Ok, I admit it, I get out skiing quite a bit. But, due to my job, I often wind up heading out for only a run or two and therefore, I’ve tried to save time whenever I can to make the process of “gearing up” as painless as possible. I started to telemark ski about 10 years or so, and until last year, it was always a pain to get in and out of my bindings because I needed to kneel down every time I got in or out of my skis. However, last year, I made a change and got myself a set of Rottefella NTN (New Telemark Norm) bindings and Scarpa Terminator X boots, to see what it would be like to not have to do the tele-bend-over.
I quickly noticed a number of benefits to my new setup, the first being the ease of walking, as well as the comfort of, the Terminator X boots. Because of how the bindings attach, these boots no longer have the awkward “duck-bill” front that otherl telemark boots have. Secondly, I loved being able to get in and out of the bindings with easy, the NTN bindings are essentially step-in and out bindings, another unique trait. Also, I noticed a significant improvement in control of my skis from edge to edge with this pairing of boots and bindings. There is another positive feature of these bindings that I haven’t been able to fully test yet, that being the benefit of being releasable, I’ve pushed out of the bindings in practice but not yet while skiing…
So, after a season, for this frequent resort skier, the NTN bindings and Scarpa Terminator X boots were a great investment. I get in and out of my gear much quicker and I have more comfort and performance out of the deal as well! There is one item that’s bugging me and that’s the fact that I found out that Scarpa was offering to replace part of the shell on my boots for free this past summer, and although I sent them an email at the email address specified (tx.rx@scarpa.com), I never received a response. I’m sure I’ll be fine in my boots this winter, but it would have been nice to hear back from someone to at least keep me abreast of what the replacement offer was about. In any case, I still would highly recommend this equipment, particularly to someone who telemarks and is in and out of their ski a lot.
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Hi there, I work with SCARPA (though not in the warranty division), but I saw your blog post (glad you like the control of the NTN binding system) and wanted to encourage you to touch base with SCARPA again. All I can surmise is that your e-mail somehow got stopped by a spam filter or was otherwise lost somehow, because we indeed replaced the lower shells for many consumers via this process and the e-mail that you listed. I’d encourage you to try again, but this time e-mail warranty@scarpa.com and please let them know what happened. Technically, the replacement period has ended, but I would think they will take care of you since you tried and did not receive a response.
Basically, the deal with the lower shell replacement is that some people felt the bellows on the first year Terminator X was too stiff to work ideally with the NTN binding. On this year’s model, SCARPA has gone to a triple-injection molding process that allows the bellow to be nice and soft for forward flex while keeping the boot very rigid everywhere else.
Note that some people like the original flex of the Terminator X, so it’s your call whether you want to have the lowers replaced. There is no problem with the boots in terms of something that will break, but if you feel the boots don’t flex as easily as you might like, you can get the lowers replaced for free. SCARPA offered to do this for consumers at its expense recognizing that the NTN system last year was a bit of a work in progress (as are many first-season products), and didn’t want anyone to regret purchasing the system in its first year.
Hope that helps.
Dave,
Thanks for replying on my post, I will be sure to drop a note to the email address you posted. I am not completely set on replacing the shells for two reasons, most importantly, I did like how the boots skied last year and also, I don’t want to take time away from using them this year! I know how things can be a little ‘interesting’ with first generation products, but as I hope my post conveyed, overall I really am happy with this boot/binding setup. BTW, great job of monitoring (and engaging) your clients’ social media presence BaseCampComm!
Eric-
Sorry I missed your email regarding the TX.Rx refurbishment offer. If you are still interested please let me know and we can get you taken care of ASAP!
Thanks,
Heather
Thanks Heather, I’ll be dropping you a note this evening!