SKU: 539L1 Alpina Pioneer PRO XP Boots

Top line: this is a solid boot for a variety of XC pursuits, which I've used for groomed skiing, making telemark turns in meadows, descending woods roads, and generally farting around when there's not enough snow (or time) for a day touring in the plastic boots. My setup: Alpina pioneer pro, Xplore bindings, Rossignol BC80s. Normal flexors for anything long distance, hard flexors if I'm doing anything downhill. Local conditions and terrain: variable snow ranging from slush to corn to powder to ice. Primarily used in gentle glades, following logging roads along contour lines, power lines, and random state park trail cruising. Occasional use on longer days on groomed trails but not very fast for that purpose compared to a dedicated classic setup. My background: Experienced AT skier who dabbles in backcountry telemark touring. Pretty much stopped skiing at the resort, get about 20-30 days/year, love that the XCD setup extends my season deeper into the shoulder seasons to get more days closer to home. Fit: Slightly narrow so I sized up a half-size (my feet run wide) and the fit is great. Broke in nicely. Review: These boots opened up a whole new kind of skiing to me. Comfortable enough to walk to the powerlines or drive to the trailhead with them already on, flexible enough to kick for 10 or 15 miles, and stiff enough through the sole and cuff to drive skis through a telemark turn, I've enjoyed them. There is a learning curve to this style of skiing coming from a plastic boot, and I can't say I'm linking elegant tele-turns on them. I wonder how they'd ski with something that has more sidecut like an endeavor BC, but the Rossi's I'm on have very little sidecut and I need to drive the skis hard to get them to turn. I wouldn't want a softer boot. Then again, when I'm kick-and-gliding for half a day, I really wouldn't want a stiffer boot. It's a very nice all-rounder, perfect for my use. Would be just as fun on a golf course as they are in the backcountry. Just don't expect to set a new record on your local classic loop, and don't expect to lay down 40 perfect tele-turns through the glades either (unless you're way sicker than me). Also, these look really good. Quality is evident in the materials and stitching. Five stars.