With the release of the new product, the Turnamic sole appeared, but the familiar Xcelerator is also compatible with the new bindings. There are no qualitative differences, the same sole in a different design.

Turnamic Race, Control and Tour bindings are available with an automatic Step-in fastening mechanism. Race Pro with fully manual mechanism only. Externally, the Step-in mechanism is indicated by arrows in the area of ​​the boot brace.

If you turn the fasteners over, you can see a spring in the mechanism - it is responsible for automatic operation.

Previously, the Step-in mechanism was only available on amateur bindings; they were not installed on racing bindings. We have already discussed the disadvantages of automatic fastenings in the article. The tourniquets do not have this drawback; they can be unfastened without problems using a rotating mechanism, and not a button. The solution is very convenient, in our opinion. The mounts are a couple of tens of grams heavier, what will they affect? They are unlikely to worsen the result, but automatic fastening is very convenient.

Features of Turnamic:

Rotary boot release mechanism

Swivel mechanism Fischer turnamic

According to the manufacturer, this system makes it easy to open and close the mechanism even with gloves. To be honest, there were no particular difficulties with the old mounts.

Fixing the ski mount at one point

Fixation occurs using two metal pins. This was done so as not to affect the stiffness and performance of the skis. There is an opinion that skis become stiffer after installing bindings. The developers of Turnamik made a fixation at one point. When the skis “work”, the mount moves slightly on the guides without changing the elasticity of the ski. For more information about this effect, watch the video at the end of this article.

How much better is this design? In our opinion, the NIS system also did not prevent the ski from working correctly.

Fastener retainer (two metal pins)

IFP Platform

Adjustment without additional tools

The fasteners are adjustable without a special key, unlike Rottefella. But the latest products from Rottefella can also be adjusted with just a flick of the wrist. The Turnamic developers present keyless adjustment as an advantage, but in fact they only changed the shape, presenting the same mechanism in a different wrapper.

Adjustable mounts without additional tools

How to install NIS mounts on IFP?

Attempting to install Rottefella NIS on IFP guides will lead to nothing. The platforms are completely different. The NIS rails are a bit wider, so the mounts just won't physically fit, let alone snap into place.

There are currently two options:

• remove (grind, file, etc.) from the IFP ski and screw the NIS on the screws
• wait for some adapter to appear (according to rumors, such an adapter should be released for the 18/19 season)

On the other hand, new skis are usually purchased with their own bindings. And there are no problems with the compatibility of boots, so there is no need to come up with various tricks. Moreover, the price of IFPs is comparable to NIS mounts.

How to install SNS on IFP (Turnamic) platform?

The SNS system can simply be drilled. Yes, yes, how they drilled into the NIS platform. Drills with screws will not create any obstacles on any platforms!

The only inconvenient moment is the gap between the front of the platform and the heel. The middle Pilot screw fits exactly into this empty space and is in a suspended state. We put a washer there (the gap is visible in the photo below). It is better to put a strip of plastic there to prevent snow from clogging. In general, there is room for imagination, but it is still possible to stage pilots.

There is some interesting news from Salomon. The SNS-IFP plate adapter is out. The plate is placed on top of the IFP platform and any fasteners are installed on the plate. The advantage of the plate is that it makes the platform for installing the fasteners level and without gaps.

Turnamic mounts for NIS platform

Without much publicity, Fischer released Turnamic mounts that are installed on the good old NIS platform. Why they did this is not entirely clear to us. Tournamiks do not provide any advantages, except that the fastening mechanism may seem more convenient to someone. Now we will show what tournamics on nis are.

Externally they are not much different from Turnamic on IFP. Main differences:

• separately installed heel
• nis latch at the rear of the mount
• latch through adapter in front

The front part is attached in the same way as the tournamic on the IFP, only through a special adapter (pictured below).

Do not try to find this adapter separately. Turnamic ifp and turnamic nis are completely different mounts. Guides IFP platforms are slightly narrower than NIS. Mounts made for IFP and you will find an adapter for them, they simply will not physically fit on the NIS. Therefore, do not waste your time and energy on this. Install NIS mounts on the NIS platform, turnamic mounts on the IFP and you will be happy.

Turnamic mounts marked nis are installed very simply: a special adapter is installed on the NIS, and then everything is the same as on the Xcellerator.

Replacement flexors on Turnamic

There will be replacement flexors on sale, but they will all have the same hardness. There will be no division into Soft, Medium and Hard yet. There are only 2 hardnesses: skate and classic. It is planned to release flexors of different hardnesses for the next season (18/19).

