Dynafit Tigard 130/Radical Pro, Fischer Transalp, Scarpa Maestrale/Gea RS thoughts?

[MTskimama]

Hi all,

I got my first pair of AT boots for dedicated touring last year (Salomon MTN Summit Pro) and have found them to be too lightweight for the downhill, especially in deeper powder/steeps. I'm looking for a stiffer boot because of this reason and have narrowed it down to a few options. Would love to hear feedback from anyone that has used any of these! TYIA!

- Dynafit Tigard 130
- Dynafit Radical Pro AT -> I'm not sure the 110 flex will be enough, since that's the same rating as the Salomon's, but it felt sturdier than my Salomons when I tried it out in store.
- Scarpa Gea RS -> same thing here - has a 120 flex
- Scarpa Maestrale RS
- Fischer Transalp Tour

PS: If anyone is on the market for Salomons lmk! Mine are a size 24 and have only been used 6 times. The bootfitter put me in a size 1.5 sizes too small, which is why I'm looking for a new solution so soon. If you're looking for something for more mellow slopes that's super comfy on the uphill, this is a great boot.

 

[MTskimama]

A few more details: I've got a 95 last and high arches that collapse when I put weight on my foot. TYIA!

- Dynafit Radical Pro AT -> They felt potentially a bit too roomy when I tried them on. Even when I tightened everything there was still room for my feet to move around side-to-side, which may cause problems.
- Scarpa Gea RS -> I tried the Gea boot (no RS) and loved the fit, so I'm not sure how the RSs compare.
- Fischer Transalp Tour -> back during my original fitting these were my 2nd choice after the Salomons. Wishing I had gone with this one now!

 

[cosmicplanks]

The only boot I can give you some info on is the Gea RS which I own. It’s nowhere near the same stiffness as my inbounds which also has a 120 flex rating, but I’ve skied some dicey stuff on it and it performed just fine.

The problem with this boot for me was the Intuition liner that comes with. It is super stiff, uncomfortable and really small! When I did a boot shell fit check on the Gea RS, it turned out to be the right size for my foot.

But the liner crushes my toes even after heat molding them twice. So now I spent a fortune on this boot and I will still need to buy an aftermarket liner for it. Waiting for the new touring Zipfits to come out.

 

[MrsPlow]

Have you considered the Atomic Hawx xtd? Very narrow, not sure how you'd go with high arches, and it's a grip walk sole rather than touring. It's not as stiff as my 115 downhill boots but I like the flex personally.

My husband got the radical pro 130 this season and is very pleased with the flex. He found he was overpowering the Nordica strider 130s he was in before.

Do you have a custom footbed to help with your arches?

 

[MTskimama]

I tried the Atomic Hawx and found them way too bulky and not as flexible in walk mode. I originally bought a high arch footbed to help with my arches but found that it pushed my feet up to the top of my current boot, cutting off my circulation, so I had to remove them and revert back to the basic footbeds of my current boots.

After trying on all the boots I could get my hands on I've narrowed it down to 2 options:
- Dynafit Radical Pro - these feel like the best combo of ski mode stiffness + uphill flexibility. I got my hands on the women's version which def fit better than the men's that I tried on, and my feet don't swim around in them as much. The only thing I'm concerned about is in the lower calf area the liners bulge out and definitely rub pretty hard on the sides of my calves. I'm not sure if the liners will eventually wear in and this problem will go away or if this is a bigger non-solvable issue.
- Fischer Transalp Tour - these are definitely stiffer than my current Salomon MTN Summit boots, but they're not as stiff as the Radical Pros. I wish they were a tiny bit stiffer. Also, my feet definitely are swimming around a bit more in these even when I tighten everything up compared to the Radical Pros, so I'm also not jazzed about that. The bonus about these though is the liners aren't rubbing anywhere on my calves, so there don't appear to be any potential hot spots that can cause issues that I've identified yet.

 

[arbusch]

I have only skied in the scarpa gea rs and tecnica zero g. After a while in variable conditions the gea rs feel a bit sloppy to me. In perfect powder they were fine. The zero g are bit more snug and responsive. I tried on the fishers loved the fit out of the box but had reservations since the range of motion in tour mode was less than the other two boots and we do really long tours.

 

[Beckster]

I‘m kind of late to the party here and maybe you‘ve already made your decision and purchase. If not….
Based on your info and my experience, I wouldn’t pick the Fischer TransAlp. I wanted to love that BOA System for ease and reduced weight, but I think it misses the mark in preventing your feet from swimming. The Dynafit Radical Pros also missed the mark for me and I ended up in the 4 buckle Technica Zero G Scouts. They’re heavier than the others but I couldn’t be happier with the locked in performance and control in every snow condition.
All that said though I think that Dynafit boots probably offer the lowest cuff height for women with more calf muscle volume and that rubbing problem you mentioned.