Scarpa

Maestrale Alpine Touring Boot - Men's

Scarpa's Maestrale 1.0 Alpine Touring Boot is the best-selling AT boot of all time, and it's back for this winter plus some attitude and minus a few ounces. It's been trimmed down to just over three pounds, but kept the 39° of cuff rotation, 100 flex rating, and 101mm last that made it such a capable, comfortable boot on the ascent as well as the descent. The most significant upgrade is the new Mirage Pro ski/walk mode, which uses two locking pins for bombproof stability on the way down and makes for easier switching between climbing and descending modes. Scarpa's also hooked the Maestrale up with a stiff, powerful Evo V-Frame cuff and a heat-moldable Intuiation Pro Flex G liner that'll give you seasons of serious comfort and warmth after a quick trip to the bootfitter.

A smooth, consistent, and progressive flex is seriously important if you're going to chow down on big-time terrain, so the Maestrale's been designed with Scarpa's exclusive Axial Alpine closure: the stiff Pebax tongue hinges at the toe of the boot and actually pivots to the side, making it easy to get the boot on and off and giving you total control of the boot's volume all the way through the forefoot. You won't have to sweat pinched or sloppy feet, as each buckle pulls the tongue in instead of clamping it shut more tightly, letting the tongue flex naturally and predictably. The buckles themselves are made of lightweight magnesium, and the top one features a Tour-Lock clasp that keeps the bale securely in the ladder, even when unbuckled, for easy re-buckling when you're ready to shred. There is a Fitting Indicator System to help line up the Dynafit Quick Step-In tech fittings with your bindings, and a Vibram Cayman rubber sole to take the pucker factor out of traversing exposed rock and ice; yeah, the Maestrale has it all.