I got a pair of Marker Dukes for resort skiing and kite skiing as I wanted a binding that I could ski bumps with, use with any boot (alpine, AT, whatever) and had excellent release characteristics in all situations. I dont really plan on touring with them as they are quite a bit heavier than Dynafits, but I like the idea that if I had to tour, I could. For instance if I skied out of bounds at a resort and had to do a short tour back, or if the wind died while kiting and I had to get back to the car the Dukes would be WAY better than walking.

For kiting and resort skiing, being able to step into the binding is a big plus and the Marker Duke does that very well. It also has excellent return-to-center abilities, which is nice for chattery conditions.

They are fairly easy to do a home-mount with, although the instructions are geared more for a shop mount and require some reading between the lines.

The swap-over method from skiing to touring is a bit janky (have to remove your ski), but not that big a deal, especially considering the beef of the binding.

Just Used these bindings A couple of days ago(11-3-07) in the AK backcountry. They worked great on the way up, and down. way more solid than the freerides. never noticed the weight. only complaint I have is they are a pain to put into alpine mode(locked) from the touring mode(unlocked) It took me forever once, and then no time at all one time as well. They get snow caught in them. And I wasn't in that much snow at all. I still like them better than the freerides though. OH, I've got them mounted on dynastar pro rider legends. 186.. love those things too.

The only negative which has been said plenty is the weight but these things are very high quality. Not always the easiest to get hooked up in steeps but when you are coming down they are simply the best. I take this same mentality when biking. I am okay if it takes a little longer to get up if I have the added reliability when charging, and these things definitely give me that. I have dropped cliffs in the 20 to 50 foot range on these and they have held up. Absolutely love them. They work best for sidecountry... for long tours get a different setup.

Marker Dukes look very nice in their box on the shelf in my closet. When it gets too hot I open the box, turn on the fan, and look at them to help get me through the summer. It is July and I bought them in June, and all the snow melted VERY early this year. I hope they live up to their hype after all the winter-lust.

I toured roughly 120+ miles in the Duke last year and have been very pleased so far. This was my first touring binding, so I can't compare to others unfortunately. Throughout the long season, I didn't experience any durability or mechanical issues with the Duke. Some have criticized its uphill performance, but I've done 8-10 mile trips without much trouble. Sure there are lighter options out there, but very few will match the downhill performance which will be great for those looking to get into the sidecountry as well as short backcountry trips with the desire to have a more bomber binding.

Great side-country bindings. Super bomber alpine bindings with the option to release the heal. Ignore the reviews stating that they are a hassle as you have to remove your skis to switch from ski to tour mode as you have to with
AT specific bindings such as Dynafit too. Also, have you ever tried to put your skins on without removing your skis? Slightly finicky going from tour to ski as you have to ensure that the binding is clear of snow and interfacing correctly with the base plate however not a deal breaker.
A bit heavy and the incompatibility to accept non DIN type boot soles make these not great for an AT specific setup for me but make a perfect down hill setup with the ability to hike off the resort.

If you are looking for the ultralight setup or a Dynafit person, this is not your binding. But, for most these are the perfect all in one binding. I use them on a Mantra and they are great for touring, but you give up nothing in resort. Unlike a Freeride where you feel high and wobbly, this instills complete confidence on the way down. It is easy to kick off skins with other setups, so losing that ability will cost you a few minutes in the transition (having to take the ski off), but the run down is so much better. If they are a heavier binding - well think of it as a better workout!

If you are looking for a binding to use inbounds and out, you couldn't ask for a better binding than these. Bomber bindings! Weigh about as much as any high din alpine binding, but you can tour with these. Tour mode is super easy to switch in and out of. Some people complain that you have to take your ski off to switch modes, but this a moot point. A) You don't have to worry about accidentally switching into tour mode. B) You have to take your skis off to get your skins off, and to test the snow anyway. These bindings ski way better than other touring bindings, and with the exception of dynafits, the touring mode on these is on par with other touring bindings. Very rigid and stable bindings. They feel very solid undefoot. Couldn't be happier.

I got these bindings in November and have used them for both front and backside skiing. I have them mounted on K2 Mt. Bakers. I will say that they are just about the ulimate for someone who doesn't mind carting a little extra weight up a hill, to get a bombing ride down. I used them to skin up some steep inclines for several hours with no problems. My only complaint is that you have to unclip to free the heel. This is a bit of a pain in deep powder, but not a huge difficulty. All in all I have to say they are about the perfect set-up for my style of skiing; frontside mixed with short tours and back country descents.

