This is the World Famous TelemarkTalk / TelemarkTips / Telemark Francais Forum, by far the most dynamic telemark and backcountry skiing discussion board on the world wide web since 1998. East, West, North, South, Canada, US or Europe, Backcountry or not.
This is the World Famous TelemarkTalk / TelemarkTips / Telemark Francais Forum, by far the most dynamic telemark and backcountry skiing discussion board on the world wide web since 1998. East, West, North, South, Canada, US or Europe, Backcountry or not.
This is the World Famous TelemarkTalk / TelemarkTips Forum, by far the most dynamic telemark and backcountry skiing discussion board on the world wide web. We have fun here, come on in and be a part of it.
But when there are enough alternatives within each norm to find a perfectly comfortable boot, what norm are you going to recommend to your friends & family (& yourself) for such BC touring?
Friends and family are easy. You know them well. You know their fitness level, the areas in which they live, and can have a conversation about their needs.
When it comes to online, I kind of laugh whenever I see a post starting with “what equipment should I buy”, followed by very definitive recommendations right out of the starting gate. (If I never read “Alaska” or “Scarpa” boots again, I will be better off for it.)
The hardest part of any endeavour is defining requirements. Lots of questions and honest answers needed.
We dreamed of riding waves of air, water, snow, and energy for centuries. When the conditions were right, the things we needed to achieve this came into being. Every idea man has ever had up to that point about time and space were changed. And it keeps on changing whenever we dream. Bio mechanical jazz, man.
But when there are enough alternatives within each norm to find a perfectly comfortable boot, what norm are you going to recommend to your friends & family (& yourself) for such BC touring?
Friends and family are easy. You know them well. You know their fitness level, the areas in which they live, and can have a conversation about their needs.
When it comes to online, I kind of laugh whenever I see a post starting with “what equipment should I buy”, followed by very definitive recommendations right out of the starting gate. (If I never read “Alaska” or “Scarpa” boots again, I will be better off for it.)
The hardest part of any endeavour is defining requirements. Lots of questions and honest answers needed.
I think this place is pretty thoughtful and exhaustive in that regard, to be honest. At its best it's like a convocation of enthusiastic surgeons weighing up which scalpel to use and where to cut first. It's clarified and demystified an enormous amount for me anyway. Everyone weighs in with their preferred things (heh) and a bunch of general insight and anecdote and asks the right questions. Somewhere in the crossfire people can see themselves and their snow. And then they buy some Gammes* and come back in April to say they're awesome.
But when there are enough alternatives within each norm to find a perfectly comfortable boot, what norm are you going to recommend to your friends & family (& yourself) for such BC touring?
Friends and family are easy. You know them well. You know their fitness level, the areas in which they live, and can have a conversation about their needs.
I understand their needs, but cannot give the best advice without understanding people’s experience with the xplore class of boots.
Of course, you cannot go wrong with nnn-bc for backcountry. But I presume most innovation will be on xplore from here on. And when people like Johnny are so enthusiastic about xplore while stating that nnn-bc used to be his favorite binding, it’s time to listen.
But when there are enough alternatives within each norm to find a perfectly comfortable boot, what norm are you going to recommend to your friends & family (& yourself) for such BC touring?
Friends and family are easy. You know them well. You know their fitness level, the areas in which they live, and can have a conversation about their needs.
I understand their needs, but cannot give the best advice without understanding people’s experience with the xplore class of boots.
Of course, you cannot go wrong with nnn-bc for backcountry. But I presume most innovation will be on xplore from here on. And when people like Johnny are so enthusiastic about xplore while stating that nnn-bc used to be his favorite binding, it’s time to listen.
It’s a boot… and binding. They will adapt.
The question is whether they need whatever extra Xplore has to offer beyond NNN BC, not Johnny’s personal prefs.
This isn’t to question or belittle Johnny’s experience. It’s more about gauging the needs of the people who will be using the boot/binding system.
We dreamed of riding waves of air, water, snow, and energy for centuries. When the conditions were right, the things we needed to achieve this came into being. Every idea man has ever had up to that point about time and space were changed. And it keeps on changing whenever we dream. Bio mechanical jazz, man.
Thank you! Great wisdom. Think we can close the thread now
Edit: Anyone else has some actual experience or insights?
You’re talking about a new skier. They need to start somewhere. The best any third party can do is to give a reasonable recommendation. “Reason” being the root word here.
So talk to them, discover their needs, and move forward. They’re not a Johnny clone. So their needs might and expectations not be the same.
We dreamed of riding waves of air, water, snow, and energy for centuries. When the conditions were right, the things we needed to achieve this came into being. Every idea man has ever had up to that point about time and space were changed. And it keeps on changing whenever we dream. Bio mechanical jazz, man.
You’re talking about a new skier. They need to start somewhere. The best any third party can do is to give a reasonable recommendation. “Reason” being the root word here.
They’re not though. They can be experienced Nordic or alpine skiers.
The need to optimize also applies to myself.
Now please stop trying to derail this thread also.
Unless one is always skiing in well groomed tracks, i feel more control without a lot of compromise is probably beneficial. So for most, Xplore with soft flexor and most Xplore boots except the Alfa Free would be my recommendation as long as the cost is not an issue.
Outliers will probably need something different but will probably know enough to pick their own gear.
You’re talking about a new skier. They need to start somewhere. The best any third party can do is to give a reasonable recommendation. “Reason” being the root word here.
They’re not though. They can be experienced Nordic or alpine skiers.
The need to optimize also applies to myself.
Now please stop trying to derail this thread also.
Nobody is trying to derail anything. What, exactly, do you need to make a decision here?
One approach is to try on boots for the best fit and then pick bindings. Another is to start with a decision on the binding and then go boot shopping.
Rottefella has been in the binding game for a hundred years. If they, and more experienced skiers such as Tom M and Johnny say they’re better performing, it kind of ends the debate about what is “best”. But if the issue is what is “sufficient”, then debate the merits of each binding system relative to conditions and skill levels (which are sort of related).
The issue comes down to either acceptance or analysis. There’s no third option that lies between these cardinal points. Personally, I feel the greatest chance of getting a good match is analysis. Huge amount of room for discussion there…
Last edited by GrimSurfer on Sun Jan 15, 2023 1:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
We dreamed of riding waves of air, water, snow, and energy for centuries. When the conditions were right, the things we needed to achieve this came into being. Every idea man has ever had up to that point about time and space were changed. And it keeps on changing whenever we dream. Bio mechanical jazz, man.
Unless one is always skiing in well groomed tracks, i feel more control without a lot of compromise is probably beneficial. So for most, Xplore with soft flexor and most Xplore boots except the Alfa Free would be my recommendation as long as the cost is not an issue.
Outliers will probably need something different but will probably know enough to pick their own gear.
I agree on the control issue. It’s a useful starting point for analysis.
NNN BC is more than enough for track skiing. NN isn’t great at this, in my view.
NNN BC works for OT lite, so do the others.
Xplore appears particularly suited for heavier OT use. Simpler, in a sense than NN + cables. The different flexors are a nice touch to customize the feel.
We dreamed of riding waves of air, water, snow, and energy for centuries. When the conditions were right, the things we needed to achieve this came into being. Every idea man has ever had up to that point about time and space were changed. And it keeps on changing whenever we dream. Bio mechanical jazz, man.
