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Light is Right — Black Diamond Helio 200 Binding Review

by Gary Smith March 26, 2020
written by Gary Smith March 26, 2020

Editor’s Note: We are returning to gear reviews and other ski-related stories this week, not to diminish current events but to hopefully provide reprieve from the news. Coronavirus news updates and stories will be sprinkled in as we write them, and we encourage social responsibility in ski-related activities during this time.

helio 200 binding steep skiing

Black Diamond Helio 200 binding. Gets you to the distant steep skiing comfortably, and keeps you attached during it.

Continuing our look at 200ish gram binders here for the spring. I’ve been struggling to come up with a title for this class. Speed touring seems industry common– just doesn’t fully do it for me. Race plus? The lighter meat in the light and lightest sandwich? Whatever it is, they are light, compact, have the ability to crank the lateral release value, and have heel riser options.

Black Diamond knows what they make well themselves, and seeks to rebrand products they see better built elsewhere. A lesson learned from their less than spectacular boot program? Perhaps. The skis are now made by the Blizzard factory in Austria, though under BD design. BD realized the Italian machining perfectionists over at ATK were making top shelf ski touring bindings, and worked out a deal for their Helio line.

ATK is a spin off from the Indulti families’ GIMEC company, that makes metal working tools in the Emilian Motor Valley just south of the Italian Alps. For the non-motor heads such as myself, this area is home to Ferrari, Maserati, Pagani, Ducati, and more. So when members of the family wanted to make ski touring bindings, they were blessed with the familial experience of crafting the machines that make Italian supercars. Perfect lineage for sleek and sexy high performance ski bindings that give you the ability for veloce come un razzo, both uphill and down.

The timing of this article about an Italian-made binding is not lost on me. As Italy is dealing with the peak (hopefully) of a high infection and fatality rate with the novel Coronavirus, I found my brief research into ATK’s lineage to be all the more poignant. Paying homage to what our Italian friends have created, and will continue to, I’ll throw some Italian slang at you to copy over into the google translate machine during your current downtime.

I was particularly curious about the Helio 200 binding after spending two seasons skiing the 110g race binding in the Hagan branded Ultra version. I skied this definitively race binding hard on a pair of 106mm waisted skis for two seasons. I wore out a set of titanium u-springs and broke a heel riser flap, but upon inspection, find virtually no play in these clamps. That machinemanship in a binding with adjustable vertical and lateral release values up to 10, heel riser options, and an adjustment plate weighing 200 grams? I Malano miau!

Black Diamond Helio 200 Toe piece

The left side of the toe unit is a single piece of aluminum all the way to the link. Lighter, more rigid, less to break.

The toe unit of the Helio 200 is the same as the 110. For this ‘Race Plus’ class, it is lighter and looks less robust. In particular, the asymmetrical spring design, dubbed ‘Monolink’, might give some pause. Though it may appear to be built with braccia rubate all’agricoltura, this design shaves a few grams, reduces available parts to break, and most importantly adds a shade more rigidity. The most common breakage point that I have seen in tech toes is the little composite bit that serves as a pivoting union between springs and lever. One less victim for inevitable abuse in the Helio 200’s design. The monolink’s function? Solid positive step in and rigid ski feel. I have equal time on other brand’s beefier toe pieces that have an acceptable amount of wiggle, none in my well used 110’s.

As for the Helio 200’s heel unit? Che figata. The 93 gram piece (without adjustment plate) is ultra compact and feathery given the independent adjustability of both lateral and vertical release- up to 10 RV. Two touring positions exist. Pins forward for a race style, single option heel position, or pins aft for both flat and high.

helio 200 heel unit

All metal, fine Italian craftsmanship in this heel piece.

Helio 200 lateral adjustment

Well, almost all metal. The recessed rubber gasket on the lateral release adjustment screw is a fine attention to detail.

I mentioned last week that I am a big fan of flat modes despite my general use of rather mobile boots. In practice, the difference between turning the heel 90 degrees (as in the Plum Oazo 8 and many others) and 180 degrees in the Helio is surprisingly significant. The wrist can blindly and easily do a 90, a full reverso requires recruiting the elbow and upper arm. Furthermore, the sleek tiny unit offers less to grab a hold of and lever on. I don’t mean to be a guastafesta about it, but this extra 90 degrees required makes me less likely to switch. Maybe a good thing– just stay in race height, but I often found myself in the inutilmente alto high position instead of making the rotation again.

Helio 200 binding skinning

Topping out after a very steep frozen climb in ski crampons, the high riser directly to flat switch worked perfectly. The majority of the time it is too drastic of a change.

I haven’t spent a ton of days on the Helio 200 yet, but have done some quality testing. The first outing was a nearly 2,400 foot couloir that started in barely edge-able wind scoured snow and finished in up to 12 inches of powder. The approach was mostly in flat touring mode and then the skis went on my back for a long boot pack. Several days later, my team skied two steep faces (one in hot pow/wind board, the other not quite corn) that required a 10 mile snowmobile tow, 4 mile flat lake and creek skin, and very steep frozen ski-crampon skin just to access the booter portion. In a brief time I have been able to ascend and ski nearly all conditions possible and was generally pleased with the Helio 200.

helio 200 steep powder skiing

A near bulletproof entry slowly giving way to powder, Helio 200 indifferent to the conditions.

