Emanuels Stiefelgeschichte

“I remember buying these in spring 1991 from a local shoe store in Vetlanda. He had got them in specially for me. I was 17 years old and really into hiking, and I wanted to go for good pieces of kit. A couple of years earlier, I’d been walking in some less than great boots that I bought cheaply somewhere. I didn’t want to do that again.

In the summer of 1991, my cousin and I were going to hike the Kungsleden trail from Abisko to Kebnekaise, and I just couldn’t face not having good shoes on my feet. I remember trying them on at home in the kitchen and the feeling was magical. It felt like I was bouncing along. There was a real spring in my step!

A friend had had some Lundhags Alaskas for a couple of years and was very happy with them. That’s why I choose these. Lundhags had quite a limited range at the time. That was an advantage in a way. Now there are lots of models on the market. I thought the binding lip on the front of the boots looked great. They came into their own a few years later, when I acquired a pair of wooden skis with wire bindings. I still wear the boots for skiing. On the same skis.

I switch between my Alaskas and a pair of low-shafted ones. I always choose the Alaskas when the terrain is a bit wetter. They came with me on my last mountain hike in 2020 and managed a week’s trekking without any problems, despite almost 30 years of use. However, the soles are worn out and I should really drop them off for resoling. Some of the eyelets have come loose and been replaced by a shoemaker. Some of the seams are also quite worn, and I’ve repaired them myself with strong thread where the old seam has gone.

I don’t think I have the oldest boots that are still in use, but 31 years of faithful service is certainly not bad going. With such long-lasting boots, I haven’t exactly been a major customer of Lundhags. That’s what happens when you make things this good.

Best regards,
Emanuel Sennerstrand”