The '24 4Quattro SL & XT only have a heel filler "block" that fills the heel cavity in the clog, with a ~2.5mm skived sheet of rubber over it. Said rubber cover only extends about 3/4 the length of the insole, leaving the liner toes area directly on the plastic clog. Cold? Probably.
The rubber 3/4 is just glued down, easily removable to open a smidge of instep height by lowering the foot in the shell. I removed it & dropped in a very thin, full length mylar/felt shim for a better overall fit for me (but I like low, alpine-like ramp angle).
Not sure what they did for the new Maestrale, but the idea of lowering the foot in the clog seems to be working (for me). 4Quattro skis super well, low, damp and strong. Damned if it doesn't walk great too.
Scarpa Quattro Pro Review
I've now had about 10 days on my new Scarpa Quattro pros, and thought I'd share my thoughts.
I'm 6', 175lbs, and have been your typical 100+ days per year obsessed ski junkie for the past 37 years. I split my time pretty evenly between riding the lifts and touring, and when touring I'm almost always seeking and usually finding long steep classic powder lines. Raichle/Full Tilt classic flexon boots are my benchmark for fit (lowish volume, low instep, skinny calves) and performance, and I've been through Concordias, Lasers, Radiums, Titans, Titan ULs, Mercuries, Hoji Free 110s, in my endless search for the perfect touring boot.
I liked my Hojis, though I needed to put Intuition luxury liners into them to take up volume, the stance was too upright, and even in the 110s the flex wasn't deep enough.
Schirmer's video said all the right things, the regular Quattros were in the ballpark fit-wise, I was concerned these might be a one-off production run, and my local shop offered to get a pair in for me at a reasonable price, so I treated myself on a pair of 28.5s.
On and off
Super easy to get on, slightly awkward to get off.
Fit
I'm a 28.5 in just about everything, and there's no question this is my right size lengthwise. Most boots don't have a low enough instep profile to work for me, but these are right on the money for a comfortable touring fit. There's lots of room in the front half of the boot, such that I'll probably remold them without a toe cover. I re-positioned all the buckles to their tightest holes, where I'm buckling at the loosest end of their range. The OEM intuition liner doesn't seem to hold a custom mold as much as the aftermarket Intuitions I'm used to, but it's been working fine and I'm stoked to actually be using the liner that I paid for, which has never been the case with all those piece of shit liners all my previous boots came with.
Touring
The range of movement is slightly better that my Hoji Frees, though that might just be attributable to the difference between the Luxury and touring liners. I'm not setting any speed records, but I don't feel restricted in any way, the weight is in line with what I'm used to. They're perfectly adequate for walking up long winding skin tracks to the tops of mountains. The top buckles have a dedicated hook to position them ideally for walking. The bottom buckles don't, and so just sit loosely in place, but I've had no issues.
Changeovers
They're no more complicated than my Hoji Frees. With my Hojis the one lever changeover was always a myth, and the amount of force required and delicate mechanism always had me concerned. With the Quattros its a rear lever, an elasticized power strap (with an elegant hook attachment) and four buckles. Everything is simple, burly, and easy to adjust. I'm never in a rush, and change-overs are no more time consuming than with any other boot. Because everything needs adjusting I don't find I use the internal gaiter in my pants, as it'd require adjusting every time (not so with my Hojis), and I'll probably cut them out of my softshell pants.
Skiing
They are by a significant margin the best skiing ski touring boot I've used. That they fit is obviously key, and I'm stoked with the even pressure from the top of my foot, through the instep and up my shin and how it hold my heel in the pocket, otherwise they have slightly more volume than ideal, but are tight enough not to feel sloppy. I wouldn't want to pound laps at the resort with them day after day, but I'd be fine taking them as my only boot for a Chamonix stint. I could probably squeeze a little more performance out of them with a different liner, but am in no hurry to do so. I like the more aggressive forward lean. They claim 19 degrees (I don't know how they calculate such things), are noticeably more forward than my Hojis (claimed 17 degrees), yet still a good deal more upright than my Raichle/Full-Tilts. Whatever they are, they set me up ideally to use their flex. As a lifelong cabrio boot aficionado I've long been seeking a touring boot with a functional responsive flex, not too stiff, not too soft, with a damp spring effect through a functional range. You need to feel it to appreciate it, and these deliver.
