Salomon

S/Lab Shift MNC 13 Alpine Touring Binding - 2024

too many moving parts

Familiarity:

I've used it once or twice and have initial impressions

I was so excited to get these bindings so I could use my new skis for both backcountry and in resort. The first time I went to adjust them between my backcountry boots and my alpine boots, the front toe piece, the toe piece wouldn't adjust all the way down. I brought it to a shop at Snowbird and they said they can't be fixed and I had to pay to demo skis for the day. I brought them to my local shop before returning them and they were able to get the piece adjusted, but it wasn't easy. I skied them on a big powder day yesterday and they skied fine but not worth the huge headache.

Work really well for both touring and downhill

No noticeable difference with downhill binding - bit fiddly when switching to and from touring but otherwise no noticeable difference to touring bindings great product without any compromise in performance. Obviously heavier than pure touring but for what I want they are perfect

One binding to rule them all!

I've been using the shifts bindings since day one (first day they came out). In my experience they are faultless, the best solutions out there for any skiing, any conditions, touring / sidecountry / resort. Get you up with "ease" without too much weight, and they will take you down charging, cruising, however you want to ski it. I needed something that I could trust everyday, and those are my go-to.

Great Bindings

Best thing I can say about any binding and it certainly applies here: I don't think about my bindings when I'm touring on QST 98s with these. Super functional both up and down - I couldn't be happier.

Love My Shift!

I've been a loyal user of Salomon Shift bindings for years, and they continue to impress. Recently, I encountered a minor setback with the height setup of the toe piece. However, after a quick readjustment, the bindings have been working flawlessly ever since. On-piste skiing and into the side country.

Frozen toe piece in Powder

I sold my S/Lab bindings last December. They were an early model. I see many Reviews citing toe piece malfunction in walk mode, but, my problem was with skiing in powder. The Powder entered the toe piece, froze, and it was "impossible" to release the toe. No amount of pressure on the toe release would budge the mechanism. Have (April 2023) had a knee replacement as a result. I don't know if Salomon has fixed this problem?

Important things right

When ski'ing down resort or off-piste steeps, You have to rely on the equipmets. When climbing with skins, You are not in a hurry. So, I think Shift 13, focusing on downhill, is just right! Btw, What position should the bindings levers be, while having them in the garage out of season?

Easy and awesome!!

I have used these on close two two dozen up hill trips since April, amazing!! Easy on, easy off, great feel, and no doubts about staying out!! My Dyn is about 10.5, so these were the right choice for me!

3 years in and not one issue

Both my partner and I bought Salomon Shift bindings pre pandemic and neither of us have had any mechanical issues (minus figuring out having to lift the toe tab to lock into walk mode, but that was user error, and a small amount of condensation builds up in the toe DIN window which hasn't caused any issues yet). I'm hopeful the quality on recent stock is still good as I'm ordering another pair for my new skis (reading about the prerelease issues now concerns me). Averaging at least 40+ days a season with focus in glades, bumps, and hard charging groomers these babies haven't let me down. I love the options of the black or blue color (blue is my fav).

Works great as long as you never let them see snow

Have you ever wanted a binding that doesn't perform in the cold, the snow, the steepness, the isolation of a backcountry ski day? A binding that lets you down on every single kick turn? A binding that ski techs are baffled by? A binding that will embarrass you when touring with others? Have you ever wanted a binding that does ok at the resort for 3x the cost of a standard binding? Then you should buy this binding for sure! But make sure you also buy ski straps and duct tape, because these bindings *will* fail you at some point. In a sport that requires absolute trust in gear + safety equipment, it's a shame that such a prestigious brand such as Salomon continues to sell this very expensive piece of trash. My main complaints are the toe release, how easy it is to release the brakes when in touring mode, and how annoying it is dealing with snow/ice accumulation around all the hardware. I actually don't have any complaints about downhill mode...hence the 1 star.