Scarpa Maestrale XT Review

I’ve owned nearly every iteration of the Scarpa Maestrale ski boot. I started skiing on the original Maestrale about 10 years ago. The way I like to describe the boot is that it’s the boot for backcountry skiers who enjoy the up, but are in the sport for the down. Every new model of the Maestrale I get I wonder how it’s possible that a good boot got even better. The RS got stiffer and lighter, and the XT has followed suit––somehow getting even stiffer and lighter.

I’m 6’4” and weigh 180lbs. I appreciate a stiff boot that shreds on the up and the way down, the XT is the best of both worlds: stiff (130 flex), light, and has a large ROM (56 degrees). The Grillamid cuff, Grillamid/carbon boot, and Pebax tongue all keep things light while increasing the stiffness. The walk mode is super beefy, making it more durable, easy to engage, way less prone to ice up, and doesn’t have any of the issues that previous Maestrale models did.

I work as a ski guide and avalanche educator so I spend a lot of long days in my boots. Sometimes I’m getting in 6k of vert and other times I’m standing in a snow pit all day long. The XT is comfortable enough for me out of the box with no heat molding, I appreciate the 101mm last for increased comfort on long days. They’re perfect for my feet on long approaches and they ski super well. I like that I can take this boot into the resort and feel supported on variable hard-pack. This is by far my favorite boot for all of my backcountry ski missions, and all of my other ski missions too. The Scarpa Maestrale XT is a great, high-performance, all-around boot.