If Smith Optics’ slogan is “we make the great days better,” Alpine Trekker’s slogan should be “we make the great days really F$&king S&*tty.” The idea behind “day wreckers” is a logical one- turn any binding into a touring binding. The execution of this idea, however, is marginal at best. The system itself is a bit difficult to dial in. Both the bottom piece that connects to the binding and the top piece that connects to your boot need to be precisely adjusted. If they’re not really, really tight you’ll be struggling. Furthermore, there’s a functional problem in the torque that you can exert on your binding from the raised position. Particularly when doing kick turns, you can release from your toe piece- causing you to fall, swear, and generally look like a jackass. Also, it’s amazing how many different pieces of the system are capable of malfunctioning- leaving you like a wounded duck in the middle of a skin track or, worse yet, at the bottom of some basin. However, if the starts align, you adjust everything appropriately, and nothing breaks, it is pretty cool being in a full-on alpine binding at the top of your line- even if you’re hours behind your friends.