Ski match for FINNGRIP easy bindings

[LaplandPaul]

Greetings from Lappland!

I got myself a new pair of skis this winter: Peltonen Metsä 70 step with a finngrip easy binding

The ski is a classic swedish/finnish forrest ski, 230cm long, 70mm wide, very little camber and no steel edges. I really enjoyed it on the flats when there is fesh, deep snow. The big surprise however for me was how well this binding system worked! It is compatible with almost any boot and I have used it with my Alfa hunting boots, Lundhags Skare shell boots and some heavy rubber boots for ice fishing (Nokian Naali). I have not seen anyone mention them here and there is only very little information on how people use it. The manufacturer claims that these bindings were sucessfully used in some finnish multi day ski race ( https://kuusamonuistin.fi/en/finngrip/ ) and there are some written reviews online, but most people seem to just use them on these forrest skis. I have not found anyone mention them being used on a fast efficient XC ski (like Åsnes Amundsen) or with a pulk in the mountains.

As I am quite unhappy with my ALFA Guard Advance NNN-BC boots (sole became too soft, rubber rim cracked, leather stretched) I want to get rid of my NNN-BC system altogether and get something new for a multi-day trip in flat/hilly terrain with a backpack or even light pulk. Xplore was what I was after first, but then I thought, why not FINNGRIP easy? But on a completely different ski! Something like an Åsnes Amundsen (or Nansen or even Fischer T78). Something with camber, something truly XC to crush miles on the flats and lakes on consolidated snow. No downhill .

So my question is:

• Would you think this binding can handle a narrow, cambered ski like the Amundsen?

• Assuming the bindings do not give much control, are there certain types of skis that I should avoid?

• Would you expect a big efficiency penalty compared to NNN-BC or Xplore for the type of skiing described?

• Has anyone seen or used these bindings and has some opinion on or experiences with them?

Here is a short promotional video from the manufacturer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KvS_MQjdRk

If anyone is interesed, I can write a seperate post with a review once I have more experience with the binding. For now, I have had no problems and they felt much more comfortable than NNN-BC (probably due to the better fitting boots).

Below are some pictures I took with the bindings

All the best,
Paul

[mca80]

Hi Paul. You may also want to check out these new bindings from the same manufacturer, made for NATO, although they are more limited in terms of what boots can be used:

https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/ ... ding/73641

They sell out quickly though.

[LaplandPaul]

https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/ ... ding/73641

Hi mca80,
Thanks for the tip! I have seen them on the manufactuer's website.
But I think they would feel different. The shoe sole needs to flex more compared to the easy bindings as there is no 'tilting foot plate'. Also there is no stop in the tilt (like in NNNBC or Xplore due to the rubber toe bumper). The easy bindings do have the white plastic basket which give exactly the same kind of stop as on the NNNBC system I have. Then there is also the metal spring which gives a kind of bounce, somewhat like classic NNN bindings. Feels like a enegry conserving feature.

I think that the easy binding is therefore much better suited for XC skiing than the nordgrip or erä bindings (if you want a similar feel as NNNBC).

have you any experience with the nordgrip system @mca80 ?

[mca80]

I have no experience with them though have been tempted to get a pair for certain use cases (ski shoes or forest skis mostly). If you like the way they work on forest skis I don't see why they wouldn't work with an Amundsen though my guess is they won't be as stable as nnnbc or 3pins or xplore, but I say try it unless someone here has found that it doesn't work well on certain skis.