Boot Reviews Archives - The Backcountry Ski Touring Blog

Scarpa F1 LT Look and Fitting — Lou’s Take

by Lou Dawson October 16, 2020

The Scarpa-f1-LT has been called a masterpiece. I’d agree, but unlike the Pietà, my version accepted a few tweaks.

In his WildSnow review of the Scarpa F1 LT, Adam Fabrikant gave us a thorough field test and analysis. Upon seeing what he’d written, and checking the specs, I realized this boot might be the one-kilo-class shoe I’ve been seeking to replace the heavier boots necessitated by my healing ankle (took a while, good now). I don’t seek redundancy with Adam’s coverage, but instead here is my first-look, fitting, and a few mods, all from my point of view as an older guy with a few physical problems. To begin, follow along as I make these puppies work for my feet, and my mind.

(Please note, I’m beginning my evaluation and fitting with a pre-retail version of the F1 LT, as Adam did. If I like them, I’ll shift to the retail-production version when it’s available, ostensibly in a month or two. To be fair to Scarpa, let’s assume the production version will be somewhat improved. I’ll edit this review when such information comes to light.)

October 16, 2020 10 comments

Ski Touring Boots — A Few WildSnow Picks 2020

by TheEditors OfWildsnow September 22, 2020

written by TheEditors OfWildsnow

So many boots, so many options.

When piecing together your ski-touring setup, there is no link more important than the plastic slippers on your feet. Below we have compiled a tried and true list of our recent favorites covering the full spectrum of ski-touring applications. Whether you’re looking to audition for the next TGR film, or you just want to bust out fitness laps at your local hill, there is something in here for everyone. Be advised though that no matter how great a boot is on paper, if it doesn’t feel good on your feet, you’re going to have a bad time. Here’s our quick and dirty analysis, with linked search results for more in depth information.

This list is by no means extensive but it captures a few key touring boot ingredients and boots that exemplify them. For all of our boot reviews, click here. And for more tips on boots, check out our Ski Touring Boot Buying Guide Part I and Part II from last season.

Best Freeride Ski Touring Boots: ‘Resort’ Boots That Will Also Tour

Scarpa Maestrale XT
Scarpa’s Maestrale and Maestrale RS boots have long been a staple in the ski-touring market and have been known to make appearances on resort slopes across the west. However, even the die hard fans will tell you that they leave something to be desired when pushing top speeds in variable conditions. Enter the Maestrale XT. With a few simple yet extremely effective tweaks this boot performs like a legitimate resort boot, while maintaining impressive uphill capabilities.

September 22, 2020 18 comments

Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 115 W Touring Boot — First Look

by Julia Dubinina September 18, 2020

written by Julia Dubinina

The Atomic Hawx 115 Ultra XTD is well suited for the resort crowd that wants to get off piste. It boasts 4 buckles and a power strap and easy to flick walk/ski mode, pictured here.

I won’t lie, the later part of 2020 has been, well, hard… Between the pandemic, Black Lives movement, and now the West coast fires, it’s tough to feel optimistic about much of anything. Acknowledging my immense privilege and being the ski addict that I am, one of the rewarding distractions that I have found is…gear!

Now’s the time to start gearing up for the season, and if you’ve been procrastinating on doing proper research about what ski boot may fit your foot best, what ski length is right for you, which Lou Dawson mod you can try in your garage; you’re in the right place. Let’s get the conversation started with a first look at Atomic’s Hawx Ultra XTD 115 ski boot, a resort/touring hybrid option with some new shiny features for 2021.

September 18, 2020 5 comments

Dynafit TLT 8 Expedition CR W Touring Boot Review

by Manasseh Franklin June 10, 2020

written by Manasseh Franklin

The Dynafit TLT 8 touring boot proved its versatility on long backcountry powder tours, resort laps, and even a couple of skimo races.

The Dynafit TLT 8 Expedition W touring boot proved its versatility on long backcountry powder tours, resort laps, and even a couple of skimo races.

From the top lip of Genevieve, a double black run on the flank of Telluride Ski Resort’s Palmyra Peak, the descent appeared near vertical and dotted with large boulder sized bumps. I pulled my Dynafit DNA race skis off my pack, clicked my TLT 8 boots into the light pin bindings and glanced over my shoulder. The closest racer I spotted was a guy roughly 30 yards behind me, not in my category, but still someone I wanted to beat. I dropped into the run, heart pounding, skis skittering across ice before hitting a chalky soft patch. I flexed into the boots, initiated a few jaunty turns before settling into a rhythm just on the edge of control. The run bottomed out with a luge path into tight trees for more steep turns with higher consequences.

Now wait a minute, you might be thinking. Why would this writer be using Dynafit TLT 8 Expedition CR boots with 65mm race skis? Truth is, I was scared. The Tellurando was my first ski mountaineering race and given the demands of the relatively steep course, I wanted to feel as confident skiing the descents as I felt grinding up the climbs. I’d spent weeks prior to the race hammering training laps on and off piste in both the TLT 8s and a more race oriented boot (La Sportiva Sytrons, reviewed here) and had nailed the fit on the TLTs, so much so I’d made the last minute decision at 6am on race day to opt for better skiability over slightly fewer grams. During those harrowing turns down Palmyra, I was thankful for it.

