Telemark's missing link

Men's Journal
November 2007

by Jordan Campbell

We've waited neary a decade for Rottefella's Revolutionary NTN Binding. Now that it's here, will it live up to its own hype?

Centuries ago Norse telemarkers bound leather boots to wooden skis with twisted willow bands. Today the gear's made of fancier materials, but the boot and binding interface still feels primeval. Rottefella's New Telemark Norm (NTN) binding, eight years in the making, aims to be the free-heel equivalent of fish crawling from the water. Rather than connect through three tiny pins in the boot's toe, as most bindings do, it latches on via a base plate under the forefoot. The result is a seamless transfer of power from man to ski and a dialed-in feeling that had us grinning like schoolchildren by turn three. Strapping up meant just stepping in and tapping the brake with a pole, and we had the option to lock down our heel for alpine touring. Plus, NTN boots are duckbill-free, so it's easier to trek or use crampons.

The catch? You'll have to spend a grand on an all new boot-and-binding combo. To confuse matters more, Black Diamond promises another new binding standard by 2009. But for now Rottefella's NTN is the ultimate ride--and telemark's great leap forward. ($350)