Alpina Alaska nnnbc too stiff?

[lilcliffy]

The Alaska BC does have a relatively stiff-flexing midsole- certainly stiffer out of the box than either my Svartisen BC or Guard Advance BC (which are about identical in sole flex).

I can say a few things-

The Alaska will get more flexible once you break them in- yet it will retain its excellent power transfer and torsional stability even after thousands of kms!

The Svartisen and the Guard are definitely softer-flexing out of the box, but I do not expect the midsole to be as supportive and high-performance as the Alaska after a few seasons of hard skiing.

I understand why boot makers are making even so-called "heavy-duty" boots with soft-flexing soles- they are very comfortable out of the box and have zero break-in time- this is actually a common reason for a reviewer to highly rate a boot purchase!

I do love the out of the box performance of softer-flexing boots like the Svartisen/Guard, but my experience suggests that the midsole may be completely worn out and unstable after 3 years of hard touring.

Personally I prefer a boot with a stiff, stable and durable midsole that requires breakin- it will offer more effective power transfer, be more supportive and will endure for many years of serious use.

[Slartibartfast]

Ok, good to hear there’s hope. Well hopefully it breaks in soon so I can actually tele on them. I find in the colder temps the flex is pretty much non-existent and I’ve fallen back to my trashed Rossi X3s, which isn’t gonna help breaking in the Alaskas haha! Maybe I need a cable on my NNNBc binder???!!