Winter offers many opportunities for adventures in the snow, but there is a lot of different options to ensure the best experience for your conditions.
As an ALFA Ambassador and Adventurer, Andreas Orset has tested the boots in varying terrain and climate. Here are his experiences, which will hopefully make you more confident in your choice when buying new boots.
I have had the pleasure of wearing the Skarvet Advance GTX on some of my best mountain trips. When the sun sets on the horizon, it's good to have shoes that allow you to completely focus on the experience.
In my eyes, the Skarvet Advance is an incredibly comfortable ski boot that is suitable for a wide range of trips and adventures. It's a classic ski boot that is warm enough for longer trips. It is true that your feet can get a little cold when you have been standing still for a long period of time, but the insulating properties mean that you quickly get warm when you start to move again, while they are still surprisingly breathable.
The high quality leather, in combination with the reinforcement around the toe area, means that the shoe can withstand a lot. So if you take good care of your boots, the Skarvet Advance GTX can join you on adventures for many, many years.
What I like most about the Skarvet Advance GTX is that it is neither too hot nor too cold and therefore the perfect all-rounder
For those who do not want to worry about maintenance, the Kikut Perform GTX is a good alternative. This is a warm, light and comfortable backcountry ski boot. Nubuck leather does not require as regular maintenance as full-grain leather. The Kikut Perform GTX is well suited for day trips and hut-to-hut trips both on and off beaten tracks.
With external, integrated gaiters, the Outback A/P/S GTX is an incredibly cool and innovative product. If you don't like getting snow under the gaiters or take off and put on the shoes with loose gaiters, this might be the shoe for you. Not only does it insulate super well against weather and wind, it is also very easy to use.
In mid-winter I prefer this shoe to the Skarvet Advance GTX, but on the warmer Easter ski trips I sometimes miss the opportunity to take off the gaiters. My solution has been to fold down the gaiters, which works just fine. But I would think about what you will primarily use the shoes for and when you want to wear them, before you decide on boots.
Guard Advance GTX is the next step of development of the Skarvet Advance GTX model with better stability for more demanding downhill runs, or for those who feel they need a little more support and stability. The shoes have the same good and comfortable walking feeling as you find in the Skarvet model.
The feeling of putting on the Polar A/P/S model is truly unique. I'm not lying when I say it's like putting your feet on a sofa cushion. It's simply the most comfortable and warmest. This is the shoe for the most extreme conditions when it is freezing cold.
Like the Outback A/P/S GTX, the Polar A/P/S is a highly innovative boot with integrated gaiters and kevlar in the more exposed areas to provide extra durability. What makes this expedition boot so good and warm is the extra layer of cold insulation in the sole and inner boot, as well as the liner which makes the boots so comfortable.
However, for the normal tours the Polar A/P/S might be too extreme and too warm if the temperatures are higher than 10 degrees below zero.
But if you are looking for a shoe for your next big adventure, I would strongly recommend the ALFA Polar A/P/S.
