{"id":41959,"date":"2018-12-27T08:36:39","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T16:36:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=41959"},"modified":"2020-05-22T13:05:03","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T20:05:03","slug":"tested-the-salomon-s-lab-shift-mnc-binding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/tested-the-salomon-s-lab-shift-mnc-binding","title":{"rendered":"Tested: The Salomon S\/Lab Shift MNC Binding"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"cb-itemprop\" itemprop=\"reviewBody\"><p><em>Editor\u2019s note on February 11, 2019: Due to the popularity of the Salomon S\/Lab Shift MNC binding, inventory levels may vary. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pro skier Cody Townsend and I are gearing up to climb Jake\u2019s Peak, a popular backcountry ski route on Lake Tahoe\u2019s West Shore. Conditions are ideal\u2014fresh snow fell across the Sierra a few days earlier and the north-facing trees off Jake\u2019s should be holding light, cold snow. But first, I\u2019ve got to learn how to use my bindings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m here to test Salomon\u2019s new and much-anticipated<\/span><a href=\"\/product\/140950\/salomon-slab-shift-mnc-ski-bindings\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">S\/Lab Shift MNC Binding<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which has been flying off store shelves since it was stocked this fall. Everyone in the ski industry has been talking about the Shift since it<\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/snowsports\/first-look-7-cool-pieces-of-snowsports-gear-due-out-next-winter\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">debuted<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at last year\u2019s Winter Outdoor Retailer show. We took a<\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/news\/salomon-offers-sneak-peek-at-new-game-changing-slab-shift-binding\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">first look<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the binding last year, but I\u2019d never had a chance to ski it\u2014until now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Overview<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pros<\/strong>: Free pivot mode makes touring uphill easy; sturdy, lightweight materials give it a trustworthy downhill performance without excessive heft and bulk; can be used with nearly all types of ski boots.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cons<\/strong>: Not as lightweight as other tech bindings; could use a third climbing bar height for extra steep skin tracks.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Best for<\/strong>: Skiers who split their time between the resort and the backcountry. If you&#8217;re riding inbounds most of the time with an occasional short to medium-distance backcountry tour, you no longer need separate skis for all of those outings.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Price<\/strong>:\u00a0$549.95<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div id=\"attachment_41961\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41961\" class=\"wp-image-41961 size-article_body\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/Shift-9424.jpg?resize=1024%2C683\" alt=\"Cody Townsend eyes the new binding on his truck.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-41961\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cody Townsend gives the author a rundown on how the new Salomon Shift binding works.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Uphill performance<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Townsend, a Salomon athlete who helped test and develop this binding over the last seven years, gives me the rundown on how to use it.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, he says, flick the switch on the toe piece into hike mode (it\u2019s well marked and easy to flip), then lock down the brakes on the heel piece (also easy, even with gloves on). Lastly, step the toe of your boot into the toe piece and lift the lock to secure for the uphill. Done. Now I\u2019m ready to start skinning.\u00a0<\/span>I wore alpine touring boots, but the MNC in the Shift\u2019s name stands for Multi-Norm Certified, which means, if you\u2019re skiing downhill at a resort in this binding, you can also use standard alpine ski boots.<\/p>\n<h3>Weight<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At a weight of 1,730 grams per pair, the Shift isn\u2019t the lightest touring binding on the market (it\u2019s twice the weight of some of <a href=\"\/b\/dynafit\">Dynafit\u2019s<\/a> most lightweight tech binding and about 200 grams heavier than the popular <a href=\"\/product\/140928\/marker-kingpin-13-ski-bindings-20182019\">Marker Kingpin 13<\/a>), but it\u2019s certainly not the heaviest either. As soon as I started uphill, I noticed how swift and light the whole rig felt, just like my lighter tech bindings. Thanks to the Shift\u2019s smartly designed pivot point, your heel can<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> lift the full 90 degrees, which makes kick-turning and skinning feel like a breeze (even when it isn\u2019t).<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Climbing bar<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the skin track got steep, I flicked up the climbing bar\u2014<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a heel riser on the Shift offers two- and 10-degree ramp angles\u2014easily with a tap of my ski pole. \u201cSome people wanted a third, higher level of the climbing bar for when the skin track gets really steep,\u201d Townsend tells me on the way uphill. \u201cBut that would have added more weight. And besides, we shouldn\u2019t be setting our skin tracks so steep.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_41962\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41962\" class=\"wp-image-41962 size-article_body\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/Shift-9459.jpg?resize=1024%2C612\" alt=\"Cody Townsend easily climbs uphill on the new binding.