What boots will fit Turnamic bindings?

Completely new system All boots with NNN soles are compatible. Xcellerator, Turnamic, Prolink and inexpensive NNN soles. For example, Tisa or Spine boots fit into new bindings without any problems.

IFP platform with screws

For Salomon and Atomic skis that come pre-drilled from the factory, there are screw-on IFP platforms.

Turnamic screw fastenings

There is an option with screws. In general, everything is the same, only they are mounted without an IFP platform. They are intended for roller skates, but if you wish, you can also screw them onto skis :) But screwing them on again is not so simple - instead of the usual screws for a Phillips screwdriver, they used star screws.

The most popular winter sport is cross-country skiing. But in order for outdoor activities to bring only positive emotions, you need to take care of sports equipment. This article will focus on ski bindings. NNN and SNS are the most modern fastening systems, and the debate about which of them is better has long been going on among professional and amateur athletes.

NNN

The Norwegian company Rottofella has developed a special system for attaching boots to skis - NNN. The originality lies in the presence of two rubber flexors connecting the boot to the mount, and two longitudinal guides that do not allow the boots to move to the sides. The toe of the shoe rests against these springy cuffs, and after a push they return the foot to a horizontal position.

The NIS design used in NNN bindings allows the mount to be mounted on a platform built into the ski. This is very convenient, since you do not need to screw the mount into the ski, and it can be moved to adjust the position of the boot in relation to the center of gravity. Many skiers use this feature to customize their skis for different snow characteristics. This system also allows the athlete to supply his own binding.

SNS

The French company Salomon presented its fastening system - SNS. The difference between this design is the presence of a central rubber flexor with one against which the boot rests. The special sole of the shoe allows the athlete to control the skis and ride in any style.

Installation of the mount does not require a special platform on the skis, like the NNN mount, but original boots are required, suitable only for the SNS design. The usual SNS fastener has only one bracket in front of the sole of the boot, but there is also a modification of the SNS Pilot, which uses two metal axles that are secured in two different grooves located at a distance of 2.5 cm from each other. This allows you to limit the rise of your foot in the air and thereby increase control over the skis.

System differences

In general, the differences between NNN and SNS mounts are minor and will not be noticeable to the average amateur, but there are nuances that a professional will pay attention to. For example, SNS Pilot fasteners are praised by many for the double engagement of boots to skis, this improves maneuverability, but at the same time, in not very cold weather, snow gets packed under the second bracket and is compressed into an ice lump, which prevents the normal placement of the boot on the binding. It also happens that the second bracket becomes unhooked when pushed. But in cold weather these mounts work great.

Many professionals appreciate the NNN binding because, thanks to the platform on the skis and the NIS design under the binding, the boot rises and the leg seems to become longer. This increases the force of the push by lengthening the lever. At the same time, this effect reduces the skier's stability, which is eliminated in SNS bindings. What to choose: NNN or SNS fastening, it is up to the skier to decide which boots and which fastenings are more convenient for him to ski. This is an individual approach, and there is no clear answer.

Installation of fasteners

After choosing and purchasing a binding, you need to install it on your skis. This must be done in the following order:

1. The center of gravity of the skis is determined. This is done like this: the ski is placed flat on the edge of the ruler and shifted until it is balanced, like a scale (parallel to the floor). If the mount is heavy, then you need to find the center of gravity by attaching the mount to the skis and move it until the balance line coincides with the locking groove of the boot.
2. The locations for drilling holes are marked. For this purpose, there are paper templates included with the mount. If you don’t have a template at hand, you can apply markings with an awl, attaching the mounts to the skis, according to the center of gravity.
3. Holes are drilled to a depth of 10 mm. The drill is pre-selected: for NNN - diameter 3.4 mm; for SNS - 3.6 mm. Drilling is done carefully, pressing lightly on the drill so as not to go through the ski. It is advisable to place a stop on the drill. Then the sawdust is blown out and the holes are filled with glue for a more secure fixation.
4. The structure is being assembled. To do this, the fasteners are applied according to the holes and tightened with screws. After this, you need to dry the skis for 10 hours before using them.

Everything is ready, now you can go for a ride. Apparently, there is nothing complicated in choosing and installing fasteners.

The article describes modern sports equipment. The history of its origin and development is described in the article Skis.

One of the niches into which the production of wooden skis goes is the production of exclusive and souvenir skis (mostly handmade). For example, the Finnish Esko Vilminko makes such skis ( on illus.) in his home workshop in the Finnish town of Vuokatti. These skis are expensive to manufacture, exclusive and are not cheap on sale - about 500 euros. They are used for their intended purpose (for hunting), and as home decoration, and as an expensive, memorable souvenir from Finland.

