Can You Tour With Alpine Bindings
Co-Authored By Giray Dadali, co-founder of Daymaker Touring. Pro skier, mechanical engineer, touring Utah since 2008.
Short answer: Yes. Alpine bindings, the regular downhill bindings on your skis, can't free your heel on their own. A touring adapter fixes that. It clicks into your binding, your boot hinges inside it for the climb, and at the top it goes in your pack so you ski down on your own binding at your own DIN.
This is the most common question we get from skiers who want to try touring without buying a second setup. It's also the foundation of ski touring with downhill skis, so here's the full answer.
Why downhill bindings can't walk on their own
A downhill binding locks your toe and your heel to the ski. That's its job. It holds you in through every turn and releases when a fall would hurt you.
Walking uphill needs the opposite. Your heel has to lift with each step while your toe stays connected to the ski, so it can slide forward on climbing skins. Lock the heel and you're shuffling. Unlock it and you're touring.
Four ways to get uphill on downhill skis
| Option | Keeps your binding | Mounting | Approx. cost | Boots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bootpack (carry your skis) | Yes | No | $0 | Any |
| Touring adapter (Daymaker) | Yes, untouched | No | $299.99 to $319.99 | Downhill or tech-toe, by model |
| Frame or hybrid touring binding | No, it replaces yours | Yes | About $430 to $680 list, plus mounting | Varies by binding |
| Toe-swap kit (CAST Freetour) | Partly, Look Pivot only | Yes | About $420 kit, bindings extra | Tech-insert boots |
Prices from Daymaker and retailer listings, October 2026.
Bootpacking works for a short hike and stops being fun when the snow gets deep. New bindings work too, but then you're buying, mounting and learning a different binding. A touring adapter is the only option that leaves your binding exactly as it is.
How touring on your own bindings works
Set the adapters to your boot sole length once at home. After that, every lap goes the same way.
- Stick climbing skins to your skis.
- Clip Daymaker Classic around your downhill boots, or click Tekdapters into your bindings and lock your tech-toe boots in.
- Step into your bindings like you would any morning at the resort.
- Walk. Flip the heel risers up with your pole when it steepens, down when it flattens.
- At the top, step out, collapse the adapters into your pack and pull your skins.
- Click back into your bindings and ski down.
The walking motion comes from our 4-Bar Tech linkage, which pivots under the ball of your foot instead of at the toe. That's why a stiff downhill boot still strides naturally.
Rather skip the setup? Daymaker Classic can ship pre-set to your boot and binding for $20.
What you keep
- Your DIN and release. The binding is never modified, so it releases exactly the way your shop set it.
- Your feel on the way down. Same elastic travel, same power, same ski.
- Every ski in your quiver. Nothing mounts, so one pair of adapters tours on any ski you own.
That last part is why freeskiers use them. Tanner Hall summed it up after a big line: it was nice to not have touring bindings on his feet. On anything consequential, people want their own binding underneath them.
What to know before your first tour
Honest trade-offs, so nothing surprises you on the skin track:
- Weight. The adapter moves with every stride on the way up and rides in your pack on the way down. Daymaker Classic is 1,440 g a pair. Tekdapters are 1,040 g a pair.
- Boots. Downhill boots walk stiffer than touring boots. Loosen your top buckles and use walk mode if you have it. Do you need touring boots covers this in detail.
- User weight. Daymakers are rated to 225 lb including your pack and boots.
- Distance. Adapters shine on laps, side-country and day tours. If you're chasing big vertical every weekend, a dedicated setup eventually makes sense. See touring adapters vs tech bindings.
Which bindings and boots work
Bindings: every downhill binding, including Look, Marker, Salomon, Tyrolia, Atomic and Rossignol. The Tekdapters jaw plate was shaped from 3D scans of every major binding, down to the deep, wide Salomon STH toe.
Boots:
- Daymaker Classic: regular downhill (ISO 5355) or GripWalk soles, 274 to 345 mm. No inserts needed.
- Daymaker Tekdapters: boots with tech toe inserts, 255 to 345 mm. Shim kit available for fully rockered touring soles.
See a side-by-side comparison →
Where to try it first
Start at a ski area that allows uphill travel. Groomed, patrolled and nothing above you that can slide. More than 140 resorts in North America allow it, and the Frontcountry Map has every policy.
Heading past the boundary is a different day. When terrain can slide, take an avalanche course, carry a transceiver, shovel and probe, and go with people who know the area.
FAQ
Do I have to remount my skis?
No. Nothing touches your skis or bindings. The adapter clicks in like a boot.
Do touring adapters work with GripWalk boots?
Yes. Daymaker Classic ships with shims for GripWalk and walk-to-ride soles, and Tekdapters adjust with a tool-free shim.
Can I share one pair across different skis?
Yes, on any ski with a downhill binding. Same boot, same sole length setting.
Is skiing down on my alpine bindings safer than a touring binding?
On the descent you're in a DIN-certified downhill binding with its full release and elastic travel, which many tech bindings don't match. The adapters are only on your feet for the climb.
How long does a transition take?
Seconds once the adapters are sized to your boot. Step out, pack them, pull skins, click in.
Ready to try it
Your bindings already work. They just need a way uphill.
