there are so many being sold on here and i need a pair for a nice lady i know.
Need some help deciding on an east coast resort/backcountry binding.

Thanx in adavance
aaron

Silvretta 500s and 404s will accept any climbing boot with a front welt. They are good for ice climbing approaches where you need to ski in. They will also take a regular ski boot, though they are not as user friendly as Fritschis and pretty much all others. I would pass on these and let them go to someone who wants an approach binding.

Fritschis are good all round resort/backcountry bindings unless you want to go off cliffs and stuff. Then you want a Marker Duke cause its stronger.

If the lady has A/T boots with Dynafit inserts in them, its worth the extra cost to buy Dynafit bindings, unless she's going to huck cliffs and zipperline moguls. They aren't made for that.

I use dynafits cause they have a better stride and they are pounds lighter. I use them in and out of resorts. I have a short pair of skis with Silvretta 500s that I use for approaches or I let my GF use them to learn to ski. Once she learns, it will be Dynafit all the way.

Thats a pretty good summary above. For more specifics check out Lou's binding pages:

www.wildsnow.com/

Note . . . big bias towards dynafits here too, but very good details on most major AT setups.

Silverettas suck, fritshis are decently light but dont ski well and can break, marker dukes are bomber but heavy, and dynafits are the best thing around. This coming from a guy who has done nothing but ski the past 10 years....

Go with the Dynafits.

I'd say look at Barons or Fritschis for the lady. Given that these are for east coast resort skiing (read HARDpack and ice), she'll appreciate a more traditional alpine style binder. While Dynafits are light, the interface has zero elasticity which becomes an issue when skiing hard on ice...start chattering a ski and she'll release. Skiing Dynafits inbounds requires good technique and finesse, not saying your lady friend can't ski, but I would save the Dynafit for a dedicated BC setup.

i would go with either marker barons, or look for the newer marker tour f10s. no question. fritschis have a tendancy to break if they are pushed too hard, and even if they aren't, they will quickly develop slop and help you lose control of your skis. barons have significantly less slop than almost any other touring binding, and the added strength is a nice plus. the tours should be along the same line as the barons, just much lighter weight. they were really designed to compete with the fritschis. dynafits are good though as well if you are willing to shell out for them, but not really necessary for most people unless you are a super weight saver.

Don't go with Dynafit bindings or skis or skins, UNRELIABLE. Check out Plum bindings, their choice, they can hang in the gnar.

Salomon is launching a burly touring binding this year...my problem with the markers is the heel piece, it's hard to get back on in deep snow sometimes.