100 Days on the NTN-- The Boots
(continued)...
by Mitch Weber
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... as would be expected in boots designed
to drive big skis all over the mountain. But what if boot designers
didn't have to make this tradeoff? What if boots could be made
with a torsionally rigid sole, a sort of plate which also gains
rigidity from the binding, and at the point right where it's
needed most? Could it be that we might be able to have our cake
and eat it too?
This would appear to us to be the biggest
promise of the NTN, the opportunity for tele boot makers to make
a sweet flexing boot that gives up nothing to the biggest and
stiffest of the boots currently available. The design of the
NTN boot sole, with its under the forefoot binding attachment
points, would seem to change the equation, significantly reducing
the need for a super stiff upper "torsion box." |
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Traditional 75mm cable and plate bindings
grab the boot at its extreme ends-- at the toe and at the heel--
involving the whole boot sole in the boot-to-ski interface, with
the result that the entire boot needs to be built stiff to resist
the tendency for the sole to twist under the kind of loads typically
applied by hard charging freeheel skiers.
The design of the NTN is such that only
a relatively small portion of the boot sole is attached to the
binding, the need for torsional rigidity tends to be much more
tightly focused on this small area, allowing the rest of the
boot (including the bellows) to be built with far more user friendliness
than we have seen in a performance tele boot going back to time
the first plastic boot burst onto the scene in 1992. |
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The Scapra Terminator X boots we used
during our 100 day test this past season were comfortable and
skied really well, comparable to current T-1 performance wise,
with the relative comfort of a bedroom slipper. Hiking and climbing
in the duckbill-less T-Xs is nothing short of a revelation. Going
into the test we both agreed that the duckbill had never seemed
like much of a problem to us, but after spending a fair amount
of time in the Terminator Xs, we came to be convinced that these
proboscis-free NTN boots represent yet another step forward in
the evolution of our gear.
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The stride while hiking and climbing feels
more natural, boulder hopping and rock scrambling seemed far
less dicey knowing there is no duckbill to get hung up on at
an inopportune moment, and perhaps best of all, crampons fit
on the boot in just the way the crampon maker intended. I tried
several different models on the Terminator Xs, everything from
my sentimental old favorite 10-point strap-ons I've had for decades,
to a pair of new BD Sabretooth crampons, and they all fit great.
As mentioned, we feel the Terminator X
performs similarly to Scarpa's T-1, their all-around, gold standard,
big mountain tele boot. A side by side
comparison is revealing, the T-X has a cuff height that is very
close to the T-1, although the T-Xs movable "spoiler"
adds a little more height, something we appreciated most when
cruising along making parallel turns. As a point of reference,
we had been regularly skiing T-1s, both the 3 buckle and the
new 4 buckle model, as well as Garmont Ener-Gs. All are excellent
boots, but we did not feel that we gave up anything from a performance
point of view with the Terminator X in the NTN. Quite the contrary in fact.
One of the main motivations behind our
decision to spend so much time on the NTN this past season was
boot related... |
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Comparison: on the right a 2005/06 model three buckle T1,
on the left the Terminator X. |
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... we really wanted to see how the binding
attachment point under the forefoot would hold up, in particular
to a spring and early summer filled with days of dry trail hiking,
thrashing through scree, scrambling over granite and grinding
through volcanic detritus.
For many this little ledge under the forefoot
has always seemed like a vulnerable area, a weak spot, so we
were psyched to answer the question the best way we know how,
by going hiking and climbing for turns.
My pair of Terminator Xs got the most use
in the late season, with a lot of days out on the rocks and hiking
dry trail. The ledge pictured at right is the more beat up of
the two, but I expect to get through next winter without significantly
more wear and tear, and it would seem that even another big spring
and early summer like this past season won't be cause for concern.
Below is another view... |
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Conclusion: Comfortable,
relatively light for the downhill performance, and awesome for
touring and ski mountaineering, Scarpa hit a home run with their
first NTN boot, these demo-year (06/07) version Terminator Xs.
And as good as they have been to us, we believe that the T-X
will likely turn out to be just the first of what could be an
entirely new kind of telemark boot, one that offers the torsional
rigidity of the current crop of big boots,
while taking us back to a time when tele boots typically had
a smoother and easier forward flex at the bellows.
Will this be the beginning of another round
of evolution in tele style as skiers find that they don't have
to sit so hard on their back foot? Only time will tell, but we
like the possibilities we see in these boots, and in the NTN
design.
We also like the idea that smaller sized
tele skiers, including children and teenagers, may finally be
able to find the stoke of the turn in boots that even the lightest
of the lightweights can break at the bellows, and while maintaining
a high level of performance and control. This could prove to
be a very important breakthrough in terms of the future growth
of the sport.
Yes, it may just be that the boots turn
out to be the most important part of the NTN story, even beyond
the advanced set of features found in the NTN binding that will
hit store shelves this fall. That's saying a lot because we have
been waiting a long time for a step-in binding with brakes and
a touring mode. Nevertheless, when contemplating the implications
of the NTN design on future tele boot technology, it's easy to
see that the journey may have just begun. |
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Comparison: Our three buckle black
T-1s weigh a little over four and half pounds per boot, the Terminator
X tips the scale at 3 lbs 14.8 ounces. |
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Two tips up for the Terminator X.... |
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