Pin Bindings that Ski Like an Alpine Binding

Meet the AlpenFlow 89: The pin binding that rides like an alpine binding and transitions like a skimo-binding.

We shouldn’t have to choose between uphill efficiency and downhill performance, but unfortunately, backcountry skiers have been forced to compromise for years. Hybrid bindings offer more confidence on the descent, but they’re often heavy, clunky, and require awkward transitions that sometimes mean taking off your skis. And who hasn’t had their brakes drop mid-tour and kill the vibe? On the flip side, pin bindings are lightweight and efficient on the climb, but they can feel sketchy when it’s time to send the line you just worked hours to earn.

The AlpenFlow 89 was built to change that.

Our goal was simple but ambitious: create a binding that tours like a skimo setup but skis like a full alpine binding. What we didn’t realize at the start—five years ago—was just how tough that challenge would be. After years of development, iteration, and testing, we landed on a unique architecture: a pin toe paired with an alpine heel.

The pin toe gives us a lightweight, efficient touring platform, and a simple, intuitive interface that lets you transition without removing your skis—an absolute must-have in our minds. Our pin toe is like no other, and will deal with the chatter and big drops without pre-release.

The alpine heel delivers the downhill performance through a powerful clamping force, providing torsional stiffness and precise edge control. The heel latch also gives generous elasticity for energy absorption and confidence in variable terrain.

We believe these are the foundational ingredients needed to finally bring together true alpine performance and skimo-worthy efficiency in a single binding.

Downhill Confidence

So, how does the AlpenFlow 89 ski downhill like an alpine binding? Well, here are the features we included in our design to make that happen.

What Stiffness Provides for the Skier

We all know that good ski control starts with stiff boots—but that stiffness is only effective if it’s carried through the entire system, especially at the boot-to-ski connection. That’s the job of the binding. We chose to incorporate an alpine-style heel piece into our design because we wanted to ensure that every bit of energy you put into your boot is transferred directly into driving your skis.

Achieving this requires excellent torsional stiffness. Traditional low-tech heel pieces often fall short in this area because the heel floats above the ski, and the heel pins only engage a small area of the boot lug. In contrast, an alpine heel cups more of the boot and connects closer to the outer edges, offering much better leverage and stability. It’s like comparing a narrow stance to a wide stance when someone pushes on you—you’re far more stable with a wider base. It is the same idea here: a wider, more supportive heel interface improves torsional stiffness and translates to more stable and better ski control.

In addition, our binding is CNC machined from aluminum, which offers not only better durability than plastic, but also exceptional stiffness without significant weight penalty. This material choice helps maximize performance while keeping the binding light enough for touring.

What We Mean by Retention?

When we say ski binding "retention," we simply mean how securely a binding holds onto your boot—until it's time to let go. There are two main approaches in the industry for both toe and heel retention. On the heel side, we’ve already discussed the difference between a traditional alpine heel cup and the tech-style heel that uses pins.

For toe retention, the two common systems are:

Alpine toe: Uses wings to clamp onto the boot’s toe lug.
Tech toe: Uses a pin interface, originally pioneered by Dynafit, that clamps into specialized inserts in the boot.

We chose the tech toe system for its clear advantages while touring—lighter weight, better stride mechanics, and simpler transitions. However, tech toes have known shortcomings compared to alpine toes, especially for aggressive skiing.

The Problem with Traditional Tech Toes

There are two main issues when charging hard on a traditional tech toe:

Loss of stiffness: Under torque, the pin connection can quickly lose its solid feel.
Insufficient preload: The spring force in most tech toe arms isn’t enough to keep the connection tight during aggressive skiing.

How the AlpenFlow 89 Solves This

The AlpenFlow 89 uses a patent-pending retention system that directly addresses these issues. Our toe piece is designed to maintain a ridged, consistent connection between boot and binding, even under high loads and movement.

Here’s how it works:

The binding has an upper stage that rotates with the boot, allowing it to absorb energy throughout the entire release path—enhancing skiing performance.
The toe arms are mechanically locked and cannot open prematurely. Release is only possible once the upper stage has rotated to a specific position. At that point, the boot can twist out in a controlled, smooth motion.

Figure 1. Cutaway view showing the blocker safeguarding against pre-release.

This mechanism works similarly to a clip-in bike pedals. When you're clipped in, you're solidly attached to the pedal. But twist your foot far enough, and you release cleanly. The AlpenFlow 89 behaves the same way—firm retention when you need it, and a reliable release when you do.

A Familiar Feel with Modern Tech

This retention system lets the alpine-style heel control release forces, delivering the kind of downhill confidence you'd expect from a traditional alpine setup. In fact, the architecture is reminiscent of the Look Pivot binding. Just as the Pivot uses a rotating heel to absorb lateral forces, we’ve taken that same philosophy and applied it to the toe. The Pivot allows the toe of the boot to move side to side; we allow the heel to do the same. The result is powerful, progressive retention and elasticity where it matters most.

Figure 2. Animation showing the LockTurn release process.

Energy is Really Why we Care About Elasticity

Elasticity in a binding is an important factor, but it’s only the beginning of the story when it comes to downhill performance. Why does elasticity matter? At its core, elasticity refers to the amount of movement the boot is allowed in one of the binding’s designed release directions. But what we’re truly interested in is the energy required to release the boot along one of these paths.

Energy, is defined as force applied over a distance. For ski bindings, this means measuring the force needed to push the boot out of the binding and integrating that force over the entire range of motion the boot travels before it releases. This relationship gives us what’s called a release curve. We will have another blog post in the future where we dive in deeper and discus the shapes of these curves. However, these curves provide valuable numerical data that allow us to compare the retention and release characteristics of different bindings on the market.

