Six things I love about Rottefella Rollerski Bindings 

Rollerskiing is a great way to get ski-specific movement during the offseason. That being said, rollerskiing has different equipment needs when taking into account we’re skiing on pavement instead of snow. While most folks are aware that they need a set of rollerskis, helmet, and carbide pole tips, less know about the differences between bindings made for snow vs the road. Keep reading if you want to know the differences between road and snow bindings, and learn a few things I like about the rollerski bindings.

What are the differences between bindings made for snow vs rollerskiing? Are there differences?

Yes! There are differences between the bindings. Most notably, rollerski bindings must be screwed directly into the ski whereas on snow the binding can be installed to a plate which is then installed on the ski. This distinction is tailored to the needs of each activity.

On snow, a plate binding (such as NIS, or Rottefella Move) allows you to adjust your binding position at trailside. This is useful for skiing on snow because it allows you to adjust the binding position based on the varied snow conditions you are skiing in. Another less-known benefit of using a plate binding is being able to easily remove the bindings and flat pack your skis for travel. While most of us aren’t traveling with 30 sets of skis, your skis will pack a lot more compact when they are stacked flat vs base to base. Flat packing your skis helps keep them in one piece when they are checked luggage as well.

A rollerski binding must be installed directly into the ski and will see no benefit from being installed with a plate. The torsional forces on the binding from rollerskiing are much greater than that from skiing on snow. These forces may exceed what the plate bindings are designed for, since the plate bindings are designed for skiing on snow. Regardless, since you are not skiing on snow, there is zero value in being able to adjust your binding on your rollerskis. A screwed-in rollerski specific binding is going to be the safer, more durable option for rollerskiing.

Six things I like about the Rottefella Rollerski binding

1. They are very durable. As I mentioned before, rollerskiing can be pretty tough on equipment. Picking good equipment up front is important, because it will last longer. I personally use and abuse a set of rottefella rollerski bindings on my skate and classic rollerskis. For Enjoywinter.com, we happen to have a very generous warranty program covering all of the products we sell. I have yet to see a single request come through for the Rottefella bindings (usually if a pair of glasses fall in the forest, we hear about it!).

2. The bindings have a lock on them. Simply put, the binding is a two step process to click in and click out. You twist and press to lock in, and twist and pull to unlock. This makes it impossible to ejecto ski-o mid workout.

3.The bindings are light. Usually I am not a weight weenie, but being a few grams lighter certainly does not hurt. Despite the bindings being made from durable plastic and quality pozidriv#3 screws, it weighs in at a total of 220g.

4.The bindings offer a superior ski feeling and are tune-able. Rottefella invented the NNN system, and It was so good that the rest of the Nordic skiing world soon followed. The bindings interface very well with NNN boots, and I'll add if you notice the height and width of the fins on the heel plate it has a little bit more bite for your boot to slide onto. The rubber bumper at the front of the binding is easily interchangeable to change the rebound of the ski as well.

5. Rottefella translates from Norwegian to English as “Rat Trap”. This harkens back to the original 3 pin binding systems Rottefella used to sell that more closely resembled a rat trap. The bindings today are more of a mouse trap by comparison, a bit smaller. I like literal translations! Like our German glove brand KinetiXx sells "handschuh", which translates to "hand shoes". Perfection. 

6. They are easy to install and easy to repair. Spare parts are super easy to get and all of the screws are easily accessible at a glance (given you take off the rubber bumper). If you’ve worked with some older bindings, having to peel back glue, stickers, fiddly plastic bits can be a pain. The Rottefella jig is super easy to work with and is a single jig that supports all of their different binding systems and is size adjustable.

There you go, I’ve nerded out enough on the bindings and made a 2 Fast 2 Furious reference. The next time you need a set of bindings for your rollerskis consider Rottfella. 

Jacob