Scarpa Alien RS

[1000-oaks]

^ Yeah, just discovered the crampon thing last night with CAMP XLC 390. Suppose you could cut off the bottom of the lever, and put a loop of cord through it higher up.

Ordered BD Neve to see if they fit any better.

[Aenigma]

BD Neve will not work well; that is what I got rid of.

I'm really happy with the Petzl Leopards, and something like the skimatic would probably work great.

[bbrianburke]

my grivel haute route crampons work great on these and make a nice light pair.

[XXX-er]

Got a pair of these a couple weeks ago and have a day trip and an 8-day traverse on them now

Downsides: the liners. I started noticing places with significant wear on day two, and now have one liner with foam starting to disintegrate in one spot. I think liberal use of tenacious tape will let me get about a season out of the liners, and that will be it. Fortunately the shells haven't shown signs of falling apart yet, but I am suspicious now. The little stickers covering screws on the insides of the shells started coming off after about 6 hours of skiing, and I think all of them have fallen off my boots now. Also, the lever on the back of the boot extends pretty far down, so these are not compatible with a lot of crampons (Petzl Leopard seems to fit well).

why not try for warranty on the liner?

[1000-oaks]

Anyone ever have an issue with this lever-style boot in semi-firm snow walking downhill? Seems like plunging the boot into the snow could lift the lever off its tab.

But really just looking for another reason to cut off the end of the levers so damn crampons will fit, lol.

[trogdortheburninator]

Solution: ski downhill instead

[1000-oaks]

Solution: ski downhill instead

Knew that was coming.

[trogdortheburninator]

Why do you want to plunge step in ski mode?

[TG]

Why do you want to plunge step in ski mode?

x2

and it sounds like the buckle only interferes with the CAMP XLC 390 when in ski mode?

[1000-oaks]

BD Neve will not work well; that is what I got rid of.

I'm really happy with the Petzl Leopards, and something like the skimatic would probably work great.

Yeah, no-go, returning the Neve's....bit the bullet and just ordered the Skimatic's.

[hafjell]

Yeah, no-go, returning the Neve's....bit the bullet and just ordered the Skimatic's.

Why won't the Neves work?

[1000-oaks]

The Neve's heel lever doesn't allow the boot to be in ski mode (due to interference with the boot mode lever), and even when in walk mode the shape of the crampon lever doesn't allow it seat properly on the heel lug due to the curvature of the shell.

Edit: Grivel Skirace Ski Matic crampons arrived today, they fit the Alien RS really, really well.

[1000-oaks]

That this guy isn't breaking his modified shells with mid-fat skis is a good sign.
https://www.wildsnow.com/24537/scarp...ification-fit/

[NShultz]

^^^ That's good to hear. I have about 20 days on my Alien RS last season used mostly with a Helio 95, 173cm and they did great. As mentioned previously by another poster earlier in this thread - I did have my Intuition Liners start to become unstitched in the rear (heel) flex zone. I am also currently on the look out for a good crampon recommendation. I am leaning towards the Grivel SkiMatic 2.0 Race cramps. I'd love to hear some personal experience with how these cramps function and hold up with use. Any issues kicking steps/front pointing and interference with the toe lever?

[1000-oaks]

I'm no crampon expert, but the Skimatic 2.0 Race fits the Alien RS perfectly. I was initially concerned that having the lever on the toe wouldn't be as effective as a traditional rear lever, but it seems to work just fine and is very, very solid. (I did make a pair of spacers using thin aluminum plate to fine-tune the length of the strap between the toe and heel though, for size 27 shells. The spacers are half the thickness of the adjustment hole spacing.) And Grivel's quality is excellent.

[bean]

The cord on my boots pulls through every single time I latch it in to ski mode, and it's starting to fray. Has anyone found anything to keep it in place other than a stopper knot?

[TG]

The cord on my boots pulls through every single time I latch it in to walk mode, and it's starting to fray. Has anyone found anything to keep it in place other than a stopper knot?

I don’t understand - putting it into walk mode releases tension on the cord, how does that cause it to pull through?

[bean]

Sorry, I was distracted when I wrote that - meant every time I put it in to ski mode.

[ccl]

The cord on my boots pulls through every single time I latch it in to ski mode, and it's starting to fray. Has anyone found anything to keep it in place other than a stopper knot?

Out of curiosity, what’s wrong with a stopper knot? I’ve used this approach as long as I’ve had my Alien RS’s - about 80 days or so. No fraying and still on the original cord. Do you adjust yours regularly?

[bean]

Out of curiosity, what’s wrong with a stopper knot? I’ve used this approach as long as I’ve had my Alien RS’s - about 80 days or so. No fraying and still on the original cord. Do you adjust yours regularly?

Just that it'll be nearly impossible to get out once tight. I do adjust regularly but only because it pulls through every single time. Mine only had a few days on them when the cord started pulling through, so apparently it's mandatory.

[ccl]

Just that it'll be nearly impossible to get out once tight. I do adjust regularly but only because it pulls through every single time. Mine only had a few days on them when the cord started pulling through, so apparently it's mandatory.

Yeah, I could never get mine to stay put without the knot. Luckily it seems I never need to adjust it, maybe only 2-3x since I've had the boot. I like the one-move mode change and tightening, but I'll admit I'm drooling over the F1 LT.

[Dshack89]

BD Neve will not work well; that is what I got rid of.

I'm really happy with the Petzl Leopards, and something like the skimatic would probably work great.

I'm curious to hear more on your issues with BD Neves. My Neves (already had them before buying the Alien Rs) seem to fit fine with a carpet test. Sure, you can't put the boots in ski mode....but I gotta imagine I will always be in walk mode when booting up something.

What am I missing?

[Smallfurry]

Curious about these boots.

I have some Dynafit superlite 150 bindings waiting for skis and boots. Lightweight touring set up. I'm no hard skier but I do get myself into tricky areas with poor snow conditions. Seriously considering some Dynafit blacklight 95s. 94mm underfoot, and 1160g in my 165cm length. So not too much ski. Except they are seriously stiff. Bit worried the stiffness will pair poorly with the Alien boot. Another option is the DPS Cassiar 87 tour1 ski. But I'm a littlke skeptical about its soft snow performance given its resort design.

I'd be grateful for any input on this.