Alfa FREE A/P/S GTX XPLORE Boot Review 2022

[Tom M]

Wahoo
On the Left, 2016 Sbound 98 @ 179/Voile 3p/Alfa Greenland Boot, 2415 grams per foot
On the Right, 2021 Sbound 98 @ 179/Xplore/Alfa Free A/P/S Boot, 2113 grams per foot
302 grams lighter per foot (10.65 oz)
Lets see if these babies can dance.

[Ira]

So I am a week or so into my 2022 season, skiing every day, plus a few singles in the weekends prior.

My setup:
Sbound 98, 3 pin + Fischer Transnordic.
Sbound 112, Xplore + Alfa free.

Thanks for posting your experience! Did you find that the Alfa Free had way better kick and glide and flexibility (on flats and small grades) than the Fischer Transnordic? Or was it similar?

Thanks!

[brwilkinson]

Did you find that the Alfa Free had way better kick and glide and flexibility (on flats and small grades) than the Fischer Transnordic? Or was it similar?

The Transnordics are pretty great,.. Very comfortable and if you ever tried the old model, these are improved in my opinion. The extra height was very welcome, plus the lace system is improved. I didn't face any issues with ankle flexibility for kick and glide at all. They had a very short wear in time.

With the Free's, because of my initial heel blister, I only have 4 full days on them. I wanted to wear them more, however will have to wait till this weekend. They are much stiffer in the ankle/sole combination, so you just have to loosen the cuff boa to get added flexibility. In the beginning I was having an issue getting my heel to stay locked in, however the more that I wore them, the better they felt and on my last day in them, I found a happy medium for the ankle tightness/security for the up and down (without having to adjust them) When they are tight/firm there is a solid limit to the amount of movement in all directions, hence alot of support and control. I really think I will not want to take these off after I wear them a few more times.

So I think they are both really great, I have no complaints with either. I initially had a toe compression with the Transnordics, which has gone after I wore them in. I originally had heel slip in the Free's, which I am confident will disappear after a few more wears, plus already improved after just a few sessions.

In summary:

- if I tighten the Transnordics up as tight as they will go, they still flex in the ankle slits in the leather, by design and still kick and glide, really well, plus the sole is more flexible.

- if I tighten the Free's as tight as they go, they provide much more ankle support, which would/can limit kick and glide.
- They may loosen up more as I wear them in more.
- I can pop/release the boa, flex my ankle, which releases the ankle, then I can lock it and have ample flex for kick and glide in just a few seconds. So this is a huge plus, given how easy the boa is to adjust.

[Stephen]

@brwilkinson, do you see overlap in the two boots?
Could one use the interchangeably, or do you see them serving two discreet activities?

I am intrigued by the Free, but would want to be able to use it like I use the Guard, with the added benefit of greater control on the downhills.
Interested in your thoughts.

[brwilkinson]

do you see overlap in the two boots?
Could one use the interchangeably, or do you see them serving two discreet activities?

That's "the" interesting question for sure

In short:
Yes I have been using them interchangeably, with a high level of satisfaction.

The long version:
I think I will need a few more weeks to really understand the differences more. The complexity with this comparison is that you are comparing different boots with different bindings, plus different ski widths for me.

For me I pair the:
- Transnordic/3pin/s-bound 98s.
- Free/Xplore/s-bound 112's.

Both the Free and the Transnordic are designed for people looking for adventure, going offtrack in search of some nice powder to lap on or explore some trails on varied terrain.

They both complete that mission very well, I would just have to give the Free a 9/10 and the Transnordic an 8/10 for those activities. So it's 90 overlap from my initial perspective.

I gave -1 on the Free because it's too early to give it a 10.
I gave the -2 to the Transnordic because it's clear that I can gain more downhill control and therefore speed on the Free's, so it's a relative comparison.

So now generally in my day I spend at least some of it on groomed trails, it's too early to say if either boot has any advantage here. Tentatively I'll say the Transnordic work great for kick and glide and it's too early for me to give an opinion on the Free's, however I am just guessing, just like dropping a gear in a car, loosening the cuff with the Boa would put them in an identical position as the Transnordic.

Working backwards, I would be starting with the Free's loose (free) on the ankle, then just tighten them down for the downhill.

Summary:
If you are up for the investment or new kit, I would recommend the Free's (or Xplore) for sure. If you aren't up for dropping all of that cash, then I would say the Transnordic will still be better for control + comfort, than any previous option available for the Adventure enthusiast.

[Tom M]

Spent the day doing Yo Yos on the Alfa Free / Xplore / SBound 98's. Perfect snow. It was a great day. The conditions were ideal, hero snow as they say. I will post a video review after a few more outings, but one thing I can say for now is that these boots will become a permanent part of my quiver. I sure hope the system is durable and trouble free, but the only way to find out is to put a lot more time in with this system. What I'm most curious about at this point is how the system will feel with the hard flexor, but for the kind of beautiful soft snow we have had for the past few weeks, the standard flexor is just fine. It has been an easy transition from my leather 75 mm to this system. I'm not a big fan of the cable on my Voile binding and I rarely put it on. Maybe the hard flexor will be the part of this system that makes it stand out. Only time will tell. I hope someone gets them in stock this season.

