ANDY ANSWERS

Hello SkiPost !

It appears that the dilemma next year will be all the race skis coming with factory installed NIS plates ala Madshus, Rossignol and now Fischer. I've never been specifically brand conscious or have to have the latest "thing" but looks like I may be stuck this time. I've got a long and narrow foot and the Salomon boots fit me like a glove. My archaic, bright yellow Salomon 9.1 Energizers are noticeably lighter than the new ultra-light boots incorporating titanium and carbon fiber. They also have a thinner sole for closer boot/ski contact which seems to be a "new" marketing point for the NNN soles vs. Salomon. Over the past 15 years I've tried Salomon Profile, Pilot, and various NNN bindings and haven't really noticed anything great enough that made me want to change everything over to a new system. On the other hand the NIS/NNN binding fore and aft adjustability seems like that could be useful as far as really dialing your ski in for a particular condition or individual's technique.

If I can't find boots that fit though, that option is out. Any plans/rumors floating around about a Salomon adaptor for the NIS plate ? Is it possible to have the plate removed ? I have noticed that some of the companies say you can order either the NIS or "flat ski i.e. no NIS plate" option although that will likely not be practical in the long run. Any insight would be greatly appreciated Thanks !!

P Olympia, WA

Hello P,

You have asked many good questions.

I have tried to answer them below.

1) Get the boot that fits your feet.

2) The Salomon Slab Skate Boot weights 1140 grams in a UK 8. It offers Pilot and a carbon chassis that transfers forces without twisting. It is also seamless so the boot will weight the same at the end of a ski as in the beginning.

3) Riding position: When NNN claims to have a lower riding position they are just providing the consumer a measurement of their boots thickness at the Metatarsal area. Their actual riding height varies throughout their boot/bindings and has a higher heal and higher pivot point at their boot binding interface than Salomon making for a less natural rotation. The Salomon boot/binding riding distance is on average lower than NNN and it is lower at the Boot Binding interfaces allowing for a Natural and easy rotation.

4) Adjustability; Salomon testing and ski designs provide one recommended binding position on the ski. Since the #1 goal of the binding is to transfer skiers forces from the boot to the ski. Salomon feels that there is more play between the boot/binding and ski in a snap in NIS system than in Salomon screwed in binding ski interface. Salomon also knows that one can have a narrow binding plate if the boots and binding interface transfers loads without play.

4) SNS / NIS compatibility All SNS bindings can be mounted on skis with NIS plate. The interface plate that Salomon provides its retailers is highly recommended for Pilot Equipe classic binding, and recommended for all other SNS binding in order to avoid mounting issue in the case of too strong screwing that can create a distortion of the binding chassis. Nevertheless if the screwing is done normally it is not mandatory to use the interface except for the pilot Equipe classic that needs to be mounted according to the international norm on a flat surface.

6) Flat Skis: You can get skis from some NIS manufacturers without the NIS plate. You can also purchase a Salomon ski. Salomon has been the most successful ski (and boot) on the USSA SuperTour and Marathon circuit the last two years.

If you have more questions please email back.

Andy at SkiPost
Salomon Racing

By Chad Giese

Unless you are in Fairbanks, AK for US Distance Nationals, the big races for the season have come and gone.  This is the time of year the travel wax goes on, the lycra gets washed, and the wax bench gets cleaned.  But before you get your bike out, your canoe waxed, and buy new running shoes, don’t completely write off another chance to get out and ski. 

We usually don’t have much of a spring skiing season in the Midwest, but this year has been an exception and when there is spring skiing to be had, I say ski!    This is my favorite time of the year to ski.  The days are long and the sun actually provides warmth that can be felt on your face (anyone who has spent any time in MN in January knows why this is significant).  It is the end of March and we have been skiing since the first of December, which means we have spent four months doing the sport we all love.  This also means we spend twice as long preparing for skiing, than actually skiing.  I know I don’t need to remind anyone of this, so why be in such a hurry to move on?  Don’t just drop your skis like a bad habit, let them down slowly and ease into all of the other sports we all love to do. 

