New Nordic touring boot?

[lilcliffy]

Yeah- 41EU would be far too short!

[Johnny]

Well I have received responses to the few questions I had when I contacted Alfa via e-mail. Its true though that I did not receive emotional support, a free massage, or anything like that. But then again, I never sent them a bottle of wine so I guess it would not be a fair comparison to make Johnny!

There is a rep, or at least an importer based in Québec. I believe that is who La Cordée goes to or used to go through to place an order. I forget whom he is. I think he's the same person who imports Sporten skis.

I guess LaCordee must be importing them directly through Alfa in Norway, like I do with Asnes? Not sure they have a distributor as no one in NA seems to be carrying them..?

Unless there was a serious defect in the boot that merited an exchange, I would not bother dealing with Alfa, being so far and all. For most minor repairs I think you would be better off visiting the local cobbler. They are mountain walking shoes after all!

No, they are not! They are specialized downhill ski boots for a rare breed called XCD skiers!

When the sole of my Alaska 75 cracked, no cobbler was able to fix them, only Alpina. When the bars on my Alaska BC bent, no cobbler was able to fix them, only Alpina.

If I am dropping 500$ on a pair of boots, I expect to have a little feeling of security if something happens. Unless ALFA is able to provide this easily in the US or Canada, they very sadly will not have me as a faithful customer... Unless I can get them at a 80% discount like I did...

[Johnny]

Yeah- 41EU would be far too short!

I know! But I was thinking for the wife, kids or friends...

[Johnny]

Oh, Ben, you are (always) right:
"The same person who imports Sporten" is called Vemo Sports in VT...

Now that is exciting... They should be able to provide the support that the 500$ boots owners are looking for...

http://www.vemosports.com/index.cfm

[bgregoire]

JL,

I guess i might have to surprise you again...

Alfa are sold elsewhere in NA, for starters, the Trailhead Paddles Shack (Ottawa) and a ski shop in Rimouski (La vie dehors) also tried them out for 2 years (i had highly recommended them) but they didn,t sell (they will be holding the Alpina line up this year instead). Vemo are the US distributors but there is also a distributor on canadian soil. Try contacting Elan skis. There is some connection there. Or try calling the La vie dehors owner in Rimouski. I used to have the name of the distributor. i might even have called him. I forget.

But here, Johnny, I will have to surprise you once more. I'm verry sorry! This is a response i received from ALFA a couple hears back about the soles of the Alfa Quest Advance:

"We are very happy to hear that you liked the Quest Advance 75mm model. We understand your question regarding the sole and we are sorry that you needed a stiffer sole. Our model is made for walking in the mountains. It is not made for Telemark and downhill. There are other shoes on the marked that are very stiff (and cold). If you have a boot that are softer in the sole it will be much more comfortable walking with it and it will also be much warmer. Alfa are also using a different insole that isolate better from the ground. (This is not the innersole). Together this 2 things will make a much warmer boot."

[Johnny]

Hummm... Not much surprise here... Roc & Ride also have some Alfas... What I mean by "A store carrying them" is a real store with several lines of models, available for sale online... You know like, you google it, you hit checkout and the boots are here...?

Elan are distributing Alpina and Rotte Nordic in Canada, but not Alfa.

Ahahahaha! Not made for telemark... Now that's funny!!! (That sounds so Black Diamond...)
Apparently, NNNBC is not made for downhill, still it's the finest downhill system on the planet...

That totally makes sense... Walking and XCing with the Alaska BC doesn't make much sense to me, even if people are doing it. I much prefer the 1550 or the Alaska 75 for doing so. I don't think I would ever use the Guard or Skarvet Advance for XCd. I would only use them for pure downhill or serious expeditions... But please, never trust that Johnny guy. No matter what I do, I always seem to think the opposite of the whole human race...

But the telemark part does not compute at all in this old brain of mine... What is wrong with the Quest 75? You think they are too soft? I can tele with lo-top XC floppy shoes from the 60's... I've never handled any Alfa boots besides the Kikut so I can't speak... But in my book, the sole on the Kikut is what I call a stiff sole...

So you stopped skiing with your Alfas? Using them for walking, going to work and doing errands?

I think we all will be due for a group session of boot-squeezing and ski-twisting soon...

Thanks for the info! (And everything else!)

[bgregoire]

No no johnny,

I still use my Alfas Quests 75mm for most all moves ON skis including the tele-turn. When I got them, its true i was disappointed as the soles of the 75MM version are much softer than those of the NNNBC version. More floppy than the Alaska 75mm. I do well telemarking with them on nice snow but as soon as I hit uneven surfaces like a little crud or whatever, they are too wobbly for my taste. They are also more wobbly on wider sticks (60mm or more underfoot) even when striding in uneven snow.

By the way, when norwegians talk about walking in the mountains, you should be reading striding 30-40kms with a pack or pulka from hut to hut. That's what Alfa is really about.

