I had a pair of the original Griffon bindings - and used them on a heli-ski trip. It was a nightmare getting into the bindings in deep soft snow. I actually had to have assistance from the guides almost every time we got out of the chopper. These are the next generation Griffons, which came as a package with some new skis I bought. I read that the heel mechanism was redesigned to make them easier to get into in soft snow - which alone tells me Marker knew they had a problem to fix. They are definitely easier than the originals, but still harder to get into then the Salomon Wardens I have on my other skis. I don't have any other complaints about the bindings, but evaluating bindings is pretty simple - do they hold without pre-releasing, and do they release when they ... MoreI had a pair of the original Griffon bindings - and used them on a heli-ski trip. It was a nightmare getting into the bindings in deep soft snow. I actually had to have assistance from the guides almost every time we got out of the chopper. These are the next generation Griffons, which came as a package with some new skis I bought. I read that the heel mechanism was redesigned to make them easier to get into in soft snow - which alone tells me Marker knew they had a problem to fix. They are definitely easier than the originals, but still harder to get into then the Salomon Wardens I have on my other skis. I don't have any other complaints about the bindings, but evaluating bindings is pretty simple - do they hold without pre-releasing, and do they release when they should release. These do all that, but the step in issue is just dumb. I don't see the advantage of these over my Salomons when you factor in the ease of stepping into the Salomons. I would swap them out if I used the skis more than I do.

I’m not sure what makes a great binding. Mostly I want safety, durability and ease of use. Fortunately I do not fall often. But the binding has always worked to prevent injury when I do. At 73 my bones and joints are susceptible to injury. Fortunately, none has occurred with the Marker Griffon As for ease of use the binding has always been easy to get in and out of while standing upright.

This is the 3rd time that I have purchased the Marker Griffon 13D bindings for my skis. They have always been very reliable and I have never had any sudden unexpected binding releases. They also come at a great value. My kids (son and daughter) also have these bindings on their skis. I highly recommend these bindings.