Lives up to the hype

By THOMAS ARMENTO Ranked #4 - Alpine Touring Boots November 21, 2008

I should first preface that this is my first AT boot so I can't compare the Scarpa Typhoon to others. But I've put on 6 long days on them this year and have been very pleased so far. I don't normally like a stiff boot, and my alpine boot (Technica Vento 10) is rated at a 95 flex. The flex of the Typhoon is so similar and the fit is super comfortable that I will end up wearing this everyday this year regardless if it's at a resort or in the backcountry. I was pretty surprised at the weight as well (for reference, mine are a size 27.5 and weigh 8lbs, 4.4 oz for the pair or 3757 grams for you metric freaks). Although there are other lighter options, only a handful can combine lightweight and high performance in the AT market; the Typhoon is one of them. I've had no trouble piloting skis with waists of 96mm, 112, and 136 while wearing these boots. Even at high speeds in choppy snow, they provided enough stiffness to make me feel stable. Walk mode is great and I use it whenever possible since it makes hiking that much easier. I've done two tours with the Typhoon that were 2,000 feet each: one with the stiff tongue and one with the touring tongue. After experiencing both, I highly recommend using the touring tongue on the way up and then switch out at the end of your climb. Swapping out takes all of 15 seconds and your feet will be a lot happier. I haven't done any mountaineering or have used the rally sole yet, so I can't comment on either but I hope to be able to provide more input on this later in the year. Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase and would recommend the Typhoon to someone looking for an AT boot with middle-of-the-road weight but better than average downhill performance.

View Details: Scarpa Typhoon Alpine Touring Boot

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