Pros: Light-very stiff for weight. walk range is great, similar to other race style boots. Boa is great for easy adjustments. Love the simplistic single throw for switching to ski mode. Tread is very durable. I have only skied race style boots, I've never skied an alpine boot, but comparatively this is the stiffest boot i've used. I have no problem on 100mm waist skis with this. Wouldnt hesitate to use on 105s, but I am a balance skier, I dont drive from the cuff.
Cons: Durability of gaiter pulls-ripped off pretty early while sliding a liner in. Cord that also serves to put the boot in ski mode also visibly is frayed after about 50 days and also slips through the cam lock. Like others I have just tied a knot so that it will not slip through. I have also found the single throw latch to loosen over time, requiring occasional tightening. I am also concerned about the stress on the small cam lock from the added knot, though I havent noticed any issues yet. I also do not like that the sole is very flat. Comparatively to some other brands, there is almost no rocker, so even though ankle ROM is huge, the "naturalness" of the walk is impeded by the flatness of the sole (though that may be preference). I also question the use of the carbon infused grilamid throughout the entire shell, I will explain in the fit notes.
Fit notes: very narrow toe, not anatomical shape. symmetrical rounded pointy ish toe (never seen anyone who has feet or toes that look like the toe box on this) Fairly low volume. My foot measures a 27 but I have to do a 28 in this and its still too tight for my width. The heel and midfoot are wider. I personally have a wide forefoot and narrow heel. This boot is too tight in the toes and too sloppy in the heels for me. I had to add a lot of foam in order to get good heel hold on this, I also had to add a foam shim to the shin area to held with heel hold. Because of the very specific fit of the boot, it is even more limited because of the carbon fiber infused grilamid. This material is stiff, but is extremely difficult to punch. And Scarpa doesnt approve of punching it (voids warranty I believe). I have had mine punched but compared to normal grilamid I was much more limited in how much I could punch it. So if your normal practice is to downsize shell and punch it out, or have a suboptimal fit and modify it, the potential for modification is very small. Even after punching I didnt have enough space in the big toe area so I used a razor to cut out a couple mm from the inside of the liner by my big toe. This boot should work for you if you have a narrow forefoot and in general low volume feet. Talk to the guys on this site, they will steer you in the right direction as far as fit. If you have average, wider "american" feet, my guess is these will be a tough fit out of the box and may not work.
Notes to Scarpa: You know what most people's feet look like, as evidenced by the Maestrale, and other mountain boots, like the Mt. Blanc or the new Ribelle or various other boots. Why do you change the last for "race" boots? Not all people who like to race suddenly morph the shape of their feet. Also, if you are going to make a very specific type of fit that doesnt work for a lot of people, at least make the lower part of the shell out of an easily modifiable material like normal grilamid so that those of us that dont have small elvish pointy toes can have a solution for fit.
Ultimately I will keep the boot, unless someone wants it, but I cannot bare it for multi-day or very heavy mileage days. But if I want high performance skiing or dont plan on a super long day I may take them, but usually comfort wins out for me, so these may be collecting dust for me now. Still an excellent option if it fits you, definitely try in store before purchase.
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Silas Miller
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