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  1. #1
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    What boots fit like a Scarpa Maestrale RS?

    Always had a hell of a time finding boots that fit me. Every bootfitter I've seen have said no one really makes a boot for my type of foot. The ones that have come the closest have been Lange boots and for touring, Scarpa Maestrale RS. I have a very high instep and a very low volume heel. I'm told this is an odd combination. The Scarpas are what I need for my instep height but I've had to have foam added in the heel to have proper retention there. My Maestrale RSs are now getting to the end of their life (plastic is cracking at the cuff pivot points).

    I could just go with some new Maestrale RS2s (unless they've changed how they fit) but does anyone know if there are any other touring boots that have the same type of fit as the Maestrale RS that I should look into? Only looking for touring boots in the lighter weight category. Would like the same flex as the RS but could go with something softer if it's likely to fit well (losing some weight would be nice).

  2. #2
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    They should make a softer lighter Maestrale... maybe make it Orange?

    Quote Originally Posted by Downbound Train View Post
    And there will come a day when our ancestors look back...........

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by PNWbrit View Post
    They should make a softer lighter Maestrale... maybe make it Orange?

    They're the same weight (1400g vs 1410g) so if there's no weight benefit, I don't want softer.

  4. #4
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    No other boot fits like that. Thank fucking god

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by nomad_games View Post
    No other boot fits like that. Thank fucking god
    This

  6. #6
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    Hey, I think we may have similar feet from your description. The boots I have used (really the few that have worked for my feet) are the Lange SX 120 and now the Maestrale 2, the orange one. I also tried on the Scarpa F1s which I think are a bit lighter and seemed to fit me in the shop, but I ended up going with the Maestrale. You could look into that maybe

  7. #7
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    I looked at both and weighted both. 2019's. The orange was 5oz lighter for a 28.0. I did buy the orange Maestrale, not so much for the weight savings but I was keeping my Vulcans and wanted a lighter duty boot. So far and I have about a dozen days on these, They ski great and plenty of power for 95 and 112's that I tour with. I got them as a replacement for my TLT6's. I never like those boots, fit OK just wimpy as compared to my Vulcans so not used much. The Maestrales are a little heavier but climb great and way better descending as compare to TLT6. Additionally, just trying on both RS and orange, the oranges seem to be slightly less volume.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by nomad_games View Post
    No other boot fits like that. Thank fucking god
    Quote Originally Posted by jski171 View Post
    This
    X 3

    If you have a Lange foot, then try Atomic for touring. I have a similar foot to yours.

    I fit the Lange RX LV in a 25.5 for resort (have to remove the insole/footbed to get the instep to fit and I ski it without, and even then it can be a bit too tight on cold days) and I run the Lange Freetour 130 (non-LV) in 25.5 for slack and yo-yo. The heel hold is the same, but the non-LV has more instep height and a very slightly relaxed forefoot width which suits me for walking up. I can fit the stock insole, but can't fit my Conformable custom beds in there. No punches or any fitting needed with Lange shells for me. Both these shells are a 5 to 7 mm shell fit.

    The Maestrale is a terrible fit for that type of foot.

    I tried on the Maestrale RS and the regular Maestrale in 25 and 26 shells, and they are terrible. In fact, given how they fit, I can't believe that they are as popular as they are. It has a wide Freddy Flintstone heel and instep (with absolutely no shaping to speak of), with a ballerina forefoot and toe (proportionally narrows and thins relative to the gaping maw they call a heel pocket, ironically I'm sure). It's shaped like a pyramid with the point facing forward to the toe. It's only slightly worse than some of the Salomon touring offerings in that regard. The euros love them because they all buy their boots 2 shells too big anyway, and don't know any better. The tongues in these, and in the F1's, are an impediment and a hindrance at room temperature, and will be moreso in the backcountry, especially in cold weather.

