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SCARPA Alien 1.1 Boot

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Brand: SCARPA
Model: Alien 1.0
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Availability: In Stock

Price: $1399.95

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Words Specs Reviews & Qs (15) Related (5)

A fixture at the head of any skimo race, the original Alien 1.0 established a new performance-to-weight benchmark. It’s difficult to imagine improving on a winner like this, but no one is arguing the reformulation doesn’t do just that. We’re calling it the Alien 1.1 (SCARPA still calls it “1.0”, but hey, that’s confusing. Maybe the Alien 1.0 v2?).

Keeping the full-carbon cuff, single throw ski/walk mechanism, and BOA instep closure that gave the 1.0 its racing and adventure successes, SCARPA smartly didn’t change what wasn’t broken. Instead, they’ve taken the minor areas of weakness and turned them into strengths, which is sure to continue this boot’s legacy performance. The lower is now made of Carbon Grilamid LFT material (from the Alien RS) which brings new levels of stiffness and support at a low mass. The BOA closure system remains over the instep but is now internal, providing a closer fitting and more secure closure over the foot. A pain point of the original 1.0 was the difficult-to-enter sock-style liner; SCARPA has replaced it with a new Cross-fit Intuition BT liner featuring a full-length tongue that provides additional support and comfort. Some folks will be most excited by the new integrated gaiter which increases the weather resistance and decreases instances of soaked feet. The SCARPA Alien 1.1 is an even better ski boot than the original, at a better price to boot (yay, puns).

Carbon Grilamid LFT shell increases stiffness and responsiveness.
Integrated gaiter keeps your feet dry and warm, a novelty!
Vibram UFO sole provides lasting traction on ridges and boot packs.
Internal BOA system provides better foot hold for precise edging.
Proven Alien ski/walk lever is still the quickest way to transition.

Specifications
Weight -> ounces	792g [27] 822g [28]
Weight (pair)	1584g [27] 1644g [28]
Buckles	Rope plus BOA, single throw latch
Boot Sole Length	262mm [24] 271mm [25] 279mm [26] 287mm [27] 296mm [28] 305mm [29] 313mm [30]
Binding Compatibility	Tech only
Cuff Rotation	75°
Forward Lean(s)	9°, 13°
Specs Verified	Yes
Design
Materials	Carbon-reinforced Grilamid lower, carbon cuff
Liner	Intuition Cross Fit BT
Sole	Vibram UFO
Skimo Co Says
Usage	Skimo racing, training
Notes	Integrated gaiter means less wet-feet.
Bottom Line	Next level Alien!

Hello from Switzerland :)

I've had the Alien 1.0, but due to the carbon "triangle" ond both sides in the lower shell, I couldn't punch my area of pressure. Does anybody know whether there are similar "sheets of carbon" in the lower shell or ist the whole shell out of this matt black "carbon/grillamid mix"?

Cheers Manuel

Hi Manual, there are no sheets of carbon, but SCARPA does not recommend punching this material.

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Hi do you have some problems with boa rope? i break boa rope second time in one month on right boot and i am not only one i known with this problem.

Hi Juraj, we have not seen issues with the BOA on this model. If you have a low instep and are really cranking it down, that could be a problem.

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Have you had any problems with the medial side hooks? I bent mine in my first outing in an accidental scuff of one leg against the other. I was able to bend it back, but i’m sure this will happen again and that hook will eventually fail. It’s in a pretty bad spot and could likely be moved back and out of the way, much like the lateral side hook. Anyone have experience with this? I can’t be the only one to experience this. Any official Scarpa-endorsed fixes? Thanks!

Hey Justin,

I have the same boot and had the exact same issue last week. I did the same thing, bent it back, and hopefully will suffice without breaking off. I can't think of anything else to do in the meantime to beef it up. Cross my fingers and hope it doesn't break!

