Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Okay, I will be very honest and straight to the point. The Meidjo is simply the best telemark binding ever. The most brilliant invention since the rat trap. A pure delight, the ultimate toy for the most hard-to-please gear junkie. Do you have a bad case of the old Gear Acquisition Syndrome? Better stop reading here or your wife will be mad at you once again for pre-spending your summer vacation savings. Really, the Meidjo is unbelievably nice. Mind-blowing. Brilliant. Amazing. Wonderful. Absolutely thrilling.

Life is beautiful. But there are a few things I regret though. I wish I knew what I know now when I was 20. Lots of things I wish I hadn't said and done. I also wish I had upgraded all my computers to SSD drives 15 years ago. And I really should have switched to Meidjos 5 years ago. 

I am not going to talk about it for hours. No need for poetic metaphors or long technical descriptions here. You heard it all before. You already heard about it many times, people have been praising the Meidjo everywhere since it came out. And I can only confirm that everything is true: It's absolutely awesome, in every possible way. 

Even though The M is secretly working on a new binding, the Meidjo is THE NTN binding to own. (I also really wish that Rottefella will come up with new NTN-BC soles one day, but that's another story... )

At 460g per binding, the Meidjo is ridiculously light. You can hear it a million times everywhere, you actually have to hold this wonderful piece of engineering in your own hands to believe it. Everything here is reduced to its most simple form. And yet, it's feels indestructible despite being a very complex system. I cannot see how it could possibly break, while you can destroy almost any parts on the 970g Freeride just by looking at it. 

I thought mounting would be challenging, since you have to drill 12 holes on each ski. But honestly, it was surprisingly easy to do. Yep, quick and easy. Except for the brakes, which are ehhh... almost impossible to install. If you plan to install the brakes on yours, be ready to abuse the f-word a few times. The old Voile brakes were very tricky to install too, and so were the 7TM ones. So I guess there's no need for me to complain here. 

I feel like just repeating what 5000 meidjos skiers have said before. 5000 users can't be wrong. But yes, the binding is super powerful despite its super light weight. The design is flawless. Touring mode is much better than everything else, with much better, 90+deg ROM. Lateral control is unbelievable. Such levels of stiffness have never been achieved before on such a tiny binding, especially with the optional Red springs. It's so small, yet it's built like a tank. 


Yet another holy grail feature of the Meidjo is the releasability. Yep, it does release. And it has nothing to do with the "catastrophic release" of the others. The releasability here can be adjusted manually, and totally independently of the binding's stiffness. Which means you can have the spring set to super stiff, and have the release mechanism set to a very low setting to save those decade-old knees. Once again, it's brilliant. 

And as an added bonus, they ski like crazy. They ski much better than both the Freerides and the Outlaws. While offering the same power and stiffness as the Outlaws, they offer a MUCH more natural telemark feeling. I really don't like the robotic feeling of other NTN alternatives. The Meidjos are super smooth while also being super active. They offer much more control and stability compared to the other bindings on the market. Really, I was not expecting such a beautiful, smooth and yet ultra-powerful experience after 10 years on NTN. Even my red-tube-at-four Freerides felt slack compared to the M Equipment weapon. 

Yes, it's a "backcountry" binding. But just because is feather-light doesn't make it a backcountry-only binding. I tested the Meidjo in the worst Icecoast conditions. Of course, after breaking dozens of NTN bindings in the past, I was worried about the Meidjo vulnerability under fast, aggressive skiing on the groomers. Boy, I was so wrong. This thing is amazingly solid. I took them everywhere on the front side. Whether it was in bumps or 40-degree icy groomers at full-throttle, I felt absolutely confident and totally secure with the M's under my feet. There is no way to destroy this lightweight artillery, no matter how hard I tried. 

Unlike TTS systems which are just simple cable bindings with tech toes, the Meidjo offers a true NTN feeling with the second heel attachment. And that feeling is amazing... Being so light and so close to the snow, while having the full NTN power is a unique experience. You just don't feel the binding interacting between you and your skis anymore, like having your feet directly on the snow. They make your 4-buckle boots feel MUCH lighter.

Granted, it is the most expensive binding out there. But no, it's not just hype. And no, it's not overrated AT ALL: it's simply a marvel of creativity and engineering. The Meidjos are tattooed on my heart. On my feet and mind too. I will never be able to ski any other NTN bindings now. Once you try the Meidjo, going back is simply impossible.