    I also tried on the F1 in 25 and 26, the fit is about the same, and they are fiddily as fuck to get in and out of. Plus, every time you want to get in or out, you have to undo the velcro "power strap" which will make it wear out and loosen very, very quickly. Given that this velcro strap acts as the upper buckle for the boot, and the way the tongue is set up, it's a terrible, weak, Rube Goldberg machine of a boot. I guess this shouldn't be surprising given all the different failure modes that we've seen with late-model Scarpa boots.

    Go try the Atomic Hawx XTD, or the Backland Carbon if you want something silly-light (I know, same company as Salomon, but the boot fit couldn't be more different). They are simple, and well engineered (unlike Scarpa). Almost the same heel hold as Lange (Atomic's heel is narrow but taller than Lange's), and about the same forefoot as Lange, but even more instep room than Lange. I got the Backland Carbon in a 26.0 (I sized up from Lange, which makes the Atomic 7 to 9 mm shell fit) for my silly light setup. I can actually fit my custom footbed (Conformable) plus use one thin bontex shim under the liner to take up some of the instep volume. That makes them fit pretty damn close to a Lange. Plus you can heat mold the shell and the liner if need be. I haven't because I don't heed to. The stock liner is thin and wears fast, but it serves the purpose til it crumbles, and then I have a brand new size 7 Intuition ProTour to put in it, which should allow me to lose the bontex shim and either run a footbed or not, depending on how I set up the bake.

    Quote Originally Posted by Quadzilla View Post
    ... my Vulcans... my TLT6's...
    If you fit in Vulcans or TLTs, you don't have a high instep.
    ...

    ...
    tl;dr

    get the red ones.

    ...



    Edit to note: The above is true of this year's, and the past few years Atomic boots. Apparently Atomic has "redesigned" the Backland line for next year and they have changed the clog shape and added a dial closure, which is a terrible idea IMHO. The dial was another reason the Scarpa F1 sucked to get on and take off. Plus, if anything impacts the dial and breaks it, aside from absolutely crushing your foot (seriously, try the F1 on and give the dial a hard tap, it's not pleasant), and from taking away a bunch of instep room, there's no way to tighten a broken dial if it fails in the backcountry and thus no way to tighten the lower clog and instep in the event of failure or destruction. It also means that on the new model Atomics (and just like the Scarpa F1) you can no longer remove the hard tongue if you feel like it, and that the forward motion of the tongue is fixed, meaning you can't open up the throat/instep of the boot to get you foot in more easily. IMHO Atomic is going in the wrong direction with next year's Backland Carbon.
    Last edited by reckless toboggan; 02-18-2019 at 07:35 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    the situation strikes me as WAY too much drama at this point

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by reckless toboggan View Post
    X 3

    If you have a Lange foot, then try Atomic for touring. I have a similar foot to yours.
    Thanks for this. Will check out the Atomics.

  10. #10
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    Tried the Atomic Backland Carbons and it unfortunately does not have enough room in the instep. Back to the drawing board. Was told to try the Tecnica Zero G boots. Anyone know how they compare in the instep to the backland?

  11. #11
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    Damn. That sucks.

    But such is the game of bootfitting over the internet.

    Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and shave down your foot.

    Or go try the Lange FT (Freetour) in your preferred shell length and flex, and in the regular volume (non-LV). If you have an Intuition liner, bring it with you and mold it first thing with a bunch of instep expansion padding. Once you get the instep set in a Lange, your heel hold should be great as it's still that classic small lange heel pocket. Remove the insole/footbed that comes stock with the boot and see if that gives enough room. Wear the thinnest socks you can find. Mine aren't much more thick than a lady's nylons.

    Hope you find a solution.
    Last edited by reckless toboggan; 03-05-2019 at 09:23 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    the situation strikes me as WAY too much drama at this point

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by reckless toboggan View Post


    If you fit in Vulcans or TLTs, you don't have a high instep.
    ...

    ...
    tl;dr

    get the red ones.

    ...


    This seems crazy to me. My Vulcans have so much vertical room over the instep it’s ridiculous. That being said the stock liners they came with pressed on my relatively low instep. Seriously the vertical space in those shells is cavernous. I agree with getting red ones lime green seems to be the second fastest though.
    But Ellen kicks ass - if she had a beard it would be much more haggard. -Jer

  13. #13
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    Have you skied a cabrio?

