Natural Walking Plate, freeride edition.
Stefano Maruelli will not rest. This is thelatest version of his Natural Walking Plate for those of the freeride inclination. Includes provision for Dynafit slide-on brake (as shown), and Stefano’s nice anti-rotation solution for the heel unit. At first glance the NWP might look like a solution without a problem. In reality, this contraption does two things that I believe have real-world application. First, it provides a nicely ergonomic stride that might be the ticket for anyone with repetitive use syndromes from uphilling with skis and skins. Second, it helps you leave your skis on the snow during your entire stride, so for freeriders hauling gigantic skis uphill, it could be a good way to make life easier. Stefano also claims it simply makes you faster uphill than conventional bindings, despite the added weight. I’m still not sure that’s true, but can testify from testing that it doesn’t slow you down. Would I use them myself? I wouldn’t mind a rig with NWP for fitness uphilling, to prevent overuse injury.
See our previous coverage of NWP.
7 comments
Good luck with that one.
I get some repetitive over use issues with cycling and other sports – so can see why this may be helpful. But at $500 a set, its cost prohibitive. I don’t see many people spending that kind of dough as preventative measure.
Sic,people spend many times that on a set of road bike wheels… it’s all relative, and if your body needs healing help or injury prevention $500 is really nothing. Try two years with 3 surgeries to perhaps fix recurring tendinitis, way more than $500…
this is the time of year to build your base fitness for the winter: the hip flexors need attention even if you’ve been biking running or climbing all summer. it’s funny trying to imagine another outdoor sport that puts weight on your feet and demands a lot of hours stepping up.
a good daily routine might include standing one leg dead lifts (while drinking your coffee in the morning). this move also works your core stomach muscles. also walking a mile or two with ankle weights, starting with a mellow 1.5-2 pounds per foot and working up to maybe 3 or 4 pounds per foot. keep in mind it’s the repetition not the amount of weight that will properly replicate the BC experience. and keep you out of the gym!
John, thanks!
Heaven forbid my partners from bringing that clanky thing up the mountain on our peaceful glide!
Thanks to see the first on-snow video… better availabel as soon as we again have snow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cHeKWwcyDV4&list=UUtrCJHP5dSLbAWadnv-sNsA
Probably you understood that you can forgot what you have at your feet, so you will enjoy what you’ve around…
With Fat skis there is an unbelivable difference in speed and maximum climbing (in term of 2-3 times more speed and climbing meters / feet)
Try to belive…
Ever remember what was the history for the AT bindings… (now will be IT Bindings !)
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