Touring Bindings & the New G3 Zed (Ep.16)

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G3 (aka, Genuine Guide Gear) is introducing a new touring binding — the Zed — that they’re calling the lightest fully-featured AT binding on the market:

G3 Zed Binding, Gear:30 Podcast
G3 Zed Binding

So we talk to G3’s Cam Shute (director of product), Simon Hammond (binding engineer), and Mike Coletti (product development engineer for skis & bindings) about their design philosophy and development process, current trends in AT bindings, and the compromises inherent in any AT binding.

TOPICS & TIMES:

  • Introductions (2:15)
  • When did work begin on this binding, and what was the primary aim? (4:55)
  • The “Dark Swamp of Despair” (8:03)
  • The difficulty of naming products (11:09)
  • The G3 ION as the precursor to the ZED (12:37)
  • Cutting weight on the ZED (17:14)
  • Why choose the ION over the ZED? (26:03)
  • Why choose the Zed over “ultralight” bindings (29:07)
  • Using ultralight bindings on wide skis (30:19)
  • Carbon reinforced plastics (33:51)
  • Current binding trends and U-Spring bindings (37:15)
  • Understanding the inherent compromises in bindings (44:55)


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3 comments on “Touring Bindings & the New G3 Zed (Ep.16)”

  2. @Naum, did you listen to the podcast? I’d be willing to bet that ATK, although rad, will not stand up to the same degree of use as a ZED. That is an amazing weight with separate heel pins AND brake, no doubt about that.

    And JE, I want to subscribe but have issue with an aspect of your operation that I’d love to discuss if you care to email. I’ve emailed you in past but figure you getting thousands of emails a day might limit your ability to reply

    45:33 on is awesome. No way you could hold back the F bomb because really, you are right, it is so effing effed up that lightweight skis are marketed like they are and have pretty much taken over almost complete product lines from some makers.

    I love the podcasts and especially liked this one, maybe because G3 is local, but more over that I thought these guys did a great job speaking to their product and the passion and integrity was so evident. The ION was/is a great product. Looking forward to getting on a pair of the ZEDs. Great name too.

  3. “50 step ins can wear and drastically change the RV on high RV u-pin bindings/boots” what is the source/data for this claim? I read all of Jeff Campbell’s published papers and he doesn’t discuss this!

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