Basta, basta; I think you get the picture. It’s a lightweight and extremely well made binding, in line with the Plum Oazo we looked at last week, and forthcoming German option. Though I won’t be mettersi insieme with the Helio 200, I am happy to sport it on any mission, any size ski, and any type of terrain.

Need a new pair of binders and want to send a bit of economic love towards our Italian friends? Probably best to stick with Black Diamond’s branded imports due to warranty and repair issues if you are in North America. Otherwise, Europeans can order straight from the Bel Paese. You may need to be ricco sfondato though, as MSRP comes in at $1.75 per gram ($699 MSRP)

SPECS:

  • WEIGHT: 200 grams
  • MATERIALS: Alu Alloys, Stainless Steel, POM
  • RELEASE: 5-10
  • RISER: 3 Levels
  • Comes with Optional Adjustment Plates and Crampon hook attachment
  • Kevlar Core Leash Included
17 comments
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17 comments

Travis March 26, 2020 - 12:10 pm

Love this category of binders. Looking to move on from my addiction to Speed Radicals so this is helpful.

JimmyD March 26, 2020 - 1:06 pm

Those BD/ATK bindings are all nice and light, but this season the shop I work at was unable to get a mounting jig from BD. It seemed like there was only one Helio binding jig in the Tahoe Basin. I mounted a whole bunch of Helios using the paper jig. The extra time I spent was not exactly cost effective. It is strange that BD released bindings without getting enough jigs from ATK to support shops.

Gary Smith March 27, 2020 - 9:50 am

Interesting, but I would guess this is more of an economics thing? Low demand for a spendy jig. There should be plenty available, but the brands make shops purchase these unless they go huge on binding orders.

Patrick Chase April 4, 2020 - 1:13 am

Hagan sells the ATK jig. I’m enough of a fan of these bindings that I own one (perhaps because there are so few in Tahoe…)

David Field March 26, 2020 - 2:20 pm

What no picture of the intact binding, only exploded heel piece and bits?

Gary Smith March 27, 2020 - 9:48 am

Got ya a toe unit up now. Bit of oversight on my part there. Heel we will leave to mental construction 😉

Jeremy G. March 26, 2020 - 10:46 pm

I mounted these on a pair of 4FRNT Ravens this year and have skied them 10ish days. I love the quality, low weight and adjustability. I also try to stay in race height riser as switching back and forth is a chore… Although I really like having the flat mode (which was my only complaint with the original Superlite) I picked these up on sale and would happily buy them again.

Bruno Schull March 27, 2020 - 11:13 am

Hey folks. I want to draw attention to something rarely discussed on Wildsnow…ski technique. I studied the pictures in this post carefully, and, Holy Smokes, whoever that skier is (Gary Smith?), he seems to have really nice form off piste, on variable snow, with a loaded pack. Not easy! As somebody who learned how to ski late in life, and who generally feels less comfortable in difficult conditions, I really appreciate pictures like that–it helps me construct a mental model of good form. Now, I’m sure the technique experts could dissect the whole thing, but from what little I know, there are many good things happening in those pictures. I spent a day this year working on ski technique with a very experienced ski teacher/IMGA guide here in Switzerland, and it was a revolution. One of the things he immediately had me focus on was how to use my poles correctly, pole placements, timing with turns, and generally how to initiate turns on wild snow. Based on that, what I learned and how it felt and what I tried to achieve myself, I really like the body geometry and pole reach in the first picture. Perhaps this could be a new direction for the website? Ski technique? Differences between piste and off-piste skiing? Tips and tricks? How to feel more comfortable on wild snow? Just an idea. All the best, and happy turns.

HB March 27, 2020 - 2:41 pm

I’d love to see a series of articles intended to help readers improve their wild-snow skiing technique as well!

Gary Smith March 27, 2020 - 5:55 pm

Bruno,

Thank you for the complement, and an interesting idea for articles. Maybe I can recruit an even more qualified person. Though I would say I am an expert all-terrain skier, I ski often with people who ski better than me in certain snow quality and terrain. My main partner is an unbelievably fun-to-watch steep skier, looks like he’s dancing and indifferent to the consequential terrain. He’s also the best skier I have ever seen in bad snow. Others are phenomenal in powder and or the air. A former collegiate ski racer buddy is simply infallible. We skied a very narrow 40 degree plus couloir years back- after he had completely lost the walk/ski latch on the way up. Skied it technically better than me. I think all of these skills come from a solid foundation, and then time in variable snow. Unfortunately (at least in terms of enjoying ‘wildsnow’) I think the foundation is found with dedicated alpine gear and repetition on steep firm moguls and groomers. Repetition gained from the chair (10,000meter days), and ability to focus on one thing can’t be duplicated. Then the body positions become second nature and you learn to adapt to light boots, pingy skis and bad snow. Chasing a better skier on piste is the ultimate. I learned chasing Taos locals on their steep moguls and uncrowded groomers. Oh and dissecting my photos? Easy! That right hand pole plant is a little too much in front of my body causing my shoulders to cross the fall line a bit too much, and the left (uphill) hip and knee aren’t fully pulled in to place. You can see the slight A-framing of skis as a result 🙂 Always room for improvement, I think about my form every day! Will consider this as an article/series idea. Happy practicing.

