Last winter's newcomer has now become a standard boot. No wonder, the lightest four-buckle boot is not only a lightweight boot with excellent walking function, the downhill performance is also not to be sneezed at and the boot is downright affordable compared to the competition. We tested how the orange ski touring wonder performs in tough continuous use.
About the boot
Available sizes: 25.0-32.0 (the women's model "Skadi" is available from 22.5-27.0)
Tested size: 28.0
Weight: 1530g (in size 27.0 according to the manufacturer)
More info
About the tester
184 cm, 75 kg, relatively fit but not exactly a muscle man, gets down everywhere. My feet don't really have any problem areas and are rather narrow (not extremely narrow). In general, I don't have too many problems finding ski boots that I can ski in, but I often don't have a perfect grip or the power transmission is not optimal because the boots are too wide.
Boots that have fitted me best so far: Raichle/Fulltilts, Fischer Soma Race 130 (the first one), Scarpa Denali.
Test conditions
I used the boot last season, this season until today and in the summer in South America on a good 100 days in total on ski tours. I can therefore say with a clear conscience that it has really been tested under all conditions and has also been exposed to a lot of stress. It was mainly used on the following skis: Völkl Explosiv in 190 cm (first model, a hard board) with Dynafit TLT Speed and Dynafit Vertical ST as well as DOWN-Skis Countdown 2 with G3 Onyx. Neither of these are children's or light touring skis, but genuine freeriders designed for downhill performance.
Shell
The shell of the Maestrale follows a slightly modified 3-piece concept with four buckles. The tongue is not folded forward as usual, but instead folds away towards the inside of the shoe together with the two lower buckles. The tongue also has a very pronounced crease in the tear area and is therefore quite soft. However, this doesn't matter much, as the firmness of the Maestrale is unusually based almost exclusively on the rear part of the shaft. If this is blocked for the descent, it hardly moves at all, making the shoe surprisingly stiff overall. The boot can be locked in 2 forward positions, in my opinion in very sensible positions of 18° or 22°. While the two lower buckles are normal, lightweight versions, the instep buckle is the ratchet known from many earlier Scarpa models. The buckle on the shaft is also quite normal in principle, but an additional bracket ensures that the buckle does not unhook even when open, for example when climbing. Admittedly, there are more elegant solutions for this, but it is certainly effective. The design of the power strap is pleasing. It is elastic, i.e. does not completely block forward movement, but still holds the foot quite well, which is particularly important in connection with the already mentioned design with the completely stiff shaft.
Of course, the Maestrale has tech fittings, it would almost be a shame to have to use such a shoe with a frame binding. As Scarpa uses original inserts from the Dynafit brand, the Maestrale has the new "Quick-Step" inserts, which really make it easier to get on.
Fit
The fit of the shoe, especially in relation to the shell, is relatively normal, but rather slim in the heel area. In terms of length, size 28 fits me perfectly with my 28 cm long feet. The shoe also fits me like a glove in other respects. Great heel hold, just the right dimensions in the forefoot area and no pressure points at all. Definitely the toruen shoe that fits me best so far (by far)!
I find the two lower buckles a little unnecessary. They are so close together that one would actually do. They hardly contribute to the fit for me either, as they often can't be closed properly anyway due to the grids milled out to save weight, which like to collect snow and then freeze. A buckle in the middle would be enough for me.
The tongues that fold away to the side are also annoying. I can't understand why you can't just fold them forward. Not only is there a risk of pinching your fingers every time, but the hinges on which the tongue is attached are also a weak point.
Inner shoe
A high-quality Intuition, specially developed for the Maestrale shell, is used as the inner shoe. It is well known that these liners are hard to beat in terms of quality, warmth and adaptability. The model in the Maestrale has normal lacing.
The inner boot is quite warm, significantly warmer than similarly thick "normal" inner boots. This is good in cold winters, but it gets warm in spring. They also dry relatively quickly, which is also practical.
Fitting
Fitting the inner boot worked wonderfully using the familiar method. Describing the entire process here is certainly beyond the scope of this article, but there are good instructions on the Internet, otherwise you can contact me again.
