After months of review, conjecture, hype and criticism, the new Tx Pro from Scarpa is finally here. Ski shops are filling preorders. The boot is on the floor of core retailers. Even REI is carrying the model in limited sizes. The telemark universe seems to be clamoring for their long dreamed of new boot – a moment the sport has awaited patiently for more than a decade.
Forums are filling up with ‘first impressions,' the boot being ogled and carpet tested in anticipation of on-snow use. And after a good bout of October snow, some folks have even gotten out on it for themselves, adding to the existing reviews – and the fervor.
It’s a juncture long in the making. But a tension marks the moment. Not only has the telemark populace seen season after season whiz by without a new telemark boot – not to mention free-heelers were long promised a line of footwear, not a single boot to carry all their expectations – the last eight months since Scarpa announced the new Tx Pro have been trying for the small community that is telemark skiing.
A building excitement for the boot – buttressed by a strong social media marketing push, something rare in telemark – has seen a counterpoint of muted criticism for the model. One prominent reviewer reiterated their long-held opinion that Scarpa had focused more on touring specs of the boot over the sweetness of the telemark flex. My own reviews have pointed to the new model being a rigid skiing experience, albeit an important step forward for the sport. And Craig Dostie’s spot in the 2025 Backcountry Gear Guide similarly noted the boot’s stiffness; “out of the box too stiff, and some testers said the bellows were too soft making the flex feel unbalanced,” he wrote.
Many in the telemark world – rightfully hyped for new, innovative gear – have thus openly disregarded the reviews and in classic telemark fashion have decided to make their own mind up about the boot. It’s hard not to smile at their heartening stubbornness; these telemark skiers embodying an age-old ethos of free-heel independence.
But at the edges of this innocent incredulousness has arisen a certain contempt for critical views on the boot. I chatted with a telemark insider who had also skied the new boot last winter. Asking them what they thought, their response eerily echoed my experience; they found the boot lacked ankle flexion, something they thought was important in a telemark boot. But they also felt the need to keep any of their own misgivings on the boot to themselves and only broadcast positivity about the new model. They thought the boot had seen enough bad press.
The distaste for critical reviews has gone a step further. After noting that their review on the boot was “vaguely adversarial toward those deemed overly critical of the boot,” a user with the handle “hop” on the forum Backcountry Talk responded to me, “As for my vaguely adversarial take: I don't get along with baseless conspiracy theories, perpetual misinformation, and I don't appreciate people telling me that their way is the only way.” Whether their claim could hold sand on or not, in one way or another, it seemed reviewing a telemark boot - of all things - had somehow become politicized.
But thankfully we are past the point where only a few have the boot. Anxiety of the unexpected – often pointed at rumors, conjecture, and reviews – will soon be replaced with personal experience for each user. Information on the boot will be borne on word of mouth and conversation, all of which will hopefully not only fill the ears of eager telemark skiers, but also make its way to the decision makers at Scarpa as well.
And hopefully they hear – and act on – not just glowing reviews and hype, but also the valid concerns that more than a few might have. That way, a good product just gets better.
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