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"612\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-41962\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The binding&#8217;s 90-degree pivot makes them feel lighter than they are while climbing uphill.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Innovation behind the Shift<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The idea for the Shift was born on a houseboat on Arizona\u2019s Lake Powell in 2012. Salomon\u2019s ski athletes, product managers and engineers had gathered for a team meeting. In between rock climbing and waterskiing, they discussed the future of Salomon\u2019s ski products. \u201cIt was the single most productive meeting we\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Townsend said. \u201cMost of the products you see in our line now were discussed and visualized there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">On the last day of the trip, as they were motoring back to the docks, one of the binding engineers asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s next in bindings?\u201d The company was about to release the<\/span><a href=\"\/product\/891550\/salomon-t-guardian-mnc-13-alpine-touring-ski-bindings?CAWELAID=120217890000891285&amp;CAGPSPN=pla&amp;CAAGID=16033162000&amp;CATCI=aud-54816614184:pla-374281912200&amp;cm_mmc=PLA_Google%7C404_106081%7C8915500001%7Cnone%7C8efa7e25-45f9-4\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Salomon T Guardian MNC alpine touring binding<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which could tour uphill and ski downhill like an alpine binding but wasn\u2019t exactly lightweight like a tech binding. Townsend and fellow Salomon athlete Chris Rubens had already discussed their vision for the binding of the future. \u201cWe were like, \u2018We want an alpine binding that tours like a pin binding, one that has a better pivot point so you\u2019re not lifting up a big frame,\u2019\u201d Townsend said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Two years later, engineers at Salomon\u2019s Annecy, France, headquarters had developed a prototype. It had promise but was barely skiable. Then, in 2014, Salomon hired a French engineer named Benoit Sublet and tasked him to lead the binding project. Sublet, a downhill mountain bike racer, had been working for a company that builds mountain bikes for people with disabilities before he joined Salomon.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Within two years, Sublet built the blueprint for the Shift binding we see today. With performance feedback from Salomon\u2019s athletes, who were testing the binding on snow, Sublet made subtle tweaks, fine-tuning everything from mount points to ramp angle. But it still lacked the downhill performance the athletes were looking for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe biggest challenge on the S\/Lab Shift binding was to make the breakthrough concept of the toe with the two-in-one mode\u2014touring uphill and alpine downhill\u2014with lightness,\u201d Sublet said. \u201cIt required a lot of prototype iterations, many new molds and double our development lead time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_41964\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41964\" class=\"wp-image-41964 size-article_body\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/Content_Team_072018_0076.jpg?resize=1024%2C683\" alt=\"A tester switches the binding from ski mode to hike mode.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-41964\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Switching the Shift between ski and hike mode is easy\u2014even with gloves on.<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Then, in 2017, Sublet heard of a carbon composite plastic that Ferrari was using in its cars. He got ahold of the plastic and used that to build the entire binding. \u201cThat was the magic bullet,\u201d Townsend said. \u201cIt was like the whole characteristics of the binding changed. It was stronger, stiffer, had absolutely no play. Right off the bat, we were like, this skis like an alpine binding. It was a night and day difference in downhill performance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, it took seven years of development, 20 different prototypes and more than 50 molds to build the Shift binding, making it the costliest product to date and the longest product development from concept to market in Salomon\u2019s history, according to Chris McKearin, Salomon\u2019s United States alpine commercial manager.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McKearin told me they expected the Shift to do well when it launched in fall 2018\u2014Salomon manufactured considerably more than a typical binding order based on initial retailer feedback, preseason purchase orders and forecasted reorders\u2014but even then, they couldn\u2019t have anticipated the hefty demand for this sought-after binding. \u201cThe strong start to the winter in the West and the strength of the early adopters has led the S\/Lab Shift MNC 13 to exceed expectations,\u201d McKearin said.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_41967\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-41967\" class=\"wp-image-41967 size-article_body\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/Shift_Product04.jpg?resize=1024%2C682\" alt=\"The binding can easily be switched between ski and hike mode with gloves on.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-41967\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">It took seven years and 20 different prototypes to build the Shift binding.<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>Transitions<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eventually, Townsend and I reached the top of Jake\u2019s Peak, climbing above the milky cloud layer into a stunning, clear blue day. We stopped to admire the view of Lake Tahoe, eat a snack and change out our gear for the descent. To switch into ski mode on the binding was a snap: Unlock the brakes on the heel piece, then pull the wings on the toe piece together, switching into a well-marked ski mode, and the pins magically disappeared. Suddenly, it looked just like any alpine binding you\u2019d ski at the resort. With a DIN range of 6 to 13, any hardy skier can push it on the descent on this binding.