SCARPA Alien 1.1

How is the fit of these compared to the Alien RS? Mostly interested in the lower shell length and whether to order same size in Alien 1.1 as Alien RS?

Since my size just recently arrived at Skimo, I have only used these a few times. My other boots include the original Alien 1.0 and the TLT7 carbonio. I bought these because my Alien 1.0's have had a fruitful life of racing and touring, and are now allocated to a training and rock boot, as they are getting a bit sloppy. Here is my comparison of the new Alien 1.1 to the excellent aforementioned boots....

Alien 1.1 vs 1.0: The new boot is stiffer (at least compared to my well-used originals)!! They ski better with only a marginal weight penalty (about 40 grams per boot in size 25). Compared to the original, the new 1.1 lower is quite a bit stiffer. I believe this is the primary performance upgrade, as there is essentially no lower boot flex or cuff bowing. In addition, the boa wires are internal and hold the foot much better than the original's exterior wires. Due to these modifications, the new boot is also more comfortable. With the original 1.0, I had to crank the boa as tight as possible to ski well. This resulted in pinching while skinning. The 1.1 does not require maximum boa tension to ski well, and my feet have not experienced discomfort due to over-tightening. The innovative 1.1 liner also enhances performance. Despite being a race boot, the 1.1 tongue is quite beefy and helps not only with forward comfort, but also with enhanced performance. Conversely, there is no thick liner on the back of the calf. Rearward calf pressure directly onto the stiff carbon cuff translates into shockingly instant power and control. The 1.1 front cuff also rides slightly higher on the shin which makes the new boot feel closer to a "real ski boot." Some will argue that the 1.1 does not articulate as freely as the original (due to the beefy tongue and the friction with the new boot's gaiter). A side by side comparison supports this notion, however once I started skinning I never said to myself "gosh, these are unpleasantly stiff to walk in." Additionally as the tongue and gaiter have broken in, the friction has improved. These aren't full carbon boots with a bikini liner, but they are still race boots. These will definitely perform better than the originals in races with long, challenging descents or with varied conditions. BTW, I toured and broke trail without gaiters or stir-up pants and my feet stayed dry and warm!

1.1 vs TLT7 Carbonio: The TLT's are a more substantial boot. Full coverage, full liner, heavier. While the TLT7 may be amongst the lightest touring boots, and the 1.1 is a more substantial race boot, the weight and articulation between the two are quite noticeable. The Carbonios are a stiffer, heavier boot, and while skiing rough terrain this translates into less deflection and less skiing effort (you can't cheat physics). However, the 1.1 are pretty comparable. My current touring skis are the Voile Objectives and the Dynafit Denali's. For my purposes, my lightweight touring skis, and my style of skiing, the 1.1's are more than adequate and the downhill performance is closer to the TLT7 than to original 1.0.

I will probably keep all three so as not wear down the new boots too quickly. The 1.0's will be a good training and Tues night race boot. The TLT7 is also a fantastic downhill, well-articulating, comfortable, and lightweight boot. I'll likely use these on deep powder days with wider skis when trail breaking is slower and there is a potential to get snow into the boots...or on really cold days. However, for those who are race /speed touring/scrambling oriented the 1.1 is possibly the best "quiver of 1" out there, and I imagine would be adept for most skimo applications.

With the goal of climbing faster, I recently purchased these boots. As the very satisfied owner of a pair of Dynafit TLT7 boots, I was well aware of the challenge of finding an alternative that strikes the balance between lightweight and performance. Initially, I considered the Dynafit PDG2 given my historically positive experience with the TLT line. I decided to try on the newest iteration of the Scarpa Alien 1.0 (or 1.1 as it has been dubbed) as well given its similarity in weight. The boot is very slightly lighter than the PDG2 and was notable stiffer. Fortuitously, the size 28 was within 0.25 mm of the boot sole length of my size 27 TLT7 boots meaning that I wouldn't have to remount the fixed bindings to my skis. My brand loyalty evaporated in an instant.

I have had the opportunity to ski these boots on a pair of Ski Trab Magico skis and a pair of La Sportiva Vapor Sveltes in variable conditions that have included boot deep fresh powder, dust on crust, consolidated powder, sun crust, sastrugi and packed powder at the resort. I can report that they are just as effective as my former pair of boots, however, have satisfied my aforementioned goal of permitting more rapid ascents. I cannot comment upon their durability as I have only skied with them on just under ten occasions thus far. I am also unsure of how they will perform in spring type conditions. The only drawback that I have noticed is that the carbon cuff seems to comparatively abrade my ankle a bit more when sidehililng in steeper terrain. This makes sense as the boot lacks a traditional liner that extends to the top of the boot. With that said, I am optimistic and look forward to utilizing them as my sole touring boot henceforth.

It is my understanding from talking to Scarpa people at SIA that the Grllamid lower used in the RS (and now the new Alien 1.0 or 1.1 as you are calling it) is even more difficult to punch out to accommodate experienced feet than the non-Grilamid old Alien 1.0. Have you found this to be true? I read the review by Teague and he didn't mention any punching. He must have narrow feet.

Hey guys, I have worn a 25.5 in the Alien 1.0 should I be buying a 25 or 26 in these?

Thanks,
Adam

Just wondering if the lower shell fits the same as the Alien RS? (ignoring the liner as I'm sure it's a bit thinner in the 1.1) Thanks!

You have them labeled 1.1 on the website, but on the image it looks like the text reads "Alien 1.0". Why the discrepancy?

Any idea whether BSL will match up with the original 1.0?

Hi Jason and Company,
I have been looking at the weight of these and thinking of the possibilities! So am I dilusional or could these be good for week long powder touring trips?
Thanks,
Steve

Could the alien 1.1 actually ski even better than the insanely well tested original 1.0? Damn right it does. I drove the 1600g 98 waisted Faction Prime 3.0 skis in Colorado in powder this winter and tested it running around the Alps of Chamonix for 2 1/2 months this winter. It honestly manhandled my 90 width Prime 1.0 skis in everything from sick powder to heads up glacier ice, refrozen chunder and spring slop. Definitely has a much stiffer lower. This made a big difference in some of the steep lines I seemed to keep finding myself on in Cham.
I think the boot will fit a wider variety of feet while still holding lower volume feet just fine. I don’t think it’s wider, I think it does allow a little bit more room for high in-steps so I just added a little foam shim to take up space for my low volume feet.
It does keep the feet a little bit dryer with the gator.
And it’s way way easier to get in and out of with the intuition liner.
If you’re looking for a full on competitive race boot that can also handle proper mountaineering on a normal size ski, I can’t even imagine a better boot out there.
-Teague