@The GCW ,good score for the price.
That looks like the tail end of the BOA cord sticking out of the ratcheting mechanism.
Maybe you can unlock the dial, and pull all the slack out of the cords, AND pull that tail end back inside the dial. It has a knot, so shouldn’t pull through.
Just unlock the dial and pull on each side of the cord, and see if that loose end will pull back inside the dial mechanism.
Alfa FREE A/P/S GTX XPLORE Boot Review 2022
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The GCW
- Posts: 99
- Joined: Wed Jan 27, 2021 10:39 am
- Location: Summit County Colorado
- Ski style: Alpine, Alpine B.C. Nordic B.C.
Re: Alfa FREE A/P/S GTX XPLORE Boot Review 2022
Stephen,
Thanks. For now I don't want to risk changing anything since the system is working.
Between Your advice and installing a new BOA, that I received, I feel confident the boots will perform.
Thanks. For now I don't want to risk changing anything since the system is working.
Between Your advice and installing a new BOA, that I received, I feel confident the boots will perform.
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aclyon
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2023 1:59 pm
- Location: South Lake Tahoe
- Ski style: adapt or die
- Occupation: mastering engineer, electronic musician
- Website: http://xexify.com
Re: Alfa FREE A/P/S GTX XPLORE Boot Review 2022
I'm on my 2nd season with these boots and can share some impressions:
Downhill-- awesome. I can really lean into the cuff. I have vastly improved my tele turns and my confidence getting "low" with these boots. They are very fun to ski downhill in. I'm able to plant my BOF really well with these, despite what previous reviewers have said.
Uphill-- great. Just loosen the boas and go. But see "fit"
Touring-- well... terrible, to be honest. The problem is that as I kick and glide, the boas loosen, and so I lose heel lockdown and I'm essentially in loose floppy boots. It's quite annoying. Does any one know a way to keep the boas from loosening as I tour?? This has really been lessening my fun factor with these boots.
Fit-- good. IF I lube my feet with squirrel's nut butter AND put blister tape on my achilles, then the fit is perfect. If no lube-- pinky toes get blistered. If no tape-- achilles gets destroyed. Very strange for a boot with such volume and width (and I've got crazy hobbit feet). Have tried all manner of double socking to no avail, the tape is all that works. Not a big deal but it is a little annoying putting tape on my foot every time I want to ski.
Build quality-- to be determined. There is some nasty wear building up by the pins. It's a bit alarming. Also if you scrape the boas against a hard branch or some such, you risk them popping off, and they're a little tricky to get back on in the field (but doable). I am a little scared of cracking the plastic of the boas.
Conclusions-- I keep flip flopping on whether Xplore is awesome or total shit or somewhere in-between. Maybe 3-pin with a cable is actually superior or just as good?? I love the *concept* of Xplore, but with the damage occurring to the pin area of my 2 pairs of boots (the others are Rossi XP-12), I am growing wary of the reliability this system provides. I really like doing laps on a good hill with the Alfa Free, but I want to also do long tours with them, it seems like it would be a really fun boot for that. But in practice it's not. IF I could figure out a way to prevent the boas from loosening while I K/G, I think my impressions would vastly improve.
Downhill-- awesome. I can really lean into the cuff. I have vastly improved my tele turns and my confidence getting "low" with these boots. They are very fun to ski downhill in. I'm able to plant my BOF really well with these, despite what previous reviewers have said.
Uphill-- great. Just loosen the boas and go. But see "fit"
Touring-- well... terrible, to be honest. The problem is that as I kick and glide, the boas loosen, and so I lose heel lockdown and I'm essentially in loose floppy boots. It's quite annoying. Does any one know a way to keep the boas from loosening as I tour?? This has really been lessening my fun factor with these boots.
Fit-- good. IF I lube my feet with squirrel's nut butter AND put blister tape on my achilles, then the fit is perfect. If no lube-- pinky toes get blistered. If no tape-- achilles gets destroyed. Very strange for a boot with such volume and width (and I've got crazy hobbit feet). Have tried all manner of double socking to no avail, the tape is all that works. Not a big deal but it is a little annoying putting tape on my foot every time I want to ski.
Build quality-- to be determined. There is some nasty wear building up by the pins. It's a bit alarming. Also if you scrape the boas against a hard branch or some such, you risk them popping off, and they're a little tricky to get back on in the field (but doable). I am a little scared of cracking the plastic of the boas.
Conclusions-- I keep flip flopping on whether Xplore is awesome or total shit or somewhere in-between. Maybe 3-pin with a cable is actually superior or just as good?? I love the *concept* of Xplore, but with the damage occurring to the pin area of my 2 pairs of boots (the others are Rossi XP-12), I am growing wary of the reliability this system provides. I really like doing laps on a good hill with the Alfa Free, but I want to also do long tours with them, it seems like it would be a really fun boot for that. But in practice it's not. IF I could figure out a way to prevent the boas from loosening while I K/G, I think my impressions would vastly improve.