.

Side-stepping is much harder in tour mode, because the tails dig in. For short climbs it's easier just to herringbone, and for long sidesteps I lock down the binding.

I have no complaints about the spring in the Power binding. They're comparable to my G3 Targas in that regard. With the K2 adapter plate, my boot is elevated above the ski more, which feels different underfoot on groomers.

After Karhu joined K2 last year, Garmont took over as North American distributor of the 7tm series, a releasable freeheel binding manufactured by Rezotec GmbH in Germany. The 7tm Power ($280) is powerful, smooth and active--an excellent resort binding, and also great for jib sessions. But with the Power Tour, you get all the juice plus a frictionless touring function. While the DIN-release is much safer while traveling in avalanche terrain, bigger, stronger skiers might question its trustworthiness on uber-steep terrain.

Have skied these for years and welcomed the release mechanism many times. V. reliable setup and tour mode is sinfully easy. However they don't release forward (and don't claim to) and I trashed a knee when they didn't. Only alt I think is CRB which claim to and also Telebry.