Had these for 5 years now as my only set of poles for work/play at the resort and in the backcountry. I've killed several other types. I didn't expect much longevity from them when I first got them - assumed the versatility of the 3-piece construction would sacrifice durability. They've had the odd mishap with the chairlift and been with me tumbling through the trees/rocks, but aside from some scuffing and a tiny bend in the thinnest section of one of them (which doesn't affect the collapsing), they've been really reliable. Love how small they pack away (often just stick them in my boots for transport) and have had no issues with the fliplock. If I had to have a gripe, it would be that the swing weight isn't as pleasing as my old Life Link V-C's, but whatever. Great for what I need it for.

Probably works ok in light drizzle. Brought it on a hut trip in NZ. Got stranded by heavy rain. 10 minutes and it was saturated and clingy. Mesh pockets inside soak it up like a sponge. Riddle me this... Modern SNOW jackets have watertight zippers... This RAIN jacket has clunky plastic zips that leak like a seive. Flaps that cover the zippers only seem to channel water directly onto them. I watched water running out the bottom like a hose. Same pointless flaps on the pit zips. If you're trying to stay dry in RAIN, WTF have gaping pit zips? Could've saved a bunch of weight and bulk with watertight zips with no big flaps.

These are what they are... I've never had them come undone (I'm guessing you could tell it would happen ahead of time if the wire gate looses its springyness or gets bent), but the stranded wire does fray if you hack into it with your edges - I've had a few little red drops of blood appear on my forefinger from that. The little plastic sleeve over the wire helps a little, I guess, although mine cracked in a few places in cold weather, exposing segments of wire. Still beats other leash types I've tried. Used 2 hard seasons and the wires are pretty much toast, although the hooks are still rockin'. My big gripe is the price. Wonder what it costs BD in materials...

Things I've learned to make this binding work good:

1: Get your cartridges where you want them, then tape them together with a thin loop of duct tape. Looks a little trashy, but whatever - you're on teles, you're obviously a dirtbag.

2: After a lot of steep, awkward climbs/traverses, your heel lift wires will get wobbly and come slapping down when you most need them... Unbelievably frustrating... Remove heel pieces, put the lifter wire in a vice or in some burly channel locks and squeeze the open end, bending the wire so the tips overlap eachother (watch your eyes!) Makes them stay in their heel-piece grooves better when raised. Still happening??? Make sure no ice in the heelpiece wire grooves.

3: Occasionally, the locking bar mechanism (not so often the green button) jams with ice and you can't get it to go back to "ski" mode. Gotta remove the ski, but it's easy to chisel ice out with ski pole tip. No biggie.

I got a pair of these back in '03 and was totally stoked on them for about a year. Fit my foot great and really comfy for hikes with a pair of socks. Pretty good in water although the webbing takes a while to dry out. Problems all hit me in one day... Rafting trip on the White river in Utah. Got a thin layer of slippery clay-like mud between feet and sandal and while scrambling up an embankment, nearly all my weight (205) was only being held by the heelstrap. The stitches sounded like popcorn when they went, first one sandal, then the other. Basically ruined the functionality. Other models have a single piece of leather for heelstrap with no stitching. Webbing should be stitched to other webbing straps, not to thin piece of suede.

Had these for a few weeks now and probably have 10 solid days on them. Performance and weight are great... A few considerations... The buckle bail holders on the upper 2 buckles are nice and I haven't had problems with icing up or sticking, but it sure would be nice if the third buckle down had them, too. That's always the buckle that's dangling off to the side after a hard ride. Super easy to get my feet in and out, and the liner slides in and out easily, too. Lots of people I know have said these boots are a no-no if your forefoot or toes are wider than average. Indeed, my little toe is the most cramped spot on either foot.

I purchased some 190's this fall, slapped some dukes on them and have been totally digging them (I'm 6'2" 205). Usually a tele skier, so AT seems like cheating with these. Very predictable in a wide variety of backcountry conditions. A couple things... I guess I'm used to a bit more sidecut because the first time on a groomer I tried to lay into these like a ski racer to see how they carve. Fell right on my side! Had to carve more conservatively to feel stable. They like to point downhill and prefer smeary/skiddy turns in the steeps. Excellent dampness, did not feel too noodly. Also, the wood core and bases seem bomber, but watch out with those cap skis! Had 2 friends compress edges and the ski was basically toast.