The NNN/BC Truth Thread

[Raventele]

Here it is..
About what you should expect..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3yaE34VYek

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M2P5WkvhYA

[Johnny]

It's funny because as everyone is getting fatter skis and beefier bindings, I'm now going the opposite way...

I downsized my NTN rig to the minimum and sold all my fat skis. Now I really want a pair of Glitterinds with some NNN / SNS BC bindings...!

[Raventele]

Well, good luck! I just don't see any reason to prefer
NNN anything to 3pin and especially not over 3pin/cable..
Unless you have local dependably-heroic conditions for
some meadow skipping..Boots for pins are far more capable
also..And those plastic parts on system gear fail, especially
in the cold! Plus the bar location on NNN/BC
(some SNS have 2 bars and that's SAID to be much better)is terrible for Tele turns and
offering 0 holding ability or activity, you easily get knocked all
over in the boots..And if you are breaking a fresh trail through
snow, the deeper and more difficult the snow conditions are, the easier
to bust through on pins and stout boots..I think NNN (and SNS) end up
turning more people off to XCD than on..Simply inadequate for most
purposes..
But these folks prove decent skier can ski the stuff ..on some great snow over
groomers at least..And a lot of these folks are on far wider and more shaped skis than Glittertinds..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afMObuv2mms

This vid looks like skiing the likes of SNS or NNN BC stuff reasonable..
But how is it any real advantage over using 3pin/cables and stouter boots?
There's not any real XC aspect to the vid..Just climbing up a nice wide open mountain
to ski spring (summer?) snow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PrkoESd3ls

[Johnny]

I've been skiing on pins and leathers about 50% of the time in the last 5 years... Both on piste and backcountry...

But even if it's already perfect, I feel like I could really fly with something even lighter...! Downhill and uphill... I've seen people doing it here and it looked REALLY fun...!

I know how hard it must be to ski this kind of setup... But if Steve Barnett can do it, maybe, and just maybe, I can do it too...

One of the reason why I'm slowly starting to look at XC BC bindings (besides weight) is because I still love to ski 3-pins on groomers too. And I'm worried that if I get a pair of narrower skis like the Glitterinds, the classic 3-pin bindings may hit the snow on some steeper trails... And I wonder how they would ski with a 10-15mm riser with leathers... Any idea?

[Raventele]

I know from an article that SB does not present
the Glittertind/SNS setup as being any fun or all
that appropriate at a ski resort or under really heavy and/or
deep snow..
A quote..Seriously, if he says to not bother skiing the setup at a resort,
I gotta wonder..I mean it can't handle blue or even green hardpack ?
Here's a quote from the summary:
"Loss
Speed capability is low. This is relative, of course.
Both deep powder and deep glop are slower and more difficult.
Forget the ski area.
More difficult in cut up snow, multiply layered snow, or unconsolidated snow with a negative density profile. With a fatter ski you might be flying higher in an easier layer. Less pleasant in frozen rough snow.
Be prepared to telemark almost everything. Parallel is only rarely the turn of choice."
Here's the link to the full article..
http://www.earnyourturns.com/9240/sb-no ... tele-lite/

I'll stick with Lite Terrians , 3pc and T4's or a stout leather..maybe Excursions..
but my XCd is mostly about rambling around looking for some turns..lower-angle trees and meadows..
Steep farm hills and logging roads..
I know a lot of folks on pins who use the low risers..no real issue..At the resort I would prefer to get
them up out of the snow a bit..I use 20 and 30 mm risers..But I have seen some folks ski all over the resorts
3p or 3pc on low risers without any big problems..

[Johnny]

Yeah I think it was this article (And his book, and the fact that I was working at a cross-country center last winter) that got me into it. I don't know much about XC... But one thing I realized over the years, is that to me, telemark is much more fun totally "naked". And by naked I mean, super light, no plastic, directly onto the skis. As little as possible between the feet and the ski.

People used to compare Tele and alpine with safe sex and making love. I think it applies even more when comparing telemark and XCD...

NNN / SNS BC setups are the only thing I never tried in 35 years of skiing. So I'm kind of excited about it... There's no snow here... Not enough for steep backcountry skiing... The best snow in the last two years was at the bottom of the mountains... So I guess it's time for me to discover the "NNN/BC Truth"...!

People were laughing at me when I had those 1x3 pieces of lumber (read: risers) under my 3p bindings when I started... I would always hit the snow without them...

I once had a pair of X-Terrains but they were way too heavy... Thought I would trade them for lite terrains but I got my hands on Guides and Epochs instead...

Skinnier, always more skinny!

[Raventele]

I c..but Johnny, with the Guides you def have
MORE ski under you than with an Xterrain--Xterrains
just come in a max. length of 170cm! The Xterrains
should have at least a 180 option but don't!

[Raventele]

Johnny..here's a link to a ski lite thread I have been working on for quite some time -- with the help of my friends the Kingdom Telemark Boys in Vermont and some folks out west here in my area..I'll cross-link it in the main forum..
http://www.telemarkeast.com/forums/view ... f=2&t=3000

[nurse ben]

Yeah, I've seen people rip on NNN stuff, but I have also seen people rip on a mountain unicycle, so I wouldn't go so far as to consider NNN gear worthy for serious tele turns. At the minimum you need a binding that can handle the stressors and one that has a modicum of resistance to keep you from falling on your face.

My wife and I went out on NNN gear and though I have a strong tele turn, it was a miserable experience when it comes to making tele turns, there is no way I'd consider NNN gear for anything but bush waking.

Pins and a sturdy boot would make a fine meadow cruiser, long tours where distance was more important that turns, but I generally want to make turns so I opt for heavier gear. Your mileage may vary...

[Raventele]

The truth, just the truth..On our recent trip to Co. we did one day at a nordic center where I rented some NNN/"BC" boots and bindings.."Won't fit in the tracks," they said..but they did..Around this area in the pic I says to myself "BC huh ?" and stepped off into some nice light snow..sunk to my knees.. NNN/"BC" ? bullshit..they were no better or worse on the groomed nordic than stock nordic track gear and they had no relevance to "BC", period. They would ski 4 inches of light snow on a packed surface, but so would about any other Nordic track gear..NNN or SNS BC is nonsense..