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Powder Journal
2009 Scarpa Skookum Alpine Touring Boots | Reviewed On: October 29, 2009
Gear Reviews>>Boots/Foot Wear>>Alpine Touring>>Scarpa Skookum Alpine Touring BootsBy powderjunky
THE GOOD
The Scarpa Skookums are stiffer than most Scarpa Boots. The downhill mode locks down firm and they ski more like a resort boot. Four buckles make it great for downhill. Its great that they fit any kind of A.T. binding. There is a great loop on the tongue that helps with getting the boots on and off. The powers trap uses a cinch that is really helpful. Rubber soles give you traction when booting.
THE BAD
My biggest complaint is the tongue. Scarpa tried to be helpful by giving the user the option between a stiff tongue or soft tongue, but in my testing, the mechanism that held the tongue on, and that offered easy swapping, also caused the tongue to fall out if your boots were not buckled tight. I would still buy these but maybe Scarpa will forgo this feature in future models.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The Scarpa Skookum Alpine Touring Boots are probably one of the best downhill performance boots Scarpa makes. For most of my touring life I have used the scarpa Denali's and I hated them, so I was a little nervous about the Skookums. However I was pleasantly surprised. They are a comfortable four buckle boot that has a focus on the downhill, but the uphill is great unless you are rando racing. They also can be used in dynafit or fritchi bindings.
Solid
AVG USER ADVICE
Solid
| DURABILITY | 4/5, tongue falls out |
|---|---|
| COMFORT | 4/5 |
| DOWNHILL PERFORMANCE | 4/5 |
| UPHILL PERFORMANCE | 3/5 |
| STIFFNESS | 4/5 |
Gear Reviews>>Boots/Foot Wear>>Alpine Touring>>Scarpa Skookum Alpine Touring Boots
| AVG PRICE | $768.95 |
|---|---|
| SHELL MATERIAL | Pebax |
| LINER MATERIAL | Intuition Speed Pro |
| THERMO-MOLDABLE LINER | Yes |
| NUMBER OF BUCKLES | 4 + Power strap |
| MICRO ADJUSTABLE | Yes |
| FORWARD LEAN | 19 - 23deg |
| BINDING COMPATIBILITY | Standard AT, TLT |
| WEIGHT | [Pair, size 27] 8lb 4oz (3752g) |
| RECOMMENDED USE | Backcountry freeride |
| MANUFACTURER WARRANTY | 1 Year |
 |
VIRUS TOUR AT BOOT | Best in Test | $690.00 |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
SPIRIT 3 | Solid | $639.00 |
 |
ZZERO 4 U TF | Novelty | $569.95 |
 |
DENALI TT | Crap | $539.00 |
That's Our Opinion. What's Yours?
Kjetil wrote on 03/15/10 at 07:07:47 am pst:
I've been skiing with these boots this season. It's my first pair of AT-boots, in fact my first pair of boots ever (I used to be a snowboarder). My setup is definitly not the lightest out there with Obsethed-skis and Baron. But I've been doing several 3000feet climbs with this setup. Mostly I'm pretty happy with these boots, but I kinda feel like the stiff tongue is too stiff for the uphill. So I tend to put in the softer ones when I go hiking. I don't really see this as a problem with the Obsethed-skis since they are so soft, but I'm really considering getting a stiffer ski next season (most likely with Dynafit-bindings). Anybody see a problem "driving" a stiffer ski like Black Crows Navis or Black Diamond Zealot with the Skookums with the soft tongue? Or will the change to Dynafit-bindings make the uphill so much easier that I could just as well use the stiff tongue all the time?
Solid
Ross wrote on 03/15/10 at 12:39:33 am pst:
I think you will be fine with the dynafit bindings.
n/a
powderjunky wrote on 03/15/10 at 2:57:59 pm pst:
I think if you are skiing pow with the softer tongue on those bigger stiffer skis you'll be fine. But on the mank, just depends on how good of skier you are. I take all the help I can get on the downhill so when I had these I kept the stiff tongue in there for better downhill performance, and skinned up with my boots completely unbuckled.
