Alfa vs Alfa

[randoskier]

I picked up a pair of Alfa Skarvets on eBay a year and a half ago in basically unused condition. I typically wear 10.5/44 in most shoes and boots and have a fairly wide foot and long toes.I got a 44. They are great boots, roomy in the toe box and fit well except they give me a terrible blister on one heel. I have tried taping my heel and typically wear a thin polypro sock under a thick wool sock. I’m going to try some ezefit blister protection socks this season. I’d like to make them work but we’ll see.
I have another pair of similar Alfa boots , not sure which model, size 43 that I can only wear with really thin socks. They don’t have the heel issue but are really too small for me.

Can you wear the 44s with a super-thick wool sock with a thin liner sock under it?

[randoskier]

Ordered size 45 Alfa-Outbacks APS2 BC. Betting they will fit and save me a trip to Finland for boot shopping. If Lundhags made the Guide with the same volume and roominess as the Guide Expe I would have bought those instead, the Expediton Guide uppers are way too high for a long-distance touring boot in my estimation, this is also a heavy boot. The Outback sounds like a no break-in boot and reportedly the new heel design eliminated the Alfa-Heel-Blister-Syndrome. It gets overwhelmingly good reviews from verified buyers on Varuste, and mostly very good reviews on the Norwegian Fjellforum. We will see....

[randoskier]

Ordered size 45 Alfa-Outbacks APS2 BC. Betting they will fit and save me a trip to Finland for boot shopping. If Lundhags made the Guide with the same volume and roominess as the Guide Expe I would have bought those instead, the Expediton Guide uppers are way too high for a long-distance touring boot in my estimation, this is also a heavy boot. The Outback sounds like a no break-in boot and reportedly the new heel design eliminated the Alfa-Heel-Blister-Syndrome. It gets overwhelmingly good reviews from verified buyers on Varuste, and mostly very good reviews on the Norwegian Fjellforum. We will see....

Perfect Fit!!! This boot seems perfect for what it is designed for- long tours. My size 10.5 feet (27,8 cm) fir perfect in this boot with a thin liner sock and my thick wool touring sock.

Just add snow.

My wife was in Innsbruck yesterday, it was raining, but snow in the Brenner pass at the top of it, but it was wet mush.

Thanks Shell and Exxon!!

[sjniles]

I picked up a pair of Alfa Skarvets on eBay a year and a half ago in basically unused condition. I typically wear 10.5/44 in most shoes and boots and have a fairly wide foot and long toes.I got a 44. They are great boots, roomy in the toe box and fit well except they give me a terrible blister on one heel. I have tried taping my heel and typically wear a thin polypro sock under a thick wool sock. I’m going to try some ezefit blister protection socks this season. I’d like to make them work but we’ll see.
I have another pair of similar Alfa boots , not sure which model, size 43 that I can only wear with really thin socks. They don’t have the heel issue but are really too small for me.

Can you wear the 44s with a super-thick wool sock with a thin liner sock under it?

I typically wear the Skarvets with a thin liner sock and medium weight wool sock but the last time I tried them with a thicker wool sock over the liner sock and micropore tape. It seemed better.
I also just found a basically new pair of 44 Alfa Guards on FB Marketplace for a good price and picked them up. Haven’t skied them yet but my general impression is they feel lighter than the Skarvets with a similar amount of room in the toe but looser in the heel which could be problem.

[Severianin]

I had the old kikut and killed it in 3 seasons of HEAVY use. I have the updated version and I really like it. I have 100 miles on it now and my feet haven't blistered. I especially like the improved torsional rigidity with the good kick and glide action now that they're broken in. I am skiing and skijoring on diverse terrain in interior Alaska.

The toe box on the kikuts felt sloppy on my feet at first but I have grown to love them especially in the cold.

[randoskier]

I had the old kikut and killed it in 3 seasons of HEAVY use. I have the updated version and I really like it. I have 100 miles on it now and my feet haven't blistered. I especially like the improved torsional rigidity with the good kick and glide action now that they're broken in. I am skiing and skijoring on diverse terrain in interior Alaska.

The toe box on the kikuts felt sloppy on my feet at first but I have grown to love them especially in the cold.

Are they supportive enough in descents? What about the warmth?

[daniell]

I had the old kikut and killed it in 3 seasons of HEAVY use. I have the updated version and I really like it. I have 100 miles on it now and my feet haven't blistered. I especially like the improved torsional rigidity with the good kick and glide action now that they're broken in. I am skiing and skijoring on diverse terrain in interior Alaska.

The toe box on the kikuts felt sloppy on my feet at first but I have grown to love them especially in the cold.

Could you please provide more insights about the differences between the "old Kikut" and the "updated version" ?
I assume that what you refer to as the updated version is the "2.0" version, as written on the side of the boot. Correct ?
And I assume from what you wrote that the updated version is an improvement over the old one: correct ? (Sometimes, newer versions of products are not necessarily improvements, alas... - not specifically referring to Alfa boots.)

Thanks in advance for your insights!

[Severianin]

I had the old kikut and killed it in 3 seasons of HEAVY use. I have the updated version and I really like it. I have 100 miles on it now and my feet haven't blistered. I especially like the improved torsional rigidity with the good kick and glide action now that they're broken in. I am skiing and skijoring on diverse terrain in interior Alaska.