I'm going to head out right now, walk up a mountain, and ski my green machines through fresh powder in the sunshine.
Blogging at www.kootenayskier.wordpress.com
Saw some concerns from folks about the reduced cuff height of the maestrale and Quattro relative to other touring options.
At first glance, my boots seem to have a significantly lower cuff height compared to my radicals. Side by side, the boots cover about nearly identical amount of my shin, and measuring from the cuff rivets, the lengths are very close.
The Scarpas seem so much shorter due to their very low stack height. I’d say that there’s _maybe_ a very minor difference between the Scarpas and other touring options - for those of you on the fence about the boot’s structure.
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My feet measure 28.8 and 29.2
Should I go with the 28.5/29.0 or the 29.5/30.0?
I’m usually touring in 28.5s with lots of punches. I also use Zipfit GFTs because of my extremely low instep and skinny ankles. The GFT are 29.5s because 28.5 liners are usually way too tight for me for touring.
324mm bsl on the 29.5 is super weird and is on par with most brands 28.0/28.5 -- so trying to figure out if this is a tell-tale sign of how the boot fits internally or if the construction of the outsole is just drastically different than most boots.
Doing a shell check with both would be best, but I don’t have that option and have to order.
Last edited by PeaHead96; 12-05-2024 at 07:54 AM. Reason: Bunch of emojis appeared first time..?
You probably need to size up to the 29.5/30. I measure 27.8 and also have a fairly low instep and needed the 28.5 which fits perfect. I use 27.5 shells in alpine boots. I’m also running GFT’s in them. These boots are (probably? I haven’t got to ski them yet!) awesome to ski but are a bitch to WC into with the GFT’s.
For Scarpa sizing:
https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...#39;s%20sizing.
When thinking about Scarpa sizing, just ignore the while size and use the half size as reference when comparing to other boots you own. Ignore BSL.
There’s a good chance that you have a lot of pronation in the longer foot. If that pronation is corrected, it’s possible that both your feet will be closer to 285mm. Not always, but often.
Regardless, with those measurements and your foot description, a 29.5/30 Scarpa will be way too big for you. Definitely go with the 28.5/29.
The bsl is only a few mm short of modern alpine boots and pretty inline with traditional touring boots. A lot of this shortness is not reflected in the internal length.
Any idea why your feet are so sensitive? Have you always worn boots that are too big? What were your previous boots? Do you pronate a lot? Do you use custom footbeds? Where did you usually punch boots?
Lots of poor choice footwear in my youth -- tight-fitting cleats, flip-flops, cowboy boots, combat boots everyday for 4 years. I have morton's neuroma is one of my feet -- not severe enough to opt for surgery, but I would prefer to stop aggravating it. I do pronate a good bit, and yes I use custom footbeds. They help control the pronation some, but there would be no way to stop my feet from completing pronating unless the footbeds were made out of concrete.
Last boot I had was a Dalbello Cabrio Free Lite in 28.5. I'm usually getting a big toe punch on the right foot and getting the 5th metatarsal blown out on each boot.
I had a 29.5 Quattro XT 2 years ago when they first released. Paired with some 29.5 GFTs. They were actually pretty decent, but I had to punch for the big toe on the right foot, and had to punch for the 5th mets on both boots, especially so on the right foot. I moved on from them because of bad shin bang -- which I attribute to them being too big for me -- which does seem weird seeing as I had them punched as well.
I now am going to a new bootfitter who says he wants me to bring in a 29 Quattro pro. I'm kinda worried there's no way I'll be comfortable skinning for hours in them.
With your small foot length, I would think a 28.5 in any brand isn't going to hold you very well. I'm surprised you needed a toe punch in a 29.5. Hopefully your bootfitter can assess why you often have big toe issues. You could have been sliding around in a 29.5, your foot might need more stabilization, maybe you just need to do them up tighter.
Honestly, what you have listed is not very much punching at all. That's less than normal in my books. With a neuroma you're definitely going to be punching the 5th met head and maybe the 1st. Make sure the boot isn't squeezing down on your mets too hard either. Use a metatarsal pad, and potentially look at having your 5th met dropped.
Your experience is very valid but I'd be concerned there is something else going on that is making the tip of your big toe hit. I would definitely be worried about your boots being sloppy and skiing like shit if they were 29.5. That being said, you liked them. Could you have done up your cuffs tighter or have added a lot more cork to the tongue?
