Description of Rossignol Free Rando NX21 Alpine Touring Binding :
The 13-DIN Rossignol Free Rando NX21 Alpine Touring Binding likes to explore beyond the ropes. Do you huck in the backcountry and want absolute insurance that your skis will stay on your feet? This is the binding for you. When a DIN of 12 just won't cut it but you still need the light weight and uphill touring performance of a true AT binding, the NX21's the one. The NX21’s wide rotation arms increase torsional rigidity—that means you get more stability and control when you mount this binding on your fat backcountry boards. A positive heel lock guarantees the nx21 will never switch from downhill to touring mode in the middle of a 45-degree couloir. This binder is compatible with all AT and downhill ski boots.
Bottom Line: If you ride as hard in the backcountry as you do in the resort, stick to your skis with the NX21.
The NX01 (an earlier version of these) are my first alpine touring bindings. I bought them here two years ago and have probably skied about 100 days on them. I absolutely love them. I ski hard in bounds and tour for hours out of bounds. I will ski pretty much anything and these bindings have given me very little trouble (the first few days were a little problematic, but that worked out). I love the bumps and will ski them whenever I have a chance but end up mostly on steep chutes with my powder hound friends. I rarely pre release and am quite impressed with the durability of these bindings.
I've always heard bad things about the Naxo's strength, but Rossi seems to have fixed those problems when they took over the brand and released this binding. I have been very happy with these clamps--I've never pre-released out of them, they tour comfortably, and they don't weigh nearly as much as Marker's AT rigs. I do worry about torquing them on sidehills, but who likes to sidehill anyway? I also like the ability to switch between tour and ski mode without taking the ski off (my least favorite "feature" of the Markers). I would still rather telemark, but when I've gotta lock the heel, these are the bindings I do it with.
Update: I've heard about others pre-releasing from these bindings, and have a bit of advice--when you're adjusting the length of the binding for your boot, it WILL NOT fit like an alpine binding does before engaging. The binding will seem ridiculously loose until you click in. Make sure to verify that the forward pressure indicator is in the correct position, or else the springs will be incorrectly loaded and yes, you'll pre-release (or not release at all). As always, have the bindings mounted and adjusted by a professional--or if you're like me and live somewhere with no shop authorized to work on these bindings, read the mounting instructions and operators manual to verify that they're set up right.
I've used Naxos since they came out in 2001/02. The NX21 is a durable AT binding, that is great at extended tours. It doesn't downhill quite as well as an alpine binding or Marker's Duke, but the virtual pivot system is amazing to tour with. I use these for longer tours and have found them to be quite reliable, until they wear out. Expect to get around 100 days of skiing out of a pair of these before the pivots loosen up too much. I haven't found any other AT binding to have a longer lifetime, but everyone is very entrenched in the different AT camps.
Also, Naxo/Rottefella may discontinue production on naxo bindings for 2010.
