Nice review. I tele on a pair of 180 Wailer 112 pures and they are awesome in the backcountry, but I found that they were harder (than expected) to hold an edge on slightly icy conditions and I haven't had them on any soft groomers. 

I've had two pairs of Plum Guide bindings over the past 6 seasons.  The Yak is the same as the guide with the addition of a base plate.  I've had two binding failures, both on the ski hill; one of the pins on the back of the binding broke, the other time one of the wings at the front of the binding broke.  Unless you like to ski relatively gently at the ski hill I wouldn't recommend a tech binding for on hill use.  I think people coming from a race background would be disappointed with a tech binding's on hill performance.  

That being said it's the only binding I have on my skis and when I do ski at a lift service hill it's what I use.  

Holy timeliness Batman. We just posted a review of the Wailer . I ski almost exclusively on Dynafits at the hill and off. The Plums, which I have also experienced, seem to connect with one's boot heel in such a way that the boot heel isn't touching anything below--they float.  This makes me a little nervous about really beating on them. It's good to hear that the Plums work for you at the area "lifeisgood". I think I'd trust them more in the backcountry. I have Dynafit Radicals on the Wailer 112, as well as a pair of Line 125 Sick Days. Nothing but praise... never a pre-release or anything untoward..

The question, as I see it, is not "whether" tech bindings--it's "which." We've been on the G3 Ions too and are pretty stoked about them for next season.

Andrew

The plum yak bindings have a heel pad that pretty much eliminates the gap you are referring to between the heel of the boot and the ski so it hopefully removes some of the tension on the two rear binding heel pins.  

There is is no question when you buy gear specific equipment ie. mogul skis, slalom skis etc they will perform at the highest level for the terrain they are best suited for.   My comments were geared for those who think you must have different set ups.  I don't believe you do.   I have encountered tougher skiing conditions off piste than on and I was totally comfortable in both scenarios with AT specific gear.  Again time will tell.  

I recently bought a pair of AT Traxion IIs. I have been on the mountain a few times and used them in snow. The first thing I noticed is they did not give me the same float as my Salomon X2 or K2 feet (which are also AT ski boots). They were a bit stiffer than my Salomon's but that was to be expected.
A couple of days later, I was on some groomers with a group of friends. The AT Traxion IIs had become very loose in their bindings, so we switched out for the K2's and could not believe how much more float they gave us.
Then last weekend, I went out to play some slopestyle skiing for about an hour on some groomers at about 40-45 degrees with the AT Traxion IIs and K2 boots. They were perfect! No binding issues, no slipping when turning quickly, no slipping when climbing up or down hills (I've had problems with these things when using my Salomons), etc…  Samsung Charger
So why is this important? First off, you don't need any other boots to get great skis in AT mode (unless you're going to school at Snowbird or something). Second, if you're going to school with your skis on dirt snow and/or soft snow, it's best to use AT tech due to their greater float compared to traditional skis/boots (which have less friction). Third, if you're into freeride off-piste riding or rock climbing then you'll need some sort of mountaineering boot. And fourth (and most importantly), if you're unsure about the ability of your boots/boots' ability then feel free to ask me questions: I do a lot of research before buying gear and will be glad to answer any questions that might help someone else make a purchase decision.