The toe box on the kikuts felt sloppy on my feet at first but I have grown to love them especially in the cold.

Are they supportive enough in descents? What about the warmth?

Hey! The trails I’ve been running have some rather steep descents (especially for skijoring without metal edges). However, I am not trying to tele ski. I typically tour and skijor with two huskies in these boots. I have not wished for a stiffer boot. In terms of warmth, they’re warm enough for -25F with no special insole and a full cushion Darn Tough wool sock. I have used wool inserts if it gets colder.

[Severianin]

I had the old kikut and killed it in 3 seasons of HEAVY use. I have the updated version and I really like it. I have 100 miles on it now and my feet haven't blistered. I especially like the improved torsional rigidity with the good kick and glide action now that they're broken in. I am skiing and skijoring on diverse terrain in interior Alaska.

The toe box on the kikuts felt sloppy on my feet at first but I have grown to love them especially in the cold.

Could you please provide more insights about the differences between the "old Kikut" and the "updated version" ?
I assume that what you refer to as the updated version is the "2.0" version, as written on the side of the boot. Correct ?
And I assume from what you wrote that the updated version is an improvement over the old one: correct ? (Sometimes, newer versions of products are not necessarily improvements, alas... - not specifically referring to Alfa boots.)

Thanks in advance for your insights!

The primary differences - it seems - are the stiffer sole and improved lacing system. The old Kikuts gave me wicked blisters but weren’t nearly as stiff. I really love the new boots. I will say that I went up a full size in the new boot. I put 150 miles on them in December and they’re still
great.

[randoskier]

Boot Hell continues...with the first tour approaching (Norway)...And why Lundhags does not work for me. (I will go through Hell on the train to get to my trailhead, I have been to Hell and back before). In Norway you can actually buy a one-way ticket to Hell. The Swedish ski team might experience Hell in Norway this month.

Decided the Alfa Outback has too much volume in the 45, so got the 44... toe pinch. Send 'em back.

Enter the Lundhags Guide Expedition. I previously sent back the 45 Lundhags Guide because I could not get my foot into it. After half an hour I got my foot in it- it was super narrow and I don't have particularly wide feet. My opinion of the expedition: A big boot made for being warm while standing around with a shotgun until a white rype pops up its head for the last time. This is a hunter's ski boot, it not useful for tours- it is way too high, it weighs a TON. Roomy maybe to a fault. I am not sold on the plastic lowers on the Lundhags ski boots and their stitching/quality appears to be average to me. I understand the design of the plastic lower part of the boot for hiking boots, because Norway/Sweden are one gigantic wet soggy beautiful bog in the summer (really!). There are no wet bogs in the winter. I thought the flex point on them was terrible and gave an artificial feeling. Other than hunting the only raison d'etre I can see for this boot is for doing the polar shuffle in the high arctic. Not a friendly boot for kick and glide if you value your shins. Maybe an ok boot for Finnish forest-skis. The aesthetics? ... a boot only Herman Munster could love. Back to Finland with you clunkers!

Soooo...next victim from the Finland express- I ordered the Alaska in a size larger than I was skiing (they destroyed my big toe every year for the past three). I LOVE the Alaska, just a matter of that infamous toe-box. Hope it fits in 46, my street size is 44. Also ordered the Alfa Kickut in 45 (major selling point at this late hour: no break-in needed). If neither of those work I will drive to Aventure Nordique in France and try on the Guard and Skarvet and whatever else they have laying around (and get some turns in on the Vercors massif). If I get those blister machines I will bring 100 meters of micropore tape with me on the tour. I should have flown up to Varuste in Finland and tried all of these boots on, I am just making DHL rich- 20 EUR a pop for returns. Too late now.

I did find some excellent gaiters though! Lill Sport Canvas Gaiters. Lill as in Lillehammer where they are based. I also use their outer-mitten shells. The gaiters are 70% cotton and 30% polyester, they breathe! The water proof zipper is top! They have a great hook attachment and good loops on the side where you can install whatever wire or cord you want under boot. They have generous calves as not to sweat you. Quality is great (made in EU, Poland). I will wax them with Greenland Wax (While the bees in Greenland are still free!) and iron it in (wax gaiters not skis!). Best of all the price- I paid 37 EUR (38 bucks) at Sport Albert in Germany for them (half price), take that Fjallraven! Who are at 120 EUR for their X-gaiter!! But mine don't have the cute little fox on 'em : ( Even at full price the Lill Sport is good value. They have a Swedish flag on them so I hope I don't get beaten on the train as this will be during the Nordic World Championships in Trondheim in late Feb/early March- you never know with those Norwegian ski-hooligans!!

I was supposed to fly to Oslo, then the long train north, but an ice flow hit a bridge in Otta (Global warming melt/freeze) and has cut-off all the the night-trains until mid-April. So I fly to Stockholm instead. I take a train from Stockholm to Duved then change trains at Duved for Trondheim and points north- Duved is right by Lundhags, or what is left of Lundhags in Sweden (mostly an outlet store), their boots are made in Romania or someplace these days, and they are owned by the SWIX people now.