Rottefella Unleashes the New Telemark Norm.
BCA begins shipping long-awaited NTN bindings.

The future of telemark skiing is here! Leaving the traditional 75mm duckbill behind, the progressive NTN splits from the herd to redefine free heel technology. Easier, smoother, and stronger, the binding’s revolutionary construction and performance are unlike anything you’ve ever skied. Simply put, the NTN will redefine your telemark skiing experience.

The Essence of NTN
NTN is a new species, not to be confused with its current duckbilled relatives. It features an exclusive boot/binding interface superior to all else in the telemark world:

• Increased lateral stability
• Greater edge control
• Quicker edge to edge response
• Consistent Dependability
• Smoother overall turning experience

Because of NTN’s superior torsional and longitudinal integrity upon each turn, NTN users experience immediate energy transfer from boot to edge. They can initiate, follow, and finish the turn more efficiently, with enhanced control, confidence and power. “The sensitivity you feel through the boot is unlike anything you’ve ever skied,” says Backcountry editor Adam Howard. “There’s AT bindings, there’s telemark, and there’s NTN.”

The Binding
An “easy-in” binding that eschews the sloppy nature of cable-driven retention, the symmetrical NTN offers the simplicity and security of an Alpine binding without sacrificing the freedom of the heels. With the grip of a ski pole, flick the lever open, slide the boot into place, and push the lever back down.

Unlike 75mm bindings that depend on tension cartridges, the NTN’s easy-in system relies on an adjustable carriage that holds the boot to binding. Flush with a flex plate, the sole of the skier’s forefoot is locked into position. As the sole of the foot flexes during a turn, the transfer of power is instantaneous, providing the skier with precision and responsive feedback from the ski.

A longstanding problem with traditional cable bindings, telemark skiers have had to adjust their skiing style and adhere to the limitations of a tension cartridge. NTN’s “easy-in” retention system makes this issue irrelevant. The telemark skier now has the ability to define how they want their equipment to perform. Depending on the skier’s weight, boot size and ability, he or she can choose from four power tubes (springs): Soft (green), Medium (blue), Rigid (red), and Extra Rigid (black) to better reflect their style. With the inclusion of ski brakes, NTN is also a viable, user-friendly free heel resort setup.

The Alpine Touring function rounds out the NTN’s overall backcountry performance. Following the sample principle of “easy-in” access, a second lever allows NTN to move from ski mode to tour mode, providing a single, ergonomic pivot point. This gives the skier an efficient, resistant-free skinning experience. After breaking trail, simply flip the lever back into ski position for the ride down.

The Boots
NTN boots are an upgrade from traditional duckbilled boots. Teamed with Scarpa and Crispi, who have recognized NTN’s credibility as the new norm, we have together designed boots to work specifically with NTN. Similar to Alpine Touring boots, they have the same toe dimension, and can be used in most AT bindings. (Scarpa’s Terminator-X is Dynafit-compatible). A second advantage over traditional 75mm boots lies in mountaineering scenarios: kicking steps in hard snow and accepting a much broader range of crampons for greater technical forays into the backcountry. Additionally, NTN boots have a softer flex and remain comfortable while covering lots of ground and spending long days in the mountains. NTN boots are not yet TÜV approved for AT bindings, but boot producers are working on it.

Releasability
NTN has a sideways release system, below the foot’s arch. The positioning is aligned with the point of rotation of the leg. The springs in the NTN binding, with regards to release values, can be pre-tightened or reduced in tightness, according to the wishes of the skier. The binding/springs, have 5 release settings and are delivered from the producer with a middle value release setting.

Telemark skiing is quite different from alpine skiing. In alpine, the skier’s foot is always in the same position related to the ski, whereas in telemark, the skier’s foot moves continuously. Release values are therefore not static, but changing in accordance to the position related to the ski. This means that the release function of the NTN binding, as described above, is not certified according to ISO standards.

Still To Come…
For years the race has been on to bring Telemark into the twenty-first century. NTN is the first binding to rise to the demands of hard-charging, modern telemark skiers. At the moment, Rottefella is proud to present the flagship NTN binding. In the future we hope to see a whole family of NTN bindings, specifically catered to all forms of telemark and AT skiing. “After more than 100 days on the NTN,” says Mitch Weber of telemarktips.com, “we can say without hesitation that the NTN’s feature set rules, and that uphill and downhill performance is, in a word, awesome.”