Will these leather Alpina Alaska NNNBC boots stretch out in the width?

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Underdog
Posts: 27
Joined: Wed Mar 06, 2019 8:04 am
Location: Southern New England
Ski style: Apple orchard

Re: Will these leather Alpina Alaska NNNBC boots stretch out in the width?

Post by Underdog » Thu Sep 03, 2020 11:53 am

Lots of helpful advice here. I don't know enough about leather boots to know if the cobbler can stretch them (especially with the molded sole). If someone else had tried this successfully I would move forward with that.

I notice that these Guards come in a women's and men's fit. Impressive. Are there other duties or import fees and taxes associated with and overseas purchase? I've never ordered from Europe.
[url][https://varuste.net/p95762/alfa-guard-a ... x-mens/url]
guard.JPG
price from Europe.JPG

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Cannatonic
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Re: Will these leather Alpina Alaska NNNBC boots stretch out in the width?

Post by Cannatonic » Thu Sep 03, 2020 1:22 pm

tell me about it - I had to have a bone spur cut off my heel at age 23 from wearing ski boots & leather office shoes that didn't fit well. You also grow bunions from wearing boots & shoes too tight in the ball of the foot.

Peter Limmer in NH told me he uses heat to help the stretching process. It does help but don't over-do it. In the past I have set up a DeLonghi oil space heater in a small closet and raised the temp to around 110-115 F. Put the boots in to heat up, then insert the stretcher and put it back in.

there are sprays you can use to help stretching, for me applying a natural grease like Bearguard and letting it soak in for a few days before heating & stretching has worked best. It's also good to apply the grease after the boots have been heated. Heating too much, like on woodstove, can absolutely ruin leather though.

The rubber rands are not good for stretching either, that's why I love old-school 75mm boots like Andrew Shoes and Crispi Antarctic
"All wisdom is to be gained through suffering"
-Will Lange (quoting Inuit chieftan)



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Stephen
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Location: PNW USA
Ski style: Aspirational
Favorite Skis: Armada Tracer 118 (195), Gamme (210), Ingstad (205), Objective BC (178)
Favorite boots: Alfa Guard Advance, Scarpa TX Pro
Occupation: Beyond
6’3” / 191cm — 172# / 78kg, size 47 / 30 mondo

Re: Will these leather Alpina Alaska NNNBC boots stretch out in the width?

Post by Stephen » Thu Sep 03, 2020 1:45 pm

I ordered the same boot from the same website and there was no additional cost for Import Duty.
The only costs were for the boots and for shipping.
Arrived in about 1 week.
Good experience.



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