Fischer Traverse 78s availability?

[RussW]

Thanks, Stephen. The skis are returnable (and at this point still cancelable). I am still on the fence about the length. Fischer puts me right in the middle of the 189s, weight wise. I will be skiing in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Some trails, breaking trails, some open country, but nothing very serious in the way of downhill. Have you skied the Traverse? I would like to have the speed on the flats. Hmm…. Where/what is your local shop? Another online retailer just got back to me and said they should have the Traverse back in stock in a few days.
Do you really like your Alfa Guard Advance boots? I am trying to decide on that also.
Thanks for your help.

Russ

[Stephen]

I would love to have others chime in here on your question. @Woodserson would be one…
If you prefer a ski with good glide, don’t expect to do a lot of climbing, navigating tight tree, things that favor a shorter ski, and at your 200 pounds, I would think the longer ski would be a better fit. I am 175 base, 195 with a pack, and just bought the T78 in 196.
If the online retailer ships for free, that might be better than my shop that will charge $50 for shipping.

I like the ALFA Guard very much. Many here seem to. The trick is availability.
If you don’t mind rolling the dice, you could order from Europe, such as Varuste.
If you do that, and have anywhere near an average foot, follow ALFA’s measuring instructions exactly, and you *should* get a good fit.
For example, I measure 29cm. The size 47 is indicated on the chart and that fits me great, and I have a wide forefoot.

Quote from ALFA website:

SIZE GUIDE - BACKCOUNTRY SKI BOOTS

To easily measure the length of the foot, place a piece of paper against the wall. Then place the foot (barefoot or with a thin sock) on the paper with the heel against the wall. It is important to stand upright when measuring. Put a line in front of the longest toe and measure with a ruler. Measure both feet; it is not uncommon for one foot to be larger than the other. Round up to the nearest integer to find your size.

These methods act as supervisors. We recommend that you always try on the shoes to find the perfect boot and fit as no two feet are alike.
Size CM (Your foot measurement)
28 16,8
29 17,5
30 18,1
31 18,8
32 19,4
33 20,1
34 20,7
35 21,4
36 22,0
37 22,7
38 23,3
39 24,0
40 24,7
41 25,3
42 26,0
43 26,6
44 27,3
45 28,0
46 28,6
47 29,3
48 29,9
49 30,6
50 31,2
51 31,9
52 32,5

[John Dee]

People are using these skis in the recommended length for beating around in the bush, and a bit of hills. Its what they were designed to do with just a little bit of rocker. It may not be what you originally intended, but I think you would appreciate them shorter for that.

I think they are 186cm.

I like the ALFA Guard very much. Many here seem to. The trick is availability.

AND fit. They are very, very strange fitting to me. I think they are a big gamble. I think @Stephen falls in between the sizes and that the extra half size helps him.

[Woodserson]

I would love to have others chime in here on your question. @Woodserson would be one…
If you prefer a ski with good glide, don’t expect to do a lot of climbing, navigating tight tree, things that favor a shorter ski, and at your 200 pounds, I would think the longer ski would be a better fit. I am 175 base, 195 with a pack, and just bought the T78 in 196.
If the online retailer ships for free, that might be better than my shop that will charge $50 for shipping.

It really just depends here on what the skier is looking for, local environment, and skill level.

Fischer makes good skis but they are lazy as all get-out with their data sharing. The website sucks, and the weight recs haven't been updated in years, it's the same chart from over a decade ago or more. Fischer is not sitting around thinking hard about this for its customers. It's a cut & paste job.

The Sbound 78 was a stiffer directional ski. I weigh 160 and got it in a 189 many years ago and I had a great time on it. But it didn't have that long glide component to it on such a short chassis. It was fine for rolly-polly hills around NH but when I went to Acadia to ski the carriage roads I was more shuffling than skiing. Then the Traverse 78 came out and the ski was slightly redesigned. EZ-Skin, lighter, and with a softer overall flex. I got this one in a 199 and it's a good ski, but not the same ski as the S-Bound 78. It turns a bit easier thanks to the flex and it still trucks through softer manky snow. It's a good ski. Thankfully I scored a 199 S-Bound 78 and I'm back to where I was years ago but on the longer ski. Stiffer, more directional, faster.

The new-length Traverse 78 is a bit of wild card. The length changed, did the flex/stiffness change? We need boots on the ground with comparisons of the older models side-by-side but I haven't seen any 196's available in person yet.

If someone weighs 200 pounds and wants a XC ski and wants it to be the 78 I think this is a no-brainer to go the 196. The ski is going to bend with that weight. If you want a bit more turn specific, mount 1cm forward. If a skier wants a more turning oriented ski at a shorter length they should be looking at a different, more downhill focused ski and not the 78 at a 186, which will be grabby and slow under 200lbs, and still turn kind of badly, the worst of two worlds.

[RussW]

Thanks everyone for all the good advice. I am going to wait and go with the 196 length. Hopefully it is available soon as I was told it would be by an online dealer.
Back to the boots. I would really like to get a pair of Alfa’s, but due to lack of availability in the US I am looking at other brands. I will look for Alfas down the line when they might be more widely available. What do you all think of some of the other brands out there? In particular Fischer’s models of backcountry boots. Yes, I have searched and read what some on this forum have said.
Thanks again for everyones input. I really appreciate the help.

[corlay]

Thanks everyone for all the good advice. I am going to wait and go with the 196 length.

I think this is smart.
I am about the same height/weight as you, and I purchased the TR78 in 196 a few months ago.
It feels like the right ski (still waiting for some snow to confirm)
I *did* make a small concession, and also purchased the TN66 in 205. 210 would have been better, but wasn't available, and with supply chain issues, I decided to get the 5cm shorter ski. In retrospect, this may be fine, but a 210 would have really set my TN apart from the TR - one for fast, mostly flat treks, the other for woodland treks through rolling hills and/or deeper snow...

In particular Fischer’s models of backcountry boots.

I purchased the Fischer BC Grand Tour (formerly BCX-5).
These boots feel really good to me - supportive BC-leaning boots, without being too tall/stiff for effective XC kick and glide.
And pretty comfortable, too.

[fisheater]

For a boot the Alpina Alaska is a very good boot. You will not be disappointed. High quality leather, the Alpintex liner is waterproof and breathable. The boot is supportive and durable.

[Stephen]

I 2nd what @fisheater said about the Alaska.
I tried that boot on and it seemed nice.
Maybe a little heavier and stiffer than the ALFA Guard?
For me, it was just a little too narrow in the ball of foot area.
The Guard is just enough wider to be really good for me.
As far as size, I tried the Guard and Alaska both in size 47 and the length seemed the same.
Plus, it should be easier to find.

[feo007]

To jump into this conversation with a kind of the same/kind of different question, I wonder whether anyone knows of a site/retailer that would ship Traverse 78s to Canada? Very tough to find a pair up here.

[John Dee]

As far as size, I tried the Guard and Alaska both in size 47 and the length seemed the same.

I think the understanding here is that the Guards run a size large (a 42 Guard is really a 43).