The new Rottefella XPLORE OFFTRACK Binding System Review

[Woodserson]

A plastic boot in this system would need an outrageously stiff flexor to overcome the leverage that a plastic boot is going to generate.

I don't see this as being a T4 replacement, that's not going to happen. (unless they add cables )

The lateral twisting demonstrated in the video that Shenanagains posted is still concerning to me. Without rails.... welp it'll be interesting.

[lowangle al]

A plastic boot in this system would need an outrageously stiff flexor to overcome the leverage that a plastic boot is going to generate.

I don't see this as being a T4 replacement, that's not going to happen. (unless they add cables )

The lateral twisting demonstrated in the video that Shenanagains posted is still concerning to me. Without rails.... welp it'll be interesting.

I don't see the correlation between the stiffness of the flexor and plastic boots or the need for cables.

I'm not really looking for power, just precision. I also am looking for good ankle support since I drive my skis by pressuring the cuff to put weight on my edges. I also use the cuff to partially weight the ski for my kick, and pressure the rear of the cuff on my leading gliding ski to increase glide. Using the cuff like that takes a lot of stress off my feet.

I always thought a combi skating boot would work well for turning but not being afflicted with GAS, never tried it. I think it's possible to have a boot with a high enough and stiff enough cuff and has a solid connection of the sole to the upper boot combined with a better binding than a 75mm or nnn-bc for more precision.

[Johnny]

an outrageously stiff flexor to overcome the leverage that a plastic boot is going to generate.

Called a "white flexor" in tele lingo...

I don't see this as being a T4 replacement, that's not going to happen. (unless they add cables )

I think the last time I used cables was in 2013... I have been sticking to white flexor'd NNN-BC since then... Absolutely no reason at all to use cables. Cables are so 80's... They just destroy the fun and that pure XCD feeling... All that power now available in an even more powerful 2-pin format?!? Maaaan!

The lateral twisting demonstrated in the video that Shenanagains posted is still concerning to me. Without rails.... welp it'll be interesting.

I can't tell about the ALFA Free, they said they would send me a pair but never did, sending it to PT instead. It does look quite soft. But as great as I believe the ALFA Free to be, I don't think it was ever advertised or intended as a downhill boot. Perhaps people expected something different... But from the information we had from the start, the boot is a comfortable backcountry touring boot with just "enough stiffness for stylish telemark turns while offering great walking comfort". The Alaska XP seems to be A LOT stiffer than this...

[Woodserson]

an outrageously stiff flexor to overcome the leverage that a plastic boot is going to generate.

Called a "white flexor" in tele lingo...

I don't see this as being a T4 replacement, that's not going to happen. (unless they add cables )

I think the last time I used cables was in 2013... I have been sticking to white flexor'd NNN-BC since then... Absolutely no reason at all to use cables. Cables are so 80's... They just destroy the fun and that pure XCD feeling... All that power now available in an even more powerful 2-pin format?!? Maaaan!

The lateral twisting demonstrated in the video that Shenanagains posted is still concerning to me. Without rails.... welp it'll be interesting.

I can't tell about the ALFA Free, they said they would send me a pair but never did, sending it to PT instead. It does look quite soft. But as great as I believe the ALFA Free to be, I don't think it was ever advertised or intended as a downhill boot. Perhaps people expected something different... But from the information we had from the start, the boot is a comfortable backcountry touring boot with just "enough stiffness for stylish telemark turns while offering great walking comfort". The Alaska XP seems to be A LOT stiffer than this...

I only have been able to source black and red flexors. Is the Xplore going to use the same color system for their flexors? Are the white X flexors as stiff as the NNN-BC flexors? Also, do you have any spare white NNN-BC flexors? I've never skied the whites.

Just pulling your leg on the cables!

[Woodserson]

Do you know what ski this system would be fantastic on? A pair of Dynafit Cho Oyu's. Those skis are legit one of the best cross-over XCD skis I've seen. My friend has a pair-- he had leather boots, I gave him some Voile bindings...

Light, torsionally stiff, rockerized, higher profile tip, it would be a match made in heaven.

They are kind of in-between the Rabb68 and the Tindan 86 in terms of construction type. Beefier than the Rabb, less beefy than the Tindan.