And speaking of my heart... After all, if my dear Jasmin Taylor has already switched to Meidjos, then there is no reason left for not doing it too...  11/10. (Yes, the Meidjos really go to eleven...)

Thanks for the review -- I've got a pair in the box waiting to be mounted. But, 40-degree groomers? You must have some very talented winch-cat operators out there

Johnny wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 4:28 pm

M Equipment Meidjo 2.1 BOX.jpg

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Seems like you mounted them on Åsnes skis from the look of it... just being curious

Nitram Tocrut wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 9:55 pm

Seems like you mounted them on Åsnes skis from the look of it... just being curious

Yup, probably on a pair of Ousland BCs. Johnny likes to mix things up!

Andy M wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 7:18 pm

40-degree groomers? You must have some very talented winch-cat operators out there

The best in the east!
Please let us know what you think of them once mounted... I hope you will fall in love as much as I did...!

bgregoire wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 06, 2020 10:28 pm

Yup, probably on a pair of Ousland BCs. Johnny likes to mix things up!

Ahahahaha...! It seems like Ben is getting to know me very well...
But no, I mounted them on FT62 and Dynastar Omeglass Speed...

The standard springs (top) and the Red ones (bottom). It's hard to see on the picture, but the Red ones are slightly thicker... That slight difference in thickness makes a *HUGE* difference in stiffness!

First of all, sorry for thise huge post dig I bumped onto this while searching for answers ... or other victims.
Just wanted to let you guys know that I cannot agree with the topic starter's review.
I broke my meidjo 2.1 for the second time in 5 weeks. Plastic parts just can't hold the forces I put on them while going hard on groomers (alpine ski, not telemark)
First time I had splendid service from the manufacturer, now waiting and hoping for some support. But I'm considering if these bindings will do the job in the future

If I am understanding you correctly, you are using Meidjo bindings, with the heel locked to make Alpine turns, is that correct?
While I understand the idea of locking the heel is to enable a skier the option to lock the heel for more challenging terrain. Perhaps Meidjo is being marketed as an AT binding as well?
I do know Meidjo was designed to be a releasable Telemark binding, with the ability to release the duckbutt for touring.
I ski on lighter gear, currently there are no NTN boots light enough to interest me. However I read quite a bit from guys that are very interested in this equipment. From what I read from them, I don’t think they as a group would be as concerned about someone skiing alpine at a resort breaking Meidjo, as they are about issues with transitioning from touring to downhill mode, and claw grabs while touring.
If your going to make alpine turns at a resort riding chairs why not use a resort bindings? Even an AT binding without the specialized duckbutt would be a more simple alpine binding.
In closing, myself as a Telemark skier, find your problem with this binding far less important than the other issues being addressed in the development of the Meidjo and Lynx bindings.
However I wish you the best of luck in resolving your problem.

I do not have the alpine heel.. I think I can say that I am quite a good (alpine) skier, allowing me to carve, short turn,... with the duckbutt engaged, but without lifting my heel. Just standing flat, I have enough contact point to get the ski on whatever edge I want at any speed/slope condition.
I use the Scott Voodoo NTN. My focus however is not on touring, but the downhill part. Hoping to find the right gear for me, allowing me to switch between alpine/telemark. I really do enjoy just popping in some telemark turns in between some regular alpine turns

By the way, if I would be a good telemark skier, would the pressure/forces on the binding not be the same? If not, even more stressed out? I now apply the same amount of force on those bindings with both feet as I would probably do on one foot when doing high speed telemark carve turn (but haven't got the skills to do so ... yet )

The 3.0 now uses a Pebax material for the plastic flex plate in your picture. If you buy a replacement, be sure to get that, as it is claimed to be more durable.
Your observation on stresses is correct, I think. Using the telemark techniques (dropping a knee) puts considerably more stress on the binding than remaining in an upright alpine stance for turns. Assuming that's what you mean by saying you ski "alpine" on the bindings.

If you are not interested in utilizing telemark techniques continually, there are better choices in bindings. A more "active" binding, like the 22 Designs Outlaw X will likely have more resistance against dropping a knee - making alpine technique turns easier - while being more robust and allowing the use of the Tx Comp boot. You don't need the light weight of the Meidjo.

I'd recommend using alpine gear for alpine days and embrace telemark techniques on telemark gear, though, for resort skiing. It's just more fun and rewarding and way better exercise!