In my opinion, both the Alfa Skarvet NNN-BC and 75mm are amazing boots for that purpose.

Please come and twist your skis with me around the Chic Chocs any time this winter, I will be happy to show you around. I'm sure Rodbelan will come along as well!

[Johnny]

By the way, when norwegians talk about walking in the mountains, you should be reading striding 30-40kms with a pack or pulka from hut to hut. That's what Alfa is really about.

Yep, that is exactly the substance of what brands are made of. I can't walk 40km with a pulk, I am too old and too weak for this. But next time I will go for a 15min ski ride with my Alfa boot and the old man with his pipe in the golf course in my backyard, the brands will make me feel like I'm an Norwegian traveling from one country to another in the worst winter storms...

Seriously, this is actually what I like about Alfa and Asnes. Their gear actually has a real use, not just Chinese copies of other crap for the sake of making money.

Driving once a year to Gaspesie is enough for me... But somewhere halfway for sure...!

[Smitty]

Hey gents,

I've been spending a ton of time on here over the last year but have not posted before. Thanks for all of the knowledge and discussion you guys provide, it is an amazing resource! Not sure if this thread is dead, but thought I could chime in on Alfa vs Alpina sizing.

I have the last-year model Alfa Perform (looks to be the same as current Kikut Perform). My XC boot experience is limited, but the EU sizing definitely fits big compared to all of my hiking boots. For context my current Zamberlans are EU 43 and fit perfectly snug. My Alfa Performs in EU 41 are quite a bit looser than my hiking boots volume-wise but have a very similar length.

But when you look at the sizing charts for both boots, and translate the EU to US, they become more aligned. Alfa Perform in EU 41 translates to US 9.5 and Zamberlan hiking boots in EU 43 translate to US 9. So in relation to other EU sizes the Alfas seem to fit big, but once translated to US sizes they seem to to fit similarly to other boot brands if that makes sense. ie Zamberlan hiking boot EU 43 translates to US 9 which fits snug and Alfa Perform XC boots in EU 41 translates to US 9.5 and fits a bit loose. For what it's worth I also found the Alfa measurement instructions to be bang on, which is nice when ordering online.

Now comparing the Alfa to the Alpina - my wife wears the Alpina Alaska, also in a EU 41. I can barely wedge my foot in there with the laces pulled right out - I would probably be snug in EU 42 but loose in EU 43 in the Alaskas. I find them to be both lower volume and slightly shorter than my Alfa Perform in the same EU size. The nubuck on the Alfa feels much more supple and seems to be of higher quality, but the Alpina is definitely stiffer / more supportive for those seeking more downhill control.

Cheers!

Sent from my BBB100-1 using Tapatalk

[bgregoire]

But when you look at the sizing charts for both boots, and translate the EU to US, they become more aligned. Alfa Perform in EU 41 translates to US 9.5 and Zamberlan hiking boots in EU 43 translate to US 9. So in relation to other EU sizes the Alfas seem to fit big, but once translated to US sizes they seem to fit similarly to other boot brands if that makes sense. ie Zamberlan hiking boot EU 43 translates to US 9 which fits snug and Alfa Perform XC boots in EU 41 translates to US 9.5 and fits a bit loose. For what it's worth I also found the Alfa measurement instructions to be bang on, which is nice when ordering online.

Hi Smitty! Welcome onboard and its great to hear of another ALFA fan in NA!

Yes the ALFA Perform is basically the Kikut.

I somewhat agree with your assessment of the sizing situation. Yes, and if you follow the ALFA measurement instructions you will be fine. The instructions ask that you measure the foot length (Mondopoint) and add 1-1.5cm to that length. On the table, you find the corresponding EU size that you can simply order online.

There are a few problems for us folks in north america though. For one, the corresponding EU to US sizes on the chart and ont the shoe box and boot DO NOT MATCH! See here for more info:
http://www.telemarktalk.com/viewtopic.p ... =20#p23585

Buying from a retailer in the US, you should be fine ordering online as long as they offer their boots in EU sizes and you use the alfa chart AND measurement instructions.

HOWEVER, if a retailer was to offer their Alfa shoes online using US sizes alone, you are certainly screwed as the chart will not allow you to backtrack to the corresponding EU and Mondopoint (cm) size!

Does that make sense?

By the way, yes Alfa's sizing does appear to be a little bigger than other nordic ski brands. That, I believe, is partly due to the fact that they are a little wider at the toebox, ensuring a more comfortable fit at an appropriate length. I have wide feet and have found that there are very few if any NA brands (other than Keen) that cater for wide feet. This becomes critical in BC nordic skiing because we usually wear thick socks, so effectively widening our feet (Alfa has deliberately taken this into account). In Europe however, several brands still cater to wide feet. Take Birkenstock for example. With them, I wear a EU41 and its still spacious for me. In Alfa, I wear a EU42. With Fischer or Alpina, I have to go with a EU43 cause they are just not wide enough otherwise (but surely long enough).

Cheers!