Matt

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One other question - the front of the upper cuff in the picture you have appears to be carbon, on the Scarpa website it's plastic? How does that work? Do you have a special stock of extra extra carbony Aliens? (This would not surprise me.)

Hey Aaron,

The boots comes with a plastic front cuff, not the carbon front cuff that is shown in the photo. I ski this boot and love the plastic because it doesn't crack like the old ones when cinching down. Plus they ski great. Hope this helps.

Matt @ Skimo

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If my forefoot is closer to 102mm, is it possible to punch out the extra space in this guy with the carbon? Also, if I wear a 25.5 in the new F1, should I be a 26 in this one?

Hey Aaron,
If you are referring to punching out the Alien 1.1, it is not recommended by the manufacture; however it can be done. I have done it on my own boots without a problem.

Thanks.

Matt

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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?

Hey Jonathan. They're pretty dang similar. This boot does not include a footbed though, so out of the box it fits very differently than the Alien RS which does include a footbed. Once a footbed is installed though, they're very similar. I wear a 26 in both boots.

Hi Jonathan, I have the same size of each. In my case, I feel the 1.1 is slightly narrower and shorter than the RS, but not nearly enough to change sizes.

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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.

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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.

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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.

Hi Dawes, SCARPA recommends against punching the RS or new 1.0. That said, folks have done it and we're not aware of any issues. The old Alien was punchable in some areas but it had sheets of carbon in some areas which were literally not punchable.

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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

Hey Adam! Pretty sure the Alien 1.0 (first gen) was only available in whole sizes? Either way, I'd order the same shell size you were in with with first gen Alien 1.0.

You are absolutely correct, my bad. Any feedback on how the sizing compares to the original? When I ordered them in 2013 you could order different sized liners to tighten the fit, that's where I was confused. Definitely excited for this update!

Cheers

Hey Adam! As far as length goes it's pretty dang similar, maybe a bit shorter internally though. Based on the very little info that I have, I'd say go for a 26.

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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!

Hey JP. Nobody's really sure yet! Word is that it's the same lower as the Alien 1.0 but it's the same material as the Alien RS but I can't confirm that with 100% certainty.

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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?

Hey Chad! Yeah it's definitely kinda confusing and we had a lot of internal debate about whether we should call it the 1.0 or not (and we're open to suggestions on a way to differentiate between the two by the way, so I'm interested to hear what you have to say).

Scarpa decided to call this the Alien 1.0 but this Alien 1.0 is a very different boot in a lot of ways than the older Alien 1.0. In order to make sure that you get the correct parts when you order spare parts for your old (or new) Alien 1.0/make sure that we are talking about which boots are comfortable on which skis/which boots fit a certain way/any other number of reasons, we thought an easy (though not perfect at all) way to differentiate was just to call this the Alien 1.1.

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

Hi Alex, as of 8/6/18 we do not have official word yet on the BSL.

Still no word on this, eh?

Hi Alex, we are still waiting on the product to arrive to confirm BSL. We have not received word from Scarpa on BSL information.

Hi Alex, they seem to match up reasonably closely with the original.

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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

Hey Steve! You are definitely not delusional, they would be great for that. The weight (or blatant lack thereof) opens up a whole lot of doors that were closed before and the reality of what ski touring has become is incredibly exciting.

Please note, at the beginning of last season Scarpa released a huge tech document that details the capabilities and guidelines of each boot in their lineup. They claimed that the Alien 1.0 (the previous Alien 1.0) shouldn't be skied on anything wider than 65mm underfoot otherwise they wouldn't warranty it. That being said, we have seen way more skiers "disobey" that guideline and use it on bigger skis than we have seen actually adhere to that standard. Just a thought to keep in mind. Not even sure if this boot is going to fall under that same standard or not, only time will tell.

Based on what I've heard from a handful of people (like superhuman Mr Teague Holmes' mentioned) there is way more than enough power behind this boot to really get a pretty sizeable ski going, especially in powder. I think it's going to be a ton of fun, I can't wait to get a pair.

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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

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