My day of racing in the TLT 8 Expedition boots speaks to the versatility Dynafit has long cultivated with the TLT series. The boot had not only accompanied me for training, but had also been my go-to touring boot for many snowy days leading up to the race. On long backcountry tours with mid-fat skis, in thigh deep powder, chunky wind crusts, resort groomer laps and spring corn, the boot proved its versatility again and again. Here’s my full run down on Dynafit’s latest TLT iteration, one that I suspect will be considered among the best yet.

June 10, 2020 10 comments

Wear ’em to Dinner — Atomic Backland Carbon Review

by Guest Blogger April 29, 2020

written by Guest Blogger

The range of motion of the Atomic Backland Carbon on display. PC: Cyril Brunner

The range of motion of the Atomic Backland Carbon on display. Photo: Cyril Brunner

Race, crud, powder — how the Backland Carbon stacks up

Written by Aaron Rice

I was ready to tell you a fantastic story about testing the Atomic Backland Carbon in creamy pow and perfect corn as I skied down an Arctic couloir straight to the ocean in the Westfjords of Iceland. Alas, Covid-19 had other plans. My loss is your gain, though, because let’s be real, you can’t tell much about a boot when conditions are perfect. Instead, I spent the past two months putting this boot through the ringer on the icy, crusty, and manky conditions of a Northern Vermont spring. Okay, I may be hamming it up a bit, I also got to ski them in some pretty awesome deep Vermont powder!

For the past seven years I’ve been a 3-buckle boot guy. I spent much of that time skiing in the Wasatch, the Andes, New England and beyond. I spent all of 2016 skiing 2.5 million human powered vertical feet and setting a new world record. I’ve operated under the philosophy that I needed two pairs of touring boots: one for fun skiing (the 3-buckle) and one for long adventures and skimo racing (a one buckle/boa style boot). The Atomic Backland is making a strong case that maybe I can shift this mentality, or maybe there’s room for a third boot in my quiver. In going into testing this boot, I was looking for that sweet spot crossover boot that I could take on long full day adventures without sacrificing too much on the down.

The boot

The Backland Carbon is the second lightest boot in Atomic’s ski touring line, weighing in @ 1094 g/boot for a 25.5. The range is from the Backland Ultimate @ 750 g/boot to the Backland Sport @1206 g/boot. It has a Boa over the foot with one cuff buckle and a lever walk mode. The Backland Carbon lives up to its name with a carbon spine running up the back of the boot.

This boot is intended for efficient touring and real skiing. It’s beefier than a skimo boot but smaller than a full-send 3 or 4-buckle AT boot. With these boundaries in mind, it delivers an incredible free range of motion at 74 degrees, is quite light at just over 1000 g, and can drive a ski surprisingly well for a boot with those specs.

April 29, 2020 15 comments

Dynafit Brings the Beef — Hoji Free Review

by Nate Rowland April 24, 2020

written by Nate Rowland

Powerful and agile, the Hoji Free will easily boss around big skis in tight spaces and variable alpine conditions. Photo: Riley Soderquist

On an early March day in the Elk Mountains near Aspen, Colorado I found myself atop a 3,000ft descent in hero snow that aligned with favorable stability. Having spent the three months prior guiding clients in my lighter, more touring-oriented boots, I was predisposed to firing off countless precise turns down the middle of the line looking for the most consistent snow and terrain. However, on this particular day, off the clock and with the Hoji Free boots driving freeride oriented skis, I found myself re-interpreting a line that I had skied many times before. This time I was seeking out undulating micro terrain and pillows built on buried timber from last year’s historic avalanche cycle. Turn, slash, air, point it, turn, and repeat. Linking feature-to-feature with variable radius turns and slashing my way down, I was laughing out loud at how effortless and fun it all was. In an industry often focused on shaving grams, I was reminded that at times this can come at the expense of pure skiing pleasure. The Hoji Free was designed to dish up the fun.

The Hoji Frees aren’t the lightest in their segment, or the stiffest for that matter, but they do have a huge sweet-spot and will easily drive whatever plank you choose to pair them with. The Hoji Free offers a 130 flex boot with 55 degrees of cuff rotation in a 102mm last at 1,550 grams (size 26.5).

My previous go-to beefy touring boot was the Dynafit Vulcan. As a 1,000 plus day user of the Vulcan (multiple pairs), I have tried and failed to find a boot with a similar or better balance of uphill/downhill performance. Could the Hoji Free be the boot that finally retires the venerable Vulcan from the feet of countless guides, connoisseurs, and discerning dirtbags?

April 24, 2020 7 comments

Spawn of the Alien and F1 — Scarpa F1 LT Review

by Guest Blogger April 15, 2020

written by Guest Blogger

Day Two of a traverse through the Gros Ventres outside of Jackson, WY. Sun softened mank with a heavy pack. We covered 60 plus miles over three days while exploring a new alpine arena. Photo: Clark Henarie

Examining the latest addition to the Scarpa Family

Written by Adam Fabrikant

This past February, I arrived home to a pair of boots sitting on the doorstep. I have yet to take them off. I was intrigued by this newer lighter boot, one that could offer a game changing ski touring experience built upon the well-received Scarpa Alien RS — the F1 LT.

