I have owned Alpina, Fischer, and Rossignol and I have no idea what to get this season. I really liked my Alpinas and Fischers a lot more then my Rossi's. But my Rossi's were outdated so I not very sure. I am nnn binding user but I am willing to switch if it will make that big of a difference. Any suggestions on what to get for the upcoming year?
FasterSkier Forums » Gear
Best Skate Boot
(6 posts)-
Posted 8 months ago #
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when i use the 2 types of binding there is subtle differences but, not enough to justify switching to another type of binding. I race on sns because i just like the boots better but, when i do use nnn i prefer alpina boots. i'm not sure if you wanted specific models of boots but, i'm really not much help there i just think alpina boots are more comfortable than rossignols. hope this helped a bit.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I'm on Salomon & have been plenty happy. But at the end of last season, I looked over the 2012 NNN stuff. The latest Rossie boots & newest binding have lost an amazing amount of weight. In my hands the Rossie boot seemed plenty stiff. If I was buying now, I'd be demoing this gear for sure. There should be someone in your area w/ demo gear. Rossie has demo sites in several places.
Just like all other foot ware however, fit is the top priority. I have a med volume foot & Salomon in the past fit me better. Don't know if that would be true today.
I think the main advantage of the Pilot binding vs a bumper binding like Profil or NNN is less friction loss. I'm gussing the spring in the Pilot is more efficient (returns more energy) than a rubber bumper. But the weight reduction in the new NNN is probably more significant.
Posted 8 months ago # -
If specific models can be given that would be helpful also.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I agree with tradesmith that boot fit is the key: buy the ones that fit your feet best.
I just switched from Salomon to Fischer and love the fit. The NIS boot/binding combo is way lighter, but I can't feel the difference. The wider NNN footplate slightly improves edge control, which would be a big deal if the new hillclimb/downhill slalom event becomes popular. It is much easier to clear humid snow from the boot sole with NNN. At the last olympics, the Salomon rep stood in the start area with a blunt screwdriver to clean boot soles for every Salomon skier, but the NNN skiers just stepped in and skied away. If you ski in a rainforest (as I do), this is a big reason to pick NNN. And yeah, if you have waxing support from your team, having the same binding system as your wax techs is a big deal.
Posted 8 months ago # -
I suspect it's not accidental that a small company like Alpina can put such a disproportionate number of WC skiers in their boots. Besides fit, and that's obviously very individual, the thing that stands out about their elite boots is how low to the ski they are, especially in conjunction with the NNN bindings, which are themselves lower and wider than the Solomon. In my experience, those characteristics mean better feel and control, other things being equal. I had a few different brands in house last season and was able to measure the distance from outer sole bottom to either ski or binding (I forget which, tho bindings were R3 and older Pilot). Using the closest point, and this is all recollection, the range was something like 7-8mm for Alpina, 11mm for Madshus and 13-15mm for Fischer and a pair of older Salomons.
Posted 7 months ago #
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