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis binding is meant to be beat up on the hill. It\u2019s meant to ski the resort,\u201d Townsend said. \u201cI filmed all last winter on these bindings, sending 50-foot cliffs with full confidence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Downhill performance<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I wasn\u2019t planning on launching any cliffs on the way down, but I did open up my turns on the descent, pushing the bindings to full speed and not feeling any sense of weakness or movement. A few days later, I spent an entire day skiing the Shift at my local ski area, lapping high-speed runs from top to bottom without hesitation. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>The consensus<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The S\/Lab Shift delivered a light, free pivot mode on the uphill, but it was the downhill where it truly shined, offering a confidence and stability rarely found in a touring binding.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Technical specs<\/h2>\n<table class=\"table-striped product-specs-table\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"specs-name\">Best Use<\/th>\n<td class=\"specs-value\">\n<div>Backcountry Skiing<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"specs-name\">Boot Compatibility<\/th>\n<td class=\"specs-value\">\n<div>Downhill, Tech<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"specs-name\">Lowest DIN<\/th>\n<td class=\"specs-value\">\n<div>6<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"specs-name\">Highest DIN<\/th>\n<td class=\"specs-value\">\n<div>13<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"specs-name\">Adjustment Range<\/th>\n<td class=\"specs-value\">\n<div>30 millimeters<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"specs-name\">Brake Width (mm)<\/th>\n<td class=\"specs-value\">\n<div>90 MM: 90 millimeters<\/div>\n<div>100 MM: 100 millimeters<\/div>\n<div>110 MM: 110 millimeters<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"specs-name\">Heel Lift<\/th>\n<td class=\"specs-value\">\n<div>Yes<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th class=\"specs-name\">Weight (Pair)<\/th>\n<td class=\"specs-value\">\n<div>1700 grams<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"cb-button cb-grey cb-normal cb-none\"><a href=\"\/product\/140950\/salomon-slab-shift-mnc-ski-bindings\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"follow\">Shop Salomon S\/Lab Shift MNC Ski Binding<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" role=\"presentation\"><path d=\"M16 12a.997.997 0 0 0-.288-.702l-5.005-5.005a1 1 0 0 0-1.414 1.414L13.585 12 9.29 16.295a1 1 0 0 0 1.417 1.412l4.98-4.98A.997.997 0 0 0 16 12z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Editor\u2019s note on February 11, 2019: Due to the popularity of the Salomon S\/Lab Shift MNC binding, inventory levels may vary. \u00a0 Pro skier Cody Townsend and I are gearing up to climb Jake\u2019s Peak, a popular backcountry ski route on Lake Tahoe\u2019s West Shore. Conditions are ideal\u2014fresh snow fell across the Sierra a few [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":41960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[724,277,1538,364],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-41959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-snowsports","tag-gear","tag-gear-review","tag-new-products","tag-snowsports"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/tested-the-salomon-s-lab-shift-mnc-binding","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Tested: The Salomon S\/Lab Shift MNC Binding","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/tested-the-salomon-s-lab-shift-mnc-binding","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/snowsports\/tested-the-salomon-s-lab-shift-mnc-binding"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/Content_Team_072018_0130.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/Content_Team_072018_0130.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Snowsports","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["gear","gear reviews","new products","snowsports"],"dateCreated":"2018-12-27T16:36:39Z","datePublished":"2018-12-27T16:36:39Z","dateModified":"2020-05-22T20:05:03Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Tested: The Salomon S\\\/Lab Shift MNC Binding\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/snowsports\\\/tested-the-salomon-s-lab-shift-mnc-binding\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/snowsports\\\/tested-the-salomon-s-lab-shift-mnc-binding\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/Content_Team_072018_0130.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2018\\\/12\\\/Content_Team_072018_0130.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000\"},\"articleSection\":\"Snowsports\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Michelle Flandreau\"}],\"creator\":[\"Michelle Flandreau\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"gear\",\"gear reviews\",\"new products\",\"snowsports\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2018-12-27T16:36:39Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-12-27T16:36:39Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-05-22T20:05:03Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/12\/Content_Team_072018_0130.jpg?fit=1500%2C1000","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41959"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43889,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41959\/revisions\/43889"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41959"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=41959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}