Powder Review: Scarpa F1 GT
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In a Nutshell
The Scarpa F1 GT Alpine Touring Boot is a “touring light” or “skimo plus” backcountry boot with a comfortable fit, natural gait, and a progressive flex that makes it feel more like a traditional ski boot and less like a race boot. For skiers who are light boot curious, this is a great introduction to the world of 1000-gram boots.
Size Skied: 25
Weight:
Stated Flex: 90
Binding Compatibility: Tech Bindings
Stated ROM: 72°
Forward Lean: 9-13°
The Scarpa F1 GT is available now.
Intro
Last season the Scarpa F1 GT Alpine Touring Boot joined Scarpa’s F1 line as a “more forgiving” and more affordable version of the popular F1 LT. The boot is designed to work best with light skis and bindings.
The F1 GT, which is made of customizable Grilamid® Fiber Glass LFT, comes with a Velcro power strap and two buckles, using the Wave Lite closure system over the instep rather than the F1 LT’s BOA system. The liner is a heat-moldable Intuition Tour liner and the outsole is Vibram UFO LT.
Fit
I did give the Intuition liners a light at-home bake to give my toes a little more space, but without any shell modification the Scarpa F1 GT has a comfortable fit for my feet, which are pretty narrow with an average instep height. Scarpa boots are unusual in that they break up from the half size rather than down, meaning the size I tested was technically 24.5/25 instead of 25/25.5. I like Scarpa’s size range, because I’m somewhere in between a 24.5 and a 25.5, not a 24 and 24.5.
The Scarpa F1 GT is extremely easy to step into, and a little trickier to take off, since I have to navigate the overlap cuff and fabric tongue gaiter. The gaiter is attached to the liner with Velcro and is a beefier version of the gaiter that comes on the F1 LT.
It’s worth noting that the F1 GT’s shell is reportedly more punchable than the LT version. That’s thanks to the different fibers infused into the Grilamid, so it should be possible for experienced bootfitters to modify the GT more, without cracking it, than they could with the LT.
Buckles
The buckle system is simple and straightforward on the Scarpa F1 GT. The power strap can be removed with a flathead screwdriver, which I’m tempted to do because it doesn’t add much in the way of stiffness (and I could save dozens of grams a foot–worth it for weight weenies). The upper cuff buckle has micro and macro adjustments and does the job just fine, although I wish it were a buckle strap like the F1 LT has, because buckle straps allow for faster transitions while still providing a precise fit.
The Wave Lite buckle on the clog wraps around the instep very nicely and creates an intimate fit around the forefoot that’s easy to quickly tighten or loosen even with gloves on. If you’re still apprehensive about BOA, the buckles on the F1 GT provide some peace of mind without much of a weight penalty.
The vertical walk/ski mode lever is easy to actuate and attaches to a solid bar on the boot with a resounding thunk. Because there isn’t space behind the heel bar, it seems less likely to ice up.
Going Uphill on the Scarpa F1 GT
With a generous 72-degree range of motion and gaiter rather than plastic tongue, the Scarpa F1 GT allows for a very natural stride.On bootpacks and scrambles the rockered Vibram sole is confidence inspiring. The gaiter instead of a tongue does make for a little less lateral rigidity on sidehill skintracks than I prefer, but a lot of people want more lateral ankle articulation and will appreciate it.
I’ve taken these on a few tours that included several thousand feet of climbing and I was perfectly comfortable to the point of forgetting about them entirely, which is high praise for ski boots.
Going Downhill on the Scarpa F1 GT
The Scarpa F1 GT has a very pleasant forward flex without lateral slop, and doesn’t feel harsh like a true skimo race boot. In powder the boot skied great, never feeling outgunned by my 116 mm underfoot touring skis. Once the conditions started to degrade, it was more obvious that I was in a dainty boot, and I had to adjust my style accordingly by staying centered and making decisive turns so I wasn’t taken for a ride. The F1 GT felt more at home paired with my 100 mm underfoot skis on days when I wasn’t getting face shots. In corn, which we all know is the holy grail of spring skiing, the F1 GT had just the right amount of suspension and precision.
With boots in this very light weight class, it can be challenging to make objective comparisons in ski performance. If you want a boot in this 1100ish gram class but downhill performance is your top priority, you might consider the La Sportiva Skorpius CR II.
When used within their intended parameters, both the F1 GT and the Skorpius CR II are very capable of driving skis around 100 mm underfoot powerfully. So the deciding factor should be fit. Choose the boot that works best with your foot.
That said, the Skorpius punches higher above its intended class; it’s happier driving big skis in variable snow than the F1 GT is. If you’ve got another touring boot to do that with, and you’re just looking for an ultralight, big day boot, the F1 GT is lighter and has a smoother walk mode than the Skorpius.
What would a perfect day in the Scarpa F1 GT look like?
These are the boots to take out for a very long spring walk. Say it’s volcano season in the PNW, it’s warm enough for a Hawaiian shirt, you’re on your light skis and minimalist bindings, and you’ll probably be going uphill for most of the day. The Scarpa F1 GT is a light, comfortable touring boot that can tackle big objectives while still being capable enough to show you a great time on the descent.