These bindings are great for going down but the freeride definitely wins on the uphill.The Duke's heel lift has two settings. Both settings are short and the biggest one is at least 2 inches shorter than the freerides heel lift. The short heel lift makes it hard to hike on steep AT trails because you have to lift your heel that much more each time thus making you tired from keeping up with all the Fritschi riders. Also you have to take your skis off to lock the bindings down which means more time and more energy. Bottom Line-The Dukes are for the skier who hikes once a month. If your not that guy/girl get the freerides!

The duke does what it is meant to do, provide a solid platform for off-piste skiing and allow some AT performance. This is not a weight shaving all day touring binding. If you're taking lifts to the top and then making long traverses to reach chutes, it's a great binding. A friend and I went off-piste and took these off some big drops. His traditional alpine bindings kept blowing up on hard impacts; even with my dins set low, the markers held on and gave a solid platform. The extra height, because of the AT design, actually helped with carving by acting like a riser plate. I skied these bindings hard on and off-piste for 5 days and never had a problem... always lift serve though. I used them just to make long traverses.

these bindings are solid. they are perfect if your looking to ski slack country and short day tours, absolutely indestructible. if your planning on longer tours i'd step up to dynafits

the only thing i dont like is the climbing wire need to be larger on both settings

i love these bindings. i was fortunate enough to ski a volkl sumo mounted with a Jester, and then re-mount a Duke on it. I barely noticed a difference on the ride down, if anything the extra millimeters in height difference gave me more leverage to flip the 125mm waist of my skis edge to edge. i'd recommend them to anyone. i ski 60/40 resort/backcountry in montana.

Been a Marker hater for years, but these bindings came out and I had to give em a try. This is my second pair I have ordered and that is because they are awesome. This is a burly binder that will allow you to rally inbounds but head to the slack-country and smaller back-country tours. If you are a hard core BC guy prolly stick with something light, but I do ride the chair a lot and these will keep you locked down when gettin after it inbounds.
On a side note I am actually gettin a set of Jesters for my everyday resort ski switching from salomon 914, they are lighter and have a higher DIN than the salomon.

The most solid binding I've ever had mounted- Holds you in tighter than, well, you get the point. An added bonus from the free heal mode in comparison to the Jester is the added height that it provides, making it easier to lay out fatty carver turns on wide skis. only downfall is the weight, which on the positive side you definitely don't notice while skiing down, however you will notice a bit when they are on your shoulder, however id say thats a fare price to pay for the best bindings no question about it.

If you want the heaviest and most cumbersome binding go ahead. If your never gonna huck a cliff over 50 feet which 99.9% of you never will, buy a pair of dynafits which are lighter and better and probably will allow you to get more runs in a day which is the point after all. Also they now make some pretty burly boots to match(Garmont)

Loved the Marker with my Black Diamond Havocs. Great going up, lift at medium with the Black Diamond skins will go up a wall. Deep powder and crud felt like a great downhill binding. Ditto on the change over, not fun to get the snow out of the back of binding with the wind blowing at 40-50 above the tree line. But once done, well worth the cold hands...

I really love these bindings. After the proper adjustments i have never released when I shouldn't have. they are great all around, in bounds and out. The only flaw I could possibly point out is their weight compared to other
AT bindings.

I really love these bindings. After the proper adjustments i have never released when I shouldn't have. they are great all around, in bounds and out. The only flaw I could possibly point out is their weight compared to other
AT bindings.

Amazingly solid AT! These ski as well if not better than many binders that I've used in the past. While I wouldn't suggest long tours on these, slack country and short tours to lines that demand a solid platform are where these bindings shine. Marker while they've received a bad rap in the past has completely redeemed themselves. Salomon better wake up cause the Duke and Jester are here. Pick these up if you want a solid AT setup that skis like an alpine binding if not better. You won't be disappointed.

If you are an aggressive skier and are looking for a stronger and higher din AT binding, this your binding. Had a pair of freerides for six years and loved them except for the plastic components and low din. The Duke seemed like the best upgrade, but they are definitely heavier and more of a pain to switch to touring mode. Make sure you put them on a lightweight ski or you will be running too heavy for a good tour in my opinion. Also, be careful of ice build up underneath the boot as it can make switching to the touring mode a pain. Other than weight or switching to touring mode, this is a great AT binding with the enough strength to ski it aggressively in or out of bounds.

Prior to the Duke, the 916 was the undisputed "king of bindings" but now the tide has changed. I've got the Duke's on my 07/08 Seths and they work awesome for everything. I ski the resort about 50 days a year and toured in them about 10 days last year. They are perfect for what I do. I can't imagine skiing any other AT binding (until Salomon comes out with theirs...if that ever happens).

