For me the question would come down to making telemark turns down the mountain - trying to get some powder turns or enjoyable downhill turns as part of the tour. If yes then I would prefer something like Nansen or Nato Combat. If not, then the E99/Gamme type ski all the way. The best choice for long...

>>What is your personal favourite- the Antarctic vs Rifugio? that's a difficult question - very nice workmanship on both of these. I would have to say Andrew is in a class by themselves, the leather itself is incredible, very thick and plush-feeling. Conforms to your feet faster & better. But the bi...

wow, congrats....what a find! Mint condition!!! This harkens back to the day when Merrell was also making one-piece leather NNNBC boots. So you have the same Alico boot now in NNNBC and 75mm?? cool! I'm guessing these were on ebay in Europe?

simple answer to this question - Crispi Antarctic (and "Bre" or whatever it's called) and Andrew Rifugio. Rifugio being a little heavier and beefier. Vastly better than the glued 75mm soles and only slightly more expensive than those boots.

Gareth's comments are spot-on....I enjoyed skiing a pair of 200cm E99's because the camber got squashed down and they flexed like an old-school tele ski. But the camber is stiffer on the Gamme, I don't think a 200 would act like a tele ski, it would act like a too-short XC ski.

My take on this is that if your boots are old don’t rely on them for an expedition. agree! The only boot issue I've had were my old Alpina NNNBC boots - one of the uppers de-glued and completely separated from the sole while kicking through some crud. They were 20 years old so it wasn't a shock. I ...

Here is a pic showing one guy's boots - definitely not Excursions, looks like a rubber sole but I can't see the rest of the boots, I wonder what they are? - these guys are living dangerously, what a crazy idea to ski across ice that is breaking up: https://explorersweb.com/2019/10/01/ousland-and-hor...

The "Star Wars" one is awesome!

I haven't tried Alfa boots but it sounds like they're wider than Alaska. I found the Alpina BC1600 to be a little wider than Alaska. Also Lundhags NNNBC boots are wider too, they keep changing the models every year so I'm not sure what they're currently doing.

this is a common problem for me, going back to orthodics with basketball sneakers and tennis shoes. Time to get the hammer & chisel out of the toolbox! Or if it's glued maybe apply a little heat & see if the glue loosens up.