    Check out Roxa. I wear Lange lv boots and the roxa 130 in the same size felt great, definitely a bit softer but that works for touring imo. Also the heat/mold approach that these thinner boots are capable of is pretty amazing. I heated my Backlands and moved the plastic close to 4mm in places. Roxa's boots use the same approach and the results can be pretty impressive. Pad your instep, prepare for 12 minutes of discomfort and mold the fuckers.
    Last edited by jackattack; 03-06-2019 at 10:15 AM.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chugachjed View Post
    This seems crazy to me. My Vulcans have so much vertical room over the instep it’s ridiculous. That being said the stock liners they came with pressed on my relatively low instep. Seriously the vertical space in those shells is cavernous. I agree with getting red ones lime green seems to be the second fastest though.
    That seems crazy to me.

    I tried a few different years of the Vulcan on, the most recent being the bastard Vulcan Dynafit released after they said they weren't making the Vulcan anymore.

    When I went to shell fit (ie. no liner in the shell), the split plastic throat/clog on the Vulcan was pressing/digging into the top of my instep.
    Quote Originally Posted by XXX-er View Post
    the situation strikes me as WAY too much drama at this point

  15. #15
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    Have you tried the F1? Despite some negative reviews above, it'll be the closest to the Maestrale fit in lighter boots. I find it's slightly lower volume than Maestrales but still fairly large in the instep. It is definitely a pain to get in/out of, but other than that it is a quality boot. I got mine later last season so I've only got ~50 touring days on them, but haven't had any issues with durability so far. The booster/upper buckle is holding up just fine.

    Then again, with the new Maestrale RS2 being only 1410g/boot, you might want to just go with that.

    Lastly, I wouldn't call the Vulcan or the Lange FT a "lightweight" boot, hell the Lange is barely even a touring boot.
    It sucks to suck.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chugachjed View Post
    This seems crazy to me. My Vulcans have so much vertical room over the instep it’s ridiculous. That being said the stock liners they came with pressed on my relatively low instep. Seriously the vertical space in those shells is cavernous. I agree with getting red ones lime green seems to be the second fastest though.
    The Vulcan / Mercury liners are garbage, that Naugahyde patch on top of the liner hides a thick chunk of elastic, together they are 3mm thick and they bugged my high instep, you can remove that patch in about 3 minutes by cutting the stitching with a razor knife but then the tongue flops around in the liner like a limp cock

    the better cure is to just swap in a pwrwrap and the Vulcan will fit well IME

    as for the Maestrale fit they don't go small enough for me so I would end up in a 23.5 GEA

    which I my weight would destroy pretty quick if I could stand wearing them long enough to do so
    Last edited by XXX-er; 03-06-2019 at 03:46 PM.
    Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

  17. #17
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    I'd look at next years atomic XTD 130

    I have a pretty similar foot and got the Hawx ultra 130 for a resort boot which fit's similar to the XTD 130 but doesn't have a garbage liner. With the heat moldable shell, you can get a lot of room.

    Nothing quite fits like the mastrale except all the other scarpa boots.
    Its not that I suck at spelling, its that I just don't care

  18. #18
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    Looks like the newest iteration of the regular maestrale now uses pebax. XT and RS are still grilamid, it will be interesting to see if there are still issues with the grilamid but not the pebax. I owned a pair of grilamid sunglasses years ago (Serngeti brand). Went to put them on on a very cold morning and slightly spread the stems. SNAP! They broke clean in half. Not sure grilamid is the best choice for really cold temps..... Just picked up a pair of the orange maestrales with grilamid, hopefully no issues, time will tell.

    I owned an 08 Gary Fisher HiFi that many people had issues with snapping the carbon chainstay. I rode mine hard and just sold earlier this year and never had an issue. It's always interesting to me how some of these products fail for many, but also many many more never have an issue.

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