A Touring Boot Punching Means Above Its Weight Class: La Sportiva Skorpius CR II Evaluate

I used to be deep right into a ski tour after I began to query why I hadn’t circled earlier. Your complete south facet of the route I used to be on hadn’t seen contemporary snow in over every week. As a substitute, it had been baking within the late winter solar and refreezing every night time, forming the harshest breakable crust all season. I’ve discovered the exhausting means that crusts like this eat light-weight touring boots for breakfast.

I pointed it downhill and pushed ahead into my first few crunchy turns. It wasn’t enjoyable. However I didn’t blow a knee both. I attribute a number of that relative success to my boot not folding over with every punch by the crust. I had exceptional management over my Kastle TX103s by the chunder. That’s the Skorpius CR II boot for you. It’s a newly up to date light-weight boot from La Sportiva that gives vastly extra assist than different boots in its class.

I had a number of enjoyable testing the Skorpius in Colorado’s Gore Vary with a quiver of skis over many miles and snow situations, each wonderful and treacherous.

Briefly: La Sportiva’s new Skorpius CR II ($849) is likely one of the few light-weight touring boots highly effective sufficient to drive your total backcountry ski quiver. At a scant 1,190 g per boot, they rise to lengthy days within the backcountry, large spring missions, and even the occasional skimo race. Devoted human-powered skiers in the hunt for a light-weight do-it-all touring boot will discover a buddy within the Skorpius. That’s if they will get together with the BOA dial and Velcro strap buckles.

La Sportiva Skorpius CR II Evaluate

The Up

The Skorpius’ spectacular specs translate to the uphill. At 1,190 g per boot (measurement 27), they’re aggressive within the just-over-1kg class of trainers. They’re about 70 g lighter than the Scarpa F1, but 90 g heavier than the brand new Salomon MTN Summit Professional.

Their 68-degree vary of movement is spectacular. I doubt my ankle might deal with greater than that anyway. The dearth of resistance inside that vary additionally units the boot aside from others within the class. That has quite a bit to do with the liner’s flex inserts. My stalwart Instinct liners, for instance, put up extra resistance.

Total, the Skorpius’ thermomoldable liners, paired with a large shell final, and are fairly comfy. I haven’t felt the necessity to mould them as a result of the toebox is so beneficiant. After I first put the boots on, I assumed they might have been too large provided that my toes weren’t completely smashed. I quickly realized that touring boots don’t must be painful to ski properly.

I ended up including skinny heel shims below the liner to mitigate slight heel elevate — which I add to virtually each boot together with my very own footbed. The manufacturing facility footbed is extremely skinny, so that you’ll wish to change it instantly.

On my third day within the boot, about 28 miles right into a coaching tour for an upcoming long-distance skimo race, I used to be flummoxed. With hooves like these (ultra-high arches), it’s uncommon that I can placed on a brand new boot and go for any tour with out ache or blisters. Certain, my ft weren’t thrilled after 9 hours in ski boots. However I made it by with none ache meds or blister mitigation.

The Down

Whenever you lock down the Skorpius, one factor is straight away obvious: There’s a number of cuff and tongue pushing again in your shins. On this regard, they don’t really feel like light-weight touring boots usually do. They really feel extra like the primary time I ever placed on the venerable Dynafit Vulcans, which from the cuff up, felt like an alpine boot.

That feeling interprets to snowboarding. The cuff and tongue present a dense and progressive flex that I definitely wasn’t anticipating from such a lightweight boot. I’m extra accustomed to the inflexible wall or knee-to-ski collapsing dichotomy that plagues light-weight boots.

On the backside of my first run on my Black Crows Orb Freebird, I used to be scratching my head; why do I’ve a two-boot quiver for backcountry snowboarding?

Testing on Different Skis

I took them out one other day, this time paired with my greater ski, a 189cm Kastle TX103. My TX103s don’t play properly with all light-weight boots, particularly in combined situations.