Go out on your touring skis or backcountry skis, leave your heart rate monitor and watch at home, and ski as long or as short as you want.  Since, for most of us, there is no more racing going on, you don’t have to worry about doing the right workout at the right time.  Take this time to unwind your mind as much as your body and have fun.  By including a few unplanned weeks into your schedule you’ll be ready to hit the training hard come May 1.  It is important to incorporate all of the other activities you like to do throughout the summer and fall into these weeks, but do this slowly.  This is as much for injury prevention as it is to keep skiing as long as possible.

Because cross training is such an important part of our training, the tendency is to do too much too fast.  Don’t just jump into a full week of running or biking right away, add one more workout each week and over the course of a month you’ll be where you want to be and ready for the summer.  When training hard, I never liked to do the same activity twice in a row during the training week.  So this meant if I classic rollerskied in the morning, I would run or bike or skate roller ski or do strength in the evening.  This kept things fresh and kept me, for the most part, injury free.  Give this approach a try during the spring transition, but make sure to keep skiing in the mix.

The most important thing is to simply have fun this time of the year.  Use this mental and physical break to ensure you are fully ready to start another year of training.  And remember, just because the Birke is over doesn’t mean the ski season is!  Skiing is the best activity we can do to keep ourselves in great shape, which is why we all chose to be skiers.  Take advantage of any snow that’s left.

By Justin Freeman

It is spring, and the snow is melting. Not very fast around here (New Hampshire), which is a good thing, and in the mountains in some Western areas there could be over a month of groomed skiing and plenty of crust cruising beyond that. But the fact is, for most of us, in the next few weeks it is time to start the dryland season.

As an increasingly bona fide master skier, my dryland season in fact consists of a different sport; I may not touch my rollerskis before late summer. Or I may – if you don’t rollerski that often it can actually be kind of fun. But the majority of my training between now and next year’s Thanksgiving camp will be on foot.

Running has certainly helped my ski career; I have a hard time imagining a skier’s summer without it. And while I would probably have faster PRs at several running distances if I had never been on skis, my running career has benefited from lessons I learned skiing as well.

Running instills in you a different sort of discipline. Runners record their training in miles, not hours, so unlike skiers there is no way to fake a workout by going real slow, talking to friends, extending your water breaks, etc. Runners also do not have to deal with different types of snow, so times run on a track or a measured stretch of road can be compared across days, months, or decades. I can look at my log from high school and know just how much faster (or, perish the thought, slower) I am today.

Having direct, consistent comparison available helps develop a sense of pace. Most skiers I know have had the experience of wondering how fast they are: are they slower than last year or is the competition getting better? I have found that a season of running and knowing (like it or not) the answers to these questions makes me more confident in my answers to the same questions when I ski.

Running also has the advantage that you can become quite accomplished with only ten hours a week to devote to the sport – rather than the fifteen hours of training plus five to ten hours of driving and waxing often demanded by skiing. As time goes on this becomes more and more important for me.

Don’t get me wrong; skiing is still my favorite sport. The total body nature, the importance of technique, the speed, and the flat out joy of gliding over snow make skiing the best sport I can imagine. But spending the other half of the year at a sport with the simplicity, history, and measurability of running gives my athletic life a wonderful balance. Skiing has taught me the virtue of easy training (something many runners forget), kept my upper body strong (surprisingly important for runners) and opened me up to the idea of more training where distance and pace cannot be measured. Running has reminded me not to go too easy and reminded me of the importance of measurable workouts, in addition to keeping me fit for the ski trails.

If, like me, you are about the turn yourself back to a runner (or into a serious runner for the first time) remember some important things. First, running beats up your body in a way skiing does not. The constant pounding takes your body a while to adapt to; the first weeks of running will shorten your hamstrings by at least an inch. Take time to stretch after each day out. If you can, alternate running and skiing as you ease your body into the new sport.

Do not try to go too hard too soon. In fact, in many coaches’ opinions you would do well to take a couple weeks totally off. I don’t do or recommend that, but if that is what you want, take the advice of those who support you! When you do start running, take it easy for a while. Remember that this is a long season – for most of us, longer than ski season. And it is a lot easier to injure yourself running than it is skiing (or even in that other dryland sport, you know, the one with the wheels and the gears). A month of caution now and you will be well on your way to a great summer and fall of 5 km or 10 km races, hill climbs, trail races, track meets, half (or full) marathons, and other excitement that will keep you from missing the snow too much.

Salomon Pilot System

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