The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

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greatgt
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Re: The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

Post by greatgt » Thu Jan 10, 2019 8:16 am

North Rims did it all...but...I have always had lace up boots too....North Rims were not all that heavy and soon molded to my feet as do most Leathers.....Mostly they gave me power on Alpine areas which I have not done in years...Since Idaho I think.....Ron guided us all over Northern Idaho but the ski areas were kinda hard-pack at that moment....Would love to hit those areas in deep powder...Man!.....North Rims also did nothing to hinder kick and glide....(shuffle and slide for me).....Think of that boot on a long downhill Hardwood forest ride and how easily they could and do turn light e-99 skis...Lace up for today and @ another foot of snow....Dreaming of face shots...TM

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Cannatonic
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Re: The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

Post by Cannatonic » Thu Jan 10, 2019 6:19 pm

this is a great discussion! fisheater yes the Antarctic are far lighter than Ski March, the Antarctic are slightly heavier than Alaska and more supportive for turns. The uppers break into a very soft & comfortable boot and the 75mm sole is solid & good for turning, especially compared to the NNNBC sole. Good at turning E99/Gamme type skis - I like something stiffer for wider skis - I got the Zenith to use with Nato Combat/Ingstad sized skis. Antarctic are made with superb quality workmanship, I really like that boot.

The Rifugio have arrived! Beautiful - you can smell the solvents, they are fresh out of the oven! I forgot that Andrew sizes run a bit large, but I'm glad I got 47. They seem at least 1/2 size longer than the Antarctic 47's I have, if not a full size longer. The 47 seems closer to a USA size 13.5. They are so cool, like the Zenith the tongue is not stitched on, it's the same piece of leather as the rest of the upper.

They are similar to the Antarctic but a little heavier, the sole is heavier, tongue is beefier, probably has a stiffer midsole than Antarctic. The heel is quite firm but the upper leather has softer flex. I will try to get some pics. My guesstimate of size would be like this:

Andrew 46.5 - USA 13
Andrew 47 - USA 13.5
Crisipi Antarctic 47 - USA 12.5-13.
Last edited by Cannatonic on Thu Jan 10, 2019 6:53 pm, edited 4 times in total.
"All wisdom is to be gained through suffering"
-Will Lange (quoting Inuit chieftan)



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Cannatonic
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Re: The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

Post by Cannatonic » Thu Jan 10, 2019 6:34 pm

my prized collection of Italian leather! 46.5 Zenith on the left, 47 Rifugio in the middle, 47 Antarctic on the right. Once I start the stretching process they'll never look the same:
IMG_1877.JPG
Here is the Antarctic on the left and Rifugio on the right - Refiguio is at least a half-size bigger. Refugio upper comes a little higher up the ankle too, overall it's slighly burlier than Antarctic, which feels like a comfortable slipper when broken-in. Andrew is true 1-piece design but Antarctic scores points for having a 100% leather upper, i.e. the tongue gusset and trim around the ankle are leather while Andrew is using nylon fabric in those areas, maybe it's more durable:
IMG_1881 1.JPG
IMG_1882.JPG
Last edited by Cannatonic on Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"All wisdom is to be gained through suffering"
-Will Lange (quoting Inuit chieftan)



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Cannatonic
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Re: The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

Post by Cannatonic » Thu Jan 10, 2019 6:46 pm

one more size comparison - here are the 47 Rifugio next to my "size 12 Wide" Ski Marches from England. They look the same size but the Ski March has more padding & stuff inside. Ski March is much heavier and stiffer, it's a real beast. You can see it's got some kind of full-length midsole glued to the top of the Vibram sole. I plan to get an ankle strap added the next time I'm in Intervale.
IMG_1883 1.JPG
"All wisdom is to be gained through suffering"
-Will Lange (quoting Inuit chieftan)



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bgregoire
Posts: 1511
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2014 9:31 am
Ski style: Nordic backcountry touring with lots of turns
Favorite Skis: Fisher E99 & Boundless (98), Åsnes Ingstad, K2 Wayback 88
Favorite boots: Crispi Sydpolen, Alico Teletour & Alfa Polar

Re: The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

Post by bgregoire » Thu Jan 10, 2019 7:37 pm

Cannatonic wrote:my prized collection of Italian leather! 46.5 Zenith on the left, 47 Rifugio in the middle, 47 Antarctic on the right. Once I start the stretching process they'll never look the same:
Whoa Canna! Bling bling! Those slick black leathers are outta this world! Tell me, where did you get those Zeniths? I have Assumed your pair had green laces and was already stretched and well used by now! Did you get a second pair? Bogong? Sweet gesum those are nice boots.
I live for the Telemark arc....The feeeeeeel.....I ski miles to get to a place where there is guaranteed snow to do the deal....TM



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Buda
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Re: The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

