![]() For basically no additional weight, the rubber absorbs a lot of the vibration at higher speeds. The details Black Diamond adds its usual special sauce to the core: a rubber layer. “It’s the ski I want when I’m faced with a tight situation, on cruddy snow, or stuck on ice,” our tester says. The recipe makes the Helio Recon extremely predictable, stable, and affordable. Instead, it uses fiberglass, more like a conventional resort ski. A bit on the heavier side (compared to other skis here), it has a poplar wood core and no carbon. Aside from this, ATK, an Italian-based company known for making parts for Ferrari, absolutely nailed these bindings and then allowed Black Diamond to throw their brand on it.Our take “This is my can’t-fall ski,” proclaimed one tester of the new Helio Recon. The price would be the only deterrent if someone is on a budget and wants to start with a cheaper setup. They are solid on the up and downhill, extremely durable, and have great release technology. Overall, I have found it incredibly difficult to find anything I don’t like about these bindings. The Dynafit 12s were another binding I considered coming in at $650, yet, once again, I was a little worried about the plastic exterior compared to the Helio’s stainless steel design. So if the $100 can spare me another two seasons, it would absolutely be worth it. The Fritschi Vipec 12 was another option I considered at $599, yet I (correctly) decided the Helio 350 would likely last longer. With a $699 price tag, these certainly are not cheap bindings. I was pretty fearful yet thankful I could rely on these bindings to get me through safely. This required us to take two raps on extremely icy terrain into the couloir and make pretty sketchy jump turns throughout the day. ![]() I had the pleasure of skiing the NW couloir of the Pfiefferhorn in the Wasatch Mountains. Just burly enough to control my skis and have never doubted their ability to get me through tough terrain. I love how solid these provide on the downhill. They are strikingly similar bindings, with the ATK RT having a release rating of 8 instead of 12, which as a smaller guy, suits me just fine. For instance, I demoed some ATK RT 8 bindings (weighing in at 260 grams) and felt they performed downhill just as well as the Helio 350s (weighing in at 350 grams). However, I believe someone can get similar downhill quality with a bit less weight.
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