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Review of PLUM Oazo Ski Mountaineering Bindings: Versatile, Light and Durable

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Overview

Suitability: ski mountaineering, light & fast ski touring
Usual price: around $480 USD (Skimo.co, SkiUphill.ca)
Weight: 200g per ski
Pros: functionality, safety, low weight, 3-year warranty
Cons: no ski brakes (if you care for them)

Bottom Line

Without adding much weight, the Oazo is a well designed ski mountaineering binding if you want more safety, durability and comfort than with race bindings.

Review

We have used the Plum Oazo bindings for about 15 days of skiing in various snow conditions and terrain. So far it has performed very well and without any mechanical issues. We paired the Oazo with Hagan Ultra 82 skis which feels like a great combo for overall ski touring and ski mountaineering missions.

Plum is a French company based in the Chamonix Valley and the whole Oazo is manufactured right there. The binding has a 3-year manufacturers warranty.

To keep the weight down, Plum engineers decided to use a time proven toe piece from Plum’s lighter bindings (R150 and R170) and pair it with a new light heel but with more safety.

With three possible heel heights you can adjust the angle to your liking. While you do have to spin the heel to be in the flat position, once you are climbing you can use your ski pole to flip a riser to fine tune the angle.

One of the nicest features of the Oazo heel is that you can spin it both ways. This feels smooth but you will have to do it with your hand instead of a ski pole.

The heel has a fixed front (vertical) release at 8 but offers an adjustable side (lateral) release between DIN 4 and DIN 10, which is not usual at this weight category.

The women’s version, Oazo 6, is dedicated to women and a lightweight person. It offers a lower forward release of 6 but keeping the lateral adjustable release from DIN 4 to DIN 10.

For such a light weight binding, it can be adjusted for up to 20 mm in boot size difference, equivalent of 1.5-2 boot sizes depending on the manufacturer.

To round out the Oazo perks, the toe piece features an integrated ski crampons slot which worked well enough with our Dynafit crampons. However, you will get a smoother performance with Plum’s own ski crampons.

The materials used on this binding are the Plum’s specialty 7075 aluminum, and then steel and high strength plastic to house the heel.

What We Think Could Be Improved

For those that want even more comfort, the heel could be perhaps refined into the future to allow for spinning it with a ski pole.

Visiting PLUM in France: Emerging Ski Touring Bindings Manufacturer From Chamonix Valley

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We have been testing Plum’s Oazo binding since last spring. At only 200g, the Oazo is a full-featured ski touring binding.

Not surprisingly, Chamonix Valley in France, on the foothills of the majestic Mont Blanc, is home to a variety of outdoor brands. The area is a paradise for outdoor gear testing and development.

After visiting CAMP and La Sportiva factories, we were excited to also honor an invitation from Plum. While not very well-known outside of France and Switzerland yet, this ski touring and split-boarding bindings manufacturer have been steadily carving its name on the market since 2005.

With 2-5 years warranties on their products and very little outsourcing, Plum takes raw materials and step-by-step crafts some of the finest and lightest bindings in the world. They are 100% made in France.

So why “PLUM” if we are talking about bindings and not fruit? The brand name comes from the French word “plume” which means “feather”, not a prune.

Plum’s first ultra-light heel was born in 2005, showing on the left. By 2007, Plum significantly improved the original design, on the right.

The history of Plum and their manufacturing expertise and know-how (precision mechanics) dates back to 1968. To learn more about Plum’s history visit their About page.

Plum Ski Touring Bindings Manufacturing and Testing

From super light skimo racing bindings to more freeride oriented models, PLUM offers a wide selection of ski touring bindings. They also offer a range of split-board bindings which are becoming increasingly popular as well.

Pika is one of Plum’s most popular ski touring bindings.

PLUM designs their bindings based on their expertise and feedback from their athletes and mountain guides, including Alexis Sevennec (former Pierra Menta Champion), Vivian Bruchez (steep skier), Glen Plake (legendary ski movie star) and others.

The philosophy of the brand is to manufacture minimalist, light and durable ski touring bindings to be skied all over the world.

Vivian Bruchez carefully skiing one of many steep lines in the Alps.

PLUM’s manufacturing process combines modern CNC machines as well as more traditional machines. This allows them to fine-tune the process while keeping prices at reasonable levels.

To lessen environmental impact, PLUM shreds metal and plastic parts into small pieces (shavings) and sorts them. Then they are collected by a local recycling company which sends these wastes to a foundry where they are recycled.

Fundamentally, the company is committed to produce locally in France, mostly dealing with local subcontractors, to reduce the manufacturing environmental footprint.

Plum uses Aluminum 7075 as their main material. This aluminum alloy is extensively used in aircraft aerospace applications.

 

Brand new Guide binding toe and heel pieces.

Wide Selection of Plum Bindings

Plum offers a wide variety of ski touring bindings divided into four categories based on their intended use.

The Race & Oazo families interest us the most as they feature minimalist ultra-light bindings, the Race family, and full-featured yet light ski mountaineering bindings, the Oazo.

The Oazo binding is specifically designed for demanding ski mountaineering while weighing only 200g per foot. Whether it is steep skiing or long mountain days with a heavier pack we like the Oazo’s functionality and durability. Full review is coming soon.

The above “men” version of the Oazo has a forward release of 8, while the “women” version has it fixed at 6. Both versions feature adjustable lateral release from DIN 4 to DIN 10.

For pure skimo racing and fast & light ski mountaineering, Plum offers 4 competition oriented bindings with the lightest being the R99 model shown below. One of their most versatile light bindings is the R170 model which offers 20mm of heel adjustment, increased durability, at only 170g, and without breaking your savings account.

