Voile Hardwire Three-pin

I've been using the Voile three-pin with heel-latch spring cable for many years. I do lots of mountain touring and really appreciate the heel lift freedom of the three-pin toe piece so, when I ordered my Tacoras last month I decided to splurge and buy the hardwires. They seem just a bit heavier than the heel-latch version but I like the heel cam cable attachment. Quick and easy tension adjustment is another plus. No Regrets !!

K2 SKIS NEED SPECIAL SCREWS!!!!

I don't mind that the special K2 screws aren't included with the bindings, after all most people don't ski K2 skis, but I sure wish they would point that before people order the bindings. It's not a 'complete kit' if you have K2s. Now I have to wait another week before I can ski them.

Still the best backcountry binding.

While the three-pin cable binding may seem like an anachronism, it has a few advantages that the latest fashion bindings can’t match. First, my skis stay on without the cables. I climb for my turns, so I appreciate the lack of heel-lifting resistance every time I take a step. (Just don’t tell your friends – they’ll want you to break trail all the time.) I also like the redundancy – I don’t have to worry about spare part kits and field repairs. Second, this binding can be mounted on a wedge – which reduces the problems associated with the stiff plastic boots we all love.

This is the binding

This is the best binding going for touring. It's reasonably lightweight yet very reliable. With the pins, your energy is supposedly transferred to the ski better (hard for me to tell). The up side is when you're skinning you can just leave the cartridge resting on the ski and it's much easier going (no resistance). If you ever were to have a problem with one of the cables, you're not post-holing out of the backcountry with this binding as the pins will hold you in. The cartridges are easily adjustable (just spin 'em).

Versatile and Bomber

I bought the 3-Pin Hardwire as my backcountry binding because I like the built in fail safes of a 3-pin and cable connection. Plus while hiking up the cable can be left off the boot which allows more efficient hiking. The downhill performance of the binding rocks. The two connection points makes the binding stable and strong which is perfect for hard hitting resort skiing.