With the Spectre, La Sportiva launched a ski touring boot two years ago that is supposed to feel almost like a ski touring boot on the ascent and almost like an alpine boot on the descent. Not only weighing less than 3 pounds, but also packed with innovative details.
To the tester
I'm male, 36, and my hips and knees sometimes pinch in the morning. I'm 178 cm, 70 kg with equipment. I personally consider my skiing level to be decent. Until about 10 years ago, I occasionally took part in freeride competitions, before that I did some race training. I'm fit enough for long ascents. I can (really) get down anywhere, with a rope and hook if necessary. In recent years, only 20-30 ski days per season, previously many times more. I attach great importance to reliable equipment and am also prepared to carry a few extra grams, after all I'm not on an Everest expedition and I only find speed ski touring very limited fun.
My preferred terrain is ascents in varied terrain, which can also be a little longer. On the way down, I can cope well with almost any terrain and can actually get something nice out of every aspect of the mountains and the weather. Steep gullies and hilly, varied and lightly wooded Disneyland in powder snow are definitely among my favorite playgrounds. Logically, control is important to me in gullies, but in Disneyland I'm happy to let off the gas. I tend to get bored of big wide slopes.
Test conditions
In total, I've now had the boot on for around 20 days. The snow varied from beautifully soft powder to ice-hard windswept slopes and unsightly bone-crushing slush. The occasional bootpack was just like the normal touring ascents. Occasionally, I also wore the boot on normal ski resort days when I had the opportunity to make a longer ascent out of the resort.
First impression
The Spectre fit me well, even without adjustment. With adjustment, they fit like a glove. Of course, this is very individual, there are few other shoes that fit me. My heel is relatively narrow, the forefoot is rather wide. I don't have a pronounced deformity. When jogging, I run on the forefoot.
The first thing I notice is that the walking mode works amazingly well, the range of movement is really enormous: 60° is stated, which I can confirm without reservation, the Spectre feels like a sneaker when I walk uphill.
It's a 4-buckle shoe and it's extremely light. Mine weighs exactly as specified by the manufacturer: 1445 grams (size 27.5). The shell is a mixture of Grilamid®, Pebax®, Marfram® and carbon reinforcements on the shaft, whatever that means. Therefore: It also feels like a sneaker in terms of weight.
The new buckles, which La Sportiva calls Pegasus buckles, are very tight-fitting, really light and make a stable impression. So far, nothing has torn off or looks like it will in the near future. Definitely enriching. It takes a few attempts before you can use them properly, but then you get used to them quite quickly.
The switching mechanism between walking and downhill mode works well and can be operated in the same way as you would expect from touring boots. Once I had a problem with switching, but more on that later...
The inner shoe is a thermoformable shoe with different material combinations. A kind of gusset allows for better walking comfort. The inner shoe has a normal tongue, so no self-overlapping shaft. This is practical and I was neither particularly pleased nor bothered by it.
Test impression
This is how I imagine a touring boot that can also be used for mountaineering! I was interested in the shoe right from the start, as the weight and the large shaft rotation caught my eye, even though it is in the "Freeride" category.
Ascension
I noticed right from the start that the walking comfort was outstanding. I've only had similar experiences with shoes like the Dynafit TLT6. However, they play in a lower league on the descent...
Climbing is also possible with the shoe, the restrictions caused by the shoe are minimal. If you open the buckles, you can move very freely and still have excellent lateral support. As a shoe for alpinist activities, it is therefore an absolute recommendation.
This also applies to the buckles in another way. They are so narrow and close-fitting that they never got caught anywhere. You simply leave them clipped open on the shoe to go up. You still have outstanding freedom of movement. Nothing rattles, nothing dangles around.
With touring skis on your feet, preferably with a tech binding of course so that the weight advantage is really noticeable, you glide wonderfully. Flat passages in particular are easy to ski, you can really push the ski forward. This is very pleasant and also saves energy. With a skin that can glide well, you notice real advantages here compared to synthetic hair carpets. If it gets steeper, you need a climbing aid much sooner with other shoes. The range of movement also helps to save energy here.
