Is there a list somewhere of current and forthcoming Xplore boots?

[JB TELE]

Lundhags, especially the Abisku Expedition is very high volume. The Abisku is lower volume and narrower, but still has a very high toe area. This boot is possibly not great for downhill, hard to compress the ball of foot - at lest initially before you break them in. They are very stiff. I still had some heel movement but no lift, in 1sz too small Abisku. The lacing made me not able to compress my ankle down as well, created a pressure point if tightened too much above the mid foot.

I have noticed the heel in Alaska XP is very large. Or I have a low volume heel. Or this is because of the poor lacing, so I cannot lock the heel in place. My heel slips sideways inside the boot, and there is heel lift. But the toes were too narrow and I sized up by one. This is amplified by the rather soft support and narrow skis I am on. I hope the Pioneer Pro is a bit stiffer and lower volume in the heel. Time will tell - currently some small and large sizes are available in Europe (Adventure Nordique), not my size yet.

Alfa will be making an Outback in Xplore, possibly next winter possibly later. But that is not of help, as it is a wide boot too. So are almost all Alfas, but Free was a bit tighter, still wide though. Skaget I think was almost identical fit - BUT, they had some very thick padding on the sides of the heel, which may help your low-volume heels stay in place. You also have the women's versions - if they have sizes, try them. A bit narrower. Now they came out with the Free in Women's version, too. I am curious to see if the Vista would fit me well. As it is based off the Guard, it is supposed to also be a bit wide. But I have tested Guard in Women's sizes, and that fit was narrower but still wide enough for me. Might resort to that myself, if the Pioneer Pro does not work for me.

If you can find some old asolo leather 75mm boots and you are willing to get them resoled, they tend to fit narrow.

[lilcliffy]

I definitely don't have a high volume foot, so that leaves out all Alpinas I've ever seen, Lundhags, and all Alfas except perhaps the Free. Rossi boots I've tried are too tight in the forefoot and way too wide in the heel. Since I'd need a 46 or 47 boot, it's no go on anything in women's fit.

Do you find Alpina boots large volume? If so, which model(s)?
The Alfa Free boot is not smaller volume than an equivalent sized Alaska, for example.
The Free is certainly smaller volume than the Guard/Vista.

Shoulda bought those Fischer Rebounds eons ago - they'd probably be narrow enough to work with NNNBC, where there's a much greater variety of boots. Sigh...

Have you seen- can you get- a Fischer Transnordic 82/E109 Xtralite? Closest model to the old Rebound/Atomic Rainier.

[satanas]

Do you find Alpina boots large volume? If so, which model(s)?
The Alfa Free boot is not smaller volume than an equivalent sized Alaska, for example.
The Free is certainly smaller volume than the Guard/Vista.

Shoulda bought those Fischer Rebounds eons ago - they'd probably be narrow enough to work with NNNBC, where there's a much greater variety of boots. Sigh...

Have you seen- can you get- a Fischer Transnordic 82/E109 Xtralite? Closest model to the old Rebound/Atomic Rainier.

Re Alpina boots: At various times I tried on different track and touring boots and all of them had too much volume and width everywhere for my foot; they don't seem to be imported here lately. Salomon boots fit me well, and Fischer seem to as well (they're not really available here in Oz), but nothing else in XC boots I've seen; I have a narrow ankle and heel, and a low volume calf.

The Atomic Rainiers were a bit of a nightmare, with stiffness and flex patterns varying radically between years. The grey ones I bought were super stiff tip to tail, though a friend liked them with plastic boots. With Salomon XA I couldnt do anything with them; the boot soles twisted way before the skis deflected on our typically compact snow. The next year they were much softer, as were the equivalent Salomon skis. Sigh.

I've never seen a TN82 or E109, which AFAIK have never been imported into Australia; I could get them from Telemark-Pyrenees, but that's about it. I do have a pair of Traverse 78s (narrower tip, shorter length) but due to COVID restrictions haven't been able to get out on them yet. Hopefully this winter...

[Theme]

Got to try the Madshus Panorama Explorer boot in shop today. Best fitting for me this far. Not the lightest at 870g, but felt stiff. Flex of the sole is quite nice, I felt Tele turns would be nice on this boot. However the forward flex has little support, so for that reason I am a bit hesitant on the boot for hauling a backpack on me. Super comfy boots, if you ignore the exoskeleton. I am generally not a fan of such a system, but here it works nicely. Fit is not super wide, but they are a bit wider at the toes like Alfas. In the midfoot, these are the only ones this far I can get tight enough for my foot. Not as low-volume toes as Alpina Alaska XP, BUT these can be tightened very close fitting. The tongue and inner is 3d mesh, so there is a worry for durability, mesh rubbing against the laces. If you ski into a puddle you may get wet feet. The boots seem to rely on the gaiter for water resistance, unless there is a hidden membrane. These are not super warm, but probably as warm as Alaskas. Maybe. Maybe not.

Alfa Vista was ok size in 41 for me, but sides of the ankle pushed too hard. Like on original Outback. For
the Madshus I needed 42. Hunt for boots continues...

[randoskier]

Here's one you might try

https://www.lundhags.com/en/footwear/me ... 040435-900

They make two models, one with a removable liner one without.

[satanas]

@ Theme: What is the external cuff on the Madshus boots made of - carbon fibre or plastic? How supportive is it? Finally, how wide (or narrow) is the heel/ankle area? Thanks. (I've never seen any Madshus boots here, so have no idea how they might fit.)

I'm really interested in the Xplore system, but would almost certainly need to get boots from Europe. The only ones I'm reasonably sure might fit are the Fischers, but people seem to think they're heavy and not so well made... Lundhags, Alpina, Rossignol and Alfa (except perhaps the Free) aren't worth trying given my foot shape and volume, but perhaps Madshus might be.

Apart from decent fit I'm looking for as much ankle support as I can get due to multiple sprains and lax ankle tendons.

[Capercaillie]

The tongue and inner is 3d mesh, so there is a worry for durability, mesh rubbing against the laces. If you ski into a puddle you may get wet feet. The boots seem to rely on the gaiter for water resistance, unless there is a hidden membrane.

Mesh tongues have been used on running shoes for decades, lace wear is not significant. Madshus seem to have a couple of similar models of NNNBC boots (the uppers in your photos look identical to the Panorama NNNBC) and it looks like they just tried to adapt a combi boot design to backcountry, without any thought, and slap a premium price on it. The metal lace hooks on the shaft are going to rub through the gaiters, and it looks like the lowest pair of hooks are right under the cuff strap (they will jam into your foot when you tighten down the strap). The waterproof membrane is in the gaiter, but depending on how long you stand around in the puddle, water will leak through the zipper and where the gaiter is stitched in (and all the other unnecessary stitching on the boot).

For a design comparison, the Alfa Horizon (NNN) is a mesh boot with a waterproof continuous gaiter that goes all the way under the sole, and low-profile lace rings on the shaft. The Madshus Panorama is $210 USD at Sport Conrad, $300 USD MSRP. Alfa Skaget is $285 USD at Varuste right now and is a much better boot design. Of course fit trumps everything.

[havuja]

[url]https://www.piteraq.no/alfa/164072/outb ... xplore[url]