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/reviews/ ... it-cho-oyu

[iBjorn]

They are definitely exposed. But it's not as bad as it may seem. The pins are actually very short. I'll take a few pictures in my Alaska XP review... Keep in mind that this is the main idea behind the XPlore system: to have one single high-quality hiking boot that can be used for any winter activity. They were designed To give better mobility when walking. They were designed as all-around hiking boots... that can also be used for skiing, skating and snowshoeing. So the pin design and placement must have been meticulously planned.

Good to hear! If you are able to give Rottefella feedback, please ask about slots for ski crampons. In icy conditions, they are a godsend and it does seem easy to to hack in a crampon slot on that binding. Also is there any possibilities/rumors for (boot) climbing crampons in the xplore system. Regular flex, or semi-flex crampons will break with a soft boot. The only rigid crampon still on the market is Grivels Rambo IV, which may be an overkill for the purpose.

[fisheater]

They are definitely exposed. But it's not as bad as it may seem. The pins are actually very short. I'll take a few pictures in my Alaska XP review... Keep in mind that this is the main idea behind the XPlore system: to have one single high-quality hiking boot that can be used for any winter activity. They were designed To give better mobility when walking. They were designed as all-around hiking boots... that can also be used for skiing, skating and snowshoeing. So the pin design and placement must have been meticulously planned.

Good to hear! If you are able to give Rottefella feedback, please ask about slots for ski crampons. In icy conditions, they are a godsend and it does seem easy to to hack in a crampon slot on that binding. Also is there any possibilities/rumors for (boot) crampons in the xplore system. Regular flex, or semi-flex crampons will break with a soft boot. The only rigid crampon still on the market is Grivels Rambo IV, which may be an overkill for the purpose.

What about Voile crampons? Just asking

[Woodserson]

They are definitely exposed. But it's not as bad as it may seem. The pins are actually very short. I'll take a few pictures in my Alaska XP review... Keep in mind that this is the main idea behind the XPlore system: to have one single high-quality hiking boot that can be used for any winter activity. They were designed To give better mobility when walking. They were designed as all-around hiking boots... that can also be used for skiing, skating and snowshoeing. So the pin design and placement must have been meticulously planned.

Good to hear! If you are able to give Rottefella feedback, please ask about slots for ski crampons. In icy conditions, they are a godsend and it does seem easy to to hack in a crampon slot on that binding. Also is there any possibilities/rumors for (boot) crampons in the xplore system. Regular flex, or semi-flex crampons will break with a soft boot. The only rigid crampon still on the market is Grivels Rambo IV, which may be an overkill for the purpose.

What about Voile crampons? Just asking

Yup they should work. They might be a tad back from where they would be optimal, but not much, and that's just me referencing a binding with a boot and not knowing the size of the boot.

I love mine, they work great. They don't kick up like the hinged crampons, but I barely notice if I'm actually using them in snow conditions that demand ski crampons. I love their simplicity too, and that I don't need to monkey around with them to get the high-arch of the tele boot to push them down, just my weight on the ski.

[iBjorn]

They are definitely exposed. But it's not as bad as it may seem. The pins are actually very short. I'll take a few pictures in my Alaska XP review... Keep in mind that this is the main idea behind the XPlore system: to have one single high-quality hiking boot that can be used for any winter activity. They were designed To give better mobility when walking. They were designed as all-around hiking boots... that can also be used for skiing, skating and snowshoeing. So the pin design and placement must have been meticulously planned.

Good to hear! If you are able to give Rottefella feedback, please ask about slots for ski crampons. In icy conditions, they are a godsend and it does seem easy to to hack in a crampon slot on that binding. Also is there any possibilities/rumors for (boot) climbing crampons in the xplore system. Regular flex, or semi-flex crampons will break with a soft boot. The only rigid crampon still on the market is Grivels Rambo IV, which may be an overkill for the purpose.

[Åsnes1922]

Here's a video from some of the testing and filming we've been doing with the new Falketind 62 and the Rabb 68 in combination with the Rottefella Xplore binding and the Alfra Free APS boots. It's basically our "walk the talk" approach to just showcast and tell what is actually possible with this system. We hope you enjoy it!