I ski 50 days at the resort and resort and in resort sidecountry. Last year was my first year going AT. Went about 10 times. I prefered these on 07/08 K2 Seth's over my 06/07 Volkl Gotamas with Salomon 916s in every condition. If you care about weight I would disregard my review. If you're a 916 loyalist like myself...give these a try!

An issue that has been raised by friends who have put a season on the dukes is the metal riser in the back for touring. After a lot of use, the riser on some of the bindings would slip out of the groove that locks it in. It looked like the metal riser had worn out that groove after a lot of use. Don't know if this is a common issue or not and if Marker is aware of it.

Pretty much as everyone has said, super bomber in ski mode really smooth in touring mode. They are heavy and a little tough to get back into ski mode after a long tour but very very happy with them. Definitely a a stout alpine binding with touring capabilities.

Went away from Marker for years because of poor product/quality issues. The Dukes have permanently changed my opinion. Used 25 plus times this year so far in Utah, Oregon, and Chamonix. A/T setting is perfect for short treks, but I probably would want something lighter for all day stints. Yes they're heavy, especially on Gotama 190s, but they are a solid binder with no flaws other than weight. Best suited for your 75/25 inbounds vs. out of bounds skier.

These are the only touring bindings that I have tried that instilled enough confidence in me to replace my trekers. I hate to come out of my skis and these hold on better than any other AT bindings. I use them with a Alpine boots.

I have the Dukes on Volkl Mantras and they worked fine for half the season, then the toe piece broke. I was skiing East Vail and fell which caused my skis to cross and broke the plastic that holds the AFD in place. It took Marker 10 weeks to send out a new pair and by that time Colorado snow was melting. I would be cautious if you are hard on your equipment like I am.

I have the Dukes on Volkl Mantras and they worked fine for half the season, then the toe piece broke. I was skiing East Vail and fell which caused my skis to cross and broke the plastic that holds the AFD in place. It took Marker 10 weeks to send out a new pair and by that time Colorado snow was melting. I would be cautious if you are hard on your equipment like I am.

I like the bomber pro on this, but the heel lift needs more options as I find my buds in freerides continuing up the fall line as I struggle for traction. Also, they are difficult for the user to adjust between the low and high lifter once in the binding. Also very heavy...so a side-country binding, not a back-country binding. However, for the first year from marker, I have hope for future year improvements. If for sidecountry/in bounds skiing...they get a 3.5 star. If for this site ...they get a 1 star.

If you want bomber retention with tour-ability, look no further. I wouldn't want to do the Haute Route with these, but if you're accessing the side country from your resort, the Dukes are the ticket. I've been using these for 2 seasons now and not 1 problem. They work great with either my alpine or AT boots. Make sure you get the right size for your boots as the Dukes, unlike the Barons, come in 3 sizes. The only drag is the need to take off your skis to change to touring mode and back. Would buy them again in a heartbeat. Cheers.

i just mounted these on my k2 shuksan at skis. so far so good. theres not discernible difference between these and a true alpine binding. i only weigh 175 but for some reason popped out of them with the din at 10 so i bumped them up to 12. so far so good. the overall construction of the thing seems totally bombproof. i've broke a bunch of pairs of bindings but these are holding up so far.

the heel release is a bit clunky to use. there are two climbing positions however the low angle one is so low that i never user it. i might have preferred a higher angle, however thats getting into the territory where you skins will no longer adhere to the show, i think.

they're the the heaviest thing on the market, but it hasn't stopped me from hauling like 50 pounds uphill, and my k2s are light enough that it hasn't been a problem yet. i haven't done any lengthy multi day tours yet, so take that with a grain of salt.

I love these bindings for touring. They are sturdy and great to skin with. Unlike other AT bindings I feel comfortable skiing all terrain on them. I've got a lot of mileage on them and have had no problems!

I just got these mounted up and put one day on them, so far so good. I was a marker hating solomon guy, but after a day of 3" of dust on top of boiler plate at the resort these may convert me. They're solid underfoot, and feel substantial when you step in. I haven't climbed in them yet, but my flat land trial was great. My only concern is the amount of plastic, I may be too much of a racer still, but a metal frame would have gone a long way toward piece of mind for my 220 lbs.

If you only (or mostly) consider the downhill aspect, the Duke (and I'm assuming the Baron as well) easily beats the Fritschi Freerides. I swapped out my Freerides with Dukes on a pair of skis and the improvement in control and power transmission was huge.

However, if taking into account the touring part, things get more mixed. In addition to having to take off your skis when going from touring to skiing (and back), the Duke's risers are much more limited and finicky to adjust vs. Freedrides. Also, as others have mentioned, there's a tendency for ice to build up in the Dukes making it hard to convert from touring to ski mode. I once accidentally bent the (somewhat wimpy) metal piece that slides the binding between settings. Got a warranty replacement but now I always use my poletip (or some other tool) to scrape out any snow/ice that hinders free movement.

