SCARPA Alien RS Boot

These boots are the do-it-all, take-them-anywhere boot I had hoped they would be. Every glowing review you'll find if you're thinking of investing in these bad boys is spot on.

Pros: Truly as light and frictionless as advertised. The RS is wicked fast to transition from skiing to touring. I don't come from a skimo background, moreso a freeride skier, and so obviously was curious/skeptical of my ability to drive these on more aggressive lines and slightly wider skis. While Scarpa says not too (you'll void your warranty skiing skis above 85cm underfoot), I can easily use these boots to drive my Mythic 97's (184cm, ~1400 grams) through all sorts of snow at various levels of aggressive skiing. The lateral stiffness is enough to put skis of that size on edge without losing confidence. But they are better paired with a light ski mountaineering ski, for me th K2 Wayback 80 (170 cm, ~1090 grams). While the dynema tightening system looks uninspiring, it works. Obviously touring in them is a dream, as is booting and cramponing. The soles (like most scarpa boots) are a fantastic vibram that makes rock scrambling or roped missions in them much less scary. ROM is greater than my abused ankles so I can't even really find their limit. I am a wide-footer with a high arch, and these boots are the best fitting boots I've ever worn, good for Hobbits like myself. The BOA system is simple and effective, and has held up durability wise for me thus far.

Cons: Durability concerns that other have noted are real. After one full season (~80 days in them) the gaiter has come unattached from its connection to the lower boot near the ankle. This isn't a huge deal, as some Tenacious tape and a bit of superglue is enough to repair it sufficiently. Purchase some extra dynema of the right width for both boots and carry it with you in your pack, just in case--I haven't had mine snap or even fray yet, but others have. The sole is also chipping off in small bits and pieces near the edges, but a below average snow year in western MT left some exposed rock for much of the year so I can't blame them too much there. These boots also take some dialing in, both in terms of skiing and fit. As to the skiing, they require a more engaged, balanced and boxer-like stance to ski them right I found. They have an obvious wall of stiffness in the front of the boot when engaging forward--keeping pressure on this wall (but not too much due to its less-than-progressive nature) take time to understand, but you'll get it. This balance is key to effective power transfers and also not getting thrown into the backseat, where you will feel the limitations of the boot. This boot asks you to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. I did attach an additional booster strap (from Skimo Strap here in MT) to gain a bit of forward stiffness and slight increase in progressivity. I find this has enhanced the boot performance to be worth the extra 30 grams, but it does slow down transition times a hair. The camming mechanism for the dynema tightening system can also be a bit slippery, but simply find the right length of cord for your preferred tightness and then throw some knots behind it the cam.

This boot rocks. If SkimoCo still has this boot in stock while you're reading this review, get them, especially if you can find a good price due to their discontinued status.

I can start in races and do vertical training with this boot? Or i should buy Scarpa Alien for that?

So, I used these for several outings and the fit wasn't right. I had to sell. Here's what I can say about these bad boys. They are light. I felt like I was in a tennis shoe up hill. However, I could not crank down enough and felt a lot of flex when trying to drive these. The new FL LT I got a better fit and would highly recommend those over these. Worth the slight weight penalty and much better on the down.

Not a very reliable boot for everyday use and abuse. BOA has broken a couple of times now, the fasteners that hold the BOA in place have broken twice now, the guides the BOA run through within the boot have broken in 2 places. I go out on these boots never quite knowing what is going to break next. Scarpa's customer service is extremely difficult to deal with as well. If you are looking for a light part time use boot this will probably work. If you are looking for something to use with regularity you might want to consider something more sturdy. Not sure I will ever own another Scarpa product due to the their poor customer service. Lots of these on sale for great prices right now but be aware they do have their flaws.

I've had this boot in size 29 for several seasons and by now developed a deep and perhaps slightly unhealthy attraction to this item. Just yesterday, for fitness training, I booted over 6K vertical feet and it was way better than hiking in my regular hiking boots!

Question: what should I use for a replacement liner? I love the original Scarpa liner but it can't last forever and the Scarpa replacement liner is unavailable. What's the closest? Thanks.

Great boot that worked well for me as a daily driver in a continental snow pack and a 95-102 wasted ski. If your not worried about dialing in the stiffness just right at every transition, the ease of boa and walk mech tightening is pretty great. They are a little narrower than the F1 last and I will admit that after I had put a few seasons on them I dropped a F1 liner in them to give them a little more stiffness but if you can race 1 day and then drive your daily driver the next with the same boot, that says something. SCARPA says that you shouldnt ski fatter skis with these but Ive seen a good skier drive 130 wasted Voile Drifters many days without issue.

I wear a 26 in Alien 1.0 (279mm). Do I wear a 25 (278mm) in the RS? Or the longer 26 (286mm)? Is this a longer boot?

Really an impressive boot. feels more like a shoe than any boot I had had. Great performance on almost all snow. On Rock hard crud it begins to show its limitations. Fits perfectly into my "quiver" of boots as the lighter of two. Thanks for the great boot.