When I said the 29.5 Quattro XT were "pretty decent", I was more or less referring to how they were on the uphill -- which was pretty comfortable. They didn't ski that great downhill; felt noticeably stiffer than other boots I've had, and I think that was a product of me being in a shell that was too big (where I was probably overbuckling to compensate).
I had the cuffs done up pretty tight, and I added 3 tubes of cork to each tongue.
I'm starting to think the Quattro Pro in 29.0 is going to be my best fit. Definitely will need some punching.
I also might want to try a 28.5 GFT -- but I'm under the impression that Zipfit toe boxes will not stretch over time. Neoprene isn't really a material that will stretch. All I know is that all 28.5 intuition liners are way too tight for my toes, and I think that all that tightness across my toes flares up my neuroma.
I can mention dropping the 5th met to my bootfitter. Would that entail cutting out material on the footbed? Or just heating it up and creating a depression so the 5th met sits lower? My neuroma is between my 2nd and 3rd met heads -- which is uncommon, but is a place where they occur.
Also, sorry for the slight thread derail, I know this is a Quattro thread not bootfitting thread.
FWIW, I've compared a well-used GFT on one foot with a brand new GFT on the other. The toe box on the used GFT was noticeably more comfortable and "relaxed" than on the new GFT. I think they do break in to some degree, and you could probably accelerate the process by gently stretching out the toe box with the handle of a screwdriver or similar.
Pea head, 28.5 and 29 Scarpa are the exact same shells. Either will work.
I upsized my GFT for the same reason and it works just fine. That being said, I also just bought my normal size and it feels fine too. I would worry that 29 gft would be quite large on your small foot. (FYI, I measure 253mm and wear a 24.5 zeroG and 25 GFT but just bought a 24 GFT for my alpine boots).
See how your bootfitter would prefer to drop your 5th. But you have the right idea. If you have the vertical space, it can be done but removing the outer 15mm of a bontex shim for testing.
Was curious to at least try on some Quattro Pros but no shops in Tahoe / Mammoth have or plan to have them. Kinda weird. Guess I’ll try some on in Cham if there’s any left by February.
I tried on the SL’s at Back Country for fit and then ordered the Pros online. (And then I went to Olympic Bootworks to cook my GFT liners to mold to the new shells.)
What size do you need? If you’re a 28.5, you’re welcome to swing by Olympic Valley and try mine on for size.
Why not? The only thing the Gara offers is a stiffer flex but the GFT beefs up the flex of any boot compared to what’s in it. And flex isnt the goal anyways.
The GFT has a thicker cuff wrap and gives me too much forward lean in my wold cups. Now, I also have a pair of GFT without extra cork in it that I can move to a low volume touring boot later.
I finally have a day on my [emoji640]Q Pros w GFT. Only downhill in the resort this far, but wow, these are amazing boots. Easy to engage progressive flex that ramps up nice and stoutly. Not as damp as a heavier alpine boot (eg, ProMachime w/ Sidewinder), but the flex and power transmission through an alpine binding is surprisingly… great!
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I’m guessing they didn’t sell enough Quattro XTs last year due to the “unique” fit. One shop I talked to in Tahoe said they had a ton of them in the back. Just didn’t sell due to fit. I considered getting a backup pair of the XTs but think I want to hold out for the pros.Originally Posted by Westcoaster;[emoji[emoji6[emoji640
"Kids today, all they talk about is big air. I say, stay on the mountain, that's where the action is. If you want big air, pull my finger." ~Smooth Johnson~
That's odd because I love the fit of that boot. Would love to see a true 3 buckle Maestrale in that last and flex. Would be the ultimate touring boot in my opinion. The Quattro ends up making up for the lack of HRS strap in other ways so I guess it isn't needed. But I would love the fit and flex of the Quattro Pro with a proper touring sole instead of Gripwalk
https://youtu.be/avC2zTUfmiM?si=[emoji640]eMbh[emoji639]QTvMzNxkr_
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Nice mod. I might try that with my 4Q Pro's.
If you use GFT's (or any other liner that you may want to world cup into the shell) I highly recommend the "tail" extension he demonstrates. I did that with UHMW tape and it works great.
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