Scarpa Gea Ski Boot
February 29, 2012
Getting ahold of ski boots to test is really not that easy; also it’s a pain in the ass. Getting the liners molded, the cant adjusted, bindings adjusted, etc. takes up time that I’d rather spend skiing. That and the time it takes to coordinate getting them and sending them back makes it really not that cost effective for me and if I end up not liking the boots, it’s really sucky. I put up with this recently because I really wanted to try the new line of Scarpa boots, and predictably I had binding problems and other issues all winter long due to trying to get everything set just right between several pairs of boots and a stable of skis. But anyway, I got to try the boots, so here’s the result of my extended test (a big THANK YOU to Scarpa for lending these out for a few months to make it all worth it).
I’ve skied on Scarpa Star Lites for years and years, and many of my companions have skied on the Star Lite counterpart, the Diva (which I wish I’d purchased all those years ago but are no longer available). We’ve all loved the Scarpa line because they seem to just fit our feet really well. The Star Lites are the first boots I had that didn’t cause excruciating pain. So when I pulled the Geas out of the box and saw that they are shaped completely differently, I was a little perplexed. Looks like Scarpa has completely redesigned the shape of their boot. But I’ll get into that in a minute.
The big draw of the Geas is the weight. They are just barely over two pounds each. That is featherweight for a ski boot, and balm to a skinner’s soul. My ski partner picked them up to load them into the car and said “whoa, these are ‘nothing’ boots!” The funny part was that he actually skis the men’s version of the same boot, but since his are literally almost twice the size of mine (he’s a GIANT), they’re much heavier. I did enjoy skinning in these simply because they are super light.
That’s unfortunately where I had to part ways with these boots. They skinned well but I could never get comfortable in them enough to decide that I actually would buy them. My biggest problem was that the cuff is just too high; it impedes my calf muscle and I can’t get the boots tight enough to ski steep stuff properly without causing a lot of pain (even with my standard heel lift installed; they’d be debilitatingly excruciating without that). The first day I skied in them I cranked them down and spent the 1,500 feet of vertical wishing I hadn’t, which sucks when the snow is perfect but all you can think about is skiing as fast as you can so you can unbuckle your boots. Pain like you would not believe. I loosened them up and they didn’t hurt as much, but I like a nice tight fit while I’m skiing so that was a bit of a bummer. Maybe the top buckle is too high for me as well; not sure exactly.
The other problem I had that I attribute to boot design is that the velcro power cuff, which is really nice and wide and therefore useful for cinching down, is too short to loosen enough for the skin up. You have to leave it completely undone (which, with velcro, is dangerous for base layers and just plain annoying for the wearer) to get maximum range from your walk mode.
I did like the spring-loaded clips that make it easy to keep track of your buckles in walk mode.
The main buckles were a lot easier to work than the ones on my Star Lites; something I’ve noticed about newer boots in general. Progress on the buckle-evolution front! I like it. Some people who tried the boots really liked the way the entire front of the boot swivels up and out of your way (lots of good pics of that on the Wildsnow review here), but I actually disliked this feature because I kept pinching my fingers in the mechanism and found it annoying and cumbersome to operate. Yes, yes, I know, operator error, but man does it hurt to pinch your fingers when they’re already cold and moving to “numb”. I think this design was meant to make lacing up your liners easier, but I thought lace-up liners were a thing of the past and was surprised to see them on a new pair of boots. I don’t bother with the laces and took them out, so it’s not a requirement, but I don’t see the point of using old technology on such nice new boots.
I also found it strange that, though I went down a shell size in the Geas, the sole length was actually longer than my Star Lites. I think there’s more boot out in front, with a longer toe piece than in past boot designs by Scarpa. It was a little weird to click into tech bindings with the pivot holes so far out in front of my actual foot. Once in the binding, all seemed fairly normal, but I thought it strange to make a longer boot; the reasons for doing this I couldn’t discern.
I was feeling like I really should like these boots more but as the winter went on I found that I kept reaching for my Star Lites again and again and before too long all my skis were adjusted back to Star Lite spec and I’d stopped skiing on the Geas completely, a sure sign of incompatibility with the boots. This was much different from my experience testing the Star Lites, when I refused to send the sample pair back until I’d secured a pair of my own so I didn’t have to stop skiing on them. I recently skied with a friend whose Divas are looking a little beat up; when I commented on their condition she said she’d tried the Geas but they didn’t fit her foot so she returned them. So it’s not just me.
I think that taller skiers might like the Geas better because of the higher cuff; it might fit a longer leg better. Maybe it’s a foot shape issue so I encourage you to give them a try if you want a super ultra light pair of ski boots for the backcountry. Still, I’d like to see the power cuff issue addressed and I would like to be able to get into the boots without having to swivel a piece of plastic around, which you really can’t do with the Geas.
I didn’t actively dislike them, I just never really liked them, if that makes any sense. They do the job. They’re just a little too “buggy” for me. I kept expecting to work out the kinks as the season progressed but it just didn’t work for me. Color shouldn’t matter, I know, I know, but the ick-green of these boots turned me off as well. Man, I’m fussy, eh? I think – THINK – that the new Scarpa Blinks are still molded on the old-style last, meaning that they’re shaped the same as the Divas and Star Lites (and have a better color, heh); I’ll try to get a pair on my feet so I can report back.
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4 Responses to “Scarpa Gea Ski Boot”
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Funny, I actually liked the green colour! I had never heard that laces were old school (or maybe I just haven’t been around skiing long enough). I figured it was so when you’re skinning up it’s the liner hitting your boot shell as opposed to your shin hitting the liner.
Currently I have the Scarpa Blink and I’m loving them. Even the hinged opening. I’ve always had trouble getting my foot in so I find it helps a lot!
Yep, ski boots are so much about foot shape that whether or not they work for a person is really individual. They are good boots, they just didn’t work for me. Heartbreaking, really.
Good point about the liners; I like a looser fit though so maybe that’s why I don’t like laces. Also, they’re just another thing to fiddle with.
Thanks for your input!
I love the Divas. I recently got a pair of used Scarpa F1 Race boots and if you want a pair of light boots in your quiver you might like them. They are pretty comfortable but due to the flex in the footbed your feet get a bit more of a workout. They aren’t tall — in fact they’re lower than my Divas. It seems that lightweight always has some sort of tradeoff. If you’re not racing it’s probably not that important to go light anyhow.
Great blog by the way. Recently learned of it through the imposter Alaska Jill (Cali Jill?).
Hi Danni!
My Star Lites are still going strong and I probably won’t replace them for a while. I wish I’d bought the Divas because they’re a little stiffer than the Star Lites, but I’m happy with my boots for the most part!
And welcome! It’s nice of that big faker to sent readers over here. I’m going to see her tomorrow. I’ll ask her for surfing tips.