Comments on: New Telemark Binding Makes Debut

By: Chris

Chris — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:43:49 +0000

I’ve been backcountry skiing since 1978 (grew up skiing the Wasatch) on all sorts of equipment. I have never been close to getting caught in an avalanche and I don’t have any expectatins of survivign one if I do. Chances are you are going to die. Wheather I have fun or not on any given day of skiing – and its all about having fun, no? – has nothign to do with my equipment but with my own attitude and the choices I make that day. I still ski on tele bindings but mostly parrallel turn on them and I can get myself most slopes with some grace. I have skied Voile CRB hardwire for over a decade and have never had a problem with prerelease. And they have save me from injury at least a dozen times. I have had one ski slip under a falled aspen more than once and not even fallen as my binding released saving my ass. Sure its a sloppy binding but it can be skied on easily and well. Just adjust how you ski it. I’m reading this cause I’m thinking of going with the Axl on a new setup but keep thinking about those fallen aspens just under the snow. In the end all the time I am now spending stressin gabout which binding is the best will make no difference once i’m out skiing. I’ll just be grateful as hell that I am fortunate enough to be one of the very few people in this worrld who are lucky enough to be able to ski. Where’s the spell checker on this thing?

By: Cathy Chute

Cathy Chute — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:34:09 +0000

Bindings that don’t release = injury to your body! Forget about the avalanche business all you need to do is fall down in a non-releasable binding and you can do serious damage to your bones and joints. As a nurse that has worked in surgery in Mammoth Lakes, Tahoe, Wenatchee, Seattle and San Francisco I have made a living off of injured skiers for over twenty years. If I had a dollar for every patient (alpine or tele) who said “My binding didn’t release” I could have retired by now!! I still tele on my old voile releasables and hope for the best. Shame on the ski industry for minimizing the risks.

By: Scott Loss

Scott Loss — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 02:30:48 +0000

Voile has answered 99% of the safety, durability and cost-effectiveness issues with the crb. They took the simple 3-pin cable binding and “contemporized” it, making it releasable with a brake, leaving all of the other more expensive “new” ideas in the dust. After three years on the market, I’ve seen 2 (two) NTN systems on the mountain, total.
The sky hoy was ahead of its time, and with a few simple design tweaks, it would have flown, big time. Manufacturers can try to reinvent the wheel all they want, but the fact is, any binding that is designed to release is safer than one that is not. I chuckle at my fellow nords as they fiddle with their safety straps. Skiing is hazardous, so why wouldn’t you do everything possible to reduce the hazards? Ask yourself that when you spend your next dollar on gear. Learning efficient technique is also a great idea, as no gear can withstand some of the pressures exerted by some “testers.” That is what killed the sky hoy.

By: catus

catus — Thu, 14 May 2009 03:08:24 +0000

The things need to be sorted out because it’s not about the individual but it can be with everyone.

By: Lou

Lou — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:45:34 +0000

I can not imagine trying to keep up with my son if I was on tele gear. I’d have to have him ski with one leg on nordic racing gear if I was to have any hope. That is all.