Alico Backcountry Touring Nordic Ski Boots - 75 mm (For Men)

I bought these boots for my husband as a birthday present. He loves them as they come out of the box but hasn't had a chance to try them out. I was worried about some of the reviews that stated they were too thick for their bindings but we both use the traditional 75mm 3 pin binding and didn't have a single problem. I'm a novice so all my advice come from my experienced skier hubby!

Duckbill toe slightly loose in modern 3-pin bindings

These boots fell shy of my expectations. The fit wasn't quite right for me. Where Asolo boots fit me perfectly, these have some oddities that I've never encountered in a boot. The vamp (top of the foot near the ankle) is huge, leaving airspace between the boot and the top of my foot. I have flat, low volume feet, but I've never encountered a fit like this. The toe box is wide for me, but the leather is thin enough that when the foot bends, the leather forms a major wrinkle over the toes. While I did not ski in these, the effect in wearing was crushing and uncomfortable, undoubtedly leading to blisters in the future. In a boot like this, I want the sole to be replaceable, but since these are thermo-glued to the sole, I don't think they're replaceable. In the end, I had to send these back, because when you go through the trouble of wearing and breaking in a leather boot, you want to have them for a while. The fit issues with these were unworkable for me.

Because of reviews, I bought 1/2 size big. I take a 10.5 and bought an 11. A 10.5 would have fit ok, but 11 is great with an extra pair of socks. Other reviews have called these "toe crushers". I was concerned about that at first, and there is some pressure on your toes (fully flexed), but after a dozen uses, I don't seem to notice it any more. There is good support in the ankles and heel. The bill of the boot is thicker than some, but they worked in my bindings. It is a very good "off trail" boot and I'm glad I found these here at Sierra. Just a word of caution: this nice Italian leather will get chewed up by breaking trails in an ice crusted snow (after a freezing rain). My old Asolo's look like a dog's chew toy now.

These boots are quality Italian made x-c ski boots. Thick leather, Vibram sole, gusseted tongue, quality lacing hardware, good laces. The ONLY downside is the current lot they have in stock are sized in UK sizing. One full size too large. I wear 11 or 11 1/2 size footwear. I ordered a size 11, had to return them for a 10 1/2, had to return THOSE and finally got the right size with the size 10. I would never fit in a size 10 shoe. Buyer be advised.