As the shoe fits very well, no adjustments had to be made apart from the inner shoe.
Quality
I was initially concerned about the durability of the very light Maestrales, especially the sole is a little thinner than the Scarpa Denalis, for example, but this was completely wrong. Even after a good 100 days (and a lot of walking and scrambling around), the soles are still in decent condition. Somehow logical, after all, the soles of touring boots are not subjected to much wear during normal use...
After around 100 days, as with other Scarpa models, the strap on the ratchet buckle starts to wear out. It no longer grips really well and has to be replaced, but in principle this is not a problem. A little more annoying is the fact that practically all the screws are constantly coming loose, even on the new shoe. Screw locking helps a little, but doesn't solve the problem in the long term. The instep buckle in particular loosens when walking, and the problem seems to get worse the older the shoe gets. The fact that a very short screw is used here makes the whole thing even more annoying, you have to tighten the screws practically after every tour, so take an Allen key with you on multi-day tours.
Apart from that, the inner shoe has of course given way a little, but not much. I could re-bake it, but I haven't found it necessary yet.
Accessibility
Of course, the Maestrale is light to begin with. Very light. But it's not just the low weight that makes climbing comfortable, the well-designed walking mode with the smooth and large possible shaft rotation also contributes to this. Especially on flatter terrain, you notice that the Maestrale simply allows you to take bigger steps than with most other shoes. And although you notice the good suitability for ascents after just a few steps, the longer the tour, the greater the effect. Especially on long tours with over 1500 meters of ascent, I am always happy about the shoe. The Maestrale also behaves excellently when walking or climbing without skis, if you don't look at it you could almost think you're wearing a heavy, crampon-compatible mountain boot and not a ski touring boot.
Downhill performance
The switch from ascent to descent is done quickly. Close the buckles, close the strap and set the back of the boot to downhill. It is important to close the top buckle and the power strap very tightly. If you don't do this, the stiffness of the shaft won't really come into play and the boot will be relatively soft. The elastic powerstrap and the rather soft tongue, in combination with the hard shaft, result in a relatively hard flex (at least for such a light shoe).
Once the good ascent properties had been practically assumed, it was time to get down to business. Namely the question of how the Maestrale behaves on the descent with heavy, long and hard freeride skis. First answer: better than expected! Especially in good snow, i.e. any kind of powder or firn, as well as on the piste, the Maestrale makes it easy to precisely control even wide, long skis. Of course, you don't have the power transmission of a racing boot or even a very downhill-oriented touring boot (e.g. Black Diamond Factor or Dynafit Titan), but you come surprisingly close. Apart from the fact that you need a little more power, I didn't notice any serious disadvantages with the Maestrale.
The situation is different in poor snow conditions: Broken snow, rutted, hard moguls, icy sections etc. don't necessarily push the boot to the limit, but you can clearly tell that it's not quite as hard and precise as a harder model. Particularly on long descents in poor snow, the boot becomes quite cumbersome. This probably looks quite different when used in combination with a shorter, lighter and narrower ski, but here we are talking about suitability with wide freeride skis. Overall, you have to make compromises in terms of downhill performance in poor snow, albeit not serious ones.
Advantages
- very light
- excellent walking mode
- top inner boot
- good downhill performance, especially in good snow
- affordable price
Disadvantages
- should be a little harder, especially on broken snow
- annoying little things (instep buckle comes loose, lower buckles ice up easily)
Personal opinion
A really good touring boot. The handling characteristics are sufficient for wide skis, especially in good conditions. Anyone who is willing to forego absolute downhill performance and is either mainly out and about in good snow or goes on much longer tours will probably be very satisfied with the Maestrale, provided it fits.
Notes
Adjust the inner boots! This really helps a lot, especially if done correctly. Even if you think the shoe already fits perfectly, it will get even better.
Next year there will be a slightly harder version with the Maestrale RS, interesting development, may also be the successor to the Maestrale for me.
Versions with 3 buckles are also available, but these are softer.
