Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Hello Guays,

Upon checking my local online flee market they guy from which I bought Ingstad model reach out to me and offered to sell me the Rabb 68(black version) for 230 USD. I asked for some pictures and sticker on the ski sole says that it’s also a B-Grade model( I am attaching some pictures of them) So may question is as month ago I purchased Ingstad model and was planning to mount new Xplore bindings on them but if decide to cop this Rabb maybe I should mount the xplore on them and mount NNNBC magnum on Ingstads or maybe I should think of mounting tech bindings on Rabb and stick on xplores with Ingstads. So guays what’s your thoughts on my case? Which binding would you choose for those skies and is worth to cop a pair of Rabbs if I have Ingstad already?

Edit: I think also they guy don’t know what he is selling as he told me the skis are Madhus Rabb 68 which is weird because he is having a lot of different Åsnes models

Dude, where are you!? How does this drug dealer get all these cool skis!?

You should definitely buy these.
XPlore on the Rabb-- it was basically made for it!
NNNBC on the Ingstad

But can you also buy Xplore boots where you are?

@Woodserson I live in Southern Poland near Slovakia, I have no idea how this guy get all of this skis I will ask him when I go for pick up this Rabbs, I wonder how much he pays for them originally.

@Stephen I have sent him a message now asking if he have Xplore bindings and boots. I will let you know once he replies. I saw that sportalbert.de will have Xplore boots so probably I will order from them.

WOW- very cool!
Please keep posting and let us know how you like the update Rabb 68!!!

Also- a review of the new Xplore binding and associated boot!

KnoxPolk wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 24, 2021 2:22 pm

@Woodserson I live in Southern Poland near Slovakia,

They make them in Croatia or Slovenia somewhere. Maybe they're the ones that fell off the truck or had too many blemishes to be sold for full price. Sometimes products like that get re-sold locally by factory people.

I'd put Xplore on both skis, but it depends on your use (and possibly what other equipment you have already). A light rando boot and binding would also suit the Rabb and give more control on hard snow, so again it depends on your preference.

I'll put Xplore on a pair of Åsnes Ouslands even if the binding is a bit wide, so I can use the same boot for that ski in groomed tracks, on my E109 for skiing in loose snow, and also on my touring ice skates. I currently use 75mm on my E109, but the boots (Asolo Morgedal) are old, worn, soft and leak when the snow is wet, and 75mm is too wide for use on the skates, so I want/need new boots and plan on buying the Alfa Skaget. I was contemplating NNN-BC earlier, but was not sold on it with the metal bar in front and the space packing with snow. Xplore looks very promising, with excellent walking comfort both with and without skis/skates, ease of entry and exit and hopefully no icing and good reliability, but the verdict on skiing performance on the down is a bit uncertain I think.

The rubber rand on Alfa Skaget, Vista Advance and Alpina Alaska also looks very nice, as my Morgedal are worn from snow crust and the Norwegian welt has always been a transport of water into the boot even when new and treatment didn't help. The 75mm boots with cast rubber sole looked promising, but are soft so I haven't gone that route. I'm not too sold on the Free A/P/S for my use, but the ankle support sounds nice, so I'll see if better boots emerge later and possibly buy wider skis then, but Falketind, Rabb and similar should be good on everything but steep and hard snow. I'd like a bit more more power than the current boots show and might go for a wider ski then, but I also have NTN equipment for steeper tours and wider skis so it depends on what gear is released in the future.

@telerat For sure I will put Xplore on Rabbs once I get them. I Am not sure about putting Xplore on my Ingstads, they will work for sure great on them but system is very expensive a specially boots: Alfa free APS around 600 eur, Alfa Advanced 450 eur and Alfa Skaget 350 eur, Xplore binding 230 eur these are prices from Alfa site, price of Alpina Alaska’s is not announced yet but I think they will cost around as Alfa Advanced. So I will probably put NNNBC Magnum on Ingstad because I can buy set of this bindings for about 65 eur brand new and boots are less expensive as well.

@lilcliffy I will! I just need wait for the snow and bindings

If you already are buying Xplore boots and bindings for the Rabbs _and_ unless you want different boot for the Ingstads, then it is just as cheap if not cheaper to go for Xplore bindings on Ingstad, so it depends. The price difference for the bindings is about 130-140 euro at MSRP and we'll see how much discount is available on the Xplore this winter, but it is quite expensive I agree.

The Alfa Free is expensive and not that interesting to me, as it's not very warm, nor have a rubber rand so relies on membrane to keep feet dry, and I prefer traditional laces. The Vista Advance is about the same price (+20 euro) as the Guard Advance, while Skaget has no equivalent model. The price of Alpina Alaska Xplore remains to be seen. If you buy lower and cheaper shoes for the Ingstad then you can perhaps match the price difference to the Xplore and get another pair of shoes. You will have to live with a less user-friendly system though, which is a tradeoff that I'm not willing to accept. Good luck on your choice and hope you get a nice winter.

telerat wrote: ↑

Mon Oct 25, 2021 9:50 am

I'll put Xplore on a pair of Åsnes Ouslands even if the binding is a bit wide, so I can use the same boot for that ski in groomed tracks,

Do you think that the Xplore binding will work in a groomed Classic track?