Also, I can second that you'll need to increase your DIN by 1 or 2. Don't know why but these bindings release easier than standard alpine bindings.

these things rip, torsionally stiffer than a lot of alpine binders I've skied.

Great bindings. Bought these mostly for charging woods with some occasional touring and I have them mounted on a pair of Katanas. Im 6'3 220lbs, ski agressively and have the DINs cranked up to 14. There is a fair amount of plastic in the Dukes, which had me nervous at first, but so far so good as far as holding up. I haven't released at all and the bindings have a good, solid feel when skiing hard and landing drops. No complaints either when having to ski groomers with them. Only toured in them a couple times and no complaints there either. Did have a little of the ice build up mentioned by others, but nothing that bothered me too much. All it all, a great downhill binding that is totally sufficient for some light tours.

I used these on a 15 day backcountry trip this past winter on a pair of original 180 Seth Pistols. Everyone else was on light weight tele set-ups and was sure I was going to dragging behind, but to there surprise it was never so. We had skins on for at least a few hours everyday and sometimes all day, but the Dukes took it like a champ! These things tour really well have, they have two elevator settings, and the switch between touring and downhill is more work but not that big of a deal as you will be getting down first anyways. If you want a super light weight set-up get something else, but if you want a bomber set-up for charging hard in the backcountry then look no further. And let's be serious which one sounds more fun???

These are sick.
Pros: Simple, durable, providing lift to get on the edge of your fat-waister stick.
Con: Release lever for A/T to standard function has sharp edges that are unfriendly to frozen fingers.

After three seasons of pre-releasing out of the fritschi freerides I was willing to deal with the extra weight of the Dukes. I mounted them on some K2 seths and use them both at the resort and in the backcountry. They ski very close to a traditional binding and tour pretty well too. Overall, a very solid "slack-country" set-up for a skier who demands a high din binding.

I toured on these all winter last year. Loved them. No complaints. I also skied them in the resort (alta) a lot. They are on the only pair of fat skis I own, so I used them a lot. They ski just like an alpine binding. You can be confident hucking too. I've even taken then in the park and hit the big booters at Park City and never once felt sketchy on them. Great buy!!

These bindings will climb and descend anything you can handle! I don't notice the extra weight on the way up but love the stability they provide on variable conditions on the way down. The carve powder up like a dream and can easily be skied in the backcountry or in the resort.

Climbed a couple of 14ers with this binding. The Duke handled great. I found switching between regular and ski touring mode to be very easy. It was smooth in touring mode when walking and worked outstanding on the descents. They are mounted on Nordica Enforcers.

These bindings are tanks. Yes, they are bit heavier, but they will last you. The naxo bindings seem to blow out, and can't take the stress that I deliver. I really love this pair and use them in the backcountry as well as on the slopes. If you have issue on weight, rethink because there is nothing more annoying than blowing your bindings when skiing through deep snow.

These bindings are fairly good, feel solid and definitely are way better than trekkers. However, they have several short comings. These bindings are still touring bindings, and cannot withstand the abuse of alpine bindings.

On the skiing side:

The rivets that attach the binding to the climb/ski latch are pretty weak. Mine have become lose and I get significant for/aft play in the binding in ski mode.

The toe piece has a pre-release problem. This may or may not be due to the fact that the height adjustment moves around a lot making my toe creak a lot while I ski.

This makes me feel like the bindings are neither strong enough, nor reliable enough to be have dins springs that can be cranked to 16.

On the touring side:

Pretty good. However, they can get clogged up with ice really easily making them very hard to change from ski-climb mode if you do not skin with your heel lifts up.

ok so it isn't super light and it only has one elevator setting, but if you want to go fast up then get some Dynafits, if you want to ski without any hesitation on the burliest stuff then this is you binging. I have used mine for over a week now an I love them. got rid of my trekkers forever. These ski better than any other AT binding period end of sentence, yes you have to click out to go from walk to ski but I have to take my skis off to get my sinks off any way don't you?

This is the most torsionally rigid AT binding that I have ever used. Great for skiing beefier boards. Though this binding is HEAVY it does tour very well, but when it comes down to it, I use my Dukes as a resort tourer, opting for a lighter Tele setup on extended treks.

I've got these mounted on some 183 Gotamas and love them. They are great at the resort and in the backcountry. I did not notice the weight as much as some other reviewers, but agree that it's less than ideal to need to remove ski to lock (only downside). I didn't have any issues with icing-up when switching to the lock position. Overall, a good, solid binding.