How Do The CAST Freetour, Duke PT, Shift and Tyrolia Attack Hybrid Bindings Compare?

• Weight: 1340g (ski mode), 1000g (touring mode)
• DIN Range: 6-15, or 8-18
• Compatibility: Alpine, Touring, and GripWalk boots
• Risers: flat + 2 risers
• MSRP: $780 or $365 for conversion kit

Salomon/Atomic/Armada Shift 2.0 Binding Specs

• Weight: 920g
• DIN Range: 6-13
• Compatibility: multinorm-certified
• Risers: flat + 1 riser
• MSRP: $650

Tyrolia Attack Hybrid Binding Specs

• Weight: 1135g (ski mode), 880g (touring mode)
• DIN Range: 4-14
• Compatibility: multinorm-certified
• Risers: flat + 1 riser
• MSRP: TBD

Marker Duke PT 16 Binding Specs

• Weight: 1350g (ski mode), 1000g (touring mode)
• DIN Range: 6-16
• Compatibility: multinorm-certified
• Risers: flat + 1 riser
• MSRP: $700

What’s the story behind these bindings?

Hard-charging backcountry bindings are nothing new. In fact, it wasn’t until fairly recently that ski touring bindings actually were light enough to perform reasonably well uphill. Like many of us, I started backcountry skiing on heavy, clunky frame bindings like the original Marker Duke or the Salomon Guardian in the late-2000s. These actually skied pretty well, as they used the same parts as alpine bindings, but provided abysmal uphill performance due to the fact that skiers had to lift the weight of the whole binding with every stride. For a short time, there was even a brand that made an adapter plate to allow skiers to use their favorite alpine binding in the backcountry called the MFD Alltime. These were incredibly unreliable, had little to no torsional stability, and didn’t solve the weight problem.

Pin bindings, like those from Dynafit and a few other small euro brands like Plum, were still quite heavy and notoriously unreliable at the time. Their main issue revolved around sketchy release performance, leading to potentially frightening lower leg injuries. Alpine-style release performance was still king, especially for any skier looking to huck their meat or ski aggressively in the backcountry. Looking to improve upon the frame binding design, a few intrepid freeride skiers began tinkering with the idea of a “convertible” binding.

In 2012, CAST bindings was launched by the brothers Silas and Lars Chickering-Ayers, two Idaho-based professional skiers who wanted a binding that didn’t exist at the time. Instead of settling, they decided to make their own. The basic principle of the convertible binding was born, with a permanently-mounted alpine heel and a toepiece that could be swapped out between an alpine toe and a pin toe on the fly. Early models of the CAST system allowed skiers to use Salomon STH bindings or Look Pivots, before CAST ultimately went all-in on the Pivot. Today, after much refining, CAST sells the Freetour 2.0, built around the much-loved Look Pivot 15 or 18 bindings.

Around the same time, Salomon and Atomic started quietly developing their take on the manner with help from their athlete team members like Cody Townsend, Sage Cattabriga-Alosa, and more. Instead of swapping out the toe on the fly, the whole binding would literally transform between the ski and uphill mode. In 2018, the original Shift binding was released to the public, ushering in a new level of performance. It was lighter and toured better than the CAST, but early models suffered from reliability issues. The current model, the Shift 2.0, has largely solved those issues.

By 2020, Marker was joining the game with the release of their Duke PT bindings, yet another take on the matter. Situated somewhere between the Shift and the CAST on the weight and design ideation spectrum, the Duke PT had a transformable toe unit, with a piece that skiers could optionally remove to save some weight while skinning.

Finally, this year, Tyrolia is entering the fray with the release of their Attack Hybrid binding, a clever take on the CAST approach to swappable toe units that offers some unique advantages.

Again worth mentioning is ATK’s new HY Free binding, which has similar functionality to the Shift, but in an all-metal package and an insanely low weight. I haven’t clicked into these bindings yet, but read more on my initial thoughts on the binding here.

One more point worth mentioning about all of these bindings is that fact that they can be used with much more aggressive ski boots, particularly ones without walk modes. Of course, you'll still need a tech toe insert, but there's a few boots like K2's Cortex, Fischer's RC4, and a few others that feature just a tech insert in the toe.

