For those of you who are either just getting into this sport or getting back into it after several years of absence, things have changed a little bit -- especially in the world of bindings. Let's say you blow the dust off your old skis and discover your boots have died or you want new ones. Chances are your bindings are obsolete. And new binding's ain't $15 anymore.
In the worlds of racing, recreational skiing and touring there are two basic brands of bindings -- the Rottefella NNN series and the Salomon SNS Profile series (not to be confused with the plain old SNS series which are no longer made). For telemark skiing, most of the new bindings look suspiciously like downhill cable bindings from the 1940's and are offshoots of the old 75mm three-pin bindings. 
But let's concentrate on the Rottefella and Salomon bindings. While they look similar, they're not compatible. This is important when you are at a ski swap trying on boots and aren't sure which bindings they will fit, especially when you want to pick up a pair of bargain skis as well. In the photos below I have removed the logos from the boots to prove a point -- at first glance it is impossible to tell which use NNN bindings and which use SNS Profil bindings. 

Guess the Binding Game

Photo 1 uses the Rottefella NNN BC binding. Photos 2, 5 and 9 use Salomon SNS Profil binding. Photos 3, 4 and 8 use NNN II bindings. Photo 6 uses the Salomon SNS Pilot skate binding. The only trick photo was #7 which uses a telemark cable binding. Most boots have either NNN or Profil printed on the soles. Some of the boots that use the Salomon SNS Profil binding include Salomon, Fischer and Hartjes. Some of the boots that use the Rottefella NNN II binding include Alpina, Rossignol and Alfa.
*Our thanks to Alpina, Salomon, Rottefella, Crispi and Fischer for allowing us to use pictures from their websites.

Rottefella NNN series

	NNN R3 Skate binding. New for 1999-2000. Any NNN II style boot will fit it.
NNN II bindings. Comes in a variety of colors and styles for everyone from racers to tourers, but will fit any NNN II boot.
NNN BC.  The most popular backcountry or light telemark binding. Fits ONLY NNN BC style boots.

Salomon SNS Profil Series

Note: The old SNS binding. The old SNS binding (Salomon should have changed the name completely when they designed their bindings, but that's old news) is no longer available, you can't buy it and be careful about buying old boots that use it. The old boots have a bar (in the shape of a squared off "D") which actually extends out past the nose of the boot. If you are in real need of either old SNS boots or bindings, the best place to check is bulletin boards at nordic shops, or ski swaps. Best advice? Wait for the next ski swap to come around and buy new boots and bindings (either the Rottefella or Salomon system).

Cable Bindings

The good thing about cable bindings is they are pretty much interchangeable between boots designed to fit them. The only exception is the top binding at left which is the standard 75mm three pin binding. The other bindings shown don't have pins but have the same shape. There are a bunch of different tele bindings available, and since I am a skinny-ski track-weenie perhaps I can get one of our more gonzo club members to give us a future review on tele bindings. Check back. Some sample cable bindings:  1. Standard 3-pin binding 2. Chili Pepper binding 3. Riva 2 binding 4. Pitbull 2 binding 5. New for 2000 -- Black Diamond Skyhoy tele binding that has a release mechanism similar to downhill bindings. $299.