Satch- Hopefully, we are helping you!
"Nordic" skiing covers a spectrum that is very wide and very deep- from high-performance XC on the groomed track- to big-mountain "
Telemark", which has evolved to be to akin to "Alpine Touring" (AT), in that it is primarily designed to climb up and ski down extreme terrain- AND- then of course there is everything in between.
I may well have misinterpreted your OP- assuming that you were- at this point- primarily interested in traditional "Nordic touring" (i.e.
XCd) in the backcountry.
If your primary interest is in developing Nordic-downhill skills and- in particular- learning the
telemark turn, then perhaps you should focus on that?
Don't get me wrong- one can certainly develop Nordic-downhill skills while on distance tours in hilly/mountainous terrain. But- and I am certain many agree- if you are new to Nordic skiing- and you want to "shred" downhill- then your learning curve will be faster if you spend some concentrated time focusing on downhill skiing and turning skills.
(If to shred is your bag- you may actually want to start a new thread that focuses on that...)
If to XC ski in the backcountry is your focus at the moment-
On the subject of plastic touring boots-
I disagree that 75mm bindings create a closer more responsive connection between boot/foot and ski- There is VERY little play between a NNN/SNS binding and boot. The 75mm-NN platform allows one to wear a much more rigid boot- also requiring and allowing stronger and more active bindings. The increased support, stability, and control of a boot like the plastic T4- compared to a soft XC boot, like the leather Alaska/Antarctic- comes from its rigidness.
Boots like the T4- and the even more flexible Excursion (although apparently the current T4 has more flex than the previous model- read the review)- are at the distance-oriented end of the big-mountain "
Telemark" boot spectrum. The previous model T4 has been my boot of choice for Nordic touring in steep mountainous terrain- as it is at the distance-end of the "
Telemark" spectrum it is the only modern fully-plastic
Telemark boot I have ever owned. (Previous to that I owned the now extinct composite Merril Comp).
Although there are certainly high-cut, rigid, heavy-duty leather
Telemark boots that are as stiff and supportive as the T4, and certainly the Excursion, comparing a boot like the T4 to a boot like the Alaska or Antarctic doesn't make sense to me.
From my perspective- there really is no overlap in boots between XC and
Telemark. Nordic boots that are designed first for downhill stability (i.e.
Telemark) do
not have the flexibility and range of motion of a boot that is designed to primarily xcountry ski.
BC-XC boots that are designed to offer some extra downhill stability (e.g. Crispi Svartisen/Fischer BCX6) are still first and foremost XC boots and do not offer the rigidness and stability of even the most distance-oriented
Telemark boots (such as the Excursion/T4).
Everything has a trade-off- a boot like the T4/Excursion will most definitely offer greater stability and control when downhill skiing. BUT- the T4/Excurion boot will not offer the XC performance of a xcountry boot.
If you want to primarily develop your downhill skills- perhaps you should be looking at
Telemark equipment instead of xcountry.
(Please forgive my perhaps obnoxious quotes and underlines- I am trying to help clarify what we are talking about- Nordic skiing is a big universe- and the little "t"
telemark is a turn- that can be done on any ski with a Nordic binding and boot that allows a natural metatarsal flex. Big "T"
Telemark conventionally refers to Nordic boots and bindings that are primarily designed to ski downhill.)
(And- please forgive my longwindedness- just trying to be clear and helpful!
)
