Besides the change in color, what, if any, changes were made to this binding to warrant a $450 dollar price tag? I dont know why the ski industry has been raising the prices of their equipment so much in the last couple of years. You might as well tell ski bums like me, "f-off because we dont want your kind on the slopes."

- The Disgruntled Skiier.

I stand corrected. We took a look for ourselves at last year's vs this year's Duke bindings here in the BC.com Mega-Core Office and Margarita nailed it....SS, DD. So yah, despite the claims we heard at SIA, there is no structural change (height from ski). Just the new color. I've checked a Green Thumbs Up on Margarita's answer and given my original "nah dude it changed" answer the dreaded Red Thumbs Down. Still a kill binding. I love my Barons.

Whoa not so fast there Margarita! There have been two cosmetic 'updates' to the Duke and one key structural change. As you can clearly see, the colors have been changed up. What's harder to see is that the toe of the binding is less stubby than last year's. It kinda curves back towards your boot instead of being straight up and down. That's all pretty-points though...the important thing is the structural change. The new Duke/Barons sit lower on the ski than in years past. There is less lift and a closer-to-the-ski feel. This binding's price hasn't changed for this year. If you've seen smaller prices in the past...they were on sale. These are mad expensive. I work here and I can't even afford them! I picked up the Baron last year, saved around $100, and lost a pound/pair of weight. You could also try my ski bum plan: work nights at a resort part-time for a (free) half week pass and tour the rest of the week. There's always a way man!

Easy answer. There aren't any changes, aside from the new copper and cream color scheme, you buy binding for the binding, not the year it was made. You probably already know this, but ski companies only design a binding once. They sell essentially the same binding with very minute modifications every year until the system is outdated or a flaw is discovered. There is no difference in this year's duke from last years, or will be from next years. Buy a used pair if you can, its the same binding.