I’ve gone from leather to Terminators (l guess where the T comes from), T2’s, Garmont Garda’s, then T1’s, T1 Race, and finally TX Comp’s. I’m 198cm and 260lb. Often ski with a backcountry bag on or a Black Diamond avalanche daysack, so heavier. I’m also an alpine skier and have ISIA in both disciplines. Couple of things l learnt along the way: 1. If a Telemark boot is too stiff, you won’t bend it at the toes or flex it. So you end up with toe launch and significantly effecting how the ski performs. 2. The height of the boot helps you use the shin to bend and flex the boot. Don’t shy away from a boot with a high cuff. 3. Don’t totally crank up your boots in the attempt to find stiffness. It will give you the wrong type of stiffness and just lock the boot out. 4. Don’t ski in walk mode, you need the cuff locked to help use the shin to bend and flex the boot. 5. If the inside of your boots and scarred or smashed up, you need to look at your rear foot pressure. If the ski was being controlled, then it wouldn’t drift into the front boot. 6. Don’t bother with custom footbeds, they just feel better than the thin card that the boot comes with. Supafeet or similar will achieve the same, if not a better job. 7. Power Straps REALLY make a difference. Get rid of the Velcro or even Scarpa’s attempt at elasticated straps and get the real deal. You won’t regret it. 8. At my size and weight and skiing style a TX Comp doesn’t feel stiff, I use it for everything. Really wish there was a model above the Comp. 9. My biggest gripe, why oh why oh why doesn’t the TX Comp have a Tech Toe???? I’d love an M Binding as all the NTN bindings are v heavy in comparison. The TX Pro feels like a leather boot, even walking round the shop. And the Crispi boots have a bad tendency to not bend at the toes, then suddenly snap bend and then at that point have a nasty habit of digging into your toes. So the WC’s are a no go. 10. A race boot won’t make you a racer. And at 10 I’ll stop. Hope some of that makes sense to my fellow TeleShires.
Great video, Josh! Thanks for breaking it down this way. I’ve always thought of my TX Pros as my backcountry boot and my TX Comps as my resort boot. Love the versatility of having both. Watching the video made me think of how you posed the argument that it’s not “75 vs. NTN,” it should be “75 or NTN.” They are just different ways of fastening your boot to make ski to make the telemark turn. Same thing with boots? It’s not “Comp vs. Pros,” it should be “Comp or Pros.” Different features for the same turn! Definitely understand it’s not possible for everyone to have multiple boots so I appreciate your suggestions of how to stiffen a Pro with a Comp tongue and all the adjustments you can make on bindings. Binding adjustments for the Lynx and Outlaw might be a helpful video?
So glad you liked the vid! Yeah totally agree that it's more Comp OR Pro not VS. if you can have both it's nice to have options for sure. I'll try to get into some of the configurations of bindings as well to show how that works. So glad that's something you want to see. Hope you are well and week is off to great start. Cheers - Madsen
Fantastic video highlighting the differences! Is the video about how to make the TX pro flex closer to a TX comp via binding mods out yet? I am very curious to see that, thanks!
This is all great, but make a 32 mondo in NTN. I understand that the limitation might be the binding, but at this point I've pretty much given up in NTN. When my 75mms die, I might just give up on Tele.
Came from a Scott Vodoo and wants to change them. I was thinking on TX Comp but after seeing this video I agree that the TX Pro looks more versatile. What about the new 3-buckle model? worth it or better look for and "old" 4-buckles?
8:30 that's a great point, I went with the tx pro and tended to push other folks on the edge towards it because you can easily flex it into a graceful, easy tele turn in a narrow stance (e.g. coming down towards the lift line and wanting to just chill on the tele turns). The comp rewards big folks who want to push huge skis around I feel like. I don't wanna have to do some low aggressive stance in Comps all the time to do tele turns. Considering I only bought the pros a year ago after 10 years on 75mm, pretty sure I'll be able to upgrade just in time for them to discontinue the now-new TX pros in 2034 🤣
This seems old and then I saw it was originally from '23. Thanks for sharing it anyway. I always enjoy content from FHL and hope they keep putting stuff out. I know it's a lot of work. The community is grateful!
this video was filmed in the FHL retail shop which no longer exists so I'll pretty confidently say that this video was filmed long before the new boot was announced or available
I’ve gone from leather to Terminators (l guess where the T comes from), T2’s, Garmont Garda’s, then T1’s, T1 Race, and finally TX Comp’s. I’m 198cm and 260lb. Often ski with a backcountry bag on or a Black Diamond avalanche daysack, so heavier. I’m also an alpine skier and have ISIA in both disciplines. Couple of things l learnt along the way:
1. If a Telemark boot is too stiff, you won’t bend it at the toes or flex it. So you end up with toe launch and significantly effecting how the ski performs.
