The bcXCD Thread
- Thread starter gorgonzola
- Start date
Ripitz
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2020
Hey @Sick Bird Rider, I enjoyed trying the new Xplore system from Rottefella. I did notice some slight performance improvements over NNNBC. However, I don’t think these improvements would necessarily be noticeable to the casual skier.
My testing was skewed by a couple of things. First, my NNNBC setup was on my Madshus Anuums, 185cm and 78mm underfoot. I recently switched out the original black soft flexor for the harder red flexor that is used for Nordic skating. This has changed the performance considerably. The demo skis were the Fischer S-Bound 98s, 169cm and 69mm at the waist. These are two very different sets of skis. If I was on the same ski I would have been able to do a better comparison. Second, I’m not really a teleskier. If I was, I could tell you more about the sole flex, ball of the foot, tippy-toe on the trailing ski and all of that other nonsense. I came at this with a more aggressive alpine approach and was more focused on finding the limits of power and control.
The binding;
- I had a hard time stepping into the new system. There might be a learning curve there. It reminded me of my frustrations of lining up my AT pins. Could be my poor eyesight or the PBRs, maybe both, but I didn’t find it easier than NNNBC. I think stepping in may be more difficult with the harder flexors as the ski tends to want to skate away as you push down. I’m sure there is a trick and that it would get easier over time.
- The wider platform did appear to perform better edge to edge. Overall the difference was noticeable but not by a huge margin. It did add confidence when carving. It felt more stable.
- I like having the heel lifter - climbing aid. This is something that I’ve been meaning to add to my NNNBC system. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
- The free pivot insert was not available to try for touring. I could see the advantages of having that. I like the ability of making changes depending on the objective. Bonus points for the ability to do it easily in the field. For those who don’t want to fiddle around, the medium flexor would do just fine for up and down.
- The pins…. lots of concern out there about them getting stuck. It might be smart to have a tool to push them out if that ever happens. Maybe a mini bottle of lock deicer and silicon in the field kit would be a good idea on bigger trips.
The boots;
- The Xplore soles seem to have a similar forward flex to the NNNBC. However, I believe they are much stronger torsionally. They definitely felt that way.
- I like not hearing the toe bar crunching around in the gravel and ice. I do a lot of hiking in my boots and that has always been a pet peeve of mine.
- The Alpina Alaska Xplore boots are slightly larger than their NNNBC brothers. Like maybe a half or even a quarter size. It is recommended to size down in that boot. I have two different sized feet. One is a 9 and the other is a 9.5. My NNNBCs are a 43. When I tried on the 43 Xplore the volume felt greater around the ankle. It was more noticeable on my smaller foot. I sized down to a 42 and my toe was touching the front of the boot with my bigger foot. The Alaska Xplore boots have fewer lacing eyelets. I am able to compensate for my different foot sizes by tighter lacing on my NNNBCs. I like the Xplore boot sole but not sold on the Alaskas simply because of my fit issues.
- I tried on the Pioneer Pro in the store which was comfortable. It had a tighter fit and seemed skimpier (in a good way) than the Alaskas. I would like to try the Pioneer Tech if they ever surface. I’m interested in their downhill performance. Other boots that I am looking at are the Alfa Vista Advance and the Crispi Futura.
This new system really blends the worlds of telemark and cross-country effectively. I think the current price point is the largest inhibitor to switching. It’s especially hard to justify the expense when you can’t physically try on the boots and ski it. Buying stuff on the internet relying on someone’s review and blind faith is not a good feeling.
Kudos to High Peaks Cyclery for coming out to Mt Pisgah and letting us try some of this new gear. They have an impressive amount of stock in their store and their super helpful staff can speak from experience. The demo skis that I tried are available in their rental fleet. I didn’t get to try the new Scarpa TX Pro and the Transit binding but I guess that’s a good thing as that’s a whole other can of worms. One bent knee at a time.
My testing was skewed by a couple of things. First, my NNNBC setup was on my Madshus Anuums, 185cm and 78mm underfoot. I recently switched out the original black soft flexor for the harder red flexor that is used for Nordic skating. This has changed the performance considerably. The demo skis were the Fischer S-Bound 98s, 169cm and 69mm at the waist. These are two very different sets of skis. If I was on the same ski I would have been able to do a better comparison. Second, I’m not really a teleskier. If I was, I could tell you more about the sole flex, ball of the foot, tippy-toe on the trailing ski and all of that other nonsense. I came at this with a more aggressive alpine approach and was more focused on finding the limits of power and control.
The binding;
- I had a hard time stepping into the new system. There might be a learning curve there. It reminded me of my frustrations of lining up my AT pins. Could be my poor eyesight or the PBRs, maybe both, but I didn’t find it easier than NNNBC. I think stepping in may be more difficult with the harder flexors as the ski tends to want to skate away as you push down. I’m sure there is a trick and that it would get easier over time.
