[simple harmonic motion]

That tippey-toe shot made me cringe. Looks like that'll be fun to ski.

Also, what's going on with the gouging? On a normal cable binding you expect that the bootsole slips back slightly in the toe-piece as you flex the boot. But in this case it looks like the toe piece just stays there and jabs into the boot because there's nowhere for the boot to slip back. Bad mojo? Maybe this could be remedied with tighter boot/binding interface tolerances, or maybe it has to do with the attachment system altogether.

[teleken]

Like any new product the second season will have several bugs (like you described) worked out. I learned while working in a bike shop to never buy the first season unless you can afford to buy gear often.

Looking forward to more reviews thanks to your generous offer on demos.
_________________
Guess I'd rather be where the only lines I see are the ones behind my skis.

[XXX_er]

[Greg]

The NTN was actually lots of fun for early season conditions with only a few runs open.

I did a few top to bottom semi-speed runs skiing parallel and they were sweet. Awesome power transmission from the boot to the ski. Folks that buy tele equipment to make alpine turns on groomers are probably really going to love the feeling of the NTN. (I've met quite a few in our shop - many people really just like the comfort of tele boots)

Going to tele turn on the same runs felt great as well. My back foot did not feel nearly as solid as in a Hammerhead binding however. The bindings seemed to wanted to be skied a certain way, and I don't have enough time on them to know exactly what that is. The smoother and more consistent I was with my turns though, the better.

[Mitch]

Greg, the bad news is that you've obviously got a lot to learn about the NTN. The good news is that it's a lot of fun.

Start with turning your ski pole around and using the grip end to brace the ski during the step-in sequence and to open and close the binding. Easy as pie. In the thousands of times I got in an out of the NTN last year I don't think I ever bent over and used my hand. Not even once.

When stepping in you definitely don't want to "kick in," just figure out where to place your boot on the brake post thingy, then just ride it down into the binding. Again, easy as pie once you figure it out. After 20 days or so we found the NTN about as easy to get in and out of as any full step-in AT or alpine rig.

I'm pretty sure your "flexed in a turn" picture isn't really the way you weight your back foot when skiing tele, if it is we need to talk. The bellows isn't even closed.

As for the tour mode range, it worked great for us climbing in the backcountry right up to the limit that our skins would hold. Glad to hear it worked for you on the catwalk too.

Other than that, great review so far!

[Mitch]

What springs are you using? How much do you weigh? What is your preferred 75mm binding?

[Bricklin]

I've never flipped my heel lifts with the tip of the poles. Always with the handles.

How much are you asking for these "damaged" bindings?

[!ski]

[Greg]

I do think there will be lots of folks that will be really happy with the NTN:

-> Those who have been frustrated with binding adjustments (like cartridges always coming loose) and want a system that fits consistently every time

-> Those who do not care for really active bindings such as the Hammerhead, 01, and the Bishop

-> Those who would like the relative ease of entry and no leashes (if you get the optional brakes)

-> People that like to make parallel turns on groomers

-> People that want to be able to buy one boot and use it for tele and AT (Terminator X works with Dynafit TLT bindings )

-> People that haven't been using the current batch of bindings out there such as the BD 01 / HH / Bishops so they don't realize what kind of binding performance and ski control they are missing out on (ignorance is bliss ???)

-> People that don't compare it to the BD 01 for ease of touring and going into / out of tour mode

-> People that love having new and different stuff just for the sake of having new and different stuff

I've only skied the NTN for 3 days so still need lots of time to really get into details. I know I really disliked it at the Copper Demo when skiing variable snow and in bumps. My time on it at Loveland the other day helped me to overcome some of my initial dislike of the binding though. I'll be skiing it backcountry and quite a bit at the areas after we get more snow to try to get a better feel for it. I hope many of you will too.

I would have to say that in my opinion, this binding is not revolutionary - just different.

There are more powerful bindings out there...

There are better touring bindings out there...

There are simpler bindings...

There are lighter bindings...

So - what's so revolutionary???

Apparently attaching a boot to a tele binding under the sole will give the system "JET" status

[Greg]

[Greg]

[Zeno]

[Greg]

[Greg]

[Greg]