2nd Look: SCARPA Maestrale RS

Downhill Performance

As I noted at the top, Marshal’s review did a wonderful job of covering the on-snow performance of the Maestrale RS. I’d echo his sentiments about the smooth forward flex and powerful lateral rigidity. This boot skis well.

Range of Motion

In his review, Marshal goes into some detail about how the larger range of motion (ROM) in the Maestrale RS doesn’t necessarily benefit him, and speculates that people on steeper, harder skin tracks would prefer more. My experience actually suggests just the opposite: long, flat approaches make better use of a large ROM, because the increased cuff flexion allows for more glide and reach on each stride Steep skinning is more efficient with a shorter stride and higher cadence, so large ROM boots offer a wider range of comfort by flexing forward to counter the slope underfoot without extra climbing risers.

SCARPA claims 37 degrees of flexion in the Maestrale RS, and thus it fares far better than boots with less ROM on the flats, especially when flexed toward the rear. But on steeps, the non-removeable tongue blocks the forward motion, and the stops in the upper cuff hit those on the scaffo, preventing the cuff from flexing any further forward.

I would disagree with Marshal that the Maestrale RS’s ROM is in the same class with the Dynafit TLT5–instead, it sits in a middle category of good ROM performance for AT boots, while the TLT5 has a greater range of motion that places it at the more uphill-oriented end of the spectrum.

Long-Term Durability

There’s some part of me that wonders what kind of intended life comes built into a boot like the Maestrale RS. Days used, or number of tours, or even years might all be misleading qualifiers of durability, especially given that there have to be a fair number of boots of the same year as mine that have seen less than 1/10th the use.

And I’ve beaten mine hard across the whole spectrum of backcountry skiing: big walks through dirt and rocks, all-out 5th class scrambling, international travel, water crossings, freezing nights, yurt trips, extended camping in the snow, and plenty of powder turns. At 5’ 8” and 190 lbs, my frame is not small.

For the powder touring I did, the Maestrale performed admirably. That’s it’s intended use. If you don’t see many rocks in your uphilling, this boot can serve you well.

Mountaineering Durability

But given the number of skiers I’ve seen using the Maestrale RS on the Cascade Volcanoes and Denali, there’s clearly a group that uses the boot beyond just skin tracks and for more than powder pillaging. And if you’re a patroller or guide (especially in places where the rocks flock like salmon of Capistrano) durability really matters. So I think there’s good reason to comment on the Maestrale RS’s durability as a mountaineering tool, even if that is on the edge of the boot’s spectrum of use.

Along these lines, there are two categories: issues that (A) should reasonably be expected for a boot that has seen so much heavy use, and (B) one issue that I think is more essentially problematic for mountaineering in the Maestrale RS.

In the first category (A): I’ve worn out and replaced the liner, ground the cuff pivots into a bit of slop, broken the walk mode, and loosened the rivets that hold the heel buckle. Again, I think of these as issues I’ve caused by abuse.

But the second category (B) concerns the way that the tongue is attached to the scaffo.

Tongue Attachment

As Marshal mentioned, the tongue attachment and pivot is pretty funky. Curved on the top and bottom, with a slightly flexible bellows in the middle, the tongue floats free aside from two thin, metal u-clamps on the inside part of the boot. These are riveted to the scaffo.

Buckling the lower closures attaches the other side of the tongue, which creates a secure system to receive the force of the upper cuff via the tongue when the boot is flexed forward.

On the first proper mountaineering day I did in the Maestrale RS last March, I stuffed my boot in a wide rock crack while scrambling, then pulled it out to find one of the u-clamps cracked. It wasn’t an exciting event, and evidently it happens (as SCARPA has replacement clamps ready for those who ask) which are attached by a supplied t-bolt system. I figured I’d sort out the repair later, and carried on with just one u-clamp for quite a while.

Extra stress undoubtedly made things worse for the remaining clamp, but it came as a bit of a surprise when I did the same thing to both u-clamps—on the other boot—while touring in early June. I had to fix it then, because the boots weren’t skiable with both clamps broken. SCARPA quickly sent me four of the replacement u-clamps at no charge—kudos on the customer service there.

Installing them was a bit of a process. I had to drill out the old rivets, then widen the holes in the scaffo to allow the t-bolts to slide in. It was simple but time consuming work at the bench.

The fix was fine, initially. Then, while touring up a ridge in Japan this winter, I felt a pop and looked down to see that the bolt had completely backed out of the t-nut on the bottom tongue attachment. I didn’t put on any extra Locktite when I installed them, and that was my bad.

However, hex heads are a poor choice for something that should be backcountry fixable (a flathead seems better), so I did my best with my leatherman and further tightened them back at the lodge, where the thin hex interface easily stripped.

The stress of mountaineering or operating in rocks exposes the scaffo to a bit more abuse than using the boot only in snow. And since the tongue attachments are more vulnerable on the Maestrale RS than many other boots with ski mountaineering capabilities, it’s an important distinction.

A bad rock hit to this boot goes beyond losing just a buckle–if the u-clamps break while you’re out, both lower buckles and the forward flex are affected, since the tongue is no longer attached to boot. Is this is a niche problem? Certainly. But if you’re part of that group, it’s worth your attention.

Perhaps the biggest conclusion I have is that the Maestrale RS’ range can be stretched into the mountaineering world: but if that’s part of your uphilling, take some care when you find yourself wandering off of the snow.

Bottom Line

The Scarpa Maestrale RS isn’t the boot for those looking for either the most capable uphill boot or the most capable downhill boot out there. It also wouldn’t be my first recommendation for those who spend a lot of time scrambling and climbing on rock when they tour, or anyone who needs a burly, super durable AT boot.

But for those looking for a warm, wide AT boot with a very good blend of uphill and downhill performance—and something that can serve double-duty reasonably well inbounds and out of bounds—the Maestrale RS still deserves serious consideration.