Following is proof of concept and presented as an idea, by no means is WildSnow recommending anything of this sort for ski touring.
Radical 3.0 Frankenbinder in front, Radical 1.0 in rear.
I jest about 3.0, nothing ‘official’ happening with combining Radical bindings models. At least nothing I know of. Concept here is the Radical 2.0 heel is proving to be a durable unit with good release components and a beefier brake. While the rotating Radical 2.0 toe does compensate for boot/binding toe pin incompatibilities, some folks simply do not like it (it weighs more, can be hard to get into, and can not be toured unlocked). You know who you are. Add that to the fact that a number of Radical 1.0 toes are floating around the universe due to heel unit breakage. Logical conclusion, perhaps combine a Radical 2.0 heel with 1.0 toe. So for the sake of science, it is done. Observations:
1. On the bench, using 2.0 heel with 1.0 toe results in exact same release action as using a 1.0 heel with 1.0 toe (though the release setting numbers will be off, see below). On the other hand, without the rotating toe, watch out for boot toe and ski touring binding interface that catches or otherwise lacks smooth lateral release. In my view that’s the whole point of the rotating toe.
2. Radical 2.0 is <> 1 mm taller at the heel (it looks taller than that), so additional ramp is not an issue.
3. Rotating toe provides no release resistance so 2.0 heel lateral release spring needs to be strong and release value settings are off when 2.0 heel used with 1.0 toe. I attempted to measure how much difference there is in the bindings when set to the same number. My methods were not precise, but I could see and feel an obvious difference. For example, with both binding heels set to release value 5, it is harder to twist the Radical 2.0 heel. In other words, if you normally backcountry ski at RV 10 and combine the 2.0 with 1.0 toe, you would want to experiment with setting lateral release perhaps several numbers lower then refine with testing. Self test on the bench and on the carpet — and perhaps on a release check machine. Vertical release is virtually the same for either binding.
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
