This commentary is a repost of last season’s report, the associated FIND buttons connect to 2017 starting inventory.
Here’s the Reader’s Digest version of the XC story: it’s the SX family of 102mm lasts with the XT’s hike mode switch on the spine and the option of WTR soles in the box. Most hikers are a fairly lean lot and unlikely to need the XC’s extra-roomy interior, but another fit alternative for the high-volume foot is always welcome, even if the only “hike” the skier sets out on is from the lodge to the lift.
It’s worth mentioning that a hike mode has other virtues aside from facilitating an uphill stride. Relaxing the forward tilt of the spine can be a relief in the liftline or once on the lift, and certainly feels more comfortable at lunch or après ski. An unlatched upper cuff is also easier to slip into and out of, a point that ought not be lost on the skier with a magnificent pedal extremity.
The best thing about the XC is that the convenience aspects of its hike-ski switch don’t detract from its downhill comportment. The XC is, at heart, a race boot in a fat suit, and all it needs for its pedigree to be apparent is to set it in motion.