Every now and then, particulary in the AT and freeride niches, reviews mention that a particular ski needs more boot than another, or will benefit from a stiffer boot, you get the picture.
On the other hand, some skis are usually suggested to be paired with a certain category of boot ("ideal match"), like say a 1kg ski paired to a 1kg boot (wayback 80+fischer traverse)
I can recall feeling over-booted in the combination Scott Crusair+ Zzero4 Green Machine (Maestrale RS class boot w/ full carbon cuff), much nicer with the regular zzero4.
That said, is it possible to say what in a ski makes it ask for more or less boot? Weight? Length? Stiffness? Torsional stiffness? Shape?
Right now, I am on mentioned carbon cuff Dynafit boots (with new Intuitions), and contemplating how far "below" I could go for my Camox Freebirds, which are light but at least medium stiff and torsionally rigid. Would F1/Backland Carbon class work? Or rather stay at ZeroG Pro level?
cheers!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
A noodle of a boot won’t give you enough control to bend a heavy/stiff ski when skiing hard / challenging conditions. I have the 1kg Scarpa Alien RS (predecessor to F1 LT). They are pretty stiff (just not progressive flex) and I thought they skied fine combined with some 1350g 185cm Movement Alp Tracks 106’s (albeit this test was on a hard piste).
Also have Zero G Tour Pros - they don’t feel noticeably stiffer but have a much more progressive flex and beefier feel so are more confidence inspiring on a bigger ski.
Here’s a Blister review by Paul Forward who’s been testing the F1 LT with some fairly burly Freeride skis and he reckons they work pretty well. He also does the comparison with the Zero G’s
https://blisterreview.com/gear-reviews/2021-2022-scarpa-f1-lt
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@BobinCH, surprised you don't think the Zero G Tour Pros feel stiffer, the Scarpas nominally a 110?
@danbre2022, sort of (as personal preferences enter the mix) the "burlier" the ski the "burlier" the boot needs to be. I don't think there are hard and fast rules though!
@BobinCH, surprised you don't think the Zero G Tour Pros feel stiffer, the Scarpas nominally a 110?
@danbre2022, sort of (as personal preferences enter the mix) the "burlier" the ski the "burlier" the boot needs to be. I don't think there are hard and fast rules though!
This quote from Paul Forward summarises it better than I can
« As terrain becomes steeper or more complicated, I do sometimes wish I had my stiffer, heavier Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro (or something similar). I’m not 100% sure why this is as I never really “bottomed out” the forward flex of the F1 LT, even in some pretty fierce compressions. I think it’s mostly related to the suspension offered by a heavier boot like the Zero G when absorbing irregularities and landing airs. Similarly, I always felt like I had more control and power over the shovels of my skis with the Zero G in comparison to the F1 LT on the same skis and on the same types of runs. That said, I did end up skiing quite a few big runs in the F1 LT and even had an impromptu pillow session recently, landing multiple 10-15-foot airs while skiing on the 185 cm Moonlight Cruiser (a stiff, light, 120mm-wide ski) and I can’t say that I had any issues with the F1 LT, despite this being presumably far outside the design intention of this boot.
As the snow gets firmer and bumpier, the F1 LT starts to feel a bit more harsh than a boot like the Zero G and I usually feel the need to slow down just a bit more. This is magnified by riding fairly long and stiff 105-120mm-wide skis and feels less apparent when on the skinnier, lighter skis like my Volkl VTA 88 Lite, likely because the latter skis feel like they have a much lower speed limit themselves in firm and choppy snow before that start to get knocked all over the place.«
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