Who says telemark is dead?

After many years of hearing it from the telemark community, Scarpa has finally stepped up to the plate and has produced a new telemark boot that can know hold its own weight-wise with a large portion of AT boots on the market today.  The new TX Pro is a result of Scarpa’s long-term commitment to free heeled skiing and they are finally investing a lot of dollars into the very expensive world of new boot molds in their Italian factory.  With NTN boots and bindings becoming the norm these days, this new boot will be replacing the old TX Pro and TX Comp which has been on the market for a number of years now.  The biggest differences in this boot compared to the older TX Pro and Comp are construction, weight and range of motion. 

Let’s start with the construction and weight. Scarpa has been using PBex and PBex RNew in many of their lightweight AT boots like the Alien series. This can now be found in the new TX Pro in the shell, cuff and tongue of the boot, drastically reducing the weight of the boot down from 1750 to 1445 grams, saving just over 300 grams per boot. (Men’s version) Despite its lighter weight, this construction provides some added stiffness and power to the upper cuff of the boot, something that TX Comp skiers will certainly appreciate.

Scarpa has also drastically increased the range of motion in this boot, now with 62 degrees as opposed to a scant 22 degrees of motion in the older version.  This will make a huge difference in the boots ability to stride better in the skin track as well as break trail.  Between the weight savings and increased range of motion, this makes the new TX pro a much more efficient and capable climber for earning your turns.  It will lengthen your stride, use up less energy and ultimately let you cover more ground faster for additional lap(s) or time out exploring.

Other upgrades would include a real Booster made power strap that will increase stiffness in the upper portion of the boot and provide even more power for the skier to drive the ski. An Intuition liner made of recycled materials is fully heat moldable and customizable with the help of your local boot fitter, namely Robbie and Mike here at the shop.  The buckle design has also been revamped, going away from 4 buckles to 3 with each buckle being placed in strategic areas that hug and lock the foot down. The middle buckle buckles really helps lock the heel down in the heel pocket and  the bottom buckle really cinches around the forefoot tightly so you can get precise and pin point control.  All of this provides a seamless interface between the boot, binding and the ski.

Although this boot will never be able to compete weight wise with super light SKIMO or fitness AT boots, it gives tele skiers a much-needed upgrade in touring efficiently and being able to close the gap a bit from the lighter weight and larger range of motion AT crowd. 

I am really looking forward to testing this boot and eventually replacing my exiting TX Pros with a more capable telemark touring boot. 

Here are the technical specifics from Scarpa:

• Size: 24.5 - 31 (half sizes)
• Weight: 14545g; 3lb 6.5oz (1/2 pair size 27)
• Shell/Cuff/Tongue: Pebax RNew® • Pebax RNew® • Pebax​®
• Liner: Intuition®Pro Flex TK
• Last: 102 mm
• Ski/Walk Mode: Speed MLT
• Closure: 3 Buckles + Booster® Active Power Straps
• Forward Lean: 14°±2°
• Range of Motion: 62°
• Outsole: Vibram® EVO LT
• Binding compatibility: NTN, Telemark Tech

The new TX pro boots for both men and women will not be available for purchase until next season, but it is something to get very excited about if you are a free heel skier.  For the first time in well over a decade, there is progression and technology innovation that has returned to telemark, specifically boots, which are finally taking a step forward in this heel locked world we are living in.  We now have a lightweight yet powerful boot that pairs with new age lightweight, step in telemark bindings and todays lightweight yet powerful skis.  And if you really turn back the clock and think about it, this is really where telemark got its start in the states in the late 1970’s and early 8os.  Back then, it was the ultimate lightweight set up and was the only way to tour and discover the backcountry.  Eventually it set the wheels in motion for the making of the first generation Randonnée and AT touring bindings.    And in the big picture of things, it’s nice to see a company like Scarpa is finally investing back into the sport that just 25 years ago was actually exploding rather than ghosting.  In this day and age of war and antisemitism, we should be dropping our knees instead of bombs.

Pictured left to right: Women’s and Men’s 24-25 TX Pro