TELEMARK ENTERS THE 21ST CENTURY: New Telemark Norm

The NTN binding from Rottefella could be the most exciting innovation in telemark gear since plastic boots replaced leather.

NTN stands for New Telemark Norm. It’s a complete redesign of telemark’s boot/binding interface. Over the decades, design tweaks to tele’s standard 75mm bindings have improved tourability, releasability and downhill power. But in recent years, it’s been obvious that major improvements would require starting from scratch, which is where the NTN makes its anticipated appearance.

I tested the Rottefella NTNs in Northern Vermont on a new pair of K2 World Pistes with Scarpa Terminator X boots. The World Pistes, like all of K2’s tele skis, come pre-drilled with binding inserts for easy DIY installation.

Stepping into the NTNs is refreshing break from reaching around to flip heel cables. While you don’t get step-in convenience, you can engage NTNs while standing by pushing a lever on the front of the binding with the butt of your pole.

The toe of the boot sits in a metal doodad similar to an AT binding and rides atop a hinged plate with a pair of spring-loaded cartridges. Pushing the lever pulls the rear of the binding plate forward to latch onto a ledge under the boot’s forefoot.

When you lift the heel in a tele turn, both the bellows of the boot and the binding cartridges engage for a smooth, powerful flex. The plate underfoot provides a laterally solid connection to the boot that extends further back from the toe than traditional tele bindings, likely reducing side-to-side motion or noodling in the boot sole. Strong metal sidewalls on the binding’s wide base help to transfer power to the edges of the ski.

The result is bomber edgehold—better than any other telemark binding I’ve tried and some say better than anything in AT, at least prior to the introduction of the Marker Duke freeride AT binding. Mike Hattrup, head of K2’s telemark division, says, “This binding is above and beyond everything else out there in terms of edghold pressure and staying power.”

The NTNs make it easier to roll the skis onto edge and carve, and give much better control over the wayward back ski. The attachment underneath the boot also eliminates the “rocker launch” that you get with a cable binding, which tends to pull the heel of the boot slightly away from the ski, resulting in a more grounded feeling in parallel turns.

There’s a touring mode that lets the toe hinge freely, but the NTN’s weight makes it less of a touring binding than a downhill charger. Hattrup calls it a “Marker Duke for tele.” The closest I came to skinning on mine was riding Jay Peak’s magic carpet.

The NTN also has a release and brake. Hinged tabs on the back of the bindings allow for sideways release that pivots directly below the knee.

Another pro of NTNs is in the boots. Without the goofy duckbill toe, the sole is a more functional shape for walking, climbing and cramponing—and is even compatible with AT bindings. The Scarpa Termintor Pro does double-duty in the Dynafit AT binding.

The downside in the boot department is limited choice. This year’s NTN boots are only available in mondo 26.5 (men’s size 8.5) and up, and only two models: Scarpa’s Terminator X, an equivalent to the old T2X all-mountain boot; and the Crispi EVO, a four-buckle freeride boot that’s well-matched to NTN’s weight and power.

Next winter will add a boot from Garmont and the four-buckle Scarpa Terminator X-Pro, the NTN equivalent to the legendary T1. Backcountry types who want a true touring boot for the NTN will have to wait—further evidence that the new telemark paradigm favors the inbounds and freeride crowd over the old school. Which when you think about it fits telemark’s peculiar evolution: doing whatever it takes for more downhill performance, short of nailing down the heel.