[lilcliffy]

@Tom M

Very cool man! (Nice photo too!)

Just wondering what you think about the comparison between your Greenland 75 vs the Free Xplore...

I am thinking that the two boots are so different in their support and stability for downhill skiing that it might be hard to compare NN-3pin vs Xplore on your 98s?

Would be cool to test it with say a Svartisen 75, Extreme 75, or perhaps we can convince Fischer to send you a Transnordic 75 for a comparison test!!

[Tom M]

Just wondering what you think about the comparison between your Greenland 75 vs the Free Xplore...

I am thinking that the two boots are so different in their support and stability for downhill skiing that it might be hard to compare NN-3pin vs Xplore on your 98s?

At first I wasn't sure what to think about these boots, as my obvious current point of reference is skiing the Greenland 75. My head keeps going back to an old pair of Merrell welted leather boots that I skied for a couple decades before they blew apart. None of the long list of the modern 75 leather boots that I have owned and worn out since those amazing boots have hit the sweet spot as far as touring and downhill control. Of course, it might just be an old man's nostalgia kicking in. The succeeding leathers were OK, but the tele crowd had moved on to plastic and that led me to the Scarpa T4's, and eventually the T2's. I suffered through 2 generations of T4's (I could never solve the blister problem) before I swore them off for good. As amazing as the T4's are, they are heavy and not the ideal boot to tour in. So this year Alfa and Rottefella have teamed up to try something different, in an effort to move the sport of lightweight XCD forward, and I think they have succeeded. I've been stumbling on the proper words to describe how it feels to ski this system and how it compares to the rest of the pack. The big elephant in the room of course is are they worth the cost? Well let's just say, I was out on them again today and I was doing a lot of smiling. I think you hit the nail on the head, they are in a class all by themselves and shouldn't be compared to the current crop of soft leathers or super stiff plastic boots. I think that most people already know the use case for this system. I've been shooting lots of video on my recent outings and I will post a video review in a few weeks. Here is a frame grab from today's ski as a teaser. (Shadow man strikes again)

[jyw5]

ok I'm getting sucked into this...I saw some photos of the boots. The women's is beautiful with the white BOA. thats awesome! The men's not too bad with the red/black. And it they look stiff...I can downhill in this. may be a game changer as you all have alluded to.


how does the Alfa Xplore Free boot fit compared to the Guard Adv. ? is it a high volume boot? or is it more like a standard fit like many other lower Alfa models (like the Quest Core?) How is the last (forefoot) on the Alfa Free?

I have Mens EU 41 in Guard Adv and a EU 42 in Quest Core.

Any ideas which size Alfa Xplore Free would fit closest?
(no stores in Alaska have this boot)

Thanks!

[Tom M]

how does the Alfa Xplore Free boot fit compared to the Guard Adv. ? is it a high volume boot? or is it more like a standard fit like many other lower Alfa models (like the Quest Core?) How is the last (forefoot) on the Alfa Free?

Thanks!

I don't own the Guard Adv so I can't give a direct size comparison. I do wear the Alfa Skarvet and the Alfa Greenland in size 42. I ordered the Free's in size 43 and had them shipped from Alfa in Norway. On Alfa's website, they describe the Free fit as "regular" and the Guard Adv and Skarvet as "wide" so the Free uses a different last. My other concern was that the boot might not be as warm as leathers (based on some comments from others who were early testers), so I planned to wear a heavy wool sock and a liner with the Frees. I only wear a single midweight sock in my other Alfa boots. It was a hard decision and in the end I sized up to a 43. So far I have not had any issues with cold feet, but the coldest I've skied them is at 12 F (-11 C), so that is hardly a test. The toe bend crease is much further forward on the Free's than on my other Alfa boots. I tried to show that in the first look video on my YouTube channel, and I will take a closer look at it again in in my review video. Sometimes I can feel the top of the boot touching the top of my toes in the kick and glide motion and that has me concerned a bit. Toe pinch is a real issue for me with 75 mm leathers, but the mechanics of the Xplore system seems to make that less of an issue. My toes have more curl than a normal foot so this may not be an issue for most people. If there is any toe pinch in the telemark position, it hasn't caused me any pain so far, but I will try to focus on that issue in my next outing. I haven't had any blisters and I'm trying to listen to what my feet are telling me much more than I normally would. I have buggered my feet so many times in the past on new boots and I am currently taping my heels in these boots as a precaution. I sure wish I would have had the opportunity to try on both the 42's and 43's in a store before purchase so I didn't have to second guess on sizing. I'm sure I can make these work for me, but I will always wonder how the 42's would have fit. I know the siren call is strong on this system, but one thing to keep in mind is that there is a risk in being an early adopter, and only time will tell if there are any weakness in the design that will show up as we put in more miles. I hope that others who have bought the boot will chime in on their fit experience.