Plum Race 135 Binding

Five Stars for the lightest option – by just a little bit – among Plum’s three different race bindings. This brief review focuses only on what distinguishes the 135 from the 145, so see my review of that “baseline” model for more details on the common features.

The only difference in the 135 from the 145 is the substitution of a titanium U-shaped spring for the steel version in the 145. The weight savings per foot are accurately portrayed in the model names.

The titanium version is stronger than the steel version, so it might appeal to skiers who worry about breaking heel pins in “Tech”-style bindings. However, it also has a slightly lower effective release value, which would probably not appeal to the type of skier who worries about breaking heel pins.

Titanium is also softer, so somewhere after around 100,000’ vertical you’ll start to notice some notching. Depending on your weight, probably somewhere between around 200,000’ and 300,000’ vertical the notching might lead to a noticeably “rattly” feel while skiing, and eventually the notches will cause the pins to become hook-like so as to interfere with lateral release.

Fortunately you don’t have to worry about breakage, since the greater strength of titanium (as opposed to steel) will compensate for the notched metal until you retire the pins for either the rattling or the compromised release. And replacing the U spring entails only about a minute or so of work: punch out the retainer pin, slide out the old spring, slide in a new spring, and reinsert the retainer pin.

Do the separate ski crampon attachments fit B&D ski crampons?