Rottefella NTN Binding - 2009 BCS

I'm not totatlly sold on the NTN. It's too expensive and you have to buy new boots, too. I'm not willing to do that since I just bought new T1's and love my Bombers and Hammerheads.
However, the NTN's are wicked cool and offer un-compromised stability and activity. The added bonus is that you can eject like on an alpine binding, although the breaks only go to 110mm, which is my narrowest ski. The other bonus is free pivot touring feature. This is great for uphill, but the binding is heavy, so it's not totally perfect for backcountry use. Also, you can step in to this binding instead of reaching behind and messing with cables.
It's adjustable, too, both with the "power tubes" (god, I love that name) and in the positioning of binding.
Now, for the ultimate selling point: You can get Dynafit heel pieces for your skis, so you can lock down your heels if you want to charge alpine style.
My dream setup right now is a pair of 4frnt CRJ's with NTN/dynafit combos, and Scarpa Terminator X Pros. So, whenever I get $2,000 I can blow, that's what it'll be.

I bought the whole ntn setup late last season with just a few days on them This last Saturday, epic powder day...I broke my ankle. My back ski caught a edge and my leg violently twisted. That releasable binding should of released in my eyes, and if it did so I would not be sitting here in a cast.
Other then that, I was beginning to really like them. The whole set up is very powerful.
Will I ski them again? I don't know.
The one thing that is really noticable with them is that back ski. Alot more going on there.
Most people consider me an advance telemark skier. Been doing it almost 20 years.
I hope this helps someone......

I'm middle aged (52). I'm on tele's but my buddies are alpine. I always hated gondolas, trams because I had to dismount and struggle getting back into my hammerheads. The step-in feature is the best feature of the NTNs by far. For me, that's worth the extra weight. I loved my Hammerheads; what a great binding, solid lockup and bombproof binding. But I do NOT like the duckbill. Getting rid of that is the number two reason to go NTN. If you've ever tried toe-pointing up a steep, hardpack chute with duckbills you've felt the fear of sliding off the mountain. My Crispi EVOs are as solid as any mountaineering boot. The third and final reason to switch to NTNs is the climbing mode, which is great with skins. HHs just don't do that well.

My knees are not what they used to be, though, and I did cave in and get a pair of Diamir-Fritschi's to mount on my new Rossi S7s this year. We'll see how that goes...

It bears noting that this is my first tele set-up, and though I was/am an expert alpine skier, I am a novice tele skier. I have skied the NTNs intermittently for about two seasons - maybe 10 times total? - and I like them. They are snappy and very stable laterally. What I like best is that there is no "fiddle factor" - you just snap in and go. They are a little heavy and I can see how they would be tough for true touring, but they are a great set-up for lift-serviced tele stuff. Again, please note that my experience is limited, and I've only skied a traditional tele binding once. One thing: buy the boots snug. I bought the larger of two size options and wish I had the smaller one.

I tested these bindings at Pico, VT on a 6" powder day and was not a fan. The bindings are very rigid and mechanical, losing all the "soul" that brought me to tele skiing from my alpine gear in the first place. They felt sort of like training wheels for tele.