I didn't really need to wait so long to review. Have been using for over a year, I knew they were the boot for me before I bought and have lived up to it every day. I am lucky that I fit Scarpa length perfectly and have a narrow with no issues foot.
Performance - They are plenty stiff, yes they don't have a very progressive flex but I quickly got used to them and isn't a thought anymore. Skiing powder is not a problem for my daily 100mm ski. And to the chagrin of Scarpa, I can drive my bigger powder ski.
Walk mode- no need to discuss, they are awesome. Hiking is so much less a chore. The ski/walk mode is excellent as is, hate to see it go. I can easily flip open and close with my ski pole. No bending over and messing with buckles and powerstraps. The cord slipping doesn't seem to be an issue for me and I do have it knotted. If you are one who really cranks buckles and power straps, you may not like, but for me, no problem
Durability-zero problems to date. I believe if properly fitted, and I have custom footbeds, you do not need to tighten the BOA much. For the majority of people, the BOA hasn't been an issue. Same with the cord, I don't overtighten and I don't even have any fraying yet. There does seem to be some wear points between the shell and liner. I have been trying to use the patches on the shell and tape to keep ahead of it.
From powder to suncupped summer snow I couldn't expect more from these. And seriously thinking of getting another pair before they become the LT

Do you guys know if the BSL of the new F1 LT will be more like the Alien RS or F1? I see that's it's not a huge difference anyways and could just adjust my bindings. Just curious. Thanks!

Finally bought the boots!!! Just use them for a couple of days before returning home. On the uphill they have wings!!! Didn't have the oportunity to try them in a descent powder day yet, but so far happy on the downhill.
Had to tie a knot on the dyneema cord, the stopping mechanism kept losing tension.

Hi, do this boots work with marker kingpin bindings?

The comments thread indicates that the Alien RS will be discontinued after this season. Can you shed any light on this? I’ve been using the Maestrale RS/ Alien RS as the boot quiver and find it to be a fantastic combo. Hope that the Alien RS sticks around!

I got these boots thinking I would use them for long tours in the Cascades paired with Voile Objectives. They are certainly light and go uphill very well, but I think I had unrealistic expectations for the downhill performance. I'm sure they are good for the weight (I haven't skied other boots in this weight class), but don't expect them to be much fun in difficult snow conditions. If you ski nice light snow with a conservative style then they will do great. I usually opt for a heavier boot and bring these out for climbing focused objectives where skiing is more of an efficient way to get down than the main goal. Great boot for what it is, but don't expect a miracle. They make a lot of sacrifices to get a boot this light.

A few notes:
- Cord closure requires a stopper knot to prevent slipping which makes it difficult to dial in the tension or adjust throughout the day. The knot wears down one section and will probably break the cord eventually, but it looks easy to replace.
- Fit is much narrower than other Scarpa boots. All other Scarpa boots I have tried are way too wide for me but these fit well.
- Booster strap can be installed by drilling a hole in the back of the cuff. This helps the downhill performance a bit. I haven't broken the cuff yet, fingers crossed.

The Alien RS represents a huge step forward in the world of ski touring equipment. They are very lightweight, have excellent cuff articulation, and they ski very well. Full stop. Although they do take some getting used to, once you are familiar with the way these boots ski I do not see why you couldn't drive a fairly large ski at decent speeds. I highly recommend tuning the forward lean to suit your skiing style and going with as aggressive of a fit as is comfortable (you need a medium to narrow foot with high volume).

I will attempt to address few of the concerns many people seem to have about this boot. First, “it isn’t going to be warm enough on cold winter days”. In my experience, this boot is adequately warm for most very cold days (single digits F) especially when you are moving fast, and this boot should inspire you to do so. Second, “this boot isn’t going to be durable or reliable”. This boot is like many other ultra-light pieces of gear, I wouldn’t advise wailing on it. I did break my right cuff about an inch above the pivot while skiing one day, luckily Scarpa replaced the cuff for me in a (somewhat) timely fashion.

The Alien RS will become an absolute cult classic of a ski boot. Much like the TLT-6. Its performance greatly outweighs its mass, and I think that is the idea with most of the gear on this site. Get yourself a pair before they are gone. -Scarpa is canning the Alien RS for next season… :(

(Full disclosure: I did not but these boots from skimo.co but I really like this site and I think this is a great place to post and read reviews.)

Do you think this boot would be able to reasonably drive something like the hyper V8? That seems like a big ski, but I just realized it's a pretty similar weight to the standard v6, which does seem like something more in the wheelhouse of this boot.

Just got a pair of these in a 30. Have put 2 days in then and am very disappointed in how sloppy they fit. I probably should have sized down, but then I’d have to punch the toe to make them long enough (2 separate bootfitters agreed). I have a pretty low volume foot and these things just have tons of heel lift, side to side, and up to down play in them. I’m literally swimming even with the Boa maxes. I’m going to try high volume footbeds and foam padding but short of that I’m afraid this boot just won’t work for me.

When it's working this boot is working right, doing what it is designed to do, it does it really well. It is stiff and can ski big, heavy skis fairly well. It's light and has great articulation. The lever/tightening mechanism works well and I have not had a problem with the cord.

However, it's also not super reliable in the field. I have broken the boa system a couple times, and while this isn't a deal breaker, it can be annoying to ski and hike with a loose lower, and it is a big pain to put a new cable in. The bolt that goes through the lever is a bit too short and the nylon on the lock nut doesn't quite engage the threads. I've lost the bolt while touring and almost lost it a couple other times when I realized the nut was going. Skiing out without being able to lock the upper boot can be quite grim. Finally, I've had the gaiter start separating near the cuff after only one season. I'm not sure how I'm going to fix that.

As others have mentioned: these boots are narrow and punching them would void the warranty. They are also a bit small and I would size up.

Hands down the best skiing boot I have ever used in this weight category. I use them with Voile Objectives and Helio 95's and they drive both skis very well. So light! And so easy to use. I think they're total game changers. Over the past 2 seasons I have put approximately 80 days on my Alien RS's and they are holding up surprisingly well. I have yet to have anything break or really fail. I do carry replacement / backup Dyneema cord but am still going strong on the originals. I also keep an eye on the walk/ski mode bolt and put some blue loctite on it for piece of mind. I expect to get another season or two out of them for sure!

Hi, I wanted to know if this boot is compatible with Salomon/Atomic Shift bindings?