Plastic skis

Skis with knurling

Plastic skis with notches are skis with notches (hooks, notches) in the middle part of the ski in the area of ​​the ski boot. The advantage of knurled skis is that these skis do not require lubrication. The disadvantage is the fact that on a hard, icy track such skis will not hold very well, they will give back slightly (“shoot”, as skiers say) - that is, they will slip back. However, such skis are extremely popular in developed countries of Europe and America. [ ] Suffice it to say that approximately half of all skis sold in Western countries before 2011 are notched skis. [ ] All skis with notches are intended for classic skiing only. Moreover, such skis cannot be unambiguously classified as cross-country skis, since most of these skis sold belong to the class of touring or pleasure skis. Among professional athletes, it is quite rare to come across those who use skis with notches. Although there are even winners of international competitions among them.

Smooth last skis

For a classic style

Such skis have a smooth surface in the middle part (under the block), and in order to be able to move on such skis, they are lubricated in the middle part with ski holding ointment, which prevents the skis from slipping back when pushed. There are a huge number of methods and options for lubricating skis, depending on the weather and the skier’s ambitions, but there are also several simple lubrication methods aimed at beginner skiers. As a rule, it is enough for a beginning skier to have a simple set of three jars of ski wax for snow of different temperatures, a plastic scraper and cork, and rubbing.

For skating style

The skating style of movement requires a slightly higher level of training compared to the classical style. It is no coincidence that most people skiing in the forest use the classic style of movement - it is simpler, more democratic, and less demanding on the quality of preparation and the width of the ski run. At the same time, skating skis are usually 15-20 cm shorter than classic skis. Also, on these skis, on the lower part, along the edges of the ski, there is a 1-2 mm edge for a more stable ride of the ski so that it does not slip to the side.

Cross-country ski bindings

Currently (2019), three types of cross-country ski bindings are popular: the NNN system developed by Rottefella (the newest bindings of this system are installed on the NIS platform), Fisher also produces its standard IFP bindings (different from NNN only in the way the boot is latched), the SNS system (Salomon Nordic Syste) and Nordic Norm 75 mm, the oldest of the systems, also developed at Rottefella. The first two types of bindings are mainly intended for competitive skiers, but are currently also used by amateurs. Professional sports use NNN and SNS Pilot. The NNN and SNS boot fastening systems are very similar in appearance and in the method of fastening - in both types of fastenings the boot is secured to a bracket in the toe, the difference is in the grooves that secure the boot. It is also worth adding that for the 2016-2017 season. Salomon, together with Atomic, has prepared new prolink mounts. Essentially prolink is a variant of NNN from Salomon. This is how all NNN system boots fit the prolink bindings. In the 2017-2018 season. Fischer and Rossignol companies have prepared new mounts for the turnamik system. This system is also a variant of NNN from Fischer and Rossignol. For the next season 2018-2019. Rottefella and Madshus companies have announced “intelligent” bindings, which, thanks to an electronic mechanism, will be able to directly change the position of the binding relative to the center of gravity of the ski on the fly, which, according to the manufacturer, will allow more precise adjustment of the skis relative to the condition of the track. This system has so far been announced only for skis with camus.

Nordic Norm 75 mm

IFP(Integrated Fixation Plate) - in 2017, Fischer, together with Rossignol, released a new type of Turnamic ski bindings. The main feature is that they are installed on the IFP platform. That is, instead of the already familiar NIS, Fischer and Rossignol skis will only have the new IFP platform. By the way, only Madshus skis will remain on NIS.

Fixation occurs using two metal pins. This was done so as not to affect the stiffness and performance of the skis. There is an opinion that skis become stiffer after installing bindings. The Turnamic developers made a fixation at one point. When the skis are in operation, the mount moves slightly on the guides without changing the elasticity of the ski. There are no fundamental differences from the NIS platform: everything still worked flawlessly. From 2017, NIS plates will not be available on either Rossignol or Fischer. Cooperation with ROTTEFELLA was too expensive, so Rossignol and Fischer (who own almost half the market) decided to develop their own plate. The IFP platform is compatible with NNN mounts. It is too early to talk about the practical advantages and disadvantages of IFP.

