Practical use
On the ascent, the Vega shines with its large shaft rotation of 60° and is therefore very comfortable to wear and walk, especially on longer flat passages. Personally, I leave the two lower buckles open and fix the two upper buckles in the flex grid. You have a stable and precise feeling in the boot, for example when making kickturns in difficult terrain. I personally can't recommend leaving the top two buckles open, as this significantly reduces stability (I tested this briefly to see if opening them had an effect on the shaft rotation, but then quickly fixed the buckles again). Unlike with the Spectre 2.0, you now have to adjust and fix the buckles again before the descent. Switching to downhill mode using the lever at the back of the boot was quick and easy at all times. During the test phase, I never had any technical problems when switching.
The boot offers a very pleasant flex behaviour on the descent (according to the manufacturer 125). It is particularly good at balancing out impacts or on hard ground. I found the Vega to be very stable on the descent. In my weight class, it is direct and controlled. The good fit supports the direct control of the ski. After about 20 days of touring, I still haven't noticed any signs of wear on the outside of the Vega. The inner boot also shows no signs of wear. This can also be seen in the attached pictures, which were taken at the end of the test period.
Conclusion
The Vega from La Sportiva delivers what the manufacturer promises and convinced me. It offers maximum comfort, lightness, flexibility and the necessary stability on the ascent. On the descent, it impresses with optimum power transmission and very direct control of the skis. In my weight class, it shows perfect flex behaviour on turns. For downhill-orientated ski tourers, it is a boot that is fun in all snow conditions and combines stability, lightness and good manoeuvrability.
Advantages and disadvantages
+ Stability in downhill mode even for wide skis
+ Light
+ Excellent shaft rotation in walking mode
+ Optimum adaptation to the foot possible
+ good workmanship
- Techinserts from Dynafit would be a tad easier to get into
Details
RRP: 529,00 €
Shell: Grilamid®
Shank: Pebax®
Spoiler: Marfram
Vertebra: Carbon Reinforced Grilamid®
Tongue: Grilamid®
Flex: 125
Closing system: 4 + Power Strap
Mobility: 60°
Weight: 1445 gr (1/2 pair size 27.5) according to the manufacturer
Feed angle: 10°, 14°, 18°
Sizes: 24 - 31.5˝ (mondo point in half sizes)
Foot width: 102.5 mm
Compatibility with bindings: Tech, AT
Sole: Vibram®
Here is the link to the La Sportiva website with further information.
The boot was provided to PowderGuide by the manufacturer free of charge for testing. You can find out how we test them in our test statement.