Vintage Merrell NNN BC Leathers

[athabascae]

I remember when Asolo and Merrill dominated the North American BC/Tele boot market - both NNN BC and 75 mm. Most of the "good" models were made of thick, relatively stiff leather in Italy - high quality boots, as we know. Times have changed, and there are a lot of great boots out there now, at least in NNN BC.

Partly out of nostalgia, I just got a pair of Merrill NNN BC "Backcountry" (no model name) boots from ebay for a good price ($65) and I'm wondering if anyone has tried or seen these boots? I can imagine, based on experiences with the old Asolo and Merrill 75 mm boots, that these boots are fairly bomb proof (and heavy). They appear to be like the old Merrill 75 mm boots that were excellent, but, of course, with the NNN BC sole.

I got a size EU 46.5 (I'm a 45, generally) to fit my oldest boy, and so that there is a pair of bigger boots in the house that I can fill with a thermal insole and two pairs of socks for evening skis when the thermometer hits bottom and I want to go for a short ski in the dark. So, I like that they will serve a dual purpose. And, given the price, I can flip them locally without losing much more than the shipping, if necessary.

I'll write up my impressions when they get here.

Tom

[MikeK]

Man they look mint. For $65 I think they look like a steal.

[athabascae]

Only old koots still want this stuff.

I'm not sure if I could have got my oldest boy into NNN BC boots for much cheaper, and these are likely well made, like top notch Italian backpacking boots.

He use to track ski a fair bit in NNN when he was younger, but he is totally into competitive snowboarding in the park and instructing snowboarding the last few years. We'll see if he likes BC/XCD skiing as a change of pace once in a while...

[Cannatonic]

Great find! Made in Italy no doubt. Merrell was a great company. Nice wide last. Only Andrew is making boots like this today.

[athabascae]

Yep, the tag says made in Italy. I'm stoked. Should be a great second pair of boots in the house (I also have Alaskas in my correct shoe size).

[Cannatonic]

I forgot, these are for the Ingstad! Should be perfect, enjoy.

[lilcliffy]

Beautiful boots man.

[bgregoire]

Thank you for taking the time to review vintage gear, I think its so fun much and it helps us put newer stuff and the evolution of the sport into perspective. Looking forward to hearing more about toe box room and sizing as I might be interested in a pair myself!

[lilcliffy]

They look exactly like my Merrell backpacking/mountaineering boots from the early 90s- right down to the blue laces...loved those boots.

[Teleman]

There was this crazy old biker in Winooski Vermont who was the "Repair man" for all of new England for Merril Boots....He also had tons of used boots thrown into his cellar.....This master cobbler let us go down into the rat infested zone and did we ever score.....We found that almost any boot made in Italy was boss....Remember the Fossio? ....Had a leather power strap integrated into the boot....What a pain it is to get a decent tele boot now....Will never go plastic....Still think leather would do well if promoted....TM