Johannes April 9, 2020 - 2:55 pm

Gary and Bruno,
As someone who transitioned from snowboarding to skiing later in life, skiing well is hard. Luckily, I learned by becoming a kid’s ski instructor, so my learning was all from PSIA clinicians and trainers. Definitely a fast track for skills! I’ve since passed my Level II ski, though have moved on from instructing full time since then. Regardless, off-piste skiing in variable snow is still incredibly difficult.
Here are my two tips for what works best:
1. Repetition – yup. You’ve heard it before. Ski lots. And lots. And multiple days in a row. It helps a lot.
2. Spend some time on nordic skis – oh yeah, those little toothpicks without edges or sidecuts? Take those up a hill for the workout, and then ski back down the hill for the practice. It will greatly improve your balance, and honestly, balance is 95% of skiing. I’ve got friends who are former nordic ski racers, have never taken an alpine ski lesson in their life, and can out-ski me any day because of their impeccable balance. I’ll never have anything on them.

Andy March 27, 2020 - 7:50 pm

I have had the ATK version of these bindings (Haute Route 2.0) for two seasons with a caveat detailed below. I’ve really enjoyed them. I use inserts to swap the bindings between BD Helio 105 (175) and Helio 116 (186) skis paired with F1 boots. I mounted them myself with the ATK paper template. I’m about 5’11” and don’t weigh less than 185 lb without gear.

The high riser isn’t that high, about the same elevation as the low riser on the Dynafit Speed Radical. Initially I was worried about this, but other than extremely steep skin tracks it hasn’t been an issue at all. In fact, I’ve found myself using the ATK low riser – effectively at pin height – more and more. I have at least 200k vertical ft climbed in them, a mix of resort uphilling, New England backcountry and a trip to Japan. No issues at all with inappropriate release – and they have come off when needed. As a small bonus, I like the ATK kevlar based leash better than the Dynafit steel one.

A significant problem I had was the plastic spring retainer in both toes failed at the start of the second season. When the first one split in half I thought I had the one-in-a-million ATK part failure. But then the second cracked as well not too long afterwards. Thankfully it was not a catastrophic failure, I noticed it on the skin track rather than going down hill. It took about 2/3 of the season to get the toes repaired by ATK in Italy – via the Spanish vendor from whom I bought them. In the interim I used some Kreuzspitze SCTT toes which have the same mount pattern and pin height. The repaired toes have a beefier spring retainer. Had I bought the BD version, I’m sure the issue would have been taken care of much quicker.

But even with that hassle I’m still a fan. The weight is fantastic and they perform great.

Jim Pace March 29, 2020 - 12:17 pm

I’ve had ATK bindings for several years now on my Atomic UL 78’s. Branded by Movement, and probably close to what BD calls the 110. Ditto Andy’s comments. They release when I need them to and don’t otherwise. No slop at all, after maybe 200 days of use. But I do have a gripe, and that is the toe tab to release the boot is too small, without a cup to catch a pole tip. Pole tips slip off to the sides. A minor detail, but annoying.

Robert V Coppolillo March 31, 2020 - 2:36 am

Great, thanks for the review Gary! I have the 200, 180, and 145 models of these BD-branded ATK’s. No drama, no failure (haven’t seen the problem described above by Andy). Looking at a heavier 50/50 piste/off set-up and considering the Helio 350 (Raider in Europe)….RV up to 12, all metal construction and wide bolt pattern for durability/retention…looks cool. Most of my days are on the 180 (fixed RV at 8; I’m 5’11 and 165, zero problems), followed by the 200.

So far, really stoked on these, two-plus seasons on them….

Great review, thanks brudda.

Ben April 2, 2020 - 10:51 am

What backpack is being used in the first photo?

Bard May 27, 2020 - 4:32 pm

Just got some Helio 180’s, same as the 200’s but with a fixed RV U-spring at the heel. Beautifully machined aluminum “jewelry”!, (to steal Lou’s term). I noticed that the toe pins lack the Dynafit style grooves that presumably facilitate ice removal in the boot toe sockets. I usually rip my skins with boots still on, so no big deal, but often in springtime I’ll carry the skis on my back and click in at the top. I perform the rocking back and forth routine before I engage the heels, and those grooves give me piece of mind that the boot/ binding interface is being cleaned out. Anyone noticed this or had a problem? Thanks.

Bard May 28, 2020 - 5:13 am

* Peace of mind.

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