The heavyweight champion of the Nordic binding world was, and still is, Rottefella of Norway. Rottefella in Norwegian means "rat trap", and this example shows how the bindings acquired their name. Ski bindings historically had involved a cable that wrapped around the heel of the boot, securing the toe in a bracket mounted on the ski. In the late 1920s, skier Bror With came up with the idea of holding the toe of the boot to the ski with a clamp. The resulting company started production in the 1930s and by the late 1960s had established the 3-pin binding as "Nordic norm". Even today, after decades of bruising competition with rival Salomon of France, Rottefella's "new Nordic norm" (NNN) is the unquestioned standard for cross-country ski bindings.
The bindings for sale here are a racing 180 Fønix (Phoenix) model. Until width was standardized at 75mm, there were three widths available - 71mm ("smal"), 75mm, and 79mm ("bred"). This example is the 79mm wide type, for a larger leather-sole boot. The distance between the bottom screw holes is the historical 35mm; in the 70s this width was narrowed to 27mm; this was to accommodate narrower skis that were being produced starting in the 1970s.