- The wider platform did appear to perform better edge to edge. Overall the difference was noticeable but not by a huge margin. It did add confidence when carving. It felt more stable.
- I like having the heel lifter - climbing aid. This is something that I’ve been meaning to add to my NNNBC system. Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
- The free pivot insert was not available to try for touring. I could see the advantages of having that. I like the ability of making changes depending on the objective. Bonus points for the ability to do it easily in the field. For those who don’t want to fiddle around, the medium flexor would do just fine for up and down.
- The pins…. lots of concern out there about them getting stuck. It might be smart to have a tool to push them out if that ever happens. Maybe a mini bottle of lock deicer and silicon in the field kit would be a good idea on bigger trips.
The boots;
- The Xplore soles seem to have a similar forward flex to the NNNBC. However, I believe they are much stronger torsionally. They definitely felt that way.
- I like not hearing the toe bar crunching around in the gravel and ice. I do a lot of hiking in my boots and that has always been a pet peeve of mine.
- The Alpina Alaska Xplore boots are slightly larger than their NNNBC brothers. Like maybe a half or even a quarter size. It is recommended to size down in that boot. I have two different sized feet. One is a 9 and the other is a 9.5. My NNNBCs are a 43. When I tried on the 43 Xplore the volume felt greater around the ankle. It was more noticeable on my smaller foot. I sized down to a 42 and my toe was touching the front of the boot with my bigger foot. The Alaska Xplore boots have fewer lacing eyelets. I am able to compensate for my different foot sizes by tighter lacing on my NNNBCs. I like the Xplore boot sole but not sold on the Alaskas simply because of my fit issues.
- I tried on the Pioneer Pro in the store which was comfortable. It had a tighter fit and seemed skimpier (in a good way) than the Alaskas. I would like to try the Pioneer Tech if they ever surface. I’m interested in their downhill performance. Other boots that I am looking at are the Alfa Vista Advance and the Crispi Futura.
This new system really blends the worlds of telemark and cross-country effectively. I think the current price point is the largest inhibitor to switching. It’s especially hard to justify the expense when you can’t physically try on the boots and ski it. Buying stuff on the internet relying on someone’s review and blind faith is not a good feeling.
Kudos to High Peaks Cyclery for coming out to Mt Pisgah and letting us try some of this new gear. They have an impressive amount of stock in their store and their super helpful staff can speak from experience. The demo skis that I tried are available in their rental fleet. I didn’t get to try the new Scarpa TX Pro and the Transit binding but I guess that’s a good thing as that’s a whole other can of worms. One bent knee at a time.
Last edited:
Sick Bird Rider
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2020
Great review, thanks for taking the time to write it up. Kinda sums up up everything else I've been seeing: works well, better than NNN BC, expensive, fiddly.
Capt_Planit
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2021
Had to try to find snow, having not skied since the eclipse, and then only on Slush Pond road by Paul Smiths. Objective, Wright Peak Slides. Hmmm. Nothing to ski here. That is Phelps Mt. in the background though.
Stayed in the Kobalowski Leanto at the base of the slide, with abundant pine marten visitors, but no mice or chipmunks, which I considered a win. Fresh snow in the night too, but not enough to open the slides.
Since a slide ski was out, how about the Wright Peak ski trail? By the time I got to the (snowless) trail, I was gassed, and opted to summit on the regular hiking trail, hoping for some miracle summit snow. Nothing to ski here either, Algonquin was looking pretty barren too. So it goes...crampon back down, and only fall twice.
Next morning, time to go home, but I see snow over by Mount Colden, ah, what the heck, go check it out. Woo Hoo, the Avalanche Pass ski trail delivers 100 ft of what ever this is...well, those are my ski tracks, so I am going to call it snow! Such a good trip. Sure I only skied for 1.5 hours, but those hours were necessary for my peace of mind. Time to watch those ski movies all summer.
Stayed in the Kobalowski Leanto at the base of the slide, with abundant pine marten visitors, but no mice or chipmunks, which I considered a win. Fresh snow in the night too, but not enough to open the slides.
Since a slide ski was out, how about the Wright Peak ski trail? By the time I got to the (snowless) trail, I was gassed, and opted to summit on the regular hiking trail, hoping for some miracle summit snow. Nothing to ski here either, Algonquin was looking pretty barren too. So it goes...crampon back down, and only fall twice.
Next morning, time to go home, but I see snow over by Mount Colden, ah, what the heck, go check it out. Woo Hoo, the Avalanche Pass ski trail delivers 100 ft of what ever this is...well, those are my ski tracks, so I am going to call it snow! Such a good trip. Sure I only skied for 1.5 hours, but those hours were necessary for my peace of mind. Time to watch those ski movies all summer.
gorgonzola
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
FTW!
gorgonzola
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2020
All earnin’, no turnin’ on Moosic Mountain near Scranton PA. A foot and a half of wet snow and tangles of bent over blueberry bushes made for a fun challenging Saturday morning
