Scarpa TX Comp vs Crispi WC EVO: Telemark Boot Comparison

Reviewing ski gear–especially telemark equipment–is an interesting undertaking. Not only is the sensation granted by spring, cable, boot, and ski undeniably impacted by each user’s subjectivity, each skier’s perspective is unavoidably bound by their previous experience. My personal take is similarly confined by such parameters–like my noodly 135-pound frame and my preferred T-Race boots made beautifully soft by 600 days of skiing.

Considering that, it’s little wonder that some folks read my first take on Scarpa’s new TX Comp and felt a piece was missing–that comparing the boot to familiar competitor models, not just its fellow line-mate in the new TX Pro, would have offered a valuable perspective. And I agree.

But before getting there, it’s worth reiterating that the new line of telemark boots from Scarpa–last year’s release of the TX Pro and the now available TX Comp–represent a paradigm shift in the manufacturer’s approach to telemark boot design. This reality is muddied by the fact that Scarpa chose to christen these new editions with the same names shared by the earlier models they now replace. But the new iterations have little in common with those old boots.

Not only has the much improved walk mode, svelter weight, and three-buckle construction placed both boots firmly in the touring camp, the boots also have a markedly more rigid flex at the cuff (and in the TX Comp’s case, also at the bellows)–both whose stiffness eventually mellows with use. But they also have a torsional rigidity not evident in earlier Scarpa telemark boots. The new–and quite similar–TX Pro and TX Comp thus represent not a continuity with the older line but a complete overhaul.

The Scarpa TX Comp vs. TX Pro

Speaking of the similarity between the boots, the TX Comp was designed with the same weight as the Pro, something I did not expect. Moreover the weight of the Comp was initially mistakenly listed on the US site, causing me some confusion. Regardless, I was red-faced that I hadn’t independently weighed the boots for the initial review. In reaction I bought a home mail scale. And the verdict was both boots indeed have the same weight: my size 25 TX Pro clocked in at 1362g while the same size TX Comp topped out at 1362g–impressively light for telemark boots. But it made me feel that the difference between the boots may not be as significant as the differences between the models in the older line.

That elder Scarpa NTN line–all built from the same older mold–themselves came in different weights. Craig Dostie’s tele blog EarnYourTurns lists those–all in size 27–as follows: TX Comp – 1708g; TX Pro – 1750g; and the TX – 1630g. Interestingly, the previous version of the TX Pro was heavier than the Comp, regardless of the elder Pro and its tech toe fittings being the “touring” model in the line, especially after the TX was ousted in 2016. Ever since, a loud but difficult to quantify cohort has clamored for not only a softer flexing NTN model but also lighter touring boots, taking to Scarpa F1s and F3s or stockpiled TX’s as go-arounds to complete their uphill rigs.

Those resurfacing notions of telemark-as-touring-gear–a sort of counterpoint to the ever-heavier, ever more aggressive paradigm telemark gear has long moved toward–have again come to the fold in Scarpa’s new line of boots. But while the improved alpine touring-inspired specs of the new models are clearly superior for earning turns, the characteristic of the skiing sensation is a more complicated topic. 

The new Comp is a stiffer boot–but it isn’t quite the resort model like the original version. Not just because it comes with tech toe compatibility, but also because it doesn’t ski like the earlier supple versions of Scarpa’s resort boots. The new model tours well, and skis in a way that many lovers of the previous guard in NTN boots will undoubtedly enjoy, but a bomber, no-frills (not to mention affordable) NTN resort boot now doesn’t quite exist as neatly as it did with the original TX Comp. This has perhaps opened a new, small gap in modern telemark gear.

Or has it? The telemark world routinely wears blinders that point only to Scarpa and Scarpa alone as the footwear manufacturer for the sport. And for good reason. No other maker has so single-handedly influenced the evolution of plastic telemark boots. But other manufacturers do exist, and a burly tech-touring compatible workhorse has long been available–albeit from another maker. That would be Crispi’s EVO WC. 

