Xplore Pins and My Little Black Bag
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- I carry a small emergency repair kit when I'm skiing in the backcountry just in case I break a pole, have a binding pull out or a boot/binding failure. Emergency binding video: • Spare Laces and Emerge...
Good video Tom. Its important to think about what can go wrong in the backcountry. Its a good idea to test your matches after some time sitting in your pack. I had some UST brand water proof matches i was given as a Christmas gift. After a year in a sealed plastic bag i tried to use one and it wouldn't light even with a lighter flame to it. I also had some standard green tip kitchen matches in the same bag and the worked just fine.
That is a great tip. They are vacuum sealed, but I've been carrying them for several seasons and I should probably test them to make sure they are viable.
Happened to me. Was out for 6 days trek above the arctic circle, next to the border to Russia :D Suspected it was just ice that got it stuck. Was freezing but warm in direct sunlight. Breathed some warm air to it, tried to pry it out with knife. But eventually hitting the whole boot against my shovel got it released. The skis/bindings/boots feel so much better in every way than my other 75mm setup that I will continue using it anyway. Its Åsnes Falketind skis and Alpina Alaska boots. worked nicely for both dragging the pulka and some turns on fairly new deep powder snow.
Thanks for posting your experience Yeguri. Do you plan to send your boots in to have the pin section replaced?
@@tomm9850 Have to think about it. Didn't have any more problems on that trip. But now that you mentioned it, I went and checked them at the comfort of my home. And that one side actually gets stuck fairly easy if I just press it all the way to the bottom. But it gets released also equally easily just pressing with my finger from the other side. Have another trip already next week, so won't send them in just yet at least.
Tom, I pushed the pin from the opposite side with a small screwdriver. The sunken pin was pushed into the working position, but it was enough for a couple of times. Pin was falling again. I had to return the shoes along with the fastener to the store. I will not risk taking such a kit anymore, even if Alpha says that it has fixed this problem.
It is good to know that your stuck pin could be pushed back into the working position using this method. You did the right thing in returning the boots as Rottefella says that if a pin sticks once, it is likely to do it again. Rottefella claims that this was an early manufacturing defect which was fixed early on in production. Thanks for posting your experience and I hope mine have no issues going forward.
Thank you for your videos! Your experience is very valuable to us :)
Thanks for tuning in and I'm glad you are enjoying the channel.
I did have the experience of having a pin get stuck. Not sure how it got lodged in, luckily I was at the trailhead and I was able to resolve it the way you described by pressing the pin on the opposite side. It wasn't easy though. Definitely recommend carrying something that can compress the pin.I can't remember if I used my pole or a key. I had a Nordic style pole and the spike isn't flat at the top and the boot pin is round so it was a little hard to not have the procedure get a bit stabby. Lol. Also I had to push the pin in further than the binding would. Hasn't happened since though. Otherwise I have enjoyed the Xplore system. It's the only system that I have found multiple boots that fit and work well for me.
I think it would be a good idea to have the boots that had the stuck pin repaired once the season is over. If the boot is an Alfa boot, see Steven Kozicki's post below.
I think I might have been the guy you referenced in the video. I was able to contact Alpha. They were very proactive and insisted that I send them the boots for repair or replacement. The repair facility was in Henderson NV, they turned the boots around in two days, and I had them back before the next snowstorm. The fix appears to be a stronger spring. I really like these bindings, and they are at least as reliable as NNN spring loaded step in. They are still much easier to use than the NNN. I would certainly purchase the XPlore bindings again. I think a shot of WD40 spray silicone at the end of the season might be a good preventative measure.
Thanks for posting this information. I'm glad that Rottefella was able to quickly repair your boots. I wonder what lubricant (if any) Rottefella recommends.
