Bindings for Nordica Enforcer 93 (2018)

[Friolator]

Got a pair of these skis for my birthday but I need bindings. What should I get?

Almost exclusively east coast - mostly groomers except for the rare powder day. I'm 5'9 about 195lbs, expert. Not interested in bumps, don't really go into the trees. It's unlikely I'll be taking them out west any time soon -- we have a 3 year old and we're going to wait a bit to take him there.

I've read mixed reviews of the Marker Griffon on this ski, since the narrowest model that will fit is a 110mm, and the skis are a fair bit narrower than that. Some (like the staff at REI's web site), don't recommend the Griffon 110 at all for the Enforcer 93 due to the width differential.

 

[Philpug]

Got a pair of these skis for my birthday but I need bindings. What should I get?

Almost exclusively east coast - mostly groomers except for the rare powder day. I'm 5'9 about 195lbs, expert. Not interested in bumps, don't really go into the trees. It's unlikely I'll be taking them out west any time soon -- we have a 3 year old and we're going to wait a bit to take him there.

I've read mixed reviews of the Marker Griffon on this ski, since the narrowest model that will fit is a 110mm, and the skis are a fair bit narrower than that. Some (like the staff at REI's web site), don't recommend the Griffon 110 at all for the Enforcer 93 due to the width differential.

Welcome to the site. Well, you are getting some incomplete information from the "staff" at REI, I am guessing they are still working in the sleeping bag department and haven't transferred to skis yet and only are allowed to regurgitate what they will be stocking. The Griffon is available in a 90mm brake which would work fine for the 93mm Enforcer. The Griffon will be a fine binding. I will say all the vast majority of the 12 or 13 bindings will be acceptable, the Griffon, Tyrolia Attack 12/13/14, Look SPX12 or Pivot12/14 and the Salomon Sth2 13 or Warden 13. All will perform equally and you will hard pressed to tell the difference when skiing them. I will say, since you will be out with a 3 year old, and you might be getting in and out of the binding fairly often, the heels of the Tyrolia and Salomons will be the easiest and quickest in snap decision moments.

I will add, don't shortcut on a binding, with a three year old, you problably get the best tires you can afford for you car, the binding decision can be viewed similarly. Some shops will try to save you money by offering lower level bindings telling you that you will be well within their setting range..don't fall for it. Spend the extra $20-50 and get the better binding, it will be money well spent in the long run.

 

[Core2]

My one complaint with the Griffons is getting out of them. My pole slides out of the little press point when I release them and knicks the top sheets. I have about 30 little dents in the top sheets due to this. Skiing performance has been fine though.

 

[Friolator]

Thanks. Our plan for the kid is primarily to put him in a day program until he's steady enough to go out with us. We're starting him for the first time this year, but I don't see us doing a lot of skiing together until next year. That being said, I try to shoot up to Loon mtn mid-week when I can swing a day off from work, to ski alone. The bulk of my skiing is this way. While we do travel to VT a fair bit to stay with family and ski a day here and there, most of it is solo for me.

So the Griffon 90 is wide enough to clear the ski's 93 waist? I was under the impression that you couldn't do that without modifying the binding.

That's good to know about the top sheets. These are nice looking skis. I'll have to be extra careful with them if I get the Markers!

 

[KevinF]

Any good shop can just bend the brake arms to clear the ski. They only need to bend them about 2mm. Should be routine for any shop.

 

[Tytlynz64]

I went with the Salomon Sth2 in 90mm width for my E93s, they work great. Easy to get out of and more importantly, fairly easy to get back into in deeper snow.

 

[dlague]

Seems like everything is already covered here. Bears repeating - you can get away with narrower brakes as they can be bent wider. My wife's skis and my son's wer both 2mm too narrow and were bend when mounted. I like the Look SPX12 bindings which is what I have and they are easy to pop off - just step on them. I just got the Salomon Z12s but were part of the demo ski I bought. Z12's are not bad bindings and are priced pretty good.

 

[Philpug]

Seems like everything is already covered here. Bears repeating - you can get away with narrower brakes as they can be bent wider. My wife's skis and my son's wer both 2mm too narrow and were bend when mounted. I like the Look SPX12 bindings which is what I have and they are easy to pop off - just step on them. I just got the Salomon Z12s but were part of the demo ski I bought. Z12's are not bad bindings and are priced pretty good.

