Plum Summit 12 Touring Binding 2020 – 2021 | Review
Why we chose the Plum Summit 12: Lightweight, durable, downhill-focused
Weight per binding: 559g
Release Value: 5 – 12
Riser Heights: 59 mm – 84 mm
Brake Sizes: 85 – 100 mm & 100 – 120 mm
Heel Adjustment: 35 mm
Price: €540
Buy Here
We first featured Plum bindings in our Backcountry Ski Guide last year with the Plum Pika and were blown away by the superb craftsmanship of these bindings. The Plum Summit 12 carries that same high quality craftsmanship that Plum have become known for. This lot make the kind of masterpiece bindings you’d rather mount on your living room wall, than bash up on your touring planks.
Like the rest of the Plum range, the Summit 12 relies on the tried and tested tech binding design based around Fritz Barthel’s original 1990 tech binding design (with a few improvements, mind). Whereas many bindings of this weight rely on reinforced plastics to keep the weight low, Plum CNC a single piece of Aluminium to create each piece of the binding – improving the durability and power transfer tenfold.
Plum Summit 12 Build
The Plum Summit 12 is new this year, replacing the heavy duty Yak binding. The Summit now sits at the top of Plums extensive tech binding collection. The Summit 12 is based around a wide platform, that’ll favour wider freeride planks and promote larger power transfer.
The wider platform is created by sitting a regular tech binding toe unit on top of an aluminium stack. This not only improves the width of the toe, but also brings the ramp angle to that of a more natural position – one that’s closer to an alpine binding.
The retracting brake system is pretty clever, with the option of 85 – 100 mm & 100 – 120 mm brake widths. The brakes cam in when they are compressed, to avoid any unwanted brake overhang. If you’re someone that uses inserts with your skis, you’ll find that the Summit 12s are able to cover a wide range of widths without having to swap out brakes.
This brake system also features rollers on the brake pad, to help decrease friction when you do find yourself releasing from these bindings. On the topic of release, there’s a release value of 5 – 12 on the Summit 12. This’ll be suitable for all but the hardest charging backcountry skiers out there.
In terms of touring mode, this is done by simply rotating the heel unit 90º, just like a regular tech binding. Once in touring mode, you’ve got a flat touring position with 59 mm – 84 mm risers (both of which can be easily flipped using a ski pole).
Who Is The Plum Summit 12 For?
If you’ve been hesitant to buy into the lightweight tech binding market, in fear of breaking a pair or stripping screws, then the wider platform, all-metal build and lowered stack height go miles in addressing the issues that come with many traditional tech bindings.
At 559 gram per binding, the Plum Summit 12 isn’t too weighty, given this increased downhill performance. Yes, the €540 price tag may be steep, but we feel that this is justified thanks to the handcrafted all-metal build, improved durability, and boosted downhill performance.
What Is The Plum Summit 12 Good At?
Weight: 7/10
Downhill Performance: 7/10
Durability: 8/10
sports