Sure, you could stick with a traditional cable telemark binding. Heck, you could probably still find a three-pin setup somewhere out there. But why quit there? Why not just get a leather strap to tie your boots to your boards and sit on your ski pole when you want to stop? You don’t, because there’s really no such thing as a “purist” when it comes to teleskiing.
The modern age of telemark skiing – just like the modern age of alpine skiing – is about driving wide boards down the fall line hard and fast in all conditions. And that’s exactly why the durable Black Diamond O2 bindings were invented. With three compression-spring cartridges ranging from “FreeFlex” on up to the Mac Daddy “Ridiculously Stiff” tension levels, there is a binding design for all weights, levels and styles of skiers out there. But the big difference separating the O2 (MSRP: $190) from the other cables on the market is in its easy-entry underfoot cable routing, designed to keep the ball of your foot on the ski and provide progressively stiffer flex and power when you step on the gas. A torsion-controlling solid-wire heel yoke and one-piece (as in no rivets to break) stainless steel toe plate help lock in the appropriate boot angle without impacting the consistent, progressive flex that teleskiers have come to expect from an active cable binding. All the sturdy O2 does is increase performance.
Get it — Available at most specialty ski shops or on the Web at http://www.bdel.com/gear/o2.php.
