Quit the Sumo Stomp with Salomon S Lab X-Alp Boots — Review

by Lisa Dawson
written by Lisa Dawson
Salomon women's X-Alp

Salomon women’s S Lab X-Alp.

One of the mistakes I see in backcountry skiing is people aggressively lifting up their skis when skinning. They stomp uphill like a sumo wrestler ceremoniously warming up for a match, rather than smoothly sliding their skis on the snow.

Glide friendly skins are part of the formula for an efficient stride. Another thing that helps is a boot with exceptional range of motion. Enter Salomon S Lab X-Alp ski touring boots (similar to Arcteryx Procline).

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Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro Ski Boot 2018-2019

by Tyler Christoff
written by Tyler Christoff

Shop for Tecnica Zero G

Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro out for a spin, for 2018-2019.

Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro out for a spin, for 2018-2019. Click images to enlarge.

Editor’s note from Lou: Last season, we liked the idea of Tecnica’s effort in their Zero G Guide Pro overlap cuff ski touring boot. Only we felt the boot to be a sophomore effort lacking in enough cuff travel to qualify as a “real” touring shoe, as well as being a bit on the heavy side in term of our expectations. We got some grief for our take from various Tecnica hyper-fans. It appears we also got to be right. This year’s version of the boot (available fall of 2018) has a vastly improved cuff flex range, a clearly better lean lock, drops the two piece swap sole (adds complexity and expense, doesn’t cover middle of boot sole), is lighter, and overall appears finished in terms of being something more than a nice yellow downhill boot with a lean lock and some rubber on the toe and heel. Our only real gripe is the awkward 4-word name, which we’ll play around with shortening so we don’t damage our wrist tendons. Below, one of our best gear testers takes the Zero Pro out for a spin. Looks like we have a winner.

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Scott Celeste III — Women’s Ski Touring Boot

by Lisa Dawson
written by Lisa Dawson
Scott women's Celeste III

Scott women’s Celeste III

If you’re strong enough to carry a bit of extra weight on the uphill, consider Scott’s women’s boot: Celeste III. My size 24.5 originally weighed 1323 gm per boot (before removal of vestigial 4th buckle). They’re not the lightest ski touring boots but they rank high in my experience as top performers downhill. After all the work of skinning up a peak, it sure is sweet to have solid contact with your skis on the down, especially since backcountry snow is often challenging: variable, wind crusted, etc. I slay through it all with confidence in the Celeste III.

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La Sportiva Boot Fitter L’amore

by Louis Dawson
written by Louis Dawson

Translate. Sportiva love. Specifically. Their ski touring boots (though the climbing boots are not too shabby either). Lisa is testing a pair of Sportiva Sparkles (review yesterday). My role is to do a length and width punch at toe so she can use the correct size shell for her heel and mid-foot. If every boot out there had an easily removable tongue like this, my work in this earthly shell would be complete and I’d smile as I shifted to the next plane of existence. As it is, I’m still tasked with grinding rivets out of other brands and models. But all La Sportiva requires is a screw driver. A few photos to explain.

La Sportive tongue attachment.

La Sportive tongue attachment is easily removed, also includes a feature for aligning the tongue with your leg shape. I’ve never felt a need for that, but can see it being useful for boot fitting someone with a pronounced tibial curve (how _is_ your tibial curve, by the way?).

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Sparkle 2.0 Women’s Ski Touring Boot — Tested

by Lisa Dawson
written by Lisa Dawson

(This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry.)

La Sportiva Sparkle 2.0

La Sportiva Sparkle 2.0

A ski boot is a critical piece of equipment that affects ski performance, but it sure is tricky to find a boot that fits comfortably and still gives you solid contact with your planks.

If you’re shopping for a performance ski touring boot, La Sportiva’s women’s Sparkle is worth a look. It’s light compared to the beefier AT boots out there, but performs as well as any 4 buckle boot I’ve skied.

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2018 SCARPA Gea RS — New, Improved and Tested

by Julia Dubinina
written by Julia Dubinina

(This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry.)

Side by side

Side by side — new Gea RS on the right.

Who loves boots that fit just right? Me, me, ME! After trying numerous models, four years ago I became the owner of SCARPA Gea RS and loved them from day one. As I mentioned in my overview of women’s boots at Outdoor Retailer last year, my feet don’t like ski boots. My wide forefoot aches and hurts in most boots. The process of fitting ski boots might be my least favorite part about skiing. It seems to get more time consuming and frustrating each time I do it.

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