Rottefella 75mm with cable binding- riser or no riser?

[DG99]

Arrgh. You guys are killing me. Why wouldn’t the holes line up? It makes no sense.

[Jurassien]

Oh nice you have a Voile to compare. How are the two bindings together? If you line up the two primary screw holes of the two bindings do the nose holes line up? I just checked with multiple different Voile bindings and mine right up, all the holes are dead-on.

Back-to back the toe-pieces line up perfectly, although the screw-holes are of slightly different diameter. I measured them in a very unscientific manner by poking drill-bits through them. (Voilé: front hole is a very loose 7mm, rear holes very loose 6mm; Rottefella: front hole is a very tight 7mm, rear holes somewhat looser 7mm). I found the alignment very difficult to photograph – haven’t figured that out yet.

Doesn’t make sense, does it? The bindings align perfectly with each other, both of them align perfectly with the Voilé 20mm riser (and with the Rottefella 10mm riser). The Voilé binding aligns perfectly with the Voilé 10mm riser (well…..it would, wouldn’t it?), but the Rottefella doesn’t seem to like the 10mm Voilé riser. Illogical, but that’s what I’m seeing in front of my eyes.

This is exactly why I am so hesitant to plunge into the new Xplore system. Exposed, spring-loaded studs on the boots that can fail in the non-functioning (stuck in the boot) position. It does not mix well with walking over rocky terrain. RandoSkier guy had a problem last year with his wife's boot when one pin got stuck inside the boot during a multi-day trip in Norway. He was able to liberate it with some knife work, but damn.

New Nordic boot/binding development is very welcome, especially as there has been practically no significant change in that sector since the introduction of the NNN BC in the late 80’s. Plastic boots offer a huge improvement in downhill control but are unsuitable for long tours. As with any new product, people will use the boot/binding system in different ways and it will take a while for the pros and cons to come to light. In the meantime I will also stick to what I know works. I can’t imagine fiddling with different buffers during a day’s touring. Buffers of varying hardness have been available for the NNN BC since the early 90’s and they’re quite simple to change “on the fly”. I have a selection of them but I can’t be bothered using them on tours.

Question about your skis: Are those skis the Silver with Spooky Fir Woods on the Shovel E99's?

The skis I’ve just finished working on are “Europa 109 Tour” according to the top-sheet graphics. I don’t know the year of manufacture, but I suspect sometime around 2005 – 2007. I chose them short (188cm) to be more manoeuvrable and to have a softer camber for touring. It’s one of two skis that I refer to as my “holy” skis . Not because I've set up a devotional shrine to them in a corner of my home, but because they have an awful lot of holes in them. These ones started off with NNN BC (5 holes) before being treated to 75mm (4 holes) and now the Voilé riser (6 holes). That adds up to 15 holes, so I’ll probably have to retire them from demanding mountain tours. I also have E99s – 3 pairs of different vintages in my “normal” length of 200/205.

[Woodserson]

Question about your skis: Are those skis the Silver with Spooky Fir Woods on the Shovel E99's?

The skis I’ve just finished working on are “Europa 109 Tour” according to the top-sheet graphics. I don’t know the year of manufacture, but I suspect sometime around 2005 – 2007. I chose them short (188cm) to be more manoeuvrable and to have a softer camber for touring. It’s one of two skis that I refer to as my “holy” skis . Not because I've set up a devotional shrine to them in a corner of my home, but because they have an awful lot of holes in them. These ones started off with NNN BC (5 holes) before being treated to 75mm (4 holes) and now the Voilé riser (6 holes). That adds up to 15 holes, so I’ll probably have to retire them from demanding mountain tours. I also have E99s – 3 pairs of different vintages in my “normal” length of 200/205.

This completely unimportant but do the Holy Skis have the Dark Tree graphic though? Very desirable graphic, hard to find. There were a couple years with silver skis, some had E99/109 BCX TOUR in big letters on a silver background, other years in this generation have a snowy forest landscape printed sideways on the ski. The three grooves coming out from behind the heel piece tell me it's within this generation. Solid ski, no air-channel construction and a really nice easy going flex. The 99/109 skis from this generation are really enjoyed by people like @bgregoire.

There is nothing special about these, but I've been looking for Spooky Dark Tree graphic for a while. It's just a cosmetic/collectors thing "collect all the colors!" I can't find a picture

[Jurassien]

This completely unimportant but do the Holy Skis have the Dark Tree graphic though? Very desirable graphic, hard to find. There were a couple years with silver skis, some had E99/109 BCX TOUR in big letters on a silver background, other years in this generation have a snowy forest landscape printed sideways on the ski. The three grooves coming out from behind the heel piece tell me it's within this generation. Solid ski, no air-channel construction and a really nice easy going flex. The 99/109 skis from this generation are really enjoyed by people like @bgregoire

Not sure what you mean by the “Dark Tree” graphic, but this is what the graphic looks like:

However, this ski has the longitudinal air-channels. Weight: 2300g (pair, 188cm, unmounted):

I have an older Europa 99 Tour with a trapezoid cross-section (top narrower than base), and that one also has “Air Tec” construction – very solid ski. Weight: 2650g (pair, 205cm, unmounted)

Apologies for my inexpert photography.

[Woodserson]

A line of trees silhouetted up on the shovel, it's not a big deal. Just my own personal thing, it's one of my favorite graphics in this series and I rarely see it.

I should have been more specific-- your generation has "air channels" but not the "air tech" of the newer Xtralite series... which is so tunneled that sometimes the nose screw on the NNN BC bindings punches into a complete void and has to be filled with epoxy and then redrilled in order to get purchase for the screw. Yours are a great ski, solidly built and a nice flex. I have an E99 of this model series and it's really nice for turning, if a little less poppy for kick and glide skiing than the newer Xtralite/TransNordic series which have a more pronounced pocket underfoot.

[Woodserson]

Ah HA! The one on the left! Very hot

[GrimSurfer]

Ah HA! The one on the left! Very hot

Nice!

I had a Europe 99 Tour in 68mm. Similar to the one of the left, which looks to be in the same ballpark. The construction of that ski was very good indeed. I’m sure it added to the weight though.

Given to me by a friend, who skied them twice and stored them properly for 10+ years. The structure was very good. Just needed brushing, cleaning, and base prep. Passed them on to my son in law (who is starting the sport this winter) with a new pair of Alpina Alaskas.

This should get me parking and hot tub privileges at his home, which is 15 minutes from Hardwood Hills (one of the better groomed tracks in Ontario).

[Jurassien]

Ah HA! The one on the left! Very hot

Ah, yes………now I understand!

I have two of those, both waxless and both in 200cm. I don’t use the E89 much – only on tours which are partially on machine-prepared loipe. The E99 is my favourite and most-used ski, by far. It has covered more than 1,000km in the pastures/forests of the Jura and the mountains of southern Norway. If I could keep only one ski it would be that one.

Bit of a mess at the moment, as both skis have just been base-prepped and not yet scraped. Fishscales masked with duct tape.

[phoenix]

So, lilcliffy, are your skis mounted yet?

[Krummholz]

Thanks for that template! Just a couple of weeks ago, I installed a set of Cobras and risers, and this would've been a big help...but I have more of them and the others , too, so this is great.

More “sheets” to blow your mind!

Measure printout to double check sheet was correctly printed. I like how the G3-4… has actual measurements. And the Rottefella has an actual 250MM MEASURING TAPE PRINTED ON IT!!!


Rottefella installation instructions = just a picture of it