Can I be in the Alaska club- with only one pair?
Despite being very pleased with the durability- I would like to buy another pair...if something ever happens to my Alaskas, I might have to bring my Fischer BCX6, or even worse my Rossi BCX6 out of the closet!
Sizing...hmmm.
My experience is different with the Alaska- I do not find them over-sized. In fact, I find that they might be under-sized.
I am US-size 9- on very rare occasion a 9.5. Up until recently, I assumed that I was a 42- 42.5EU. My aging Scarpa backpacking-mountaineering boots are a 42, and have for a number of years seemed too small. So I ordered the Alaska in a 43...
The size 43 Alaska fits me perfectly in the heel (snug), and across the ball of my foot-metatarsus- I have a low volume foot, a narrow heel, but with a comparatively broad forefoot. I do find them large volume for their width though...I had to train the leather tongue to slide WAY underneath the sides...
I ended up buying a new backpacking boot last fall (Scarpa Kinesis) in a 43- they are too big!! Because they are leather, I can get them tight enough- but I wish I had bought a 42 or a 42.5...At first I thought it was the particular model being over-sized, but I have since bought a pair of light-duty Scarpas in a 43 (too big) and have tried on a number of other 43s (too big)...I have come to the conclusion that my old boots shrunk a bit (old leather), and that I am in fact not a 43- but a 42- 42.5 like I thought...
In the end..I am suspicious that a 42 Alaska might actually fit me better...I have to tighten my 43, big time, in order to gather up all of the material.
Whats the point of this long-winded ramble?
Many people have reported that the Alaska is small, too tight, and have had to go with a larger size than usual (i.e. typically wear a 44- but need a 45). I am suspicious that these cases are individuals with wide feet.
My point is that the Alaska seems big if you have a low-volume foot, and especially if you have a NARROW, low-volume foot (only the first part of that matches me).
So- if you have narrow, low-volume feet, you may need to size down from your typical size
If you have wide feet, you may have to size up...and if you do, take the time, while you are breaking them in, to train the leather tongue and sides.
Phew...I think I got what I was trying to say!