I didn't get any blisters when walking with the shoe, but that of course depends on the fit. What is noticeable, however, is that the instep is quite narrow. This is also slightly noticeable when walking, which is also the reason for the good fit for me. For other foot shapes, the narrow instep can of course lead to problems. However, according to the online instructions, this can be solved quite quickly with a heated drinks can...
Descent
What's actually interesting with these shoes is of course the downhill performance. Here too in advance: it works. You can apply good pressure, lateral support is as firm as you would expect from alpine boots, the carbon reinforcements are noticeable here in a positive way. The hold to the rear is also bombproof. The shaft ends quite high, which is good for my high, skinny calves. Calves that sit low, i.e. more like the Oktoberfest model calves, could almost be a little too tight. Of course, it also depends on how you adjust the buckles. What is noticeable is that the shoe gets its hardness towards the front mainly from the buckles. The tighter you buckle it, the harder it gets. If too much buckle pressure is applied, this can lead to isolated pressure points, something I have not experienced with other shoes. In this respect, you have to get used to the shoe in terms of how hard you buckle it up and find your own personal preference.
The front buckle could probably be safely removed, I never had the feeling that it actually aligned anything, in contrast to the upper three.
Due to the many adjustment options (canting, template, buckles, spoilers) you need some time to really get used to the boot. However, once you have found your setting, it fits and works just as well in downhill mode as it does in uphill mode.
I used the boot with my touring ski (Down 102) and my daily driver (4frnt Hoji 195). Both with tech bindings. The boot copes with both without any problems, even in tough conditions. Only at very high speeds does it seem a little too soft in terms of the template. In soft conditions, on the other hand, you can set it to a soft setting and go full throttle. As described, closing the buckles harder would help - but then the shoe would become uncomfortable. However, as the boot is so comfortable, I don't close it any tighter and ski a little less fast when it's hard.
Switching to ski mode: In principle, the switch has always worked well. Once, during a tour when it was very cold, I was no longer able to put one of the two boots in the downhill position. Whether it was due to a lack of coordination on my part because of the cold (it was a good minus 30° C) or whether something had frozen, I can't say afterwards. I couldn't reproduce the problem either, but it was never this cold on any other tour. Speaking of the cold: I've never had cold feet with it, but I rarely do.
I enjoy riding with the shoe - with a little getting used to, the shoe is hardly noticeable. I find this ideal, especially as it suits my rather central standing position.
Conclusion
Excellent shoe for tours with an alpine character (and of course for everything else that doesn't require the ultimate freedom of movement and toughness).
Advantages - & Cons
+ Hard enough in downhill mode even for wide skis
+ Lightweight
+ Excellent range of movement in walking mode
+ Tight-fitting buckles don't get caught anywhere and don't rattle
+ Numerous adjustment options
+ Fit well with Petzl and Black Diamond crampons
+ Indicator markings for pin bindings
+ Simple design
- 4th buckle at the bottom rather superfluous
- Abrasion on the powerstrap, cause is unknown to me, strangely enough on both sides
- With the many adjustment options you can get confused, the racing car principle proves itself (change one setting, test, evaluate, repeat)
Details
RRP: 479.95 euros
Weight: 1445 grams
Shaft rotation: 60°
Material: Grilamid®, Pebax®, Marfram®, carbon reinforcements
Sole: Virbram
Buckles: 4 + Powerstrap
Liner: Thermoformable liner
Flex: Specified as 110, would classify it as usably hard, but is not an alpine boot
Shaft angle: Adjustable between 10°, 14° and 18°
Canting: Adjustable
Binding compatibility: touring bindings, tech inserts (no original Dynafit)
Here is the La Sportiva website with further information, here you can order the boot from our partner store.
