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gear reviews

Gear reviews | Scott G1 130 ski boot

A thoroughbred freeride boat? Why not?

by Lukas Zögernitz 12/29/2014
With the G1 130, Scott is offering a genuine, stiff freeride boot with ascent function for the 2014/15 season, but with a clear focus on downhill performance. We have extensively tested how this combination proves itself in practice and how the boot performs in its intended area of use of freeriding - but also in many other types of skiing.

The first impression

The good feel of the Scott G1 130 is immediately noticeable: the material and workmanship appear to be of high quality. The Elastollan shell feels a little rougher than the usual smooth plastic shells. The 4 Ergal buckles, which have an additional strap, also catch the eye. This is designed to prevent the buckle from popping out when the buckle is tightened. The question quickly arises as to how often this happens and whether this advantage is worth the disadvantage of opening the shell completely (you then have to lift the bar slightly to pull out the actual bar). In practice, however, it quickly becomes apparent that you quickly get used to the little extra effort involved in opening and that the additional strap is quite helpful when tightening the buckle after riding the lift or after the ascent. You would expect a modern freeride boot to have tech inserts, or at least interchangeable soles with such inserts. However, you will look in vain for these in the G1 130.

The inner boot is reminiscent of a sporty alpine boot. It is relatively thin and made of a harder material. There is no integrated lacing system. The shape is very much based on the anatomy of the foot and the shape of the shell. As a result, the inner boot is not reminiscent of a bulky moon boot, as is the case with some other freeride boots. The feeling when you first try it on is right. The boot fits and provides good support in the heel area. For a flex index of 130, the G1 130 feels a little soft at the front. However, a comparison is always difficult here, as the flex index is not standardized and is interpreted differently by the manufacturers (without any claim to completeness or correctness, this overview from TGR gives an idea of how far apart the flex specifications of the individual manufacturers are).

Shell, interchangeable soles and adjustment options

The shell has 4 buckles. All 4 buckles can be adjusted in length via micro screw threads and closed in 4 (the two lower buckles) or 5 positions (the two upper buckles). The strap is made of thin but very durable plastic. The sole has a profile designed for use on short climbing sections over rocks. The area at the front of the sole has been cut out to allow lateral release in accordance with the DIN ISO standard with appropriate bindings. If the sole is too worn from use on the rock or from walking in the parking lot, it can be replaced with 13(!) screws per shoe. Although the number of screws gives you the good feeling that the sole and shell are firmly connected, it remains to be seen whether all 13 screws can actually be opened when replacing them (you often struggle quite a bit with just 8 screws). The canting setting can be changed with an Allen key. There are 2 positions available. The walking mechanism is activated via a slider with a loop on the back of the shoe. However, with a shaft rotation of 25°, this is quite modest. In comparison, a similar freeride boot, the Black Diamond Factor MX offers 40°, while the Dynafit-TLT6 offers 60°.

The Dynafit-TLT6 is a perfectly suitable touring boot for freeriding.

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The inner boot

The inner boot of the G1 130 is well thought out and well designed. It offers several adjustment options. The tongue can be positioned in various positions on the rest of the liner via a Velcro area by the toes. This allows the distance of the tongue from the transition between the back of the foot and the shin to be adjusted so that there are no pressure points when bending the ankle. The fit in the calf area can be adjusted using a spoiler in the calf area, which can also be positioned using a Velcro area. This prevents a gap between the calf and the inner shoe, which means that there is no area without contact with the shoe when the leg moves backwards. This adjustment option can also be used to create a little more support in the shoe. In the ankle area, movable parts are incorporated on the front and back of the liner to facilitate movement when touring. As is standard for boots in this price range, the liner is thermo-adjustable.

Practical test

The Scott G1 130 is stiff enough to give tall and heavy skiers sufficient control over wide and long skis (tested with Atomic Automatic 193 with Atomic Tracker 16 and K2 Annex 118 in 188 with Marker Tour F12). This was to be expected from a thoroughbred freeride boot. The somewhat soft flex towards the front at first glance is not a disadvantage even on faster runs in tracked or variable snow. As with comparable freeride boots of recent years, the flex, which is perhaps subjectively perceived as soft, allows the rider to build up pressure on the shovel in a controlled manner. Towards the rear, however, the boot offers the support needed to brake quickly from higher speeds. Laterally and in the heel area, the boot keeps everything where it should be. The boot also cuts a fine figure on alpine skis (Atomic GS FIS 183). However, it feels a little strange to stand in a pure alpine binding and not have a smooth surface at the front of the boot to slide on the binding when released from the side.

Sometimes freeriders end up in parks; however, hard freeride boots are often a real spoilsport. With the Scott 130 you certainly won't become a jib kid, but without the spoiler and with only slightly closed buckles, you can also do a few park laps quite passably. When touring, you quickly notice that the boot has been designed with downhill skiing in mind. Due to the weight and the limited shaft mobility, really long tours are possible, but quite tedious. This puts the lack of tech inserts into perspective somewhat. With skis where the G1 130 can show off its advantages (long, wide, stiff), few will rely on classic pin bindings. Short hikes are possible without any problems. The profiled sole provides enough grip to master even short rock climbing passages. Only the plastic used seems a little harder and therefore not quite as slip-resistant as Vibram soles, for example.

After around 25 days with the shoe, the first signs of wear can be seen on the shell, but these are limited and within reasonable limits. Even after prolonged use, the inner shoe still fits well and has not developed any pressure points. The fact that the liner is somewhat thinner and harder means that it doesn't keep you as warm. It is also advisable to open the bottom buckle only rarely. If you open it every time you go on a lift or when touring, the seal between the shell and the inner boot will not be sufficient and snow will get between the shell and the inner boot.

Conclusion

The Scott G1 130 is a clearly downhill-oriented freeride ski boot: the material and workmanship are of high quality. The various adjustment options make the boot easily adaptable to both the skier and the area of use. The inner boot stands out in particular: this is how you imagine the inner boot of a stiff boot, compact and adapted to the shell and anatomy. The biggest compromises with the G1 130 are certainly on the ascent. The limited shaft rotation, weight and lack of tech inserts make long tours quite strenuous. However, the lack of tech inserts is somewhat offset by the boot's preferred area of use on long freeride and big mountain skis. If bindings similar to the Marker King Pin or systems similar to Cast, which only require inserts in the toe area, become established, boots without inserts represent a clear disadvantage. The Scott G1 130 won't shine in a ski touring race or a transalp, but if you're looking for a high-quality, stiff freeride boot that's good for short tours or hikes, you've come to the right place.

Features:
- Weight**: 5.1 kg (manufacturer's specification: 4.9 kg [size 27])
- Flex*: 130
- Flexibility of shaft in walk mode*: 25 degrees
- Interchangeable WTR outsole in accordance with ISO standard 9523
* Manufacturer's specification - there is no standardization of the flex index!
** measured on test model size 29

Shell:
- POWERFIT technology with reinforced shaft
- last width: 97 mm
- shell material: Elastollan
- template: 13°
- canting adjustment
- closure: 4 adjustable Ergal micro buckles + power strap

Inner boot:
- Thermal adjustment with EVA THERMO Ultralon technology
- Integrated flexible area on the inner boot
- Adjustable Velcro tongue
- Adjustable spoiler

You can buy the Scott G1 130 here in our partner store Bergzeit, here go to the website

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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