Alas, I used to be stunned once more. The Skorpius introduced the facility and foothold required to pilot the larger ski. That progressive flex saved me from going “over the bars.” Total, it paired fairly properly with the TX103. Sure, the TX103 is a remarkably nimble and easy-to-ski large ski, however the level nonetheless stands: The Skorpius can pilot a variety of skis and punches above its weight class.

Based mostly on La Sportiva’s specs, I attribute a lot of the boot’s energy to the cuff’s peak and 30% carbon reinforcement (that’s the place the “CR” within the title comes from). The decrease boot solely has 10% carbon and is considerably extra forgiving.

On the opposite finish of the spectrum, I paired the boot with each a Dynafit PDG skimo race ski and a Black Crows Mentis Freebird. Each pairings have been phenomenal climbers, as you may anticipate. I used to be capable of push deep into the Skorpius’ flex on piste with the Mentis, and man, was that extra enjoyable than I anticipated; perhaps as a lot enjoyable as you possibly can have on a ski that skinny. I felt like Mikaela on the market ripping slalom turns.

Tightening

The Skorpius tightens down with an more and more widespread Velcro high strap buckle, velcro energy strap, and instep BOA. I struggled to get the tightness I needed on the primary attempt. The buckle lever doesn’t present a lot leverage on the Velcro strap.

I really feel the identical means concerning the Scarpa F1, which makes use of a virtually similar buckle strap. I find yourself buckling it down, tightening the facility strap, then readjusting the principle strap, and buckling over once more to get the match I would like. Which finally ends up being wonderful — it’s simply time-consuming.

It’s the same story with the BOA dial. It’s robust to get leverage on the spherical knob to crank it tight. I used to be capable of get the tightness I needed finally, however wingnut-like flanges on the BOA dial would assist immensely.

The Skorpius’ “Swing Lock” mechanism is exclusive in comparison with different boots in the marketplace (pictured under). As a substitute of a vertical lever that flips right down to lock the boot into ski mode, it makes use of a spring-loaded swinging lever that rotates just like the arms of a clock. It’s definitely efficient and the facility transfers properly. It interferes together with your pants cuff about as a lot as another lever.

Total, it’s efficient and intuitive.

Scarpa F1 Comparability

Scarpa’s F1 boot has been a light-weight staple for years. It’s a superb boot for comparability as a result of it’s in the identical weight and use class as the brand new Skorpius, and their Velcro buckle/BOA programs are practically similar.

By way of match, the Skorpius is far roomier within the toebox. The F1’s shell has a narrower toe, and thus a comfortable “efficiency” match up entrance. I wanted so as to add heel shims to each boots to mitigate heel elevate, however the heel safety nod goes to the Skorpius.

Transferring up the boot, the Skorpius has a taller cuff and customarily delivers extra energy. The F1 is not any slouch on this regard, however I discovered the taller cuff delivers extra energy with much less strap tightening.

I’m not an enormous fan of the Velcro strap high buckle on both boot — or Velcro in any respect on high-end merchandise — but each of them carry out simply effective. The Skorpius’ buckle appears to have barely extra “throw” and leverage than the F1’s.

With all the facility it delivers, the Skorpius is ready to drive a greater diversity of skis than the F1. My F1 is a wonderful match for my 178cm Black Crows Orb Freebird. But it surely struggles with greater skis in difficult situations.

Whereas match is extremely subjective, I choose Scarpa’s Mondo sizing over La Sportiva’s. Scarpa’s sizes break on the total measurement (i.e., 27.5 and 28 are in the identical shell measurement), whereas La Sportiva and different manufacturers like Dynafit break on the half measurement (i.e., 28 and 28.5 are in the identical shell). I find yourself needing to leap to an even bigger shell than I’d choose with the latter, however once more it’s a matter of non-public choice and foot measurement.

Skorpius CR II: Conclusion

The Skorpius CR II continues to impress me. I don’t love the BOA or Velcro strap buckle, however the boot performs on each the uphill and downhill. It has a beneficiant vary of movement, low weight, and loads of energy. It’s not solely stiffer than most boots in its class, but it surely’s additionally extra progressive and supportive.

All that and it’s comfy? I’m wanting ahead to extra lengthy days with these boots on my ft.