The Scarpa F1 XT // Which Scarpa is for You?

F1, XT, GT, LT, RS? Which Scarpa boot is best for you. While this is primarily a review of the Scarpa F1 XT, it does cover the Scarpa line up from the Alien RS to the Scarpa F1. All these boots are superb and serve their purpose well but where is the Scarpa F1 XT is suppose to fit in Scarpa's lineup. A lightweight boot capable of big boot things? A Scarpa LT replacement? Or is it a F1 replacement? The Italian boot wizards have crafted a devilishly efficient boot and Christof is here to tell you what it is and what it isn't.
For more info about boots do what we do and visit skimo.co/boots there is a treasure trove of information in the reviews and comments.

[@rogxxxr]

Danny’s editing 😂

[@jimclean2]

Great review dudes! I love the delivery👌🏻

[@nilsalb]

Youhoo y’all are back!

[@rshawcda]

Christof's comments are spot on. I picked up the XT's last year and did 2 BC hut trips. I have also used the LT's for a couple seasons and like them as well but prefer the increased cuff support and forward lean on the XT's. I have toured Scarpa Aliens and Sportiva Syborg on the light side, and Sportive Spectre 2.0 on the heavy (for me) side. These boots hit the sweet spot for power to weight ratio. In a weak moment I loaned them to a friend for a euro ski traverse and he promptly ordered a pair afterward as well.

[@j.r.1184]

Bought the F1 XT boots yesterday 😀 plus new Dynafit Blacklight 88's. I am so stoked for my new setup. Thank you again for your expertise Christof, have a great skimo winter.

[@cnuila]

That should be a killer setup. Enjoy!

[@runthesummit]

Great gear review as always! My very well used and abused Alien RS needed replacing last spring and I wasn’t happy with the Scorpius, and ZeroG Peak fits. Then I noticed the F1 XT in your volcano video. I also managed to get some from France and was very pleased. They really do hold my heal so much better than the Aliens and are much more progressive and was surprised that the touring penalty was minimal and well worth the significant improvement in downhill performance.

[@cnuila]

Glad to hear I didn’t totally lead you astray!

[@ryanv1279]

I was thinking about getting the f1 XT. However with camox freebirds and plum r170s, the blue wouldnt vibe. Maybe ill get the LT since its closer to red. Remember the number one rule of outdoor pursuits, look good doing it.

[@cnuila]

My name is Christof and I endorse this message.

[@hirokiide7750]

Great review. My wife got F1 GT (softer XT) last year and loves it, as she can really cinch the bottom shell with the buckle instead of BOA. I've been skiing in F1 (the same limited edition Red ones as yours) and love it but I feel the limitation of BOA tightening. I feel F1 skis amazingly well for that category of touring boots. I think the biggest difference between F1 and F1 XT (and GT or LT for that matter) is F1 XT/GT/LT are tongue less boots. The benefit of tongue less boots (like all other ski-mo boots) is that it gives crazy amount of range of motion for walking/climbing. But of course we lose some power transfer without the integrated tongue like in heavier boots when skiing down. This was very noticeable when I use to ski Dynafit TLT 6 with removable tongue. FYI my current lighter boots are still Fischer Traverse Carbon for mountaineering. If my Traverse dies I would look for F1 XT for sure!

[@cnuila]

Yeah I need to really highlight that point about the tongue vs. tongueless boots. Having some sort of tongue really does give touring boots that "extra something", but like you said, to get the absolute best range of motion in walk-mode, the tongueless boots usually are hard to beat.

[@njfreeskier]

Interested in that Pulse Labs power strap. Curious as to why you went that route over a Booster strap. Trying to decide how modify my F1 LT. Any insight you could offer would be appreciated. Thanks!

[@imbaguitar]

How's the rossignol escaper looking ski in the background? I bought one (97mm) for super cheap at sportchek. Wondering if I should sell or mount it with Oazos and use it. I'm comparing it to Zag Ubac 102. Do you know the differences? Would be my lightweight/'mission' ski

[@user-nx3dd7sv5m]

Great Video - What do you think about the Dynafit TLT X?

[@jamesbeaumont237]

Similarly, the Dynafit Mezzalamas. I have SCARPA Aliens, SCARPA F1’s and in the middle the Mezzalamas. They go up just like the Aliens but have so much more progression for the downs. Lovely boots.

[@cnuila]

The last TLT I skied was the 8 Carbonio, and really liked it. The X is supposedly the best tlt yet, but is definitely softer than the F1 XT, but a bit lighter as well. I’d probably go for the blacklight pro, which is the TLT X with a carbon cuff. As for the mezzalama, I have only shop fitted it, and it also flexes a bit softer than the F1 XT, but between all of these I would put fit and comfort as the highest priority choosing between them, as they all fall into a similar performance category.

