Marker Jester(not Duke)

**laseranimal** · 09-30-2007, 07:30 PM

well we don't have a thread on them yet

can anyone confirm if the AFD is the same as the duke?

ie the Jester will accept a rockered AT boot sole

**soul_skier** · 09-30-2007, 07:31 PM

AFD is fixed, at least unless my eyes deceived me at skirack yesterday

**laseranimal** · 09-30-2007, 07:39 PM

bummer

**squaretail** · 10-01-2007, 05:30 AM

No deception, unfortunately...the Jester lacks the toe height adjustment that the Duke has...something we're working on for the future.

**marshalolson** · 10-01-2007, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by squaretail

No deception, unfortunately...the Jester lacks the toe height adjustment that the Duke has...something we're working on for the future.

you'll sell ALOT of those if they had the duke AFD. that is a really really neat feature.

**pechelman** · 10-01-2007, 08:58 AM

Originally Posted by marshalolson

you'll sell ALOT of those if they had the duke AFD. that is a really really neat feature.

it would also be cool, from my perspective, if you designed, tested, and advertised them to be AT\Vibram compatible.

**Spats** · 10-01-2007, 11:40 AM

+1

It would be great to be able to wear AT boots every day at the resort...it would make icy parking lots and stairs made from those metal grates much less treacherous, and it's a lot easier to get to/from your car with a walk mode.

I'm surprised you removed the movable AFD from the Jester...seems like more work to take it out than to just use the Duke mechanism/moldings.

**squaretail** · 10-01-2007, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by pechelman

it would also be cool, from my perspective, if you designed, tested, and advertised them to be AT\Vibram compatible.

Here's the deal. The Duke will accept and release a rockered and/or vibram AT sole. We do 'advertise' this, at least to some extent. The Jester, because it does not have adjustable toe height, will not. The adjustment was removed from the Jester because of its original positioning as a park binding. Stay tuned...this adjustment may be offered on future bindings as the Duke/Jester collection expands over time.

However, and this is important: Rockered and/or vibram AT soles are, by definition, not DIN boot soles, which means, legally speaking, current DIN setting values - and the release test result ranges associated with them - are not applicable.

There is much more to this question. I will check back in as it unfolds.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer.

**laseranimal** · 10-01-2007, 01:23 PM

cool

like others have said, I'd really LOVE to be able to run a burly set of AT boots(with dynafit fittings) as my everyday boots, whether thats in Alpine bindings or AT bindings, so if marker could build an alpine style binding that would do that, they'd get a lot more business from me.

**pechelman** · 10-01-2007, 01:24 PM

understood ^ (point to squaretail)

thanks for the info

shit, its awesome talking to real industry people and getting responses instantly.

interesting to see theres more interest in this than maybe i initially thought.

**trainnvain** · 10-01-2007, 01:54 PM

I got to ski this binding for quite some time last year (on a pair of Bridges) and just hammered them in the bumps tons of heavy late season snow with morning death freeze as well.
With all said and done towards the way I have slagged Markers in the past, I have to eat crow on these. Stiff, responsive and always held me. Nice, nice binding (but I wont give up my STHs

)

**squaretail** · 10-02-2007, 08:26 AM

Originally Posted by laseranimal

I'd really LOVE to be able to run a burly set of AT boots(with dynafit fittings) as my everyday boots, whether thats in Alpine bindings or AT bindings, so if marker could build an alpine style binding that would do that, they'd get a lot more business from me.

Which angle are you coming at this from?

Do you want a new style of alpine style binding that makes use of your dynafit fittings, or a traditional alpine binding that releases consistently even though the dynafit fittings may bring some friction to the party?

**marshalolson** · 10-02-2007, 08:30 AM

i think what he means an alpine binding that safely can be used with an AT boot (which also happens to be dynafit compatible) would be nice.

b/c then you could use the jester (with duke AFD) as your everyday setup, have a redonckulous pow ski with dukes as a BC ski, and have dynafit type bindings onl light touring skis. and just one set of boots to do it all.

and additionally, i can ski alot of race coaches and the like wanting something like a jester with duke AFD kinda thing too...

**hemas** · 10-02-2007, 08:33 AM

Too slow, Marshal nailed it...

Added bonus would be compatibility with the new NTN boots (might need an extra shim or something like that under the bellow...).

One pair of boots for alpine, AT and tele

.

**squaretail** · 10-02-2007, 08:35 AM

Originally Posted by pechelman

it would also be cool, from my perspective, if you designed, tested, and advertised them to be AT\Vibram compatible.

Good to go.

We are indemnifying the Duke for use with AT boots, assuming the shop tech performs a release test and the system passes DIN values.

**jrosendahl** · 10-02-2007, 08:42 AM

(I type slow see above)
I know that I want a regular binding that releases alpine style.

I really like my current boots, I don't fully trust my dynafits to release reliably, this is fine when I am touring but not so great in a resort, and I have more or less admitted that I am not going to be skinning on some of my larger skis so a non touring binding would be fine. I was seriously looking at the Jester, but without the movable ADF it doesn't do me much good.

That being said, if you came out with a wide bodied 16din dynafit I really would not complain.

**pechelman** · 10-02-2007, 08:43 AM

well i guess the idea was that i dont have use for a touring mode on my resort skis, and all I want is a binding thats definitely safe to use with my AT boots so hiking to stuff is easier and I only need 1 pair of boots.

figured this would be lighter, possibly more rigid, less things to break, and possibly the cheaper route.

**laseranimal** · 10-02-2007, 11:45 AM

yup marshal pretty much nailed it

I'd love to get a rockered boot like the spirit 4 or Zzero, but be able to ski it inbounds with my alpine setups. It'd be much more seamless being able to change rigs when I wanted too, and it would also mean I'd have to schlep less gear around in the back of my car.

Last year I found it was much easier for me to go skiing with the mini-animal when I used my rockered AT boots and dynafits. 1. we were skiing greens 2. it was easier to walk 3. it was lighter so when I was carrying his skis and mine it wasn't so much of a pain. What sucked is that around 1-2pm when he got tired and mom would take him back to the hotel, I was stuck either skiing dynafits inbounds(doable but not my favorite binding) or I had to change into cold boots that had been sitting in the car. Dukes moving AFD's solve this problem(I'm getting a pair), but I don't always want or need a touring function, so if I could get the movable AFD, with a lower stack height for an Alpine binding, it would be awesome.