We got over to Scarpa and checked out the new boots they’ve added to their line. Louie was in the Skookum a few days ago and liked it. Check ’em out.
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| Dave Simpson gets us up to speed. These boots really round out the Scarpa line with a bit more in the beef department. |
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| Skookum on the left, with Typhoon and Domina to right. All these boots are built with Pebax plastic, so they’re still lighter than polyurethane battleships. The idea is they’re beefy like the Scarpa Hurricane, but tour better. For example, Skookum has an upper cuff similar to Hurricane, and the lower is more like the Spirit 4 (and it comes stock with the “Booster” heavy duty power strap). All come with the choice of flexible touring tongue or the stiff black performance tongue that’s already a favorite among boot modders for swapping into Garmonts, Dynafits and such. Skookum is Dynafit compatible, with the cool front Dynafit sockets set 4 mm aft of other boots so they’re more ergonomic (one does indeed wonder why Dynafit doesn’t do this in their own boots…).
Typhoon and Domina are the same boot in men’s and women’s versions, respectively. They’ve got a more alpine-like sole than the Skookum, which is said to be the only DIN standard rubberized sole on the market that can be skied in alpine or AT bindings. It lacks most of the rocker you’d find in a normal touring boot, so is probably a pain for long walks sans skis. But some skiers will no doubt enjoy being able to clip this boot in their Fritschi or Naxo bindings one day, and their alpine bindings the next. |
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| Lastly, how about what might have to get the WildSnow prize for Dynafit innovation? As many of you know, when you run boots with bellows in the Dynafit, you need a shim under the forefoot to keep the boot from sagging. Installing such shims is an added pain in the neck when you’re trying to get a pair of Dynafits mounted and out the door. Enter the Scarpa “Dynashim, or slide adapter” which simply clips into the crampon holder of the Dynafit and off you go. What’s really cool about this is that you can quickly remove the shim if you want to use crampons — and of course a crampon such as those from B&D Ski Gear can be configured with shims so they’ll work perfectly with a bellows boot such as Scarpa’s F1 or F3. Downside? Dynashims are a bit heavy. Oh well… |
WildSnow.com publisher emeritus and founder Lou (Louis Dawson) has a 50+ years career in climbing, backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. He was the first person in history to ski down all 54 Colorado 14,000-foot peaks, has authored numerous books about about backcountry skiing, and has skied from the summit of Denali in Alaska, North America’s highest mountain.
15 comments
Lou,
I just received a new pair of F3’s in the mail. Did you know they ONLY come with the TLT spacer? Nowhere is this advertised…and a call to Scarpa revealed that they are waiting for the new shims from Italy and will only go to dealers as a perk item. Really disappointing if you ask me.
SMS, I didn’t think they would be packaging the “Dynashim” with boots as it definitely costs some money and they’d have to package two different thicknesses. On the other hand, if they’re hard to get that’s bogus. Let’s see what Scarpa says about that, I’ll ask today or perhaps they’ll leave a comment.
Thanks for asking! At the end of the day, its not a huge deal, I’ve got the old Comfort spacers that came with my F1’s….I’ll just have to cut them up and figure a way to fit them with the new comfort design. It was just surprising because my F1’s came with both spacers when I bought them a couple years ago.
Something else I found neat is that the TLT spacer is a new hollowed design and also comes with a heelpiece. What’s your take on the heelpiece….needed or not?
Lou,
Any word on what volume of foot the boot is designed for?
As much as I love the Scarpa boot, it is always too roomy for my skinny feet.
Tim, the last looked similar, but remember that Scarpa now sells a nice thick boot-board that fits in the shell to take up volume. Worth a look next fall when the boots can be fondled at a retailer…
SMS, the heel height shim seems to be necessary with some bellows boot sizes/molds, and not with others. Do the front one first, then see if the boot seems to bend in a weird way when you have your binding in heel-flat-on-ski mode. If so, consider using the heel shim.
Thanks for the info on the heel! What was the word from Scarpa on the availability of the Dynashim?
Lou and SMS – These new insert-style shims are in at SCARPA North America – they just arrived in the past week or two. Some dealers will have them and for those who have F3s, F1s or Terminator Xs who can’t get them at their local shop, they are available direct from SCARPA.
I just purchased the Scarpa boot boards to take up some volume in my Tornados. They are about 4 mm thick and fit the shell nicely. I need to remove an orange heel block (which is glued in very securely) in order to properly insert them. Does anyone have a solution for removing this block? Thanks.
I’m using dynafit speed bindings with the Scarpa F1 (which I love) on my K2 Shuskans. Like some other posters, I’m questioning the need for the heel height shim – So far I’ve left the ‘removable’ shim installed (under the ball of the foot) for both skiing (including a full day on the piste) and climbing / touring. I have not installed the ‘permanent’ heel shim. This seems to work fine and I have not noticed and drawbacks. However, without the heel shim installed, there is a gap between the bottom (heal) of the boot and the ski. This seems like it would have potential to put undue stress on the two pins connecting the rear of the boot with the binding. Comments?
I noticed that both Mammoth Mountaineering and Telemarkski.com have the “scarpa slide adapter”, which I believe is the same as the “dynashim” mentioned here, available for mail order. You can find them by doing a froogle.com search for “scarpa slide adapter”. Just FYI everyone. Happy skiing!
Ben, if you work at it that orange heel block should come out fairly easily if you work at it, but why not just grind the heel block off the boot boards? Then you could return the boots to stock if necessary without searching for parts a year later.
Rich, in normal use a rigid boot in a Dynafit binding is suspended by the binding, the sole does not touch the ski anywhere.
Hi Lou,
This website is fast becoming a regularly consulted resource for me . . . . I am mostly an alpine and a bit of a telemark skier, but I want an AT setup for heading into unfamiliar/more difficult backcountry. The Domina seems like it may work for me . . . what is the difference between it and the typhoon?
I have a very low volume foot and heel. I also suspect that I have a skinnier calf than the average “women’s” boot assumes, since I have problems with fit in that area. Wondering if I might be better off to try the men’s boot, if it is built with a lower-volume cuff. And wondering if it comes in a size 23, and what the stiffness is like (about 90 is usually comfortable for me).
None of my local shops carry Scarpa’s AT line, so I’m stuck ordering online, hence the questions. Suggestions?
Thanks,
Cynthia
Cynthia, first, if you’re ordering online and have an unusual foot be ready to swap a few times, and that can get expensive with shipping. I’d say if you don’t have the typical woman’s calf, a men’s boot would work fine. There is really little difference between women’s and men’s boots. Some gals even say that most women’s stuff is too “de-tuned” and they just use the guy stuff. This especially true of skis.
As for stiffness and size it comes in, when you order you’ll be able to figure out the sizes available, and once you get it check the stiffness.
Perhaps someone else here has some other ideas?
Backcountry.com. Their return policy is about the best I’ve come across. They worked with me on a pair of bum skis I ordered, even took them back after I mounted and skiied them. Very easy to work with them.
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