Xplore experience - Alfa Free and Pioneer Pro

[Brynski]

Hi all,

Having been a interested follower of threads on this general topic, I thought it was time I made a contribution.

Disclaimer: I don't get to ski anywhere as much as I would like to as the Scottish Highlands are not particularly conducive to producing reliable ski conditions. This means I'm still relatively early on in the process of learning about this kit, and what it means for my particular situation. I also don't come from a lengthy xcdh background, so can only make a limited comparison to other similar systems. I do however appear to have had more money than sense (at least before spending it) so I am able offer an opinion that is based on actually having owned this kit.

Background: I was lucky enough to be taken on many ski holidays to Europe as a kid, being enrolled in the ESF program, and learnt to alpine ski reasonably proficiently, even if my stance is still a bit narrow by modern standards. I skied much less as an adult, mainly because I was focused on climbing and mountaineering. When I did ski, it was alpine touring, as I had long since discovered a love of less travelled places.

I decided to take up Telemark skiing about the time my son started skiing, thinking that a new technical challenge would make skiing easy pistes more fun. It was fun, but also incredibly frustrating at times. One of my main problems was the sheer exhaustion experienced from thinking that I needed to progressively sink deep into the bottom of each and every turn (thanks Rene!). My skiing would inevitably end up being concentrated into intense and infrequent bursts on foreign trips, and after a day or two my legs would be blown, with the remaining days being of limited enjoyment. I found it bizarre that I could just stand straight and rip out carved parallel turns with limited effort, even though I could no longer drop a knee. I felt like there must be another way.

The other frustration I had was when it did snow in Scotland and I had the opportunity to skin up the hills behind my house, I was stuck with ridiculous plastic lumps for boots that lacked movement for walking, were insanely heavy, and hurt my legs when I clipped them up. I soon realised that most touring Telemark skiers were in this bracket one way or another. I played briefly with a Michael Bolt on duck butt F1 and Meidjo, which toured better, but were still painful and tiring to ski in the way I was skiing them.

At some point I think I realised that the relative stiffness of of my various boot and binding combinations had allowed me to develop a poor and unbalanced Telemark style, that was crippling to ski. I felt that an apprenticeship with a lower cuffed and softer boot, coupled with a less active binding was probably in order, and might help me shake my bad habits of not weighting the rear ski adequately, being too spread out, over rotating upper body and associated uphill pole stabbing amongst many other issues.

The xplore system was just being released, and being a sucker for shiny kit I went all in. Unfortunately I wasn't able to override all my conditioning about stiffness in the boot and binding system so ended up buying the most supportive boots I could, the Alfa Free. I first tried these at an artificial indoor snow slope in Glasgow, along with the initial test of my F1 rig. The difference was astonishing to me. I felt that even just riding the button lift in the F1s put a pressure on my thighs that was making me grimace. Wearing the Alfa frees felt like relaxing in slippers in comparison, and I was just beaming smiles, despite finding the skiing a little more challenging. I also realised I could stand up and do parallel turns reasonably well if I wanted to. I felt like the system had potential, particularly for me to come at touring for telemark turns from a completely different angle.

Last year I picked up a pair of the Alpina Pioneer Pro. They are definitely in a different category of boot to the Free. They have a much more progressive sole flex, spread over a wider radius, and set further back towards the ball of foot. The sole has only slightly less torsional rigidity than the Free, but the uppers are softer over the forefoot, and have minimal lateral stability above the ankle bone. If you look at the side construction you can see where the Pioneer is designed to bend.

The upper flexibility in the Pioneer Pro make them very comfortable to wear, and avoid the cast like feeling that you might get in the Free, even when they are laced tight. The sole flex makes them much easier to get weight on the ball of foot too, without going on to tip toes. I felt like I made a real breakthrough with my telemark skiing the other day on groomed beginner slopes with the Pioneer Pro and soft flexor. I was forced to keep the stance tight, make sure I pressured the back foot so it didn't get left behind, positively angulate my little toe into a smearing action, and approach the turns more from a sense of alternate skidding on either side while travelling in a relatively straight line down hill, rather than attempting to carve big turns. When it worked it felt magic.

There is a huge difference between the soft and the hard xplore flexor. The soft has almost no discernable resistance, whereas the hard flexor kicks in noticeably after a short dead zone. This meant that I was more tempted to revert to being overly spread out when using the Free with hard flexor, as I'd still be getting a little pressure on to the rear ski despite my poor form. Edge control is certainly the best with this combination.

The soft flexor in combination with the Free demands you to focus on keeping the back leg tucked under your bum, as you can't lift the rear heel very high before the ball of foot comes off the ski. Telemark turning is still perfectly possible with the Free and soft flexor but the system feels mismatched and telemarking somewhat contrived.

I feel that the flexor changing process in the xplore is clunky and annoying, but it's definitely necessary to match the boot and the flexor stiffness for optimal telemark feel. The main problem for the Alfa Free is that the hard flexor is terrible to walk in, so you are committed to fiddling around with the binding at the top and bottom of every slope. If you want the best edging control this system can offer on firm surfaces, maybe this compromise will be worth it.