Comparing Scarpa’s TX Comp To Crispi’s EVO WC

First brought to market in the mid-2010s, the EVO WC has long found itself on the feet of many strong skiers of the modern telemark movement–including many an FIS racer–and may finally emerge as the free-heel resort boot exemplar now that the TX Comp has essentially been retooled as a beefy touring boot.

I took to both boots last spring–the TX Comp on my right foot, the EVO WC on my left.  Impressions flowed forth immediately from the moment my foot entered each model. The TX Comp gives a more comfortable fit for my small, low-volume foot. And on first steps I noticed that the EVO WC’s shell was more flexible.  

Still, skiing the boots was an exercise in nuance. But those differences have the potential to be crucially important to skiers. While both boots are cut from the same stiff, aggressive cloth, and on descent neither one jumped out as being better on any specific point by a large factor, there are important distinctions. Maybe most evident was that the EVO WC had markedly more flexibility at the ankle and cuff, and the EVO WC’s frame is more pliable than the Comp’s. 

That could speak in part to how broken-in each boot was. The EVO WC’s I skied had a few seasons on them, though hadn’t been on the snow more than 30 days compared to roughly fifteen on the Comps, though I pair the EVO WC’s with a Zipfit Gara liner, which is more robust than the stock Intuition liner used in the Comp by an order of magnitude. Regardless, the new Comp not only skis more rigidly, it also attempts to pull double-duty as a telemark resort boot and a touring workhorse. That reality leads me to argue that Scarpa’s newer, lighter TX Comp no longer holds the title of telemark’s uberboot (a term for telemark’s stoutest, most aggressive boot I borrow from one Paul Lutes) like its predecessor–that distinction now rests solely on Crispi’s touring-capable but still unashamedly beefy EVO WC.

Where the nuance may give way to outright contrast is in the touring abilities of the boots.  While the EVO WC has a decent range of motion for using an old-paradigm walk mode, the TX Comp’s flexibility via a modern walk lever and contemporary construction exceeds the EVO WC’s by a wide range and makes earning turns a treat. The weight difference is also remarkable–my EVO WC in a 25 (with the Zipfit liner) is 2103g per boot (the boot’s list weight is 1815g, presumably in a 27 or similar mondo–Crispi’s distributor did not return messages to confirm) while my mondo 25 Comp comes in at 1362g each, list weight being 1545g in a size 27. Like mentioned above, the same list weight as the touring-first TX Pro.

Weights aside, like with the new TX Pro, the TX Comp brings to the fold a new, more torsionally rigid paradigm in telemark boots. Others have noticed this rigidity–including leading DIYer John Brody and former Scarpa designer Jason Quintana. Skiing the new TX Pro, they have noted that the new Scarpa telemark boots are markedly more stiff torsionally, and I agree. The EVO WC itself has a flexibility across its latitude that the Comp didn’t quite have, and flexes at the scafo in a way not dissimilar to the previous guard in Scarpa boots that had a more pliable frame.

That’s not to say the Evo is a better boot; the new TX Comp is stiff, balanced, and versatile. But skiers who may be rebuffed by the new Scarpa line in any form–be it fit, flex, and beyond –not only have just two modern boots to choose from; they are options that share myriad characteristics. And Scarpa has noted that there are no plans to release a third model in the line next fall–often rumored to be the uberlight, hypothetical TX-LT–though the maker hints that they are still ideating on future telemark plans.

What Other Telemark Boot Options Exist?

Regardless, those seeking a different feeling will likely be well served looking to another maker. That includes Scott–the quiet, perhaps concluded keepers of the Garmont flame–and Crispi. Both boot makers have long stood in the shadow cast by Scarpa. But as the eminent maker’s new NTN models converge toward a touring-oriented, rigid point, and the future of their 75mm boots remains ever an open question, there now exists more opportunity–and need–for the other makers to bring their own innovation to the table.

In a telemark world that only sees so much new gear, but has been jolted to life of late–not least of all by the new models brought forth by Scarpa–there may finally be reason enough for the other manufacturers to step up.