This is why I said above...

I will say all the vast majority of the 12 or 13 bindings will be acceptable,

Z12's fall in the minority of the 4-12 bindings I would recommend. the heel it just not substantial enough to hold up on a ski any wider than maybe 80mm underfoot especially for an adult. While they might be priced pretty good, they are not good for the OP's application.

 

[Ken_R]

One thing is the binding and another is the brake width. A binding with a brake width of 90-100mm should work fine on your Enforcer 93's. Regarding which specific binding make and model to choose its mostly a matter of preference (looks and feel) as long as its a Din12-13 binding or higher. I really like the Marker Griffons for their secure feel but yes, they are firm to step in to (which I like, but others hate). Phil's comments are spot on.

 

[KingGrump]

This is why I said above...

Z12's fall in the minority of the 4-12 bindings I would recommend. the heel it just not substantial enough to hold up on a ski any wider than maybe 80mm underfoot especially for an adult. While they might be priced pretty good, they are not good for the OP's application.

Second the sentiment on the Z10/Z12 line. Mamie had a heel track failure in one of the chutes at Snowbird. Not a pleasant experience. We subsequently examined five other pairs of Z10/Z12 we had in our extended family. All of them exhibited cracks in the heel track. We removed all of them and switched to wither Griffons or Attacks.

 

[dlague]

This is why I said above...

Z12's fall in the minority of the 4-12 bindings I would recommend. the heel it just not substantial enough to hold up on a ski any wider than maybe 80mm underfoot especially for an adult. While they might be priced pretty good, they are not good for the OP's application.

I am in trouble apparently since the demo skis (122 underfoot) have Z12s and I am 6ft and 200 lbs. I have had them in the past on Rossi Phantom SC87 with a 90 mm brake and they worked out fine for 4 years. This winter will tell the story I guess.

 

[KingGrump]

I am in trouble apparently since the demo skis (122 underfoot) have Z12s and I am 6ft and 200 lbs. I have had them in the past on Rossi Phantom SC87 with a 90 mm brake and they worked out fine for 4 years. This winter will tell the story I guess.

If you remove the heel unit and examine the area around the front set of mounting holes. You can determine whether failure is imminent. Look for a faint crack across the track around the front set of mounting holes.

This image is from a TGR thread.

 

[Brian Finch]

I too am an East coaster & I like the STH2 13/16 for this sort of ski. The design is classic & the rubber base layer in the lifter takes some of the 'punch' out of the snow when the surface is firm.

Only downside is that they seem harder to find on sale for some reason.

Perhaps @Philpug has some insight into this & where to get best deals.

 

[Philpug]

As @KingGrump points out, the metal track is known to break but the rear screws prone to pull away from the metal allowing the binding to loose lateral strength.

Again this is more prevalent on wider skis, you would expect the ski to be up at say a 45* angle while edging but that downward force will flex the binding changing the edge angle from the 45* to 50*..55* or more. I did a comparison a few years back with Salomon 912 (which has the same heel as the Z12) on one ski and a 997E (which is an all metal version that looks similar) and there was a huge performance difference.

Again...bindings are NOT where you short cut and not all 4-12 bindings are created equal. There is a reason they make better bindings.

 

[KingGrump]

It might appears that I exhibited a disproportionate dislike for the Z10/Z12 line. I do have good reasons.
I keep my equipment in good shape and inspect them often. It is the only binding that experienced a catastrophic failure while skiing. Not a good thing.

A pic of Mamie's ski at Snowbird after the binding failure.

 

[Friolator]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm partial to the Markers mostly because that's what I've had pretty much since I started skiing in the 80s. I've got a call in to the tech at a shop I've used in Vermont where my parents live, who I've used forever for this kind of thing. If they're willing to bend the brakes on the Griffon 90s, then I'll drop them off this weekend when I'm up there. If not, I'm wondering if any of you can recommend a shop either in the Boston area or in Southern VT?

Most of the shops around Boston I find are really backed up this time of year and charge a lot of money, so preference goes to the Brattleboro/Southern VT region, where things tend to be more reasonable.

Thanks!

 

[Philpug]

Any shop worth their salt should have 90mm brakes for a Royal binding. If not, turn around and walk out.

 

[AmyPJ]

Good reason to keep an eye on my Z12s, I guess