ISO Xplore boot that is 'best' at downhill and available in USA (and possibly won't break the bank)

[nbabucks1]

Location: SLC, Utah, USA

I've read almost every thread here about boots that are available on the xplore system and it appears it comes down to these three boots that prioritize downhill

1. alfa free - expensive. I missed the REI mega sale. I love the idea of BOA, skis downhill great

2. Alpina Pioneer pro/tech - Less expensive than the free and according to some reviews skis better downhill

3. Crispi Futura Pro XP - I can't seem to find much about the boot anywhere. Not sure how well it skis downhill compared to the Pinoeer and the Free.

My questions:

Is there a boot other than the three listed above or do you have strong opinions about any of those boots for downhill performance?

Is there a boot that you can easily source in the USA and perhaps try on locally in the Salt Lake City area?

Is there any current good deals you'd recommend for any of the above boots shipped to Utah?

Is there any good deals on the Xplore binding shipped to Utah?

About me: I'm a downhill skier. I also do some backcountry skiing. I ski a very low volume ski boot (atomic hawx 130 xtd - 98 last with zip fits, I have scrawny legs).I have remote property in Wyoming in a valley with about 800 feet of vert (in sections) I want to ski and I do not want any fiddle factor with skins. I want to up down up down and do not want to stop. I can't tele turn (yet). I currently have a pair of the Marquette Backcountry skis that I use with duckbill cable tele bindings (peppers?) and garmont duckbill boots. I ski them alpine style downhill and they are really fun, however they have very poor grip on the uphill. I'm thinking of getting a ski with a permanent attached skin like the Altai Hok for better grip on the uphill. The only issue I see with that is I will absolutely thrash the ski as I ski an area with a TON of down trees (i'm always hitting them) as it recently had a forrest fire. Altai does make an adapter plate for the xplore. I've also had a voile v6 bc ski in the past that I tried and found that it climbed poorly too with the fish scales.

[CwmRaider]

Hi,
There are several reviews here of the Altai Hok, and from memory it is seen as more of an alternative to snowshoe than to longer skis. Not unlike the Marquette perhaps. I suggest you take a look at what other users say.

The Alpina Pioneer pro is described by Johnny as better downhill than the Alfa Free for telemark purposes, but not necessarily overall downhill. The boot apparently is more flexible front to back making it an easier telemark boot. However the Alfa Free gives (apparently) more overall support which is OK for a mixed bag type of dh techniques.

The Alfa Free isnt particularly warm but does OK for touring IMO with the top BOA loose. Some people dont like the way it flexes, but I dont have any real issues with that. My main complaint with it for longer tours is that they give me a bit cold feed (no biggie on yoyo tours) and that the bottom BOA doesnt go up high enough over the ankle.

I dont think anyone here has reviewed the Crispi Futura XP yet. I ordered a pair mid december but am awaiting delivery.
Other boots you may consider are Fischer BCX traverse or Lundhags Abisku Expedition, both of these may offer enough support.
However, the Lundhags boots have a very narrow shaft and I cannot even put them on my feet...
I used the 75mm variant of the Fischer BCX Traverse (called Fischer Transnordic boot) and was quite impressed with it for XCD. Some people found them painful to fit.

For any about logistics regarding Utah, I cannot help sorry.

[tkarhu]

A local store guy said the Futura Pro is Svartisen with a XP sole basically. You could maybe check what reviews say about Svartisen uppers.

We have short Alta Hoks in my famiy. I agree that they are not skis really because they have very little glide.

[mrhppinhg]

I don’t know of any other boots that are compatible with the Xplore system, other than the ones you listed. I have the Alfa Free and I like them a lot. They are comfortable, warm, and supportive.

[aclyon]

Rossi XP-12 could be considered. It's a great boot. Not as good as the Free (I have both now), but a great boot and affordable.

[Kneedle Drop]

I agree that the Hoks are not a replacement for skis. They are an alternative to skis in specific conditions. I bought them to crisscross through Gatineau Park, where the trees are very dense and the hills are not all that big. For this purpose they were perfect. I have found they are also very useful when you want to follow well-worn and deep snowshoe tracks, where the turns are sometimes too tight for longer skis. I haven't yet been able to translate my telemark technique to skiing them well downhill, but I think that has more to do with me. I've seen others do a fine job linking tele turns in Hoks.

I set up my Hoks to take the Xplore binding, but I am likely going to switch back to 75mm. I think 110mm underfoot is too much for my Pioneer Pros to control.

[voilenerd]

I’m on that quest too, check out my initial thoughts of Fischer Traverse. Need more time on boots.

https://www.telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=6393

[Stephen]

The REI / Alfa sale is still on, but maybe they don’t have your size?
If REI has any Xplore boots in your size, you can order and try on in-store and return within a year if they don’t work.
With a low volume, narrow (98 last) foot, you may have to do some work to get a good fit.

[nbabucks1]

Thanks a lot for the replies and insight. My hesitance to a scale based ski comes from when I used my current pair of Voile V6 BC's (touring boots). I found there was a very narrow set of snow conditions and pitches that gave me the ability to climb like I do with skins. I know they are two very different things (skins vs scales) but when I used my wifes shorter pair of Hok's I was really impressed with how well they glided. However this was over hard packed trails - not unski powder snow. I do like that they are particularly cheap relative to other ski options

Cwm - thanks for breakingdown specific characteristics of boots and how they perform dh vs tele as well as adding another option in the lundhags. I could have swore when I posted this there were no alfa frees and now there are some, but not in my size. I need a 42 (41 would be too tight)

tkarhu - appreciate the hok insight w/r/t glide.

voile - thanks a bunch for the insight on that boot too. Another one to consider. By chance are you in Utah (home of voile?) and know a place to source xplore boots?

[voilenerd]

voile - thanks a bunch for the insight on that boot too. Another one to consider. By chance are you in Utah (home of voile?) and know a place to source xplore boots?

I’m in Wyoming. I go by Voilenerd because I have a quiver of skis and bindings from Voile. Dave at Voile has treated me very well over the years!

I bought my Fischer boots from Amazon and the cheapest I could find the Traverse BCX boot was $368 in the US. I could have ordered them from overseas for around $240 but didn’t want to wait that long for shipping.

I’m new to the Xplore concept. I’m on the fence on what they can do on the downhill and the ski width limits/boots. Currently running some Fischer Sbound 98 and have the hard flexors for swapping out for the down hill. I also have a pair of Xplores for the Traverse 78. Have not skied the Sbound 98. Should have time on them for turns this wekend on the new boots!