Marker Baron 12 Ski Binding - 2009 BCS

Well what do you normally set your bindings to? Something around a 9 or 10? Get the Baron. If you like to set your DIN higher, to something 12 or over? Grab the Duke. Either will hold you in for what you do, it comes down to what you set your DIN. Personally, I would say the Baron, since it is lighter, and you really don't need a DIN set over 10. Remember, you should never max out the DIN on your bindings, it is bad for the spring.

You need a minimum ski width of 76mm to mount the binding

No minimum! Even older shaped skis which have a minimum underfoot of ~70mm are still fatter than an old-old pair of straight skis, both of which could handle the Baron setup. There can be a problem if you ski with both skis close together by the brakes catching themselves or your pants leg when the retracted brake protrudes from the ski edge too much so switching to a shorter width brake is an option but not nessecary.

You would not have to change the brake, the 110mm is almost ideal for that, as there is no rub like with a 100mm brake.

I have seen it done, but it was one of the most miserable looking guys on the skin up. He blasted the down, but the rocker gives you so little to use for skin grip, yo are working way harder than anyone else. So to answer your questions, it is mildly crazy, and totally possible. Just not pleasant.

I have Barons on my LP 100's. I've never skied the Prophets with regular alpine bindings, so I can't comment on the difference in feel. However, I LOVE my setup, and it's my go-to ski for everything except boilerplate ice or insanely deep powder. I've got nothing but love for this ski/binding setup. If the Baron stiffened the ski, I certainly have not noticed it adversely affecting any performance.

In my experience, Prophet skis have a pretty snappy flex (wood + metal construction) and turn super quick for their width thanks to a shorter turn radius (~17m). Thanks to my gig here at Backcountry.com, I have the unique opportunity to ski dozens of ski/binding combination's each year and I honestly cannot tell the difference in a ski's flex when comparing one binding to another. Maybe it's me? If the Baron does in fact increase stiffness of a ski, I see it as a good thing. Stiffer equals better edge hold which can be clutch on wind scoured, icy snow above no-nonsense terrain. The mellow early rise nose on your Prophet ensures fun pow performance, stiff ski or not.

I do notice the weight of a demo vs retail vs touring binding as well as the lift provided by each. Higher lift equals more leverage over your edges which in turn creates a quicker turning ski. While your Baron's will sit lower on the ski compared to a Fritschi, you still get a ~cm+ of lift greater than a retail binding. Your Prophets with Barons will turn super quick, hold an edge on anything, stay put on your boots, and absolutely smoke couloirs, glades, and variable snow. The usual Baron downsides remain their weight and the rather clumsy transition to/from ski/tour mode.

For the record I'm 5'9", 140lbs (w/o all my ski and tour stuff), and have a Baron + hand-me-down Armada JJ 175cm slackcountry setup. Looking to upgrade the ski to something w/o a rocker tail.

Enjoy your new kit!

Agreed. The Barons will be perfect for a Gotama, even if you are skiing the resort a lot. Just think of those times when you could just skin out the Shuksan Arm at Baker or go for a longer tour out Grizzly Gulch after a few laps inbounds; this is when the Barons will be perfect. No extra weight, no trekkers, and you will still have the ability to go on quick, easy tours.

No, if you want to stay inbounds, these are still a great (more than OK) binding. Plus, you don't have to be a committed AT freak to back these up, you'll just be a really skilled sidecountryist. yeah, I just made that word up, let the revolution begin.

I'm 6'1, 170 and an aggressive skier. I've put almost 200 days on my Fritschi's (~150 inbounds, 50 slack/traverses)and no problems at all. Never released on its own, and they look like they are 10 days old. If you huck I'd go duke, but I've put 20 foot drops on my fritschis and they feel great. You'd likely enjoy either binding

Barons.

These aren't a great park binding by any means, but they rock for a combo of touring and resort. I own blends too but mine are mounted with STH12's at the moment. Awesome ski.

Sounds good!

I usually run at 10. I'm thinking I'll just dish out the extra 50 bucks and get the Dukes. I've also improved a lot since I bought my last pair of bindings so I'll probably up my DIN anyway... Oh and btw I found out you can buy 132mm brakes for Marker Royal Family bindings so the Kuros shouldn't be a problem.

