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The Performance Leader in Telemark Ski Bindings |
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The Performance Leader in Telemark Ski Bindings |
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| SuperLoop - Review
TelemarkTips.com Review The SuperLoop has had a long and interesting evolution, mirroring changes in tele boots, skis and technique. The first model that I owned was a stainless steel plate with a bungee type cord for a "cable". Ahead of it's time, this first incarnation of the SuperLoop was a just a precursor of things to come. Soon the bungee was replaced with a thin, wire wrapped cable sporting a spring loaded side-throw. These cables snapped at an alarming rate (I used to keep a log and do a preventive replacement every 25 days!) but the binding itself offered control far beyond that of anything else out there at the time and the stainless steel plate definitely iced up less than the aluminum plates of the day. The adjustable cable guide/pivot points were nice too. But eventually this binding came to look way out of proportion to the boots we were using (that thin cable wrapped around the heel of our new Terminators looked ridiculous), this and the cable durability problem led Rainey to introduce a whole new binding with a front throw and a beefier plate and cable. Every year after brought modifications to strengthen and improve the SuperLoop. Eventually the plate came to be made of specially hardened stainless steel with a welded toe bar and a spring loaded front throw. The springs could be changed to a stiffer type for heavier/more aggressive tele'ers and the adjustable cable guides remained. The 'loop seemed dialed but another serious problem started cropping up: toe bar were failing at the weld. Eventually the SuperLoop got a riveted toe piece with a turned up edge for strength (think half an "I-beam"). Previously the plate gained a turned down edge at the rear for the same reason. The adjustable cable guides are still there but with a special design, they are now smooth on the outside with no protruding nuts or screw threads to mar your boots. The toothed cable length adjustment wheel on the throw has been has been reinforced to prevent stripping and the bindings now come with a taller, 15 mm shim and a heel piece to match, the shim has been made narrower to stop snow from building up under it. Also improved is the optional heel lifter and Rainey also offers an integral ski crampon (that latches on to that turned down edge of the plate) as well. Rainey is the only tele binding maker to provide this option. A pull tab has been added to the back of the cable to make it easier to get it into the groove on the back of the boot. The SuperLoop is compatible with both the Voile and Rottefella TRP release plates. Rainey even offers special, smaller shims to use when mounting to these plates. The control that the SuperLoop gives the tele skier has always been outstanding and this latest incarnation is no exception. Rainey's plate is well designed and holds the front of the boot very snug. Tour-ability is helped by setting the cable a bit looser and, conversely, if you set the cable tighter you will get more heel return (the tails of your skis will stay up and not drop down so easily) which helps when executing jump turns on the steeps. The adjustable cable guides give the user a chance to set the flex point for their individual needs, indeed the guides can even be set up asymmetrically to help with toe pinch problems. Some people find that this toe pinch is helped by moving the big toe side cable guide forward a notch, since that part of the foot is longer. The compression springs in the front throw can also be changed, stiffer or softer. These adjustments allow skiers to find the right setup for their needs. Speaking of adjustments, the "one size fits all" cable and the easy re-sizing is really nice to have. These days of fat, short skis find us swapping skis with family and friends, I would have never thought of using my wife's short skis (or my son's) but now the spread between the lengths we are all skiing is smaller and we often use each other's skis. Quick and easy cable adjustment is a fine, fine thing. The five screw design, using the special Torx head screws supplied, is very strong. While I have heard of bindings pulling out of skis, I have never had this happen on a single one of the dozens of these bindings I have installed. I believe that if you follow the directions we have put up on this website, including the use of epoxy (oh no, here come the letters again), you will probably not have this problem either, but ever bigger and stiffer boots are likely to continue to challenge both binding mounts and the retention plates built into the skis. This is an excellent skiing binding, and with a little practice it is fairly easy to get into. As mentioned, control is excellent and the overall "feel" of the binding is very good. When installed all the way back, the cable pivot points are far back on the boot making it easier to get more of the ball of the foot onto the rear ski. This is especially noticeable with stiff and/or new plastic boots. Reports of SuperLoop plate breakage have finally stopped. Rainey claims (as our experience and the word on the street confirms), that there have been no reports of cable breakage in years. Russell Rainey has continually made changes to improve the SuperLoop. He has tweaked, redesigned and improved every part of it and this year will be the first season that will see no changes in the design at all. Obviously he has not been afraid to make changes in the past, so the fact that there will be none this year says a lot about how the SuperLoop has evolved. |
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