(Letter to Rossignol from Ken Warner – submitted as Letter to the Editor)

I bought some Rossignol X8 skate boots 2011/2012 a while ago from this seller

http://myworld.ebay.com/cb7365?_trksid=p2047675.l2559

http://www.ebay.com/itm/110977810833?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

I’ve not been doing a lot of cross country for various reasons.  Yesterday, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2012, I was at our local XC track here in Mammoth Lakes, CA.  I hit a little icy spot that had a slight downhill right bank across the track.  To keep from sliding sideways to the right, I steped hard on the inside edge of my right ski.  I twisted out of my right binding and fell really hard.  I was stunned to say the least.  A trip to the E.R. showed that I had not broken anything.  Just a bad fall that put my back into spasm.

I looked at my boots and bindings today.  I have Rossignol NNN T3 bindings on some Karhu 55mm metal edge waxless BC skis.   I don’t BC.  I just cruse the tracks.  The skis are nice and stable and comfortable.

It turns out that the right boot has a little lip on the front plastic where the toe bar is that prevents the boot from locking completely into the binding.  On my work bench, I can twist the boot out of the binding with my hands because that lip keeps the boot out of proper position.  The lip is maybe one millimeter, maybe one an a half millimeters.  It’s clearly a manufacturing flaw.  That’s just enough to let the boot stay in the binding in most cases if the track stays flat.  The left boot seats in the binding properly.  Yesterday, I just happened to put just enough torque on the binding to twist out.  I’m really hurting today.  My butt and back are in spasm.

Everyday I spend laid up — needing pain pills to sleep, I get more and more angry about this.  It was completely unnecessary and caused by shoddy manufacturing.  I am considering getting some legal help about this.  My back hurts today because Rossignol screwed up.  That’s not right.  This accident is well documented with an accident report at the Yurt at Twin Lakes in Mammoth and the E.R.
I thought you should know.  What should I do?

Ken Warner

 

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