The NNN/BC Truth Thread

[Raventele]

Of course the ideal is to ski from toward the balls of the feet, modified when sitting back of course, and IF ONE could control that weight distribution well under a wide variety of conditions on the system options , then the System bindings would be just great..But except under very ideal snow conditions, I remain a great skeptic who enthusiastically embraces NNN on the Nordic trails. Also the durability is simply not in the same league with my beloved Voile 3PC!!

[CIMA]

Also the durability is simply not in the same league with my beloved Voile 3PC!!

Why are you so confident?
Did you read any objective reports from an engineering point of view?

[Raventele]

Orscrosscountry ..
Becky B. asks - I'm looking at your Madshu Eon skis and Epoch ski packages as well as some others. I'm a women looking for a backcountry touring ski package that will suit mostly off track skiing on wooded trails with the desire to do more extensive back country touring. The Eon looks good as do some others you offer. My question surrounds the bindings and boots choices. What are the advantages of the NNN BC binding vs the 75mm 3-pin binding setup? I was steered toward 3 pin but in general do not see women's boots for 3-pin and unisex sizing could be an issue because I have a narrow heel. Do you have a boot and binding recommendation for me?

ORS Crew (Ryan) answers - Good question about the difference between NNN BC system boots and bindings and 75mm 3-pin boots and bindings set ups. The simple answer is that an NNN system is lighter duty and more comfortable for touring while the 75mm provides significantly better downhill control. So what is your priority, kicking and gliding comfort and efficiency or optimal downhill control? With a good NNN BC boot, you can achieve a decent amount of downhill control, but not as much as a 75mm set up, where the wings of the binding pass beyond the ball of your foot. This extra amount of boot contact helps to steer skis with more a lot more power. Plus, the 75mm boots tend to be stiffer, so for making solid downhill turns, especially in steeps and deeps, you should always go with a 75mm set up. Of course, when you end up on a long tour on mostly flat or rolling terrain, that 75mm set up can feel like overkill. If you could wave a magic wand and transform your boots and bindings into NNN BC, you would. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of 75mm boots out there for women specifically. Most tend to be unisex such as the Alpina BC 1575 and Fischer BCX 675 models. We do carry the Garmont Excursion, which has a women’s fit, and is a great boot. Yes it is plastic, but don’t be deterred if you want the best control out of your boot possible. They are fairly light and are super comfy and warm, and aren’t that much more cumbersome on long tours than most non-plastic boots. I also highly recommend at least considering the unisex Alpina BC 1575 75mm boots and Fischer BCX675 75mm boots however. Both are absolutely fantastic universal backcountry touring 75mm 3-pin ski boots that are comfortable, warm and feature control and stability for high-performance on the downhills. We get a lot of rave reviews for the Alpina BC 1575 and Fischer BCX 675 from both men and women. A good backcountry ski binding for your skis would be either the Voile 3-Pin HD or the Voile 3-Pin cable. The Voile 3-pin cable model offers the additional flexibility of giving you that extra edge and performance control for the downhills. So these would be perfect on the Madshus Epoch skis. On long tours, you can easily take off the cable when kicking and gliding then put back on for the aggressive down hills. If you are concentrating on long tours over rolling terrain with no serious down hills then the Voile 3-Pin HD bindings on the Madshus Eon skis will be perfect.

[Raventele]

Our skis are the same.. only the bindings differ..

[CIMA]

That that copy of orscrosscountry's support section is just say-so. They don't stand from any objective points of view.

Because the mechanisms of both the bindings are considerably different, their structural dynamics are also different.
How do you compare the both on the same ground? It seems that you're comparing apple and orange.

I heard sometimes 3-pin mounted skis broke at screws and the skis became useless.
What do you say?

The NNN/SNS bindings are basically hinges while the 3-pin ones are fixed plates.
If the both types are loaded cyclically, like peeling off the toe plates by lifting up the heels of boots, which one is more durable including the contact faces between the bindings and skis?
The durability is not a matter of the sturdiness of the bindings themselves only.

[Raventele]

Well, I suppose that under such duress the System bindings will have flung the skier into space far before the 3pin screws have given .. But is that a matter of durability and in what sense ?

[Raventele]

Sometimes I think ppl make too much of the ability to kick and glide easily on a binding ? Why ? because they are not kicking and gliding but very very little -- climbing closed ski resorts counts for about nothing in this regard. Some old cable bindings are fine for most XCD, like this Riva ..( I have a couple of pairs in perfect shape out in my garage but I just can't seem to find a ski for them!) How to use well for XC part -- hint: loosen the damned cables!

These guys kited and XC skied across Greenland ..They chose Rivas for their Glittertinds..Durability and simplicity count!

They also used these stout and warm leathers..Stiff enough to carve when kite skiing..

http://www.expedition.fi/greenland2008/ ... rottefella

[CIMA]

Watch this!



Voile Switchback.
The owner of the ski wore Scarpa T2 eco.
The "nail puller" effect can be applicable to 3-pins, too.

[CIMA]

The truth of Voile.
The plastic (boot) is mightier than the metal, sometimes.

[CIMA]

3-pin truth.
The plate came off.
Fatigue break down at the screw holes?