How we tested these bindings:

I spent a considerable amount of time aboard all four of these bindings this past winter. For reference, I mostly skied the CAST Freetour on the blackcrows Corvus, the Shift 2.0 on Salomon’s QST X, Tyrolia’s Attack Hybrid on the new Head Kore Ti, and a few days on the Duke PT on a Völkl Revolt 114. Testing took place mostly in the Tetons, both inbounds at Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole, and ski touring in the backcountry of Grand Teton National Park and Teton Pass, plus a few days of snowmobile skiing in the area. I also took the Shift 2.0 and CAST bindings on ski trips to Europe, Alaska, Canada and Japan.

The most notable thing about all four of these bindings is that they are all excellent when it comes to downhill performance. There’s no doubt that these all ski better than any pin binding on the market, especially when skiing aggressively in questionable snow conditions. They can all drive the biggest, heaviest skis you would ever dream of taking in the backcountry, hold up to big hits, and can handle high speeds and general heavy-duty use. The differences start to show through in the details and when considering their most appropriate use cases.

The CAST Freetour is a real alpine binding that can ski tour. That does not make it a good binding for ski touring. On the downhill, you’re skiing a bonafide Look Pivot, meaning you get all the elastic travel and low standheight of that binding. However, the uphill mode leaves something to be desired. I see it as the kind of binding best used for sled skiers, or lift-access sidecountry skiers who want to go for short tours to access their stash. It also makes a ton of sense for mechanized ski guides or patrollers who spend 99 percent of the time heading downhill, but need the ability to tour in an emergency. I use this setup most of the days that I’m riding out the gates at Jackson Hole, and use the tour mode for short skins to access lines. While the Freetour 2.0 is way better than the old version in this regard, transitioning between modes is still somewhat clunky, and having to carry the extra pieces in my backpack always gives me pause.

The Shift 2.0 is much more of a ski touring binding that can hold up aggressive skiing. Compared to the rest of the options, it’s much lighter, and is actually pretty easy to use in the backcountry once you get the hang of transitions. The carbon-infused plastic construction gives the binding a solid amount of flex and elasticity, but all the moving parts and the lightweight construction means there’s more pieces to break. This is the best option for 50/50 skiers, who want a single binding/ski combo to bridge the gap between resort and backcountry skiing. I’ll often take this out on a day where I am planning to do a few thousand feet of skinning, but want to bring a big, heavy ski to make the downhill more fun. It’s also my go-to travel companion on trips where I will be earning my own freeride turns and spending a few days lapping the resort. I think the binding is too flimsy for heavier skiers to use day-in, day-out at the resort, but lighter skiers can probably get away with this.

Marker’s Duke PT falls somewhere in the middle of the Shift and CAST spectrum. Transitioning the binding isn’t quite as intuitive and easy as I would want, especially given that the toepiece can either stay on the ski or be removed. I’ve never lost the alpine portion of the toepiece, but I would imagine it doesn't take much for it to fall off and be lost for good in deep snow while skinning. From a downhill performance, the binding skis excellently, and it’s certainly beefy enough to hold up to daily resort abuse.

Finally, Tyrolia’s Attack Hybrid is a really cool solution to the issue. I’ve been a fan of the low stand height and simplicity of the adjustable Tyrolia Attack demo bindings for ski testing. The new Attack Hybrid essentially has a fixed heel piece matched with a toepiece that slides on and off a short demo track to allow for the switch to be made between ski and touring modes. It’s lower profile and easier to transition than the CAST, and actually allows for an “emergency mode” where you can lock down the heel while using the pin toe. The DIN values don’t go quite as high, maxing out at 14, but who actually skis anything higher than that anyway?

Who are these bindings best for?

The bottom line about these bindings is that they aren’t for everyone. If you’re in the market for a new backcountry binding, think long and hard about what you’re actually going to be doing with it. Spend most of your time ski touring to go ride mellow pow? You’ll be much better off with a standard pin binding, like ATK’s Freeraider EVO, or something even lighter.

However, if you’re an aggressive skier, like to ski big, heavy freeride skis through variable backcountry snow, and don’t actually ski tour much, a convertible, hybrid-style binding will serve you well.