Scarpa

Freedom SL Alpine Touring Boot - Women's

The Scarpa Women's Freedom SL Alpine Touring Boot is Queen of the Mountain in the Scarpa freeride line. It's the burliest, with a 120 flex index, but almost a pound lighter than the standard Freedom. The SL also uses a lighter Intuition liner and more aggressive sole. Compared to Scarpa's touring boots, the Freedom SL is more versatile (added alpine capability) and is stiffer and more powerful, but it does weigh more than the Maestrale or F1. It has a Ride Power Block that delivers frictionless motion for efficient climbing and locks in back support for power transmission on the downhill. For the woman who needs a boot that can charge off the lift in alpine bindings or slip efficiently into the backcountry with tech (TLT) bindings, the Freedom SL has few equals.

Rather than rebadge the men's version with a little pink and a soft flex, Scarpa's engineers made the last a little smaller and the cuff a little lower to match the shape and size of a woman's foot and calf. The Pebax Rnew shell overlaps for a gap-less fit. Its Carbon Core technology wraps it around a bomber carbon frame for lightweight and allover stiffness for precision control. The Intuition FR Speed liner boot is molded with the shell for a seamless fit and powerful performance, key in making the distinction between a competent alpine/AT boot and one that kills it. The 101mm anatomic last features Axial Power Control for lateral stiffness and sensitivity.

The interchangeable Vibram sole gives you lugged tenacity when hiking over scree or down-climbing into a rocky chute—the boot comes with the Rockered Mountain Plus sole for AT and tech bindings, but the Mountain Piste sole is available separately for those who rip on alpine bindings, too. You'll feel the advantage in an instant and respond with a peaceful mind. After all, you don't want to charge down a finger chute with already-frayed nerves.