Equipment - boots and bindings
Date first posted on eCommunity - 3
December 2006
This follows on from last week's posting which
talked about buying
second-hand skis, and which focussed mainly on the length and shape
of the skis themselves.
This week we consider the various types of bindings that you get on
cross-country skis, and at the boots that go with them. For the sake
of simplicity I'll proceed on the basis that if you are looking at
track skis then they will be fitted with track bindings (and that if
you are looking at off-track skis they will have off-track
bindings). But be ready for the possibility that the skis will be
fitted with the wrong kind of bindings. My own first skis were a
pair of Rossignol Chamois metal-edged tourers . . . fitted with old-style Salomon TRACK bindings. (Imagine a Land Rover with bicycle
wheels.) When I bought them I didn't know any better, but the shop
staff should have done. Similarly, you will occasionally see the
opposite problem – track skis fitted with heavy off-track bindings
that catch on the sides of the track and slow the skier down.
BINDINGS. From the 1950s until about 1980 almost all bindings were
of the old Nordic Norm variety. Three pins protruded upwards from
the binding plate, and they corresponded with three holes on the
underside of the front of the boot. Boot and binding were then
clamped firmly together by a strong metal bale. Bindings for track
skis were 50mm wide, whereas those for touring were 75mm. These old
Nordic Norm bindings are still in wide use for touring, but they are
now seldom seen on tracks.
Track bindings changed, and changed radically, when the French
company Salomon introduced their Salomon Nordic System (SNS). Now
the connection between boot and binding depended on a metal bar
built into the front of the boot, a design that ensured lateral
stability while also allowing a longer stride. It was a good system
and its justified popularity soon gave it near-monopoly status - at
least until Norwegian manufacturers responded by creating their own
version, which they named New Nordic Norm, or NNN. Unfortunately,
NNN is not compatible with SNS. An NNN boot will not fit into an SNS
binding, and vice-versa. More unfortunately still, these
manufacturers have subsequently brought out new designs that are not
even compatible with their own precursors. So if, for example, you
buy the most recent NNN bindings, you may need to replace your old
NNN boots.
For off-track work, 75mm three-pin bindings are still much in use
and they give very good service. However some skiers prefer a cable
system, in which a loop of plastic-covered metal cable encircles the
boot and clamps it into a wedge-shaped metal bracket in front of the
toes. Cables give good lateral stability which helps downhill
control, but they can impede forward flex and therefore shorten your
stride when moving on flat ground. A compromise system combines both
pins and cables: you deploy the cables only when skiing downhill.
There are also touring versions - called "Back-Country" - of both
NNN and SNS - and these are very suitable for general touring on
rolling terrain.
BOOTS. Sellers of second-hand skis will often sell their old boots
as well. Beware of anything that is very bendy. Hold the toe of the
boot in one hand and the heel in the other. If you can easily twist
it (as if you were wringing out a cloth) then it will give you no
support when slowploughing or turning. Beware of old, low-cut (below
ankle height) leatherette boots. Also - any boot with a 50mm Nordic
Norm binding is likely to be over 30 years old. It will prove very
difficult to find replacement boots when the time comes for a new
pair.
All boots for TRACK skiing should be light in weight. Those for
classic technique should have good forward flexibility under the
ball of the foot. But they need enough lateral stability to allow
you to have good control over your skis when snowploughing.
With skating boots the chief requirement is lateral stability, and
in most designs this is provided by a fairly rigid sole and a
plastic ankle cuff.
"Combi" boots are intended for a mix of classical and skating
techniques. They have a medium-stiff sole and a removable ankle
cuff, which you put on for skating technique and take off for
classical.
Boots for TOURING need to be warm and waterproof, and they must
offer an optimal combination of forward flexibility (so that you can
move freely over flat ground) and lateral stability (so that you can
turn well when skiing down hills). Leather is still the preferred
material of those who tour in Scandinavia. Plastic is more favoured
on the steeper slopes of the Alpine region and in the Pyrenees.
Leather boots are in general much less expensive than plastic
models, though top-end leather boots equipped with insulating
linings and buckle fasteners, do come at a high price.
Touring boots have cleated soles, so that if necessary you can walk
up to the snowline. You must be careful however when walking off-
snow in" Back-Country" boots, for rough ground will damage the metal
bar that locates into the ski binding.
As was the case with last week's posting, some of this is robbed
from the new book. I'll try to be more original from now on.
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