[@thicccboyztv]

Bummer tho, cuz the new Dynafit ridge boot should likely blow it out of the water. i too got the XT last year. It's better than the f1 lt by a long shot, and certainly the outdated f1. But the fit is still annoying esp compared to the new maestrale, needlessly narrow in the toe box and forefoot. Based on the feel of the radicals I don't think the f1 xts stand a chance against the new ridge. Also the something more you are feeling in the f1 lt/xt vs the f1, the secret ingredient if you will, is called mass. Turns out it makes skiing everything better regardless of stiffness. And the lower buckle of the XT just provides accurate heel hold, whereas the f1 lt has boa that is placed higher so it only provides heel hold for cankles. The XT is just parts bin engineering rather than a redesign. The ridge will be slightly heavier, which will mean it will ski even better.

[@benjaminfox-shapiro4032]

The F1 also has a tongue in the shell which can create a more progressive, predictable flex

[@cnuila]

I got to try on the ridge pro, but haven’t skied it yet. On the scale it is exactly the same weight as the F1, and potentially can be the boot to finally dethrone it as the premier 1250 gram boot. Whether one would take it over the F1 XT, I think is a matter of priorities, weight/speed vs skiability, assuming the ridge pro skis as good or better than the F1. Oh, and I think my quote in the video was “there’s no substitute for mass”, thank you for reiterating that important point 😁

[@thicccboyztv]

@@cnuila I did see that you mentioned that mass was the secret later after pontificating earlier onto why the F1 would ski better despite being softer. I think the larger point is that the differences between boots that are only 100 g apart are kind of nil until you actually have some engineered construction differences. A boot with a tongue will both weigh more and generally have more material stiffness (although not in the case of the F1 because it is outdated material wise and doesn't even walk as well as many 1500 gram boots these days, let alone flex half as hard) . I think the reason why the ridge pro is going to be kick ass is because it's only going to weigh 100 g more, (which if that's what prevents you from skiing a long time then you just suck and should actually work out) but it will have material stiffness and support more similar to a 1500 g boot than 1,000 g. So basically given the materials that are being used today, I think the ridge is essentially near that limit of being as stiff as possible and as light as you would want. I think the last part of that is key. So what if the F1 XT is 100 g lighter if it doesn't ski as well? I think that differences in weight are more noticeable in 250 gaps. Having a spread of 100 g between boots is insane. And I say this as a person that has skied and used full carbon boots that weigh 800g. After dabbling with the most extreme ends of the spectrum as far as what people would tour with ( 65 underfoot up to. 138 and 800 g. Up to 2100 g in both skis and boots) I am convinced that unless you are skimo racing the minimum weight of a boot that's still skis well is around 1250. And the more appropriate weight for skiing as aggressive as you want is 1500 -ish. There simply is no place for boots under 1200ish if you actually care about skiing. The behaviors of those boots, regardless of stiffness do not allow for aggressive skiing, especially on skis that would enable aggressive skiing. So like I said for the general masses that are actually out there to ski and not race, the ridge is going to be an excellent light option that will enable fun skiing and is effectively the lightest you can get without compromising skiability too much.

[@thicccboyztv]

I will caveat saying I haven't touched it yet but have used every iteration of the hoji boot. And my thoughts are based on the differences in skiability between weenie boots and the Scorpius ( the original light boot that had a tongue and still skied well, though technically we could go further back to TLT 5 and 6). Just based off of the hoji lock interface, the difference that the tongue made in the Scorpius versus two-piece boots, etc. I think we will have a real winner.

[@federicoareco170]

I have a pretty standard heel (not too big,not too small, 102 (ish) mm width and a VERY high arch and VERY high instep.the dynafit radical pro is the best fit for me for AT boots but looking for something lighter. I’m surprised you recommending this boot since if i remember correctly you also have a high instep. Did you have to do a lot of customization on the boot for them to fit correctly? I remember trying to orange f1and not being able to even get my foot in!

[@cnuila]

Scarpas have some of the best thermo-formable liners made by intuition. I've found this results in some of the worst showroom fits as they seem like they're going to crush my foot almost like a plug alpine race boot, but with a well executed professional heat mold using some padding on my instep and sixth toe area to mold out more room, they end up being the best fitting and most comfortable boots in my closet. F1 and F1 LT/XT included.

[@Lag10]

In my experience, the F1 LT and XT have a narrower toe box compared to the regular F1 and Salomon MTN summit. Do you get along with that out of the box and have some extra room in the latter boots or were you able to create extra space in these so they are all comparable?

[@cnuila]

They definitely do. Luckily Scarpa provides a decently moldeable liner and with some toe caps on for the heat mold and a pad on my sixth toe area it made enough room to be comfortable. Still not as expansive as the MTN Summit but not as narrow and low volume as some of the La Sportiva offerings for example that I have never been able to make work for my foot.

[@CrackkkCrazyyy]

What boot would you recommend for a super stiff ski like the Black Crows Solis? Thanks!!!

[@cnuila]

At 1800 grams the Solis is about a pound heavier per ski than something I would ski with the F1 XT. I would be looking at something like the Dynafit Radical Pro at a minimum, if not the Dynafit Tigard, Lange XT3 Tour, Scarpa 4 Quattro or maybe Maestrale RS, Technica Zero G…. just thoughts. Whatever fits your foot in that category.

