Category: Bindings

Product Description: The Rottefella NTN is a releasable, step-in telemark bindinga with ski brakes and free-pivot tour mode. It utilizes a non-traditional boot/binding interface that does away with the 75mm “duckbill.”

Brand: Rottefella

Model: NTN (New Telemark Norm) Freeride

Used With: Scarpa TX Comp boots and Surface Watch Life skis

Size: Large

Color: Black

MSRP: $399.00

Tester: Reggie Ruskin

Home Resort- Copper Mountain, CO

Height- 6’3”

Weight- 185lbs

Product Review: Right off the bat, I was impressed by the NTN’s easy on/off functionality. Being able to just step into the toe piece and press a lever down is a nice reprieve from fiddling around with cables and heel clips. I was warned that the NTN has a wide range of adjustability and that I would need to spend some time between runs changing the settings on the cartridges. It did take a bit of adjustment, but it proved to be easy since all that the adjustment entails is turning the cartridge under the binding with my fingers.

I got my settings dialed to my preference after a couple runs, and I was able to see what these bindings were made of. It was clear very quickly that the NTN Freeride binding offers more power transfer to the edges and more lateral stability than any other telemark binding that I’ve skied — period. They carve like a dream. You can really feel the energy go straight from your legs, through the boot and binding to the edges of your skis.

After a couple groomers, it was time to put the NTN to the test on some off-piste terrain. The bindings ripped through crud and variable snow superbly. I felt as though I instantly had more confidence in a wide array of terrain types. They allowed me to ski faster and stronger than I had in a while.

I took the afternoon to do some side-country touring, and my first impression was that the 30-degree of range of motion wasn’t quite as efficient as other telemark bindings with free-pivot tour modes. The Axl, for instance, has a 45-degree range of motion. While the binding itself is a little heavier than say the Twenty Two Designs’ Axl , the combination of the Scarpa TX Pro with the NTN Freeride binding actually comes in at only 1.5 percent heavier than the lightest free-pivot touring binding on the market with a Scarpa T1. Perhaps the minimal weight grievance will be done away with when Rottefella releases their NTN Freedom touring binding this spring.

The only other con to this system would be the price. Since you need to get new boots and bindings together, the initial investment can seem daunting. The one redeeming factor in this equation is that Rottefella offers second ski kits that come with mounting plates and heelpieces for under $100. With that in mind, the system as a whole could actually be cheaper than if you’re outfitting a quiver with 75mm bindings for every ski.

Bottom Line: If you’re looking for an all-out powerhouse of a binding and the performance on the descent is more of a priority than efficiency of travel in the backcountry, then the NTN Freeride binding is a great choice.