About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the ski bindings, which I purchased with my own money in March of 2022.

My take

The Marker Griffon 13 ID is one of the safest and most reliable bindings on the market for most ability levels, from intermediate to aggressive skiers. This binding can accommodate virtually any boot sole on the market.

About the gear I own

• Model: 2023 Marker Griffon ID Binding (Black)

About me

• Height: 5’10”
• Weight: 170lbs
• Preferred DIN range: From 8-10 DIN
• Experience: 22 years of skiing

Test conditions

• When I bought these: March 2022
• Days tested: 80+
• Boots: Dalbello il Moro, K2 Revolver Team
• Boot Size: 27.5
• Skis: K2 Poacher, K2 Reckoner 102, K2 Reckoner 112
• Where I’ve used it: Killington, VT; Jackson, WY; Mount Hood, OR; Copper Mountain, CO; Arapahoe Basin, CO; Mount Hood Meadows, OR; Okemo Mountain, VT; Mount Snow, VT; Loon Mountain, NH; and Pico Mountain, VT.
• Terrain: Groomers, trees, moguls, powder, deep powder, terrain park, all mountain, cliffs, big mountain, and anywhere in between!

How they perform

What I was looking for

With my aggressive skiing style, I was on the hunt for a binding that would support me in the park and around the mountain. As with binding choice, I needed to keep weight and durability in mind. I did not want to add a heavier binding that would add to swing weight when I ski in the park.

Why I chose this gear

I chose to buy this particular binding because of its reputation as one of the best-performing bindings for advanced and aggressive skiers. I wanted a binding that would not add too much weight to my ski and prove to be versatile and safe for me when skiing a wide array of terrain, cliffs, and features around the mountain. I considered buying the Marker Jester. I found that the Jester would be a bit too heavy for my liking and almost overkill as I like to ride in the 8-10 DIN range and did not see the need to ride a 16 DIN binding being only 170lbs. I considered the Tyrolia Attack 14 but was able to find a deal on the Griffons and trust their performance more since I have skied Marker bindings in the past on my skis. The Griffon comes in as the lightest weight binding in comparison with the Attack 14 and Jester.

What I love about them

• Release Reliability: The Marker Griffon will only release me when I absolutely need to be with a proper DIN setting. With my knee injuries in mind, I ride anywhere from an 8-10 DIN and like to stay around that range when riding in the park. I would rather release in most situations or crashes than potentially twist my knees. Unless there is a ton of ice under my boot, I have never had an odd or mis-release with the Marker Griffon and find them to be extremely reliable when coming to being released. The “stub” toe piece design makes for an easy release when needed, which I am a big fan of.
• Downhill Performance: Its performance on many different types of terrain and in various weather conditions is what I love the most about this binding. It keeps me safe on virtually anything I can ski, from the terrain park to cliffs and natural features. I also enjoy the performance on groomers and trees, but I want to highlight how reliable this binding is when I push it hard. I always feel confident with the Griffon on anything; I know I’ll be held in safely. On the new 2023 bindings, Marker has made it significantly easier to step and click into with a new inner pivot heel piece. I really enjoy how easy this binding is to step into.
• Durability: The Marker Griffon 13 ID is extremely durable and has stayed sturdy on all of my skis through wear and tear in the park 100+ days each season. Easy 5/5 stars on durability here; it has to be one of the most durable and trustworthy bindings out there in my mind and can withstand use and abuse. The brakes on the Griffon are very easy to replace if cracked, damaged, or bent. All marker brakes fit universally in the royal family, and I have enjoyed the ease of replacing brakes with this binding. If a heel or toe piece ever needs to be replaced, that is certainly possible and doable. I have swapped countless toe and heel pieces between skis and setups over recent seasons and always find switching to be reliable as well.
• Weight: When mounted, the Marker Griffon 13 ID bindings provide a lightweight but trustworthy feel. I was mostly attracted to these bindings because of their weight. When analyzing binding weight, I noticed that Marker had added a new metal rail in the toe piece to scrape off snow, and I thought that this new feature would add weight to the binding. Through many days skiing the binding, I noticed no difference in the feel of weight. I really appreciate the ice scraper, as I now use it for a quick scrape every time I click into my skis. It’s a lightweight binding that performs very well. What more could I ask for?
• Micro-Adjustability: I have found that the micro-adjustability on the Griffon is quite nice, as there is room to micro-adjust to other boot sizes on the mounting plate on the heel piece of this binding. It can adjust about two boot sizes larger or smaller from the boot it is mounted for, which I have always found handy when I have friends who want to ride my skis or when I am riding a slightly different ski boot in my Griffons.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Uphill Performance: The Marker Griffon is not touring compatible. It’s built for safe downhill performance, not uphill. The only way that the Marker Griffon could be uphill compatible would be with a Daymaker touring system or a CAST touring system.
• Power Transfer: Overall, the Marker Griffon has great power transfer, in my opinion, and does not raise the boot too far off the ski to lose any power, as I have experienced with other bindings. However, I have noticed one issue with direct power transfer with these bindings. I have found that when the toe piece experiences heavy wear and tear, like when I bash this binding in the park, it can get slightly ‘clicky’ with the ski boot, meaning that the plastic-to-boot contact in the toe starts to wear. I believe that this only happens with abuse, crashes, and hard thrashing in the terrain park, not from normal hard wear and tear at all. The ‘clickiness’ and slight space that the boot can move after that plastic on the toe deteriorates slightly, causing a couple of millimeters for an obvious loss in connectivity and power transfer with both the boot and the ski.

Favorite moment with this gear

My favorite moment with my Griffons has to be when I clicked into them for the first time. I have skied Griffons in the past, but they were never the easiest to click into. I realized that Marker reworked the heel piece, but I did not realize how much they improved the step in performance. It was easy (with a capital “E”) to click into these new bindings. Without even sliding on snow yet, I was instantly stoked with the new Griffons and knew that I would love them. The ease of step-in is huge for me, and I am impressed with the brand new 2023 Griffons.

Value for the money vs. other options

The Marker Griffon 13 ID is priced very fairly in the market of similar binding choices. It comes in priced almost identically to the STH bindings, Tyrolia Attack 14, and slightly below the Salomon Warden MNC 13. Griffon is known as one of the staples of the advanced skier binding market; it’s one of the most reliable bindings on the market, and its price point reflects that. The Marker Griffon 13 ID is totally worth the money (can be found for a sweet deal on sale) and a no-brainer to have on one’s next setup.

Final verdict

The Marker Griffon 13 ID Bindings are a perfect example of a reliable and safe binding that offers top-tier performance. It is one of the most trustworthy and versatile bindings money can buy and is compatible with virtually any ski boot.