[@lucahasler906]

Have you had any experience with the new Tecnica zero g peak carbon? How does it compare to the Scarpas?

[@cnuila]

Consensus is that the Peak flexes softer, but falls in the same general performance category as the F1 XT. I think choosing between them could really come down to fit. I would choose the Scarpa as in my opinion it represents the best performance in its class, but even more so because nothing fits my foot as good as the Scarpa F1 range.

[@gabrielmarias972]

For me one of the biggest differences betwen F1 and Lt/xt you didnt coment its the skining/walk position. Lt/xt are top in the range with 72° , and skining with 100mm skis or walking woth crampons its huge difference against most of the competitors. Notvsure about ridge pro boots, but Tecnicas or F1 have around 60 that its big difference. Will ve great if you do a review of blue ice backpack 😊

[@cnuila]

Yeah I guess I focused on the ski performance didn’t I? Very good point.

[@gabrielmarias972]

@@cnuila well, me too, but at this point of boots i will say 50 ascend 50 descend performance ratio its key

[@Jhyde0]

What is the XT's 72° range a measurement of? and how does that measurement impact hiking with wider skis or crampons?

[@gabrielmarias972]

@@Jhyde0 that measure is how much the ankle pivot of a boot can move forward and backward when you are not skiing down, i mean not whit the lever locked (skining in flats, walking or skining up) so the more grades the best, because the feel is more natural and less restringed. Usually freeride boots have this disadvantage against the more touring-race boots, but everything around 70 its amazing good! If you have good skining technique also you can slide and advance more centemeters easily. I hope helps

[@gabrielmarias972]

@@Jhyde0 with wider skis, very important, because of the weight of this skis, and the wider skins, usually the feel of skining flats or uphill is too short-slow, You will feel a bit more easy to glide and a bit more easy to go uphill but anyways its too common mistake use the highest rise lever position of the binding in the uphills, because then you lose range of movement in the joints of knee-hip. About crampons also you will feel the bigger advantage of have this 72°grades , the bigger number, the feel is more like walk.

[@jnovin]

How does the F1 XT and F1 ski compared to the Salomon MTN Summit Pro?

[@cnuila]

Just for reference, shells and liner no footbed- F1 XT: 1100g, MTN Summit Pro: 1170g, F1: 1250g. So the MTN slots smack dab in between in terms of weight, and that reflects in the way it skis. The F1 XT is just as stiff I think but not as progressive as the MTN, and articulates just a wee bit better in walk mode. The F1 is a bit softer but stronger flexing boot if that makes sense. If you watched my review on the MTN summit pro, I kind of said it might be my F1 replacement, but again, after I put my F1 back on, there’s just a little something you get with those 70 grams that makes me want to ski it more than the MTN especially with a solid setup like say a BD Helio Carbon 104 or my new DPS Tour 110. But if I didn’t need that little extra “umph” I would pick the MTN over the F1 for an everyday light tourer with mid 90-100mm waisted skis, or an ultralight powder ski like the Movement Alp Tracks 106.

[@jnovin]

@@cnuila I appreciate the response and the comparison. When I tried the Salomon’s the progressive flex is what really stood out to me (vs. my La Sportiva grilamid boots). I think the Salomon with an upgraded, more substantial, liner is what I will go for. Appreciate the reviews!

[@LocalConArtist]

I swear I just saw you at lv9 sports talking to Mandy about some Dynafit boot

[@cnuila]

Ha! My cover is blown! Mandy is my Magical Boot Sorceress! Skimo helped me pick up a Ridge Pro on the pre-release and I brought them to mold the liners......and I forgot my footbeds😩

[@LocalConArtist]

@@cnuila It’s funny because the entire time I was looking at you thinking that you just looked too familiar and then it hit me. Happy that you have had a good experience with her. Ironically I skied the day after getting my boot fitted and it was worse XD. I have different insoles on order though to hopefully remedy my problems.

[@jeffzhang4384]

what happened between danny and matt?

[@Incroachment]

That's what I'm wondering too

[@zacharygarner9425]

Good question

[@darren6110]

Why do you ask, did you hear something happened???

[@thenortheastalpineadventures]

Matt hasn't been in a video in like 2 years@@darren6110

[@jeffzhang4384]

@@darren6110 they unfollowed each other on instagram

[@cypriano8763]

if its over a kg it aint even worth lookin at it. dynafit and technica make some great boots, id look at those.

[@lanceye33]

Sorry, but I just keep watching the 1st 10 seconds over and over again. I'm sure it's a good review.

[@cnuila]

That’s the best part. I can’t get over it myself.

[@WildThingss]

Peak Carbon skis better

[@cnuila]

My thoughts are the opposite after skiing both. Peak is softer flexing imho, the XT punches above its weight. They are close enough, however, that I would recommend either based which ever gives you the better fit.

[@NateSail82]

Scarpa sucks, won't get anymore of my money. Their shoes failed a month after purchase and they expect me to pay shipping like half the cost of the shoes for them to fix it. I've had Salomons kicking around for years with no damage and better design overall.