Very good thoughts Tom. We carry similar items with us, along with a small esbit stove, fuel tabs and a metal container for melting snow and drinking from. I throw in a few bouillon cubes, some energy bars, a couple of payday candy bars, and some instant coffee & tea bags. It all goes in the metal pot/cup (except the fuel tabs-they go in a separate bag along with a ferro rod and fire starting stuff). Good idea on the boots though; I think finding a clevis pin that will fit in the pin hole, and adding that to the tool kit might be better than the bolt, although harder to find. My wife just switched over to the Xplore system, and I'll do the same next Fall. Thanks!!
It sounds like you are well prepared. I like your idea of a small clevis pin. Thanks for posting.
The Xplore should have just used a Dynafit style toe with pins in the binding interfacing with sockets in the boot
I wonder if it was a patent issue or maybe they just felt it was a better mousetrap. It would be interesting to know more about the development considerations. If anyone has some inside information, inquiring minds would like to know.
Tom - Given the maintenance issue discussed herein, as well as the repair scenarios touched on in your previous Xplore binding video "Spare Laces and Emergency Kit". I wanted to run something by you, and possibly get your opinion on it. When in the backcountry on skis, I normally carry additional flotation and traction devises (i.e. snowshoes, Stabilicer cleats, Katoohla microspikes, and/or a lightweight set of crampons). I utilize these tools when I encounter terrain I am not comfortable skiing across / down. My thought is, given my age, and constraints from prior injuries, better to walk out, than have to activate by Spot (and be brought out by an S&R helo). It costs me in some additional transition time here and there. But better safe that sorry. With any other type of boot I have utilized in the past (duckbill, et cetera). I was not concerned with hitting the toe of the boot on a terrain feature (and damaging it). I have not utilized any NNN set-ups before. So this is my first set of experiences with a concern for protecting hardware on the toe while out of the binding. I recently viewed a video by another free heeler on YT (by Jared Manninen of Tahoe), in which he utilized a rubber galosh (overshoe) to protect the pin on his NNN BC boot while driving to the trailhead. My thoughts were to try the galosh as a protective measure over the Xplore sole while traveling in BC out of binding. I am pretty sure the galosh utilized in said video is www.tingleyrubber.com/products/work-rubber-overshoe. Once the galosh is on the boot, then place the desired traction device over it. That way, if the pin(s), or other parts (spring, et cetera) were to pop out of the toe, the enclosure provided by the galosh would catch them (in theory). As stated at the beginning, looking for your opinion on the matter. Thanks in advance!!!
I know that many people question the durability and reliability of the Xplore system. I think it is a good idea to be prepared to be able to limp to safety in the event of ski, boot, binding, or pole failure. The goal of course is to bring enough safety gear but not so much that it becomes a burden. Speaking for myself, I think the Xplore system is fairly robust, and I would have no concerns using it on a long-distance remote ski tour. All boot and binding systems can fail, and skis can break so I've always carried a few emergency items, the one exception being when I'm touring in the front country and the trails are firm enough that I could post hole my way out. I've seen the photos over on telemarktalk.com of the premature sole wear near the toe of some Xplore boots. I haven't seen that type of wear on my Xplore boots from skiing. My only walking in the Xplore boots has been from the parking areas to the trail heads and maybe an occasional walk from the car into a store to run an errand after a ski. I don't know what to think about hiking a long distance in the boots. I think they would be fine for short hikes on good trails, and I wouldn't bother to protect mine if I needed to remove the skis to get from one patch of snow to another in the spring. If the route was very rocky and included a bunch of scrambling or rock climbing, then I could see where that might take a toll on the boot's pins. If I had to walk a long distance from the trailhead to reach snow, in terms of miles instead of yards, then I might consider wearing a lightweight set of hiking boots and stash them in the woods for the return trip back to the car. Galoshes certainly would help to protect the boots if hiking, and while I wouldn't want to prematurely wear a set of boots out on one trip, I don't expect my boots to last forever, so I probably wouldn't go to the extraordinary measure to carry galoshes as a precaution. I saw Jared's video on using galoshes with his ski boots and I'm sure they would work out for you as well. If you give them a try, post back with your experience as I'm sure others have a similar concern.