So why is energy absorption important? When skiing through choppy or variable snow, the ski encounters frequent, high-intensity impacts—short-duration impulses that travel through the ski, into the binding, and finally into the skier’s body. These impulses can momentarily exceed the binding’s release force setting.

Let’s consider a real-world scenario. Imagine a binding set to a release value of 8 for a traditional tech binding, such as the Dynafit Radical or ATK Freeraider. These bindings tend to have limited elasticity and therefore minimal energy absorption. If you hit choppy snow at speed and the binding receives an impulse with a peak force greater than 8, the limited travel means there’s little room to absorb that energy. As a result, the boot may release prematurely—a so-called pre-release—even though the skier wasn’t in a fall situation.

Now take the same scenario but with an alpine binding that offers greater elastic travel and significantly more energy absorption. When that same impulse hits, the binding allows the boot to move a greater distance without releasing. This ability of a binding to absorb force and spreading it out over a longer distance means the skier stays in the binding—avoiding pre-release. Just as importantly, the peak force–set at a value of 8–is never exceed. The binding moves with the boot, reducing the risk of injury by protecting your knees from sudden spikes in force. The result is a binding that delivers superior downhill performance by effectively dissipating energy—keeping your joints intact and your skis firmly on your feet.

Noah Gaffeny has been pushing the 89's hard all season, and this has been great validation for what we think makes a binding have good downhill performance.

Built for Seamless Transitions

A true hybrid binding should do more than just perform well on the downhill—it should also make transitions effortless. You should never have to remove your skis just to switch into downhill mode. Yet, every other hybrid binding that offers comparable elasticity and energy absorption to the AlpenFlow 89 still requires exactly that.

We designed the AlpenFlow 89 to make the entire user experience as smooth and intuitive as possible. Every action you need to take while touring—locking the toe, switching modes, adjusting the heel—can be done with your ski pole. Even better, the AlpenFlow 89 lets you move from touring mode to ski mode and back again without ever stepping out of the binding.

Why does this matter? Picture this: you’re skinning and come across a short but steep downhill section. It’s too short to bother ripping your skins, so you awkwardly lean back and “survival ski” down, hoping you don’t faceplant. With the Alpenflow 89, there’s no need to risk it—just flip up the heel, lock in, and ski down in full alpine mode. When you reach the bottom, flip it back open and keep on touring. No fuss, no ski removal—just fluid movement.

Say Goodbye to the Ski Brake Struggle

Ski brakes are often a hassle. Traditional setups require you to manually put the brakes into walk mode so they don’t drag, which is both time-consuming and clunky. Worse still, they can occasionally deploy mid-skin and throw off your rhythm.

The AlpenFlow 89 solves this with a toe-mounted brake. This means the brake automatically stows when your boot is clicked into the toe piece, and instantly deploys when you step out. No extra steps, no levers to forget—just seamless functionality.

This auto-stowing brake also adds peace of mind: if you forget to lock out your toe before climbing and your ski pops off, it won’t go rocketing down the mountain. And as a bonus, the brake doubles as an alignment aid, helping guide your boot into the binding and making step-ins faster and easier.

Who It’s For

The AlpenFlow 89 was built for skiers who refuse to compromise—whether you're skinning deep into the backcountry, hunting powder stashes before work, or bootpacking for that one last spicy line. This binding is for:

Ambitious tourers who log big vertical and want a setup that won’t hold them back on the uphill—or the descent.
Big-mission adventurers who demand a binding that’s lightweight, durable, and capable of handling variable conditions and sketchy terrain.
Resort rippers who want the touring efficiency of a tech setup with the trustworthy performance of an alpine binding once they drop in.
The ultimate travel binding for international trips where you want to ski some awesome resorts, but also want to get out into the side country.

Even if you think you’re “not a hybrid binding person,” the AlpenFlow 89 might change your mind. Maybe you’ve been burned by awkward transitions, mystery pre-releases, or brakes that have a mind of their own. Maybe you’ve stuck to what’s safe—but heavy—because you value control on the downhill. With the AlpenFlow 89, you don’t have to choose anymore.

This binding is about freedom—freedom to tour farther, ski harder, and transition faster—without ever second-guessing your gear.

The AlpenFlow Difference

We built the AlpenFlow 89 from the ground up to eliminate compromises and deliver what every backcountry skier has been asking for, whether they realized it or not.

Here’s what sets it apart:

🔒 Real Retention, Real Release
Our patent-pending toe system gives you rock-solid connection and a progressive, smooth release—like an alpine binding—without sacrificing the lightweight touring benefits of a tech toe.

💥 Alpine-Like Energy Absorption
Thanks to the rotating upper toe and mechanically locked release mechanism, the binding eats up short, sharp impacts without sending you tomahawking. It skis like a Look Pivot, but it tours like a skimo rig.

⚡ Fast, Pole-Only Transitions
Everything you need—locking the toe, switching modes, flipping the heel—is doable with a ski pole. That means no more taking off your skis mid-mission.

🚀 Auto-Stowing Toe Brake
Our toe-mounted brake automatically deploys when you’re out of the binding and retracts when you step in. It also makes step-in easier and prevents mid-skin brake drop.

We believe gear should work with you—not against you, and that is why we founded AlpenFlow Design. Our mission is simple: create gear that helps you flow through the mountains. Whether going up, down, or somewhere in between, we believe that your gear shouldn’t inhibit any part of your adventure. We’ve designed products with the right features that allow you to get out there and simply enjoy the outdoors.

Ready to see the AlpenFlow 89 in action?