Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Hi all!

After spending several hours reading various reviews and topics in this forum, my partner and I have decide to purchase our fist XCD équipements.

Little background info: we already own alpine, AT, classic and skate skis.
Looking for a set-up for rolling/hilly terrain (alpine valleys and mellow glaciers) in deep powder to variable snow. Skis don't need to be downhill oriented, but descents need to be survivable!

Bindings: NNN-BC, easy choice since there is nothing available in 3 pins where we are located.

Skis : Fischer Excursion 88 for me
Fischer Traverse 78 for my girlfriend
We were first tempted by the S-Bound 98, but they seem to be a bit soft for trail breaking. Also better K&G is appealing.

Boots: Still not decided between the Fischer BCX Grand Tour and the Fischer OTX Adventure BC. Their constructions are quite different, but yet, I don't really understand how different they ski. Sole flex is both medium. Which one is better for K&G or offers more support for downhill? The collar on the OTX Adventure BC looks nice for ankle support. The laces seem more convenient on the BCX GT.

Thanks alot for any advice or Intel!

I don’t know those specific boots, but I'd get the Fischer Transnordics. If in doubt go bigger…..

I have some Fischer BCX 675 and they look good, but actually quite disappointing in their edging and downhill capabilities. Just quite soft and the plastic collar exoskeleton thing doesn’t do as much as it looks like it might. The BCX675 looks rather like the OTX Adventure BC.

Hi, nice to hear people getting into this sport.
I don't know well the Grand Tour, but quite well the OTX Adventure.
The OTX is a nice, quite light boot which is good for kick and glide but not the best on downhill. It is quite a soft boot. They make the same boot for NNN Bindings (Classic XC Bindings), so it's really on the soft side for BC XC.
But the collar seems OK, quite rigid side to side for a boot of it's type.
I assume the Grand Tour will be more rigid overall, except maybe side to side a little softer...

I went through all the available pages of gear review, no review of those Fischer boots. I guess nobody was excited enough about them to post a review.
If they fit, the Alpina Alaska BC would be a great match for those skis. The Alaska BC is a warm, waterproof, leather boot. It offers good support, good K&G, and is a good downhill BC boot. I would not match those skis with a Transnordic boot, it doesn’t seem like a good match to me.
Be advised, Fischer like most ski companies are very conservative with their length recommendations. I definitely would not recommend sizing down. I personally would go one size longer.
Good luck

I was on the BCX 5's last year, which I think are renamed the Grand Tour. They did fine, but I was so much better turning at the beginning of this year with the Alfa Guards.

Grand Tour is a new design- not the same as the BCX5.

Grand Tour a much more capable BC Nordic touring boot than the OTX.

DG99 wrote: ↑

Mon Feb 27, 2023 3:21 pm

I don’t know those specific boots, but I'd get the Fischer Transnordics. If in doubt go bigger…..

I have some Fischer BCX 675 and they look good, but actually quite disappointing in their edging and downhill capabilities. Just quite soft and the plastic collar exoskeleton thing doesn’t do as much as it looks like it might. The BCX675 looks rather like the OTX Adventure BC.

The BCX 675 changed a lot between earlier versions, and the last version they made (but no longer make today).

The last version is a lot stiffer side to side, and offers much more control than the earlier versions. The shoelaces go higher up, and the tongue of the boot has a plastic "shell" that, together with the shoelaces, straps the tongue against your leg.

The soft synthetic boots tour better and fit a wider range of foot shapes. Generally hug the heel better for less heel slip. Not as durable.

Leathers have better downhill control and can edge wider skis better. They are still good at touring but not as flexible as the synthetic boots. More durable.

Think about what kind of terrain you will be in. Are you going to need to make turns? Aggressive stopping turns? Or is it all generally flat with small hills that you can straight line without turning?

Directly comparing those two boots, I work at a store that sells both. The BCX GT is much heavier duty. The OTX Adventure is going to be very soft and great for touring on mostly flat terrain. Like comparing a trail runner to a hiking boot. The zippers on fischer boots are iffy. They can get jammed and straight up break. You should probably just get the BCX GT.

I have the BXC GT. There are, as always, some good and some and bad points. On sale, the boots were a good deal. I have pretty wide, low volume feet with small heels. The front of the boot is just wide enough to be comfortable, but I find the heel hold to be an issue. I got bad blister from slippage the first time that I used them. I have thick Sole brand insoles in mine to take up the volume. I normally wear size 9US shoes and have the BCX GT in 42. They fit find in the length. There is a bit of toe pinch due to the internal plastic toe cap. Nothing causing major issues during K&G, but noticeable in a deeper telemark position. I have managed to get get better fit with selective lacing using the surgeon's knot to lock in the heel, but still have some movement. The ankle support is there, but the uppers are not super tall, nor are they stiff. I have a pair of heavy old leather double boots that offer more support.

These boots are warm, and I normally suffer with cold feet in my snowboard boots, but they do not have removable liners. The boots are waterproof.

These boots work well for picking my way through the woods and breaking trail. Although I have linked a few (slow) beginner tele turns in good conditions on my Karhu GT's, I would not use these boots to drive more downhill oriented skis.