Pardon the hyperbole, but welcome to the future. After ages of tinkering, Marker has finally dropped the Duke PT 12, a ski binding that defines performance, reliability, and adjustability. Outside of the elite of the elite, this binding should accomodate the various needs of nearly every skier, in every condition, anywhere on the mountain.

There's a lot of unpack here, but the most appealing innovation is found in the Ride and Hike Toe piece. You can toggle between pin technology for uphill touring and a DIN certified binding for charging downhill. But that's not the kicker. The real prize is that you can remove the toe piece entirely to shave 300 grams of weight off each ski when the skins are on, then click it back into place for a muscular DIN 12 alpine binding on the descent. No wonder the pros have trusted the Jester, the most comparible binding to the Duke, for years.

The Duke PT 12 may well signal the demise of the frame binding. If you're a skier who demands premium performance and power transmission on the downhill, while also requiring fluid and efficient touring, look no further.

This binding is a game changer, pure and simple.

Specs