To say that Black Diamond’s O1 is the most popular telemark binding in America for earning turns is to acknowledge reality. There are several reasons for that popularity, not the least of which is the fact that the O1 was the first telemark binding with a free pivot that also, finally, delivered enough power to adequately drive fat skis.
Other bindings made it to market with a free-pivot sooner, but they were under powered and skis were only getting wider, boots taller, and aspirations higher.
Black Diamond's O1 - a.k.a. The One Weight: 3 lbs., 12 oz. (1.7 kg).
The O1 builds upon the platform established with the O2, using a pair of compression spring cartridges routed underneath your boot, for fast turn engagement. It was the first touring specific binding that came close to equaling the Hammerhead for turning power. It is no longer the most powerful telemark touring binding on the market, but not all telemarkers want or need that level of power to control their skis.
That is one of the beauties of the O1. You can vary the tension in the cable by changing the spring cartridges underfoot. Three tensions are available: Free-flex, Mid-stiff, and Ridiculously stiff. For most folks the mid-stiff spring offers a smooth, more than adequate tele-resistance for driving mid-fat skis with four or three buckle boots. It isn’t so stiff that it causes your tips to dive in powder either. If you ski fast with big boots and phat skis, you’ll probably be happiest with the rid-stiff springs. Besides taking more time to adjust the spring power, you may have to buy a second pair of springs since the bindings only come with one pair.
The Couloir results of bench testing bindings in 2006.
In a side by side comparison with Hammerheads, mid-stiff springs felt like HH#3, and the rid-stiffs like HH#4, although there is a difference in the feel between the two bindings, it is subtle and hard to describe. For raw tele power there are more powerful bindings available. However, contrary to BD’s own motto, the O1 is popular because it’s not all about the down.
Even though the O1 rocks on the downhill, it rules on the uphill. This becomes immediately evident when you go to switch modes from a locked to a frictionless free pivot. The O1 is the most intuitive mode switch out there. To unlock the toe, simply put the tip of your ski pole in the rear dimple of the green toggle switch at the front of the binding, give ‘er a smack, and presto, your toe plate swings free.
60°+ of uninterrupted range of motion. Ahhhh!
That is but one reason it rules on the uphill. The other is the range of motion, over 60°+ which gives plenty to spare in the rare case where snow builds up underneath the duckbill. Thus it never hinders the movement needed to pull off a tight switchback on a steep and deep trail, even on the ice prone wet coast.
When you switch back to turn mode you don’t have to concern yourself with keeping your foot flat like you do with 7tm or G3’s Ascent. If your heel is raised when you toggle the switch back, just step down and the latch will catch the back of the toe plate once it’s seated.
At 3 lbs, 12 oz. (1.7 kg) per pair it is not the lightest tele binding available, nor the heaviest. The touring pivot point is located a few millimeters behind pin line, for a more efficient stride. This is not something you will notice on a short climb, but may on a long one.
Arrrrgh! This thin coat of packed snow on the belly of The One can prevent locking the toeplate.
One thing you are certain to notice is the tendency for the binding to ice up when skinning. Saying the binding ices up is actually a misnomer since it rarely becomes choked with ice preventing the latch from holding the toeplate down. What happens instead is much more subtle, but equally effective at preventing the toeplate from locking down. A thin layer of snow gets packed on the underside of the toe plate, creating a shim of ice that prevents it from seating low enough for the latch to hook on and hold the back of the toe plate. How often this occurs is dependent on the snow condition you tour in. On the wet coast it probably happens 10-20% of the time overall, but when the snow is sticky it happens a lot. In drier ranges it is pretty rare. To cure it, reach under and wipe that thin sheath of ice off and the latch will do its job quickly and securely.
How the O1 stacks up against the competition
That’s the most annoying blemish to the O1’s overall report card. There are others, but far fewer people notice or experience them (see pg 2). When you consider how easy the mode switch is to operate, the large range of free-pivot motion and a three choices for downhill power there is much to like and little to quibble about. So unless you absolutely must have the most powerful binding, or the lightest, telemarkers can hardly go wrong with the O1.
Set the pretension on the cartridges so the spring puller extends approx. 10mm.
There are three other idiosyncracies about the O1 that may or may not affect you. The most common, is the tendency for the spring cartridges to spin and loosen. This is understandable when subjected to road vibration on a ski rack, but not while skinning. BD modified the spring cartridges so this can’t happen anymore, but there are plenty of bindings already on skis that do exhibit the problem. Theoretically the cartridges can not spin when under sufficient load. A sufficient load is when the spring puller tube protrudes 5 – 10 mm out the back of the cartridge when latched to your boot. When I’ve obeyed the pretension guidelines I’ve never had a problem. However, there are plenty of people who swear they set the tension right and the dang things still loosened up after a few climbs. Two solutions are recommended.
1) ALWAYS check the pretension before heading down or 2) use some plumbers tape on the threads of the cable that attaches and adjusts the tension so that there is resistance to movement, kind of like a lock nut. Or 3) get a new pair of redesigned cartridges that are immune to this.
Optional crampons are also available with the O1.
One of the things that strikes you when you look at the O1 for the first time is how solid it looks. Indeed, the whole binding is anchored to a hot forged plate of aluminum using the common 4-hole pattern for mounting. To this is mounted the latch, and the toe plate via an axle a full 10mm in diameter. All these are qualities associated with durability. For the majority of users, the O1 is as bombproof as they need. For others, however, it seems that the power the O1 provides is more than the 4-hole pattern is capable of withstanding. There are plenty of stories on ttips of folks ripping their O1s out of skis, with the most embarrassing evidence coming from Nick Devore, one of BD’s own sponsored athletes. I say don’t trust the 4-hole pattern on any binding, especially with as much horsepower as the O1 delivers and use inserts right from the get go, at least on the two rear holes.
Over time some folks may notice the binding loosen on the touring axle.
That 10mm axle sure looks bomber, but I’ve heard repeated reports that it will get wobbly after 200 days or so. Black Diamond insists this is not possible but I believe the complainers more than the manufacturer. Again, for a lot of folks that’s 5 or 6 years out, so that may not be a serious issue. If you’re logging more than 50 days a year, it’s something to consider.
The O1s heel peg system is a mixed bag. On the positive side it provides a handy lip at the back of the heel post to hook the heel lever on so the cables don’t flop around when you’re shouldering your skis. Most people will love the two heights of climbing peg, high and higher. However, compared to other climbing pegs these are less friendly. They work adequately, but spring loaded climbing bars like the Hammerheel are much easier to engage. In the O1’s defense, BD’s climbing bars are less prone to bending than the Hammerheel wires are.
One more quirk on the heel post. Because of the spreader bar used in the cable assembly you can’t put the heel post too far forward, making optimal positioning critical. Be sure to check with a boot latched in the toeplate before drilling holes for the heel post.
For a lot of folks, these are minor blemishes on a benchmark of performance. Most of these blemishes are easily overcome or accounted for so your experience of the O1 is that it behaves like a good binding should. You fuhgitaboutit. What you notice instead is the excellent range of performance for both the uphill and downhill portions of backcountry skiing.
