Notes about this page:
- Comparing 11 lightest ski mountaineering boots that are currently on the market, with all mostly suitable for skimo and rando racing but also fast ski mountaineering, the heaviest being 850 g per boot.
- Technical specs (weight, sizes…) are from manufacturers’ websites and other official sources.
- All of these boots (with liners) exceed the 500 g (for men) and 450 g (for women) minimum weight limits under current 2015/16 sporting rules governed by the International Ski Mountaineering Federation and are approved for racing.
- Prices show a range in US Dollars in which you are most likely to find that product for sale.
» Last updated on October 12, 2015.
[Complete annual update.]
This page will be updated as new models are released or when you suggest a new product either in comments below or via email (please include your source’s link).
Should you find any mistakes here please report them - comments below or via email (include your source’s link).
* The page is administered by Stano Faban and Jonathan Shefftz.
Some SkinTrack’s interesting articles on skimo boots from the past:
- Exciting Look at New SkiMo Gear Introduced at Recent Trade Shows (Scarpa Alien 2.0, La Sportiva Syborg…)
- Pierre Gignoux 444: Behind the scene of the lightest ski boot in the World
My name is Stano Faban and as a member of the Canadian National Ski Mountaineering Team I have been fortunate to compete in races like Pierra Menta or World Championships.
Way to go Robert!
Robert, what an amazing debut for a new pair of boots!
And love that on-site service also.
To follow up on my earlier questions, I got the Syborg 28 and after a bit of widening in the toe area, they’re very comfortable! They do feel tight on the instep when I put them on, but it doesn’t bother me much, although the top of my foot does get a bit red.
I have some heel lift, so I need to do some padding out there. But, either way, I just completed Pierra Menta, and aside from some blisters on my heels, they were great. Other issues were: the lower ratchet buckle on the left boot was slightly faulty so it released easily. Duct tape solved that for the race. Secondly, I accidentally snagged the rear lever with my via ferrata carabiner and pulled it all the way up, so I couldn’t lock the boot in to ski mode for the final descents.
There was a La Sportiva stand at the race, and they replaced both buckles and both levers (I think my boots didn’t include the stopper mod recently added to the boots to prevent the lever flicking all the way up)
The also appear to accommodate the Grival Haute Route crampons, although I haven’t used them in a race, only a short hike in training.
Overall, I’m very happy with them.
@Nick – Seems to be the case
Though the scientist in me wonders if you can appropriately calculate to that high of a decimal when you are only measuring weight to the gram…
Grams per dollars:
Scarpa Alien 850g/$800 = 1.0625
Sportiva Syborg 815g/$800 = 1.01875
Dynafit PDG 830g/$850 = 0.97647058823
Dynafit DY.N.A Evo 750g/$1400 = 0.53571428571
Scarpa Alien 1.0 700g/$1900 = 0.36842105263
Pierre Gignoux Black 600g/$1800 = 0.33333333333
Pierre Gignoux Race 500g/$1700 = 0.29411764705
Scarpa Alien 3.0 580g/$2200 = 0.26363636363
Dynafit RC1 510g/$2100 = 0.24285714285
Dynafit DNA 510g/$2500 = 0.204
Sportiva Stratos Cube 555g/$2800 = 0.19821428571
Not the only measure of boot by any means. (Fit, ski performance, etc)
But does this mean the Scarpa Alien is the best value for money?!
I know from personal experience that the plastic portion of the lower shell on the Alien 1.0 can be stretched — and more importantly, hold the stretch w/o any rebound.
Skimo Co says the Syborg is Grilamid so should work for a skilled boot technician.
I know that the 2015-16 TLT6 Performance (in black) switched to Pebax. But the older white & blue PDG was supposed to be Grilamid, and the black & blue 2014-15 is listed as Grilamid by Skimo Co, and I haven’t heard any changes for 2015-16. Plus if it had changed, sure would have bumped up the weight, and the spec is still the same.
(The TLT6 managed to stay about the same b/c the heavier lower shell was compensated for by switching from the heavier CR liner to the lighter CL liner.)
Robert – the lower boot on both the current PDG and Syborg are grilamid, which generally responses well to punching. You may be thinking of the new (black) TLT6 which is now pebax (formerly grilamid in the green TLT6 and TLT5). Pebax is more difficult for boot fitters to work with/punch.
Thanks jonathan about the comments on half sizing. I didn’t know about the 2X.5 and 2Y.0 shell being identical for those boots.
Another query I have, can all of these boots be heat punched?
I heard the new Dynafit PDG are made with pebax, so not so easily heat punched? And can the syborg be heat punched?
Thanks!
I’ve also heard the same about the Syborg being wider and/or higher volume (even if the official stats seem to indicate otherwise), and it worked out for a buddy who bought it for that reason (although his size is way too big for me to do a side-by-side comparison w/ my boots).
I can confirm that with my feet in the shells of a 26 Alien 1.0 and a 25.5/26.0 EVO, the widths seems identical.
By contrast, the shell of a 26 RC1/Ultimate/400 is way wider in the forefoot.
Somehow though the boot has been fine for both skinning & skinning – the instep is fairly low, so combined with the laces, must be snugging up my foot where it counts for actually controlling the ski.
But of course that boot would be an even bigger leap of faith and financial commitment…
Also, for any of these boots – whether skimo race, ski touring, alpine downhill – half sizes are a complete fiction, but the shell break varies by model. Both Syborg and EVO/PDG have 2X.5 and 2Y.0 as identical, although that differs from other Dynafit models (e.g., TLT5/6 has 2X.0 and 2X.5 as identical).
So if you try on a different half size in the same boot, you might be trying on a shell that differs by about a full cm, or the only difference might be a minor liner tweak that will disappear upon any use.
Thanks for the replies! Sadly, in my part of Norway it’s mostly Dynafit or nothing. I have to fly to another city to access more skimo options. However, I’ll see if I can get one of the local stores to order in some Syborgs. I started skimo racing last year and have second hand gear, but now I want to get new gear. It’s just quite scary to spend around 700 USD on something that might not fit.
Robert, I have both the Alien 1.0 in a 28 and the Syborg in 27.5. My feet are medium wide, with a high arch and instep. For me the half point sizing of the Syborg makes all the difference. The Alien 27 is too small for me and I had to pack the 28 to reduce the volume for my feet, whereas the Syborg 27.5 is perfect. It’s got less volume for my instep – *just* enough – , and I barely need to use the lower strap on the shell, whereas on the Aliens I have to ratchet down the boa. Width-wise the Syborg’s are great for me, but I expect what you’d need to watch is whether stretching them for width brought the instep down too much. Worth trying some on if you can to see how much difference the half point sizing in the Syborg makes.
I’ve had Dynafits in the past but never the PDG. My feet don’t seem a good match with the Dynafit last, though maybe that’s changed in recent years. Usually for me there’s too much volume for the given length, so maybe they’re the best bet for you? Hope this helps.