Salomon Nordic System

Ski poles

Modern cross-country ski poles are made, as a rule, from fiberglass (lower price level), carbon fiber (the most expensive models) or from a mixture of these materials in different proportions. Pure carbon fiber poles are lightweight and very rigid. Pure fiberglass is less rigid, bends easier, is less durable and weighs a little more. These poles are suitable for beginners and children who do not have a strong push. The price of composite poles made of fiberglass and carbon greatly depends on the content of the latter. Plastic poles with a high fiberglass content sometimes break even from a strong push directed away from the axis of the pole. The most affordable poles are made of aluminum; they are not afraid of side impacts and are suitable for amateurs, beginners and those with a large weight (sticks with a high carbon content are also suitable for them). The design of modern aluminum poles is no lower than that of composite ones.

The main components of a ski pole (from top to bottom) are the handle, hand loop, shaft, foot and tip.

Handles are made from a variety of non-slip materials - plastic, leather, wood and cork, most commonly used in ski racing. The handles often have finger grooves and are slightly bent forward. To support the hand, a ledge is made at the bottom of the handle. Sometimes the top of the handle, for support from above, is made larger.

The shaft, as a rule, is cylindrical; for athletes, shafts that are narrowed downwards are also produced with a much higher center of gravity and with a complex elasticity diagram.

Hand loops (lanyards) are made of durable synthetic fabric. The loop is usually made of adjustable length to fit the hand, since when skating, the hand when pushing should press on the loop, and not on the handle. Wide loops for athletes (traps) are usually made from genuine leather.

Support rings (legs) - are fixed at the bottom of the shaft, a few centimeters from the tip. The feet on modern poles are usually plastic. The diameter of the paws varies depending on the hardness of the snow - 40-50 mm for hard snow and compacted ski tracks, 60-80 mm (standard diameter in stores) - for medium hardness, 100-120 mm for loose snow and for movement on deep snow (for example In the woods) .

The tips of the sticks are made of steel or hard alloys. The tips come in different shapes - conical (previously produced), reverse cone (the most common) and serrated crown (for movement on ice and on slopes). To prevent injuries, the tips of sticks for children are made from non-metallic materials.

Ski poles are selected according to the height of the skier, the usual formula is for the classic style the length of the pole is height minus 25-30 cm, for skating - height minus 15-20 cm. Below are standard tables for selecting poles.

Table for selecting ski poles for an adult

Table for selecting ski poles for a child

Global cross-country ski market

According to statistics provided by the company Fischer, and published in Skiing magazine, the global market for cross-country skis hovers in the range of approximately 2 million pairs per year. Countries with the largest sales:

These figures are current for the 2006-07 season (a period of crisis in the ski industry that arose due to two snowless winters). Many leading Russian ski industry experts consider the figure of 819,000 pairs for Russia to be underestimated, they believe that the Russian market is measured at approximately one million pairs per year.

What is the NIS system? It is a plastic platform integrated into the ski at the factory, released in 2005 by Rotefella, together with Madshus and Rossignol. It eliminates the need to drill holes in the ski to install bindings. The mounts that are suitable for it have a special shape and are intended only for installation on the NIS platform. The type of bindings produced for NIS is only NNN, which makes the ski less universal in terms of choosing the type of bindings.

Currently, brands such as Fisher, Rossignol and Madshus install this platform on all their “top” ski models!

Let's consider installing Rotefella Xcelererator 2.0 bindings on Rossignol Delta Scating skis with a pre-installed NIS platform.

The main part of the fastening is inserted into the grooves of the platform from the toe side of the ski.

Move the mount until it clicks.

On the top of the platform there are 2 groups of recesses of 7 pieces each, directed in different directions. In turn, the mount has 2 multidirectional protrusions. When the fastener moves along the platform, the first protrusion passes through the first group of recesses without hindrance, and at the first notch of the next group a click occurs and the fastener is fixed. Both protrusions of the fastening fit into the grooves and prevent the fastening from moving further. In order to move the mount further, you need to use the key included in the kit and lift the tail of the mount. In the photo below, the fastening has not yet been completed to the second group of grooves, and I inserted the key in advance.

The tail of the fastening is in this position after the first click. The numbers around the edges indicate the offset of the mount relative to the center of gravity of the ski. In this position, the mount is at +3, but you need to set it in the middle. The fastening groove should fit into the circled recess; a slot is visible on it, indicating the correct position of the extreme protrusion of the fastening, in which the place where the ski boot is fixed in the fastening will coincide with the center of gravity of the ski.

For different weather conditions, you can shift the mount relative to the center of gravity. For hard snow, it is recommended to move the mount to plus (the stiffness of the skis will be used), and for fresh snow to minus (reducing pressure on the tip of the ski). In case of loose snow, the mount should be in the center.

In this position the mount is centered!

Mounting installation is complete!