Alpine touring ain’t easy, folks. And neither is making alpine touring gear. You’ve got to make that gear light for the uphill, burly for the downhill, and comfortable going either way. And that’s exactly what you get from Scarpa’s Skadi boot. For the ascent, you get a lightweight boot with exceptional range of motion for easy climbing. For the downhill, you get a 100 flex rating from the polyurethane shell, a stiff tongue made out of Pebax, and four buckles with a power strap. Meanwhile, the women’s specific design with a 101mm last and Instant Fit Flex Pro liner keeps you locked in without crushing your foot. And, of course, there’s the natural Cocona built in to the liner. What’s Cocona do? Well: when your feet sweat, it deals with it, and when your feet stink, it deals with it. Which is good, because someone has to. At the bottom of it all is a Vibram sole to give you maximum grip when hiking variable terrain. Compatible with both AT and TLT bindings, the Scarpa Skadi brings you to the top of the mountain without complication and lets you ski anything you want on the way down. That’s all we ask for–and it’s surprisingly hard to find.