This new boot had big shoes to fill as a replacement to a modified Dynafit Vulcan I’d used exclusively for seven years prior. A little about me, 5’ 8”, 135lbs. I work as a ski and mountain guide and ski full time. My ski season typically starts in the Chilean Andes in October, followed by winter in the Tetons and Greater Yellowstone, and then spring in Alaska. All of my skiing is human powered; I rode lifts two days this season while teaching an avalanche course. I enjoy long days, 10+ hours with lots of vertical and mileage. Living in Wyoming we joke that we get our miles as well as vert.

Since acquiring the F1 LT, I have skied them exclusively over some 50+ days. In terms of numbers for vertical/ mileage just assume I skied them more in the last few weeks than most will do in a season. These boots have skied the Grand Teton, Middle Teton, South Teton, Nez Perce, lines on Mt Owen, Teewinot and many other Teton High Peaks. I went on a hut trip in the Centennials out of West Yellowstone and recently did a three day traverse in the Gros Ventre Range in them. They’ve seen lots and lots of powder skiing and a good amount of technical rock and ice climbing. So, is the F1 LT my new do it all ski boot? Read on.

April 15, 2020 38 comments

Scarpa Maestrale XT VS. RS — Comparo & Review

by Louie Dawson April 7, 2020

written by Louie Dawson

Comparing the Maestrale XT to my old favorite, the Maestrale RS.

I’ve been a fan of Scarpa’s Maestrale line of touring boots for years, with my current go to being the RS version (review here). The Maestrale RS is fairly light, and tours well, while still being “enough” boot to drive big skis. As with every touring boot, it is a compromise. For me, the compromise is on both ends of the spectrum: it doesn’t have the tour-ability of a light skimo boot, but also it gives up a bit of beef on the down, compared to a more alpine-like boot. That lands the RS right in the middle, which works very well for much of the skiing I do, especially in mid-winter.

I tend to like a beefier boot for the ski area, and backcountry tours that are more focused on having fun on the down. I’m often willing to sacrifice a fair bit of uphill performance to have a boot that can hold up to some air and speed. The fact is, I’m not a good enough skier to ski well in wimpy light boots. The Maestrale XT, a stiffer version of the RS new for this year, looked like an excellent option to fulfill this niche.

Since many potential Maestrale customers are going to be deciding between the RS and the XT, I’m going to focus this review on comparing the two.

April 7, 2020 6 comments

Walk 500 Miles, and More — Women’s La Sportiva Sytron Review

by Manasseh Franklin April 3, 2020

written by Manasseh Franklin

The La Sportiva Sytron — a boot that can double duty for long mountain missions or skimo training days.

I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more… Too often when ski touring, but most especially when training, that song gets lodged in my head. Only I sometimes replace “miles” with “feet”, vertical feet, as I hamster up a slope, rip skins, ski down, skin up, repeat.

This winter I walked many of those vertical feet in the La Sportiva Sytron, a lightweight ski mountaineering shoe designed for maximum uphill efficiency but also decent downhill performance. Here’s my take after a long winter of training days.

Perhaps thanks to my German engineer predecessors, I’m intrinsically drawn to models of efficiency particularly when it comes to lightweight gear for moving farther into the mountains. Training is fun and all, but it’s essentially done in the service of being fit for bigger days and longer objectives when snow conditions allow. So I was particularly excited to get my foot into a boot that had similar ambitions — light enough for routine skimo training and rec racing, but substantial enough to take on some big objectives. Enter, the La Sportiva Sytron.

Last spring, Alex Lee gave an initial take on the Sytron. I’ll add to that with a long term view specifically oriented to lighter skiers like myself (I tested the women’s version which is the only women’s specific race-weight boot on the market. The liner is lower volume than the men’s, though the differences are otherwise negligible).

April 3, 2020 2 comments

These Dancing Shoes Can Ski — La Sportiva Skorpius CR Review

by Gary Smith March 12, 2020

written by Gary Smith

With a few mods, the La Sportiva Skorpius CR is a strong contender for the elusive quiver of one boot for a lighter guy like myself.

Not-too-light is right for versatility

Two seasons ago I went to a two touring boot approach — the Scarpa Alien RS for fast days with faster friends on light skis, and the Hoji Pro Tour for normal strong pacing and pushing a bigger ski. This approach worked well and opened up the quiver a bit, but, as picky as I am with boots, it was a ton of effort. It also required adjusting my style depending on the boot of the day. I decided to replace the two-boot system with a long term test of the new La Sportiva Skorpius CR this season, hoping to go back to a single boot for all but resort and resort accessed backcountry. The Scarpa F1 has been the best single touring boot quiver for me in the past. Could the Skorpius be the next one?

Doug danced around in the Skorpius CR before there was any snow on the ground and gave us his initial impressions. Aaron Mattix has also covered the less stiff La Sportiva Solar extensively now. Here’s my take, including some modding and plenty of on-snow performance.

March 12, 2020 27 comments

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