2. The height of the boot helps you use the shin to bend and flex the boot. Don’t shy away from a boot with a high cuff.
3. Don’t totally crank up your boots in the attempt to find stiffness. It will give you the wrong type of stiffness and just lock the boot out.
4. Don’t ski in walk mode, you need the cuff locked to help use the shin to bend and flex the boot.
5. If the inside of your boots and scarred or smashed up, you need to look at your rear foot pressure. If the ski was being controlled, then it wouldn’t drift into the front boot.
6. Don’t bother with custom footbeds, they just feel better than the thin card that the boot comes with. Supafeet or similar will achieve the same, if not a better job.
7. Power Straps REALLY make a difference. Get rid of the Velcro or even Scarpa’s attempt at elasticated straps and get the real deal. You won’t regret it.
8. At my size and weight and skiing style a TX Comp doesn’t feel stiff, I use it for everything. Really wish there was a model above the Comp.
9. My biggest gripe, why oh why oh why doesn’t the TX Comp have a Tech Toe???? I’d love an M Binding as all the NTN bindings are v heavy in comparison. The TX Pro feels like a leather boot, even walking round the shop. And the Crispi boots have a bad tendency to not bend at the toes, then suddenly snap bend and then at that point have a nasty habit of digging into your toes. So the WC’s are a no go.
10. A race boot won’t make you a racer.
And at 10 I’ll stop. Hope some of that makes sense to my fellow TeleShires.
Great video, Josh! Thanks for breaking it down this way. I’ve always thought of my TX Pros as my backcountry boot and my TX Comps as my resort boot. Love the versatility of having both. Watching the video made me think of how you posed the argument that it’s not “75 vs. NTN,” it should be “75 or NTN.” They are just different ways of fastening your boot to make ski to make the telemark turn. Same thing with boots? It’s not “Comp vs. Pros,” it should be “Comp or Pros.” Different features for the same turn!
Definitely understand it’s not possible for everyone to have multiple boots so I appreciate your suggestions of how to stiffen a Pro with a Comp tongue and all the adjustments you can make on bindings. Binding adjustments for the Lynx and Outlaw might be a helpful video?
So glad you liked the vid! Yeah totally agree that it's more Comp OR Pro not VS. if you can have both it's nice to have options for sure. I'll try to get into some of the configurations of bindings as well to show how that works. So glad that's something you want to see. Hope you are well and week is off to great start. Cheers - Madsen
Glad to see more Tele info
Right on.
Fantastic video highlighting the differences! Is the video about how to make the TX pro flex closer to a TX comp via binding mods out yet? I am very curious to see that, thanks!
Great suggestion! - Madsen
This is all great, but make a 32 mondo in NTN. I understand that the limitation might be the binding, but at this point I've pretty much given up in NTN. When my 75mms die, I might just give up on Tele.
Came from a Scott Vodoo and wants to change them. I was thinking on TX Comp but after seeing this video I agree that the TX Pro looks more versatile. What about the new 3-buckle model? worth it or better look for and "old" 4-buckles?
8:30 that's a great point, I went with the tx pro and tended to push other folks on the edge towards it because you can easily flex it into a graceful, easy tele turn in a narrow stance (e.g. coming down towards the lift line and wanting to just chill on the tele turns). The comp rewards big folks who want to push huge skis around I feel like. I don't wanna have to do some low aggressive stance in Comps all the time to do tele turns.
Considering I only bought the pros a year ago after 10 years on 75mm, pretty sure I'll be able to upgrade just in time for them to discontinue the now-new TX pros in 2034 🤣
Glad you dug the vid - thx for checking it out. - Madsen
This seems old and then I saw it was originally from '23. Thanks for sharing it anyway. I always enjoy content from FHL and hope they keep putting stuff out. I know it's a lot of work. The community is grateful!
No problem!
Odd that it never talks about the new version of the boot.
this video was filmed in the FHL retail shop which no longer exists so I'll pretty confidently say that this video was filmed long before the new boot was announced or available
Long before I closed up the shop. This was members-only content from a year or so ago. Just making it public now. Cheers - Madsen
So this is the old TX Pro.
That is correct - i did this as a members-only video a year ago and just making it public now.