Thanks for the reply. Will "post-back" after my spring "out-west" trip.
I’m intrigued by these bindings but don’t have them (yet!) so this is purely “web skiing” speculation. I’m a little concerned that water could work it’s way into the cavity behind (between) those pins and then freeze them in place. There’s not really very good access to clear ice from the inside of the pin cavity. For these bindings specifically, perhaps it would be helpful to carry a little eye-dropper of antifreeze? I’d definitely check with the manufacturer first to make sure whatever gets squirted in there doesn’t wash out their lubricant. Anyway, just a thought. Thanks for another great video!
I don't know what would happen if the toe was submerged in water, like during a stream crossing, but I have not encountered any pin problems with mine. I've skied 2 seasons, everything from extreme cold to warm spring snow. I've seen small bottles of lock deicer sold in auto stores, for when a car lock is frozen and I bet that would work, but I don't think this would be a problem for most people. Thanks for posting as I'm sure others have the same concern.
I'm still not understanding why this is better than a bc binding. It's not much lighter or more rigid, but 4 times the price.
NNNBC and 3 pins are tried and true for sure and the cost factor of the new system will keep the older systems viable for many years to come.
The binding isn't the big improvement, the alfa boot is. I really can't defend the price difference, but there is a real difference in telemark turning with this system compared to anything available as an NNN/BC boot these days. The high end alfa boot turns as well as the old Alpina 2500 at half the weight and much better kick'n'glide performance.
Really important advice about the potential pin issue. I was not aware of the problem. I like to ski multi day backcountry trips so being prepared is obviously critical. On a side note it was great to see a few photos from your longer trips in your more youthful days. I continue to tell myself that most trips are still possible albeit they may take a little longer. I love winter snow camping; it’s a shame my friends do not. I have enjoyed your channel Thank you.
I like the look of this system. Just concerned that with a hike in before you reach the snow, mud getting in might be an issue.
No duct tape? I wrap mine around my Nalgene water bottle.
I have a small amount of duct tape wrapped around my ski pole. If you look closely, you will spot it in the background. I also have some medical tape and scissors in the first aid pouch.
Any thoughts on using some Teflon bike lube to keep the pins operating smoothly?
I think that would be a good idea. I used some WD40 spray silicone to tide me over until I could send them to the repair facility. Rottefella really wants you to send them the boots for a better spring if the problem crops up for you. I am going to use some sort of lube as a preventative measure. I ski mainly on forest preserves and golf courses in the midwest, and some of the facilities use salt on their parking lots. Salt gums up a lot of things, and may have contributed to my problem.
Do you wax your leather ski boots?
Leather XC ski boots will dry out over time and should be treated, just be sure that your ski boots are true leather. If the uppers are synthetic (and many are), they don't need treatment. There are several different brands and types of leather treatment, and I've been treating my full grain leather boots with a wax based waterproofing that I purchased years ago from REI. It has worked well for me, but it is no longer available, so when it runs out, I'll have to find a new product. Here is a link to Alfa's boot treatment and care recommendations www.alfaoutdoor.com/service-center/care-instructions/full-grain-leather. The ingredients list on the Alfa product is Polysiloxane, beeswax, and water. When I'm done with the boots for the season, I clean them off, let them dry, treat the leather, then store them in a cool dry location over the summer.
@@tomm9850 okay so basicly the same kind of treatment as leather hiking boots, i just bought the alfa kikut boots and i think the upper is nubuk leather same as my hanwag hiking boots.
Thank you for answering! Great videos!
What size is the bolt you carry to release the pin?
The pins are 5 mm (0.197 inches). I'm just using a #3 machine screw (1 inch long by .099 inches dia) that has a large head. It weighs less than 2 grams. The pins on the boot have a rounded tip and the end on the machine screw makes it a bit easier to push the pin in without it slipping off the end, but just about anything would work. If you already carry an emergency kit or first aid kit, you might already have something that will work, so no need to add extra weight.