The Pioneer Pro is so much more satisfying to put into a tele turn with the soft flexor, but at the expense of quite alot of edge control. I have not skied it in soft powder yet, but I imagine that it could be good for that.

I can't help but feel that there is a potential middle ground between both these boots that would better exploit the potential of the xplore binding system without having to mess about with annoying flexors. The Boa adjustment is awesome, fast and simple. Also the internal cushioning and shape of the Free is very precise and supportive for my foot. Seeing as you can easily pop the top Boa open for improved walking, I think the main change I would like to see in the Free is for the flex point to move more under the BOF. This adjustment 'might' make it more satisfying to telemark turn with the soft flexor.

On the other hand, the Pioneer Pro is permanently optimised for xc walking without having to make any lacing adjustments because of it's full height soft rear cuff. It will always be different to the Free in this regard. The whole 3D structure of the Pioneer upper is soft and pliable. The relatively stiff sole unit and stable pin connection give a precise platform for the sole of your foot, but there is very little upper on which to exert any leverage. I can definitely identify with the so called 'naked' feel of skiing these boots. If the Pioneer Pro upper had a bit more lateral stiffness, and didn't just fold at the joint halfway up the ankle, it might be a bit more useable in firmer and more challenging snow conditions, making it more widely versatile.

I love the lightness and it comfort of both these boots. They are a huge improvement over the Alico single and double boots I've also tried. A note on sizing; I am a 47 in most every shoe, but the Alfa Free ended up fitting me best in a 46. I initially tried an Alfa Guard in 47, but it was so utterly voluminous for my foot that I exchanged it for the smaller and slimmer Free. The Pioneer is a similar fit in a 47, possibly a bit wider in the forefoot. The boot soles of my Free in 46 and my Pioneer in 47 are identical in length.

I've skied these boots on a falketind 62 and a Tua cirque, also 62 at the waist. On firm artificial snow, the cirque's felt easier to side slip and quickly pivot than the falketind, and are super fun to use on the easy prepared slopes. Still not had a chance to take the falketind into soft and deep snow, where I imagine they will excel.

Interested to hear any recommendations for the more versatile boot I am seeking. Pioneer Tech seems like a possible candidate but slightly concerned that it's even lighter than the Pro. Does the upper not just fold sideways above the 'injected carbon' heel cup? I do like the idea that the sole stiffness of this boot might be a little softer as it should work better with the soft flexor, although Alpina sales bumf doesn't say there is any difference. Alpina also list an Elite version with an additional hinged skate style cuff, which could stand to rival the Free for edge control, but who knows how the thing might flex or when it will be available? Crispi or Lundhags offerings might also work for telemark in variable conditions, but the beefier versions both come with a significant weight penalty over an Alfa Free which should be taken into account.

Thanks for reading, kind of needed to get that off my chest. That's all for now!

[lilcliffy]

Hello @Brynski from the hills of New Brunswick, Canada!
I have visited family in Scotland many times- and have done some hiking in the highlands- but, have never skied there.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this excellent comparison review-
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Although I have only tried on the Pioneer Pro in the shop- I do own the Free- and your observations and comparisons seem spot on.

I have been rigorously using the Alfa Skaget XP in recent weeks- it is a boot that is likely in between these two.
The other boot I am going to use this winter is the Crispi Futura Pro- all buckled up it offers as much or more support as the Skaget. Though I was really hoping for Crispi to slightly raise the cuff and enable lacing to the top of the boot...I remain disatisfied with the lacing on the Futura Pro/Svartisen. The Futura Pro has a much stiffer and more stable sole than the Svartisen.

I bought and used the Lundhags Abisku last season. I love it. Heavier than some other touring boots- yes- but the combinaiton of support, stability, warm, durability and utility cannot be beat. If I were to choose one backcountry Nordic ski touring boot, it would be Lundhags.

Thanks again and keep in touch!
Gareth

[Stephen]

@Brynski, what a terrific post!
Articulate, well thought out, informative.
Thanks for including boot size — I think it matters when thinking about the different Xplore flexors.
For me, in size 47 Free, and based on very limited experience, the hard flexor didn’t seem to bother me climbing and seemed usable on the flats.
But agree the “Normal” flexor would be better for that, and the Hard for down.
I would like to see the Free with a strap (or some such) across the top of the instep, diagonally back to the heel, to pull the foot back into the heel pocket, without having to use the boa, which makes the rest of the boot tighter than I would sometimes like.

[CwmRaider]

Excellent post @Brynski , thanks a lot.

[telerat]

Thanks for the post Brynski. Your experience/opinion sound very much like mine. I have only tried Alpina Pioneer Pro (and Alaska XP) on the foot in a shop though, and have used my Alfa Skaget for two years so far, with Fischer E109(TN82) and Asnes Ousland, as well as Nordic/touring skates.

I have finally given in though and bought a used pair of Alfa Free. So far I have only tried wearing them inside, as well as outside skating once, but I look forward to using them on my Falketind 62s.

I think I will post my experiences in the respective threads, even though they are becoming quite long. Links to the respective threads:
The Xplore system: https://www.telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=4071
Alfa Free: https://www.telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=4512
Pioneer Pro: https://www.telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=4875