Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

fisheater wrote: Canna, if a pinch point is from too much volume, would a footfitter push out the leather creating a bellow? Similar to a plastic boot bellow. Or, are you recommending ordering boots a bit small and punching them out so you don't deal with pinch points?

this is a problem I don't have, as I'm trying to fit my orthodics and extra-wide feet in there, but it'd be worth a try, you can always try re-shaping the leather & see if it helps.

The creasing of leather boots can be difficult - I started with a pair of size 14 Merrill Ultras from ebay, one size larger to get extra width - big mistake. they were about 1 inch too long, my foot didn't bend them in the right place, and the toe crease formed right over the front of my foot & crushed it, I could never fix them. When you're stretching it's good to stretch them a bit, then wear them a bit, then stretch again, etc. a few more rounds, that way they will break in right.

Also - another tip I got from Limmer is to heat the boots before/while stretching. We all know that you can't expose leather to too much heat like drying gloves on a radiator, it ruins the leather. But I've had good luck putting an oil space heater into a closet set on low and raising the temp. to around 110 degrees. I apply boot grease to the leather and let it sit in there hot for a few hours. Then put the stretchers in & leave them in the closet at 110 for a few hours if not all night. This helps aggressive stretching go faster.

Excellent tips here on warming and stretching the leathers. Thanks, all! Now I'm going to ask my wife if she'll wear my Ski Marches to hot yoga and kill two birds with one stone!
Good news on the boot saga. After Sunday's stern reading of the riot act to my Alico's, on Tuesday I gave them another chance at redemption. After a morning of tele-ing in big burly gear in some nice freshie at Mary Jane, at 1 pm I drove over to the Bonfils parking lot across from Winter Park and headed out on my S-Bounds. There's a trailhead there that accesses a BC rec trail used by snowshoers. The trail heads up the Jim Creek valley with several meadows and rocky vistas en route. So close to the resort, but so little used and so beautiful! The S-Bounds' scales gripped perfectly on the mostly low-angled climb. Glide was great (for those skis) and the snow got better the higher I got. And the boots? They behaved like chastened puppies. Almost made me a believer in tough love! The 4k return back down the valley was gorgeous and I even managed some turns in the pow bordering the trail.
Even better news: midweek pow coming down out of the sky all day long today making for incredible skiing at Winter Park. And tomorrow's looking good, too!

Nick BC, I have a pair of Spike 3 pins on my Objectives, and they work with both my Alaska 75's (which are actually a little thinner than a standard tele sole), and with my Excursions.
I also have an older vintage Alico, which looks like the civilian version predecessor to the Ski March... tried to fit them into the Spikes yesterday just to check: indeed, they don't fit.
I didn't look deeper into why yet, but it does seem the issue is the Alico soles.They do work with Voile or Rottefella 3 pins, which accept a wider range of sole thickness. But, there's more slop in those than the Spikes.

Thanks phoenix, I thought it was just me . Anyway, I've given up on trying to make them fit the Spikes and am using it as an excuse to buy another pair of skis, on which I'll mount some Rottefella Super Telemarks. I did try the Alico Marches on a pair of my wife's skis which have Voile 3 pins and they clicked in no problem. Someone posted that Rottes work better with the Ski March than Voile, but I would buy the Rottes anyway as I like the configuration better.

Well, after years of denial, I finally caved in. Thanks Jared for pushing me over the edge...!

So I got my pair of Alico Ski March boots (8UK Regular) today. These have the widest toebox of all the Alico/Crispi/Asolo leathers I have tried to date. Grand. By the way, I usually wear 42 and these are spot on. As a matter of fact, 42 is printed on one of the removable inner soles.

Actually, this are the most comfortable first dip in a norwegian welted ski boots I have had. What a surprise...I was expecting much much worse.

Extra bonus, these are actually lighter than I had expected: 1140g per boot for size 8UK (42). From the reviews, I was expecting 1400+g., lol! (My single buckle Alico teletours, same size, weight 1040g)

There is no way my feet will fit in those with the 2 pair of liners that are provided with the boots. One comes in the boot, is white and fairly rigid (what is it made of...seems like some kind of fiber reinforced with concrete!). The other is grey, thicker and softer. That's the one I'm opting for at the moment.

Anyone know what is the purpose of these 2 pairs of liners? To be used together? Or what?

Man these have some CRAZY stiff soles. Much stiffer than my Garmont Excursions....

Cheerios!

bgregoire wrote: Anyone know what is the purpose of these 2 pairs of liners? To be used together? Or what?
!

welcome to the club! No idea on the liners - probably for military guys with low-volume feet. yes, I was psyched about the wide toe box too - it's even wider in the "wide" version of these - these are the only "wide" XC or telemark boots I've ever seen.

the Ski March have a very smooth flex for a heavy-duty boot, it's something about the construction, it has a padded feel to it. So happy these craftsmen in Montebelluna are still doing their thing!

Cannatonic wrote: welcome to the club! No idea on the liners - probably for military guys with low-volume feet. yes, I was psyched about the wide toe box too - it's even wider in the "wide" version of these - these are the only "wide" XC or telemark boots I've ever seen.

Thanks Canna! Are the Wides wide along the entire length of the foot or just the toebox? I think I read you stating your Wides were too wide at the ankle...

By the way, the uppers, tongue and all, are constructed Exactly the same way as my much older Alico teletours. All you'd have to do was swap the instep hook with a buckle and you'd get a stiffer soled, wider toed Teletour....

Given so, I could have saved money simply de-buckling and throwing my Teletours in the dumpster (cause the soles have cracked), but they are so comfy and love fixing things, so I sent them off to Dave the Cobbler today as I picked up my Arkos (Andrew) Greenlands! Whoa. These are quirky cool boots!

the whole "wide" boot is wider, my foot has really wide forefoot w/ bunions and my ankle is medium width, so loose ankle and heel lift is a problem. Not sure I can get the boot tight enough in the ankle with the laces. I got them delivered for $75...some government basically subsidizes these boots for us!

bgregoire wrote:So I got my pair of Alico Ski March boots (8UK Regular) today

Great! Interesting that the 8UKs also fit me well as do the 9US Teletours that were too large for you.

They ARE nice boots! I've persevered through the breaking-in period and I'm appreciating them more each outing. Yesterday I skied my 13th short tour in them. Nothing yet beyond 4 hours of K and g mostly on narrow wooded trails punctuated by meadows. Combining the wool insoles with my orthotics and the correct thickness of wool socks has helped. As has more nuanced tightening of the laces. I haven't yet ventured out for a full-day ski on them, though, but plan to soon. I like them, but believe that they're heavier-duty than what I really require for the trails I'm skiing. That said, the support they provide my feet and ankles in rough conditions and unstable snow is reassuring. Today I thought I'd give myself a rest and break out my skinny track skis and super-light combi boots. Hey, featherweight legs and feet! In a blizzard I "skied" up a service road to the top of Granby Ranch Ski Resort to where their groomed/tracked xc trail network begins along a ridge. Well, so much for that! Gale-force winds howling over 3 inches of fresh powder had created havoc. After a short out-and-back I ended up feeling like I'd worked harder than if I'd gone heavier/wider.