shift2 13 vs duke pt 16

The Shift2 is the lighter, more versatile 50/50; the Duke PT is the heavier, harder-charging resort-first convertible.

The Salomon Shift2 13 and Marker Duke PT 16 are the two flagship "convertible" hybrid bindings — both built around an alpine toe that flips or detaches for touring. They land on the same shelf, but they're designed for different ends of the freeride/touring spectrum.

Downhill: the Duke PT 16 skis bigger

Duke PT 16 maxes out at DIN 16 and uses Marker's Jester-derived alpine toe. That's a real-deal freeride/competition toe — it absorbs heavy loads on hard landings and pushes back on bigger skiers. The Shift2 13 caps at DIN 13 with ~47 mm of toe elastic travel; plenty for most skiers, but it falls short of what the Duke PT 16 carries at the high end. If you ski over 100 kg, push DIN 12+ regularly, or charge variable terrain hard, the Duke PT 16 has reserve the Shift2 doesn't.

Uphill: the Shift2 wins on weight and transitions

In touring mode the Shift2 weighs ~920 g/binding versus the Duke PT 16's ~1050 g uphill (with the alpine toe removed and carried). That ~130 g gap per side adds up over a long climb, but the bigger uphill story is the alpine toe itself: the Duke PT requires you to detach and stash the alpine toe piece in your pack, swap to the touring toe insert, and reverse the process at the top. The Shift2 stays on the ski and flips in place. Transitions are 30–60 seconds faster, and you have nothing extra in your bag.

Versatility: the Shift2's single toe takes more boots

The Shift2 is multi-norm — ISO 5355 alpine, ISO 23223 GripWalk, and ISO 9523 touring all work in the same toe. The Duke PT in alpine mode is alpine + GripWalk; the touring toe insert is pin-only. You can run one ski with the Shift2 across an alpine boot and a tech-insert boot; the Duke PT is the same with extra steps.

Safety: tied, both DIN-certified alpine

Both bindings are TÜV/DIN-certified in their alpine downhill mode. Release behavior is comparable; the Duke PT 16's higher DIN ceiling matters only if you actually need it.

Pick by your day mix

Pick the Shift2 13 if you tour 15+ days a year, weigh under ~95 kg, and want the simpler one-piece transition. Pick the Duke PT 16 if your skiing is 80% resort / 20% sidecountry, you weigh over ~95 kg or ski at DIN 13+, and you don't mind carrying the alpine toe in your pack on touring days. The Duke PT 12 (DIN 4–12) is the lighter sibling worth considering if you'd otherwise be running the Shift2 at DIN 8–11.