If you're aggressive then you'll probably want the Dukes. What DIN do you usually run at? If it's above 10 I'd go for the Dukes instead of the Barons.

they make a 130 mm brake

Go for the Barons with 110 mm brakes, and just tweak the arms out a tiny bit and you'll be sweet.

You won't be able to do a simple swap. The Baron's have a different hole pattern from the Griffon bindings.

If you're not sure how to do this I would highly recommend going to a shop. The bindings will not function properly without correctly setting the forward pressure.

That being said. The heel track slides back and forth by adjusting the screw located at the bottom/back end of the heel piece.

ya they hold up good but the duke is super durable

You can't take switch modes without taking the skis off. The skis have to be removed in order to switch from ski mode to tour mode, and tour mode to ski mode. It is actually a positive thing. By having the lever that switches from one mode to another underfoot, you ensure that the binding will not switch into touring mode by accident while skiing. A somewhat common worry with other touring bindings. It is a pain sometimes, but it is beneficial more than a pain. This design helps make the binding feel more solid, and ski more like an alpine binding. It isn't as delicate or wobbly. Also more than 90% of the time, you are going to have to take the skis off anyway after touring before you start skiing to put your skins away, check snow conditions/assess avy danger, refuel with food/water, catch your breath, etc. The only time I've found that this design is a pain, is when there are very short downhill sections of your tour, where it doesn't make sense to take your skins off and switch modes. In those situations it can be a little sketchy.

No, to flip between ski and tour mode you must remove your boot from the bindings.

The Baron's add quite a bit of weight if you are only using them for only 3 times a year. If you want the function these are probably the best since they are most designed towards resort with the touring still waiting for whenever you want. If you can't justify it you should go for the Griffons, which are the same bindings without the touring capability, and weighs less.

There are shops (racestocksports.com) that can rebuild the sole of a boot. The thing is, if you walked around enough to wear out the soles, maybe the rest of the boot is shot, too? Is it worth throwing money into a sole-build up on an older pair? Maybe you spend most of your time walking around the parking lot and wore-out the soles prematurely? Who knows....

Thanks, thats what I was thinking. I'm a pretty agressive skier who will probably go 75% resort 25% BC. I don't need a super stiff boot, I think my old boots have a flex pattern of 100. I was looking at the Garmont Adrenalin AT boots. Thanks for any info!

Ya you need new boots. Sorry no other real option. It really depends on how you ski, how good you are, and flex preference. If you can post some of that info then you will get much better boot recommendations.

oh yea it will. this will be a great setup for some side country skiing. go enjoy the bounties of hiking.

Either size will work. You can either run the smalls completely expanded out or crank the larges down.

Of course. The brakes should not flop around too much, at least not enough to cause a problem.

That is probably the best solution, but there is also the option of paying extra for extra large brakes, that are like 130mm. I would just bend out.

Peter, you will be fine. The Obsethed with the marker duke/baron is a really popular combination, and I've seen a lot of people with that setup. Rocker in firm conditions isn't ideal because you have less ski contact with the snow. However when skinning, the area where you generate the most traction and grip are form the last 3/4 of the ski anyway, so tip rocker really isn't that big of an issue. The obsethed has some rocker in the tail, but not a lot that it will really affect you a whole lot when skinning. Also, if you are skinning, you're probably doing so to get to better, deeper snow in which case you will appreciate the rocker, and the alpine binding feel of the baron on the way down. It's a good setup. Enjoy it.

I agree with Shane. I've never had AT bindings on anything other than twin-tips, and now some with rocker. It's less surface area for the ski to make contact with the snow on hardpack, but in pow conditions, you'll be just fine.

They will work, and twin tips are not ideal but I do it, and so do lots of guys out there. I say go for it.

GnarNinja- Listen to the Tats Man!!! Just so happens that he is the Ski Bum of the YEAR!!! Congrats again Chris it was great seeing you at Whiskeys!!! Enjoy all the Resorts and the New Car!!!

thats what i thought, just checking
thanks

This binding is just like the Duke, and just as bomber. It is designed with a lighter DIN setting and weighs a bit less, but function was not sacrificed at all. You should be comfortable hucking to switch with no worries.