New boots and bindings

[Sloth Monster]

Good evening,
This past winter, I used my new XCD ski kit. Sbound 98, NNNBC and Alaska Alpinas. I thought this would be great for the rolling and steep at times forest roads and snowmobile trails. New York/New Jersey state parks. Turns out, I could barely turn on downhills, and going down trails on the icy side was terrifying. I didn't feel that the boots were stiff enough to stop myself, snow plow etc. Once they would get into a quad tire track on downhills I was at the mercy of how it would turn.
So my question is, I figure a plastic boot might give me more control in these conditions. I would also like to ski the Adirondack trails in NY, Mt Marcy. What would be a good boot and binding setup, good for some turns and control on the downhills in ungroomed trail conditions but also be good for the rolling and flat areas?
I also like the idea of heat moldable boots, one of my feet has some issues, with a minor bony protrusion.
Thanks!

[stilltryin]

From my limited experience:
For a step up in downhill control, you could try the S-bound 112 (or Madshus equivalent) with Scarpa T4 boots -- this should make a big difference -- trading off touring efficiency -- only you know if the trade off is worth it based on your terrain and temperament. Also a binding with a cable or possibility of a cable. Some really like free pivot; personally, I have not been bothered by a lack of free pivot, but I rarely ski/skin up to ski down. Just me.

[Sloth Monster]

From my limited experience:
For a step up in downhill control, you could try the S-bound 112 (or Madshus equivalent) with Scarpa T4 boots -- this should make a big difference -- trading off touring efficiency -- only you know if the trade off is worth it based on your terrain and temperament. Also a binding with a cable or possibility of a cable. Some really like free pivot; personally, I have not been bothered by a lack of free pivot, but I rarely ski/skin up to ski down. Just me.

Thanks!
Right now new skis are not an option, i spent a lot of money on the 98s

[stilltryin]

Right now new skis are not an option, i spent a lot of money on the 98s

Possibly rent to give them a try.

[lowangle al]

The T4 works well with the s98 and will make it a much more capable ski. It will also make upgrading to an even more DH oriented ski in the future easier.

The T4 may be a step down in touring ability but it also has advantages that help make up for their extra weight. Like more support for your feet to relieve fatigue and easier tracking and DH control are also energy savers. I'm not too concerned about weight because for the most part the skis stay on the snow and aren't lifted( and I do a lot of sidestepping and herring bone), and when sliding they are typically on a low angle plane. I have no problem getting in 8-10 miles with a couple thousand feet of vertical in 3-4 hours elapsed time. My tours are usually geared towards touring for turns but I'm sure my mileage would go up if I were just touring.

[chris_the_wrench]

Good evening,
This past winter, I used my new XCD ski kit. Sbound 98, NNNBC and Alaska Alpinas.

Woah, this is the exact setup Im 'planning' on putting together(skis are on order) for use out in my local mountains of NW Montana. Did you ever get that setup into clean fresh snow? Was it the ice and ruts that caused your control issues?

Thanks
-Chris

[Sloth Monster]

Ice, quad ruts, any downhill that was not 100% straight were too difficult.
I didn't really hit any fresh deep snow, pretty sad winter in NorthEast this year.

[CwmRaider]

XCD skiing has quite a learning curve. Your skis should be capable enough, but it is obviously easier on soft snow. No ski driven by leather boots will make it easy to ski on refrozen snowmobile tracks.

Scarpa T4 boots and Rottefella Super Tele 75mm cable bindings will get you very far. But these boots are uncomfortable for some (me included, unfortunately).

I believe that the most supportive boots for NNN BC are Fischer Transnordic. I have them in 75mm variant (used on the above mentioned bindings) and love the combo. But some people here have fitting and/or pressure point issues with these boots also.

Supposedly many new boot models for the new Xplore binding system are coming out this winter. How big of an improvement they will be compared to Alaskas and NNN-BC is a bit cryptical to me, but there certainly are fans here. Check out the reviews of the Alpina Pioneer in this forum for example.

[jalp]

“Ice, quad ruts”

First of all, hats off to you for giving it a go in those conditions!

I don't have 98's but I do have a few pairs of skis in that class. What I arrived at is a one ski, 2 boot kind of system. A 3 pin cable binding, a pair of Alaska 75/Transnordic 75, and a pair of 2 buckle plastic Excursion/T4 makes for a pretty adaptable setup. Leather is pure happiness if conditions are soft, and plastic boots get me through it when conditions are challenging. Basically, I'll choose the boot for expected conditions/terrain and accept the benefits as well as the limitations of that choice.

If you are not inclined to purchase 2 new 75mm 3 pin boots, there is a further option to consider. I have a pair on Ingstads that I set up with Binding Freedom inserts for both NNN BC and 3 pin. Not exactly as convenient as a single system approach, but it only takes about 5 minutes to swap the bindings out.

Regarding 3 pin bindings: Many thanks to @fisheater , @Roelant and others for their observations on the Rottefella Super Tele cable + leather boot combination. I may have disregarded these bindings had it not been for those comments. They also pair nicely with my 2 buckle plastics, and are now pretty much my go-to 3P cable.

I'm still waiting a bit before diving into the Explore system, so have no opinion on that. I dropped into Neptune Mountaineering last weekend and had my first in-person look at the bindings and the Alaska Explore boot. If I were starting from scratch I'd likely give it a go but I'm already pretty highly invested in 75mm and NNN BC.

[chris_the_wrench]

I have a pair on Ingstads that I set up with Binding Freedom inserts for both NNN BC and 3 pin. Not exactly as convenient as a single system approach, but it only takes about 5 minutes to swap the bindings out.

Ive looked at their system and considering it for some incoming skis. Can you clarify something for me, it's probably brutaly obvious when you're looking at the ski, but your skis have the threaded inserts for all the mounting bolts of the two bindings?

Thanks