Plum’s R99 binding weighs 99g. Its toe piece consists of 21 parts and the heel piece of 12, not including mounting screws.

Other families of Plum bindings focus more on freeride style of skiing and users that prefer their ski touring bindings with brake system. Visit Plum website for all details and pricing.

New Skimo Gear for 2015-2016 Season

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La Sportiva Sideral 2.0
La Sportiva Sideral 2.0
It’s that time of year when all the manufacturers are coming out with the newest products. Here we want to give you a quick overview of what is new this season. Frankly, it is a relatively quiet one, with very few truly new products. Several companies have given current products some big updates however.
The biggest change of the season is in skimo racing bindings. Weight continues to be shaved off despite new ISMF regulations that require race bindings to have manual locking mechanisms (pulling up on the toe piece to lock in). All the major brands now have a competitive (light weight) binding with a manual lock.

La Sportiva

No major changes to the La Sportiva ski line but the citizen race/ski touring boot – the Sideral – has been update to the 2.0 version. It features improved buckles (borrowed from the Spectre model) and an updated sole that offers compatibility with Tech, Frame and Trab TR2 binding systems.

Dynafit

Dynafit continues to improve its ski running line with the retail release of the 2.0 version of the DNA Race ski, boot, and Low Tech Race binding.

Dynafit Low Tech Race 2.0 Binding
Dynafit Low Tech Race 2.0 Binding
DNA 2.0 ski (and PDG 2.0) – The new DNA ski is 40 grams lighter than the black DyNA thanks to its carbon construction. It is also shaped a bit differently (similar to the Cho-Oyu or Denali shape) compared to previous version, while retaining the same dimensions (99-65-80) and turn radius (20m). The PDG 2.0 adopts the same shape and shaves 25 grams off its predecessor.
DNA Boot (PG RC-1 2.0) – Last year, Dynafit stepped away from their DyNA race boot and began licensing the Pierre Gignoux Morpho 400 as their RC-1 race boot. The 2015/16 DNA Boot is an improved RC-1 with a new color scheme (green and pink to match the skis) as well as an improved sole (way better than the RC-1!), and a new upper cuff strap system. Probably, it will be pretty difficult to find much stock in the US but if you find yourself in Europe it’s much more common over there.
Low Tech Race 2.0 Binding – With ISMF regulations requiring a race binding toe that does not auto lock, the Low Tech Race has taken an TLT Superlight toe piece with locking lever and trimmed it down to the essential material, pairing it with a Gignoux plastic heel piece to create a lightweight (around 100g) binding with a removable crampon attachment.

Plum Race 99 Bindings
Plum Race 99 Bindings

Plum

Race 99 Binding – This is an exciting entry into the game from Plum as the lightest all-metal binding on the market at a scant 99 grams. Mount these on any of the lighter skis and you might find yourself needing to add weight to meet the ISMF minimums! We got a chance to check them out at the 2015 Pierra Menta in March and at the Plum factory in Annecy, they are pretty cool!

Fischer

While racing the World Cup last season, Eric took mental note of all the broken skis that he saw throughout the year, and there were lots! The yellow Fischers topped the list but it looks like they have worked out the issues this year with their new Alp Attack Carbon skis. It has the same design as the (older) yellow version with a new construction and top sheet.
Race binding – Fisher is moving away from ATK as their bindings manufacturer and adopted the Dynafit Low Tech as its own re-branded binding for this season. Using the same toe as the Low Tech described above, it is slightly heavier with the older version Low Tech heel (metal rather than the current plastic Gignoux heel). This unit is likely much more durable for day-to-day use.

Fischer Profoil Skins
Fischer Profoil Skins
Profoil skins – Not really a skimo race quiver but worthy of a mention. The Fischer Profoil skins are just a thin sheet of plastic with no natural or artificial hair. Fischer claims the skins are just as effective climbing, have as good glide as mohair, but due to the material they literally can never ball up with snow (when wet to cold conditions occur). They cannot be trimmed and are only able to be used on a ski of a certain width (to allow room for a certain pattern on the base), but with their light weight and low bulk they could be especially useful on an ultra-wide ski.

CAMP Speed 2.0 Helmet
CAMP Speed 2.0 Helmet

CAMP

Speed 2.0 Helmet – CAMP is responsible for some excellent skimo accessories including their Rapid Racing Pack and their Race 290 crampons, and have now improved their venerable Speed helmet to be slightly lighter and with a new retention system. The Speed 2.0 helmet is comfortable for racing and does not to conflict much with sunglasses or a light light hat.

Ski Trab

Gara Titan binding – Ski Trab’s new binding comes in at just over 100g (slightly less than Dynafit Low Tech 2.0) and has all the required features plus a new design that allows the tech toe to close without coiled springs on the wings. Being completely new on the market, it may require some testing of the concept but it’s a possible worthy alternative binding.

Petzl Rad System
Petzl Rad System

Petzl

Rad Line – This is a special 30 meter, 6mm diameter ‘hyperstatic’ cord that can be used for rappelling and for glacier travel. The cord is pre-packaged by Petzl with three lightweight screw-lock carabiners, a double-shoulder length sling (can be used as an anchor or improvised harness), a micro traction (rope capture pulley (for a crevasse rescue), and a Tibloc (for rope ascent), all in a fancy Petzl bag.
The Rad Line is basically a ready-to-go ski mountaineering kit. Perfect for glaciers in the North Cascades, or Chamonix, or dropping into gnarly lines in the Tetons. Pair it with a thicker 30m lead line for harder terrain or use a skinny pull rope for 30m rappels.

For now, that’s all we have for new 2015-2016 skimo gear. We will have some more in-depth reviews of all of the above products soon! If we’ve missed anything, please give us a shout in the comments below or via our contact form.