Boots Recommendations...Have White/Orange Maestrale RS...Seeking More Power/Support

[uneven_skier]

Hello Forum! I am hoping that the community might be willing to provide a bit of advice on boots. A couple of questions:

*I live in LA -- any ideas for places where I might go to check out AT boots in California? Even the Sierras or Mammoth etc? Any great shops to know about?

*Also -- I have the white/orange Scarpa Maestrale RS from around 2014 and they never quite felt right for me. They feel fairly stiff, but the cuff feels low-ish and doesn't quite inspire confidence, especially in sketchy conditions (driving through turns in deeper snow, or sketchier snow conditions etc.).

I am wary to go add another pound (or more) to my feet with some of the heavier options out there, but it would be totally worth it if I could find a boot that offered comfort and support.

Any recommendations for boots or shops? Other ideas? Could adding heel lifts make a difference?

For my alpine setup, I ski Salomon X Pro 120 boots and they are fantastic.

With that in mind, I have been considering the following options:

*Salomon S/Lab Mtn

*Salomon Qst

*Technica Zero G Tour

*Scarpa Freedom

*Scott Cosmos III or Garmont Cosmos

*Garmont Megaride

I am hoping to find that boot that could drive a ski through turns in all conditions and yet also be able to hike around without destroying my feet and my soul...me and everyone else I'm sure

I would be grateful for any insights or suggestions about boots, fitting, or shops. Thanks all!

**This thread was edited on Mar 5th 2020 at 2:40:01am

 

[LeeLau]

No geo specific recommendations.

However - given your foot both the Tecnica ZeroG Tour Pro or the Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130 would be lighter, stiffer and can be custom - fit to vastly improve both skiing and touring performance

 

[uneven_skier]

No geo specific recommendations.

However - given your foot both the Tecnica ZeroG Tour Pro or the Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130 would be lighter, stiffer and can be custom - fit to vastly improve both skiing and touring performance

Thanks LeeLau for your advice. I ended up ordering a set of Scott Cosmos III boots. I had read a lot of great things about the Garmont Cosmos and had heard a lot about the Mega Rides that preceded them, and so I am excited to try them out. At $300 on eBay they were also a bit more affordable than a couple of the other options. Hopefully they fit and this ends up being a nice upgrade...if I remember I'll circle back to post an update!

 

[SkiingNinja]

I saw you already ordered some boots but for anyone else out there, I suggest checking out the SCARPA Maestrale XT boots or the Dynafit Hoji's/Hoji Free's. Many of the ski guides I work with love those for powerful but light boots.

 

[killa_trees]

I switched from the orange/black/blue maestrales to a bd quadrant and havent looked back. That specific boot isn't made anymore, but backcountry in Truckee seemed to have a couple pairs there this summer from their rental fleet. You might be able to get a screamin deal on a used pair

 

[Shl]

Hi,

I have similar problem. I want to switch from Dynafit Neo PX to something stiffer, lighter, better. Also, it has to work with Beast 14 binding.

I did some research and would like to chose from:

Salomon S/Lab MTN

Scarpa Maestrale RS 2.0

Atomic Hawx ultra xtd 130

Anyone could help me what are the strenghts and weaknesses of these boots? Is any better than others?

**This post was edited on Mar 14th 2020 at 7:53:50pm

 

[uneven_skier]

Update -- I received a set of Scott Cosmos III boots. Size was a bit too big, but I did have a chance to ski in them for a day (resort, not hiking) and I could tell immediately that they were a lot more solid. I have now exchanged them for the right size and will post another update a bit farther down the line once I've had a chance to do a bit of skiing with the right size boots etc. Thanks for the feedback and suggestions all!