Marker Alpinist 9 or 12?

My wife and I are getting set up with some backcountry skis for when we move to Colorado.  We have purchased some Blizzard Zero G 95 skis on sale here in Germany and want to buy the German Marker Alpinist bindings to go with them since they are cheap here in Germany and going on sale but are not sure if we should go with the 9 or 12.

She used to race downhill in high school and has skied downhill since she could walk in New England.

I've raced nordic for 35 years but never really did much downhill.

I'm 49 years old, 5'11', 165 pounds and she's 46 years old, 5'3'' and around 135.

We plan to use them both in backcountry (primary use) but also on the groomed slopes when we take the kiddos snowboarding.

Any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Your suggested release value will be below a 9. No need for the weight. Additionally the rear release is partially a result of the stiffness of the ‘U’ spring. The 12 will be hard to get into due to the tension. Given the parameters above, no need for the 12

Thanks so much! 

We’ll hopefully be seeing you in the backcountry of Colorado next winter!

You can also purchase either the 9 or 12 spring for $30 and adjust vertical release, lateral release would be limited by the model you get, but this is an option if something changes down the road. 

Ethan Jeannettewrote:

You can also purchase either the 9 or 12 spring for $30 and adjust vertical release, lateral release would be limited by the model you get, but this is an option if something changes down the road. 

Good to know, thanks!

I ordered the 9's.  Very excited.

Any suggestions on skins?

I'm thinking the BD Ascensions as they sound solid and user friendly.

If you use mountain bike tires as an analogy, BD skins are like a super aggressive downhill tire. Lots of grip, sticky (like dislocate your shoulder sticky). I like Pomoca or Contour skins

Buck Rogerswrote:

Any suggestions on skins?

I'm thinking the BD Ascensions as they sound solid and user friendly.

If you're considering BD skins, Glidelite Mix skins (65% mohair/35% nylon) would be more versatile than Ascensions (100% nylon). As the name suggests the Glidelites have much better glide as well as being lighter and thinner. With 95mm skis they'll provide more than enough grip on all but the steepest, iciest uptracks.

I'm not married to BD skins, just trying to find a good skin.

I'll not be doing anything too extreme.

Looking for a skin that is not too hard to use but performs decently.  I'll not be "completing" or doing any racing, just some mellow backcountry with them.

G3's are similar yet easier to set up, you don't need to attach the tip connector, but BD and G3 are both good introductory skins. 

Edit (see below). My husband and I just purchased two pairs. He is 5’8” and 200lbs and skis more aggressively. I am also 5’8” but 145 lbs. We got him Alpinist 12 and 9 for myself. I highly recommend getting the brakes that go with these. I thought I’ll just use the tethers and don’t need additional weight, so I did not get them.  I had to get them separately later and still have to install. But they can be bought as a package with the bindings. The tethers are too much bothere and if the snow is slick, you can’t even put the ski down as it runs away.

Update 3/6/2021: while I stand by everything I said above, Alpinist brakes stink. They add resistance so it’s really hard to step into the back. In addition, it’s nearly impossible to latch them into the walk position which is done with a flimsy and hard to operate wire. Returned them and going back to leashes.