22 Designs joins NTN gang

 

Video demo below

The options for telemark skiers just got a little bit sweeter this year. Hot on the heels of shipping the very last Hammerhead ever, 22 Designs unveiled their next gen binding at Outdoor Retailer Winter 2014 that is the first binding licensed to use Rottefella’s patented NTN technology. What’s it called? Good question and you might have the answer to that, so send in your suggestions.

22 Designs NTN binding combines some of the elements of the Axl/Vice design, like an adjustable tension spring underfoot, with a step-in function attachment at the second heel of an NTN boot. Not psuedo step-in, easy entry like Rottefella’s Freeride or Freedom, but simple slide your boot in the toe and step down type step-in. No, it does not appear to be releasable; not in the prototype version shown at the OR show.

Realistically the binding may still be two years away from being ready for production, but the options for binding choices with an NTN boot are now one better, and what better company to be adding innovation to the field than 22 Designs, the makers of the groundbreaking Hammerhead, and it’s successors, the Vice and the Axl with a free-pivot touring function.
 

 
Rottefella and 22 Designs issued the following press release at the trade show.

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Norwegian binding pioneer Rottefella has partnered with high-end binding manufacturer 22 Designs to license Rottefella’s NTN technology. With the agreement, 22 Designs gains access to all of Rottefella’s patents related to the NTN system.
 
22 Designs has a very strong reputation in the telemark community, and their popular products have been hailed as some of the most solid bindings of all time.  “We are extremely pleased to offer the developers at 22 Designs our patented technology, and believe we can continue to revolutionize the sport of telemark skiing through this partnership. Most telemark skiers know 22 Designs well, and this partnership should resonate very well among skiers who demand quality,” says Rottefella’s Sales Director, Torstein Myklebostad.
 
The announcement comes during the second season of Rottefella’s Freedom binding, targeted at skiers who prefer backcountry skiing to the resort,  of which has had massive success in the market.
 
22 Designs owner and R&D designer/engineer Collins Pringle is also thrilled to team up with Rottefella.  “It is a pleasure to partner with Rottefella, a company with a long history in telemark bindings. With access to the NTN patents, we believe we can create outstanding bindings that will be popular worldwide. Telemark skiing has never been more exciting, and we’re really looking forward to creating some great designs with the NTN system,” says Pringle.

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