Post by Buda » Thu Jan 10, 2019 10:13 pm

Cannatonic you're all set! Thanks for the update.
bgregoire wrote: Buda, perhaps you should order a pair and let us know what you think? In the great scheme of things, if they have to be returned for another size, you will be contributing to making this world a better place and will be the happiest man in slick italian leather. :P
Ben, I have a better idea. If you go to the distributors page:
http://andrewshoes.com/en/distributors/
and scroll the map to North America you'll see a single entry in northern SK. Zoom in all the way and you'll see a "View on Google Maps"link for a Mexican hotel:
https://goo.gl/maps/kPnpY36uH6L2
andrew-SK.png
Drive 9 hours north from Regina, park the car on the side of the road and hike 13 Km to the hotel. There are no roads. Bring back as many boots as you can pull with your sled.

Seriously, I will get some Andrews but they're in next year's budget. I'm just gathering info for now.

Side note: interesting that Alico and Andrew are located within 10 Km from each other in northern Italy.



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Verskis
Posts: 179
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Location: Tampere, Finland
Ski style: XCD touring on small hills. Heavy tele at resort
Favorite Skis: Åsnes Rabb 68
Favorite boots: Alico Ski March
Occupation: Hydraulics engineer

Re: The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

Post by Verskis » Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:42 am

I'm really surprised about the size of Cannatonic's Rifugios, as my pair was definitely undersized.
Maybe Andrew has adjusted their sizing, or maybe my pair had wrong size labels?

But I can confirm that the Alico Ski March boots are much more heavy duty than the Andrew Rifugios. The weight difference is truly noticeable, as is the sole flex. But I really like the Ski Marches, they feel fine kicking and gliding (once properly broken in) but can control my Åsnes Rabb 68's also downhilling (at least on mellowish slopes).

Cannatonic, how about the Andrew Zenith? Is it as stiff as the Ski March?



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Cannatonic
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Re: The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

Post by Cannatonic » Fri Jan 11, 2019 12:34 pm

No, the Zeniths are only slightly beefed up in construction over Antarctic or Refugio. Just slightly heavier, a little more leather in the ankle area to stiffen the back of the boot for turns, double-thick tongue, and the instep strap. Ski March are in another category altogether - much stiffer & heavier sole, torsionally rigid, it almost feels like there's a steel shank in there. And the uppers have a thick layer of some material that makes them stiffer, similar to old Merrell and Asolo boots with the plastic inside the ankles, but it's probably just more leather.

The Ski March is going to control bigger & heavier skis much better than the Zenith, but the extra weight will be felt with every stride going uphill! Yes, I am holding 2 pair of Zenith - I ordered a second pair during last years sale, thinking I would never get another chance - so far I'm correct :lol: The Antarctic in the picture are also backups, soon to be sold off now that I have the Rifugios. Andrew Shoes has a nice high-volume fit, my orthodics can be used and they don't fit into the Antarctics.

btw....using search engines I was able to pull up a old, cached web page of Sierra Trading Post selling Alico Supertelemark boots - at some point since 2000 they were selling them, don't know when, at least 5 years ago
"All wisdom is to be gained through suffering"
-Will Lange (quoting Inuit chieftan)



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Buda
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Re: The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

Post by Buda » Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:22 pm

bgregoire wrote:Do you live in Europe? Lucky you, you can mail order the Sexy Andrew Zenith here:

https://www.warp-sport.com/andrew-408-zenith-nero/
Long live Andrew and its totally random worlwide teleboot distribution network!!! The XCD Knights must be behind this!

EDIT - Warp Sport will not deliver outside of the Czech Republic...bummer.
Ben, did Warp Sport tell you that they will not deliver outside the Czech Republic? Their cart lets you choose other EU countries.



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bgregoire
Posts: 1511
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2014 9:31 am
Ski style: Nordic backcountry touring with lots of turns
Favorite Skis: Fisher E99 & Boundless (98), Åsnes Ingstad, K2 Wayback 88
Favorite boots: Crispi Sydpolen, Alico Teletour & Alfa Polar

Re: The Finest Leathers: Nordic Norm 75mm Backcountry/Telemark Boots

Post by bgregoire » Fri Jan 11, 2019 2:24 pm

Buda wrote:
bgregoire wrote:Do you live in Europe? Lucky you, you can mail order the Sexy Andrew Zenith here:

https://www.warp-sport.com/andrew-408-zenith-nero/
Long live Andrew and its totally random worlwide teleboot distribution network!!! The XCD Knights must be behind this!

EDIT - Warp Sport will not deliver outside of the Czech Republic...bummer.
Ben, did Warp Sport tell you that they will not deliver outside the Czech Republic? Their cart lets you choose other EU countries.
They said no to Canada, and to Sweden. The cart does not actually work when using a country outside of the Czech Republic. Check you PMs!
I live for the Telemark arc....The feeeeeeel.....I ski miles to get to a place where there is guaranteed snow to do the deal....TM



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