Open main menu

Marker Griffon 13

rated 4.0 of 5 stars
photo: Marker Griffon 13 alpine touring binding

Pretty horrible option for the price. Not durable, low elasticity, very high stack. Plastic. A beginner would like this binding.

Pros

  • It is a binding
  • Short toe piece keeps the ski flex around the toe area somewhat natural (although it is still too high off the ski).
  • Screws are fairly far apart so you don't pull the binding out of the ski easily.

Cons

  • Low elasticity
  • Stack
  • Weight
  • Plastic

I am not really sure why you would ever consider buying this binding.

1st, for a 12 DIN binding the elasticity of the spring is very low, which means they pre-release way too often.

2nd, the binding is mostly of plastic construction, which means that it will not hold up very well over the course of its somewhat shortened lifetime.

3rd it is a bulky binding that raises you too high off the ski which causes you to loose the "feel" of the ski. The 16 DIN Jester is a slightly better binding, but if you are going to spend money on these, just buy the Rossignol FKS 14, it is much much much much better.

This binding literally does not compare to the Rossignol FKS 14 or Look Pivot 140 bindings...in fact, I would still prefer about 10 other bindings to this one. That is not to say that this binding is horrible, it is adequate for the job, but I would hate to spend $229.99 on a binding that lacks some of the key features I love in those aforementioned fixations. 

What don't I like about this binding? 

  1. How high it sits off of the ski 
  2. How long the rear base plate is 
  3. No height adjustment on the toe (which isn't necessary with all bindings, but this one has such a large natural gap that it is a problem, especially with Dalbello boots) 
  4. They claim it is the widest binding out there, it might have the widest plastic under the binding, but it does not have the widest hole pattern...which is what is actually important.. 
  5. Binding elasticity is horrible...yeah, it might be the quickest to release binding in the world, which some people, especially novice skiers, would equate with safety. But when you are skiing big lines or skiing in the park, it actually is common for a release to cause more injury than good. A binding that does not hold you in well gives you very little time to recover, which can put you in some very dangerous predicaments. 
  6. No pivot feature makes the release feel less natural 
  7. Toe piece has too many parts. 
  8. Too much plastic 


What I do like about the binding. 

  1. It is a binding. 
  2. Short toe piece keeps the ski flex around the toe area somewhat natural (although it is still too high off the ski). 
  3. Screws are fairly far apart so you don't pull the binding out of the ski easily. 


All in all, don't believe the hype...just get Pivot/FKS bindings and be done with it!

Source: tested or reviewed it for the manufacturer (Return)

Great overall binding. Good range of DIN, price to performance, light-ish for an alpine binding, and looks good. Suffers from an imprecise feel, and creaking with soft snow wedged in the binding.

Pros

  • easy to work on
  • hassle free, and simple to operate
  • great overall performance

Cons

  • loud to ski in
  • imprecise in soft snow
  • DIN range is a little low for the aggressive skier

I mounted my 2018 pair on a set of K2 Marksmen, to use in various B.C. resorts. I used them for three seasons, before buying a new pair of 2021's to mount on some Blizzard Rustler 11's. Both times I've used a pair of Lange RS 130 with them, in 29.5.

I've skied 200 days total, doing everything in the resort, from terrain park to slack country hiking. They've held up to the abuse really well, with little wear and no failures.

The main downside is when you start to ski through binding and boot deep powder. It gets stuck under the binding, and you can feel your boot shifting around. You can also hear a loud creak at this point. Something else that bothers me is that you get a small clicking sound, every 5-10 minutes from them, usually after getting in to them while they are warm, e.g. after getting out of the car, they are loud before they cool down to snow temp.

Background

skied a 2018 model for three seasons, and the 2021 for half a season.

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: 20% off retail

I have these binding on my Volkl Mantras and I've also read many reviews that these are excellent!

Pros

  • Quality by Marker

Cons

  • Not for the bigger aggressive skier

Will write more later, but I needed to put up something. Don't take my word, do research: these are some of the BEST out there!

For a guy 165 lbs the max DIN is not an issue. If you're a bigger person buy a higher DIN bindin; don't put this one down! 

Your Review

Where to Buy

Help support this site by making your next gear purchase through one of the links above. Click a link, buy what you need, and the seller will contribute a portion of the purchase price to support Trailspace's independent gear reviews.

You May Like

Specs

Price Current Retail: $53.95-$270.00
Historic Range: $12.00-$289.99
Weight 1030 g
Din/ISO Range 4.0 - 13.0
Recom. Skier's Weight <120 kg
Stand height w/o ski 24 mm
Toe System Triple Pivot Elite 3
Step-in Heel Inter Pivot 3
Category Freeride Freestyle
Brake width 90 mm, 100 mm, 110 mm, 120 mm
Boot type Adult, standard Alpine, GripWalk Adult, Touring Boots
AFD Gliding Plate Stainless steel
Heel adjustment range 20 mm
Product Details from Marker »

Recently on Trailspace

Nalgene 32oz Wide Mouth Ultralite HDPE Bottle Review