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First Look: Scarpa’s F1 RS

Scarpa’s F1 gets an overhaul and adds the BOA H+1 System.

By

Jason Albert

Scarpa’s new F1 RS features a BOA H+1 Remote System for the lower and a single buckle + cam-lock powerstrap on the upper. The F1 RS will be the stiffest skiing boot in the F1 line.

Scarpa’s new F1 RS features a BOA H+1 Remote System for the lower and a single buckle + cam-lock powerstrap on the upper. The F1 RS will be the stiffest skiing boot in the F1 line.

Feet scorned by ill-fitting touring boots should be a thing of the past. And poor turns or earned-vert scorned due to poor-performing touring boots: too mushy, too stiff, not enough ROM, or too much friction. Human feet come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. As do preferences regarding fit and flex characteristics. Lucky us,…

Responses

  1. Christian Strachan

    Thanks for putting this out there! Excited, but I’m in the other BOA camp, and yeah this is a bit disappointing. I feel like big-BOA is the little brother to big-plastic pushing unneeded products on us. I am one of those, for whatever reason, needs to have things really locked in to feel like a boot is skiing well, but the only BOA boot I’ve tried was the F1 LT. Ended up going to the XT and am so much happier about things. Maybe it’s poor technique and poor foot structure, but it’s not going to change here in the middle of my 5th decade. But I understand that BOA does work for some. Looks like a buckle or Z-cable retrofit might not be too difficult.

    That is promising about that heel hold. How is the instep height?

    1. Jason Albert

      Hey Christian, the instep height is good to great for someone with a “normal” instep. For those with a high instep, I’m unsure how the fit would be; that said, it is roomier (instep-wise) compared to the 4-Quattro SL. For those with low insteps, my take is the BOA could be a great way to reduce some of that volume without creating unnecessary pressure points. The BOA system on this boot, as designed, seems to distribute the pressure when cinched down pretty evenly over the forefoot.

      1. Christian Strachan

        Good info on the instep, thanks! I’m in the low-instep category. The BOA does look more like something you’d see now on inbounds-type boots, do you feel you can crank it down more than, say, an F1 LT? With the outboard positioning of that BOA, I’m hoping your testing includes approaches through scree fields! 😉

        1. Jason Albert

          The cranking: from the positioning and the larger dial/gearing, cranking down is not a problem. So, yes, I do feel like it is easier to get more than sufficient closing force on this BOA relative to the smaller (older school) BOA/Twistfit dial on the F1LT, Travers series, and older Blacklight, etc. It’s like going from pedestrian to industrial strength with this new BOA configuration. Sadly, at least locally, there might be scree to navigate sooner rather than later.

          1. Christian Strachan

            Again, great to know, thanks! What’s the bsl of that 27 you’ve got?

            1. Jason Albert

              The BSL for the 27 F1 RS is 297mm.

        2. Slim

          This is the “alpine boot Boa” really very differnt from the “standard” Boa that’s been on touring boots, bike shoes, and snowboard boots.

          I have it on my alpine boots, and and it cranks down with authority, so I imagine it will have now problem crushing thin touring boot shells and liners.

          The dial also has a safety feature where it will pop off if it gets hit just right, and can just be pushed back on.

          Blister did a review on one of the early releases of alpine Boa boots, accidentally tested this feature and said it worked as advertised.

  2. Kam DH

    Looks pretty darn cool. I have both an F1 GT and a Maestrale RS. I also am not so stoked on the BOA. It seems like it could easily get smashed in a postholing through boulderfield situation, but I guess I try to avoid those when possible!

    I am glad to see it has the same kind of walk mode as the F1 GT/XT with the notch in the throw rather than the opposite one on my Maestrale. The Maestrale is super prone to icing and is always popping out of ski mode at the slightest hint of snow. The F1 GT, on the other hand, is super rock solid.

    This seems like a nice quiver killer option to be honest!

    1. Gavin Hess

      The BOA is significantly more out of the way than any other BOA equipped boot ive used. I imagine it will be safe from postholing, aside from a proper side swipe/overhang sort of thing.

      I’ve had enough issues with buckles opening, breaking, etc post holing in snow with or without boulders that I’m open to the idea that the H+i1 boa could be a strong durability upgrade when properly implemented

      1. Kam DH

        Good to hear, looking forward to more in-depth review.

  3. Whit

    Damn that’s a cool design! The Ridge may have some competition. I’m pro-BOA especially this beefier version that appears to be the same version found on new alpine boots where the dial can get knocked off and easily reattach, so most people’s worries about durability should be moot. It’ll crank down more than enough too but does it unwind enough to make it easy to get on and off?
    I know it’s subjective but how does the flex feel compared to the Ridge and Hoji-lock boots?
    Having a regular toe lug should mean it could be a quiver killer boot since you could use it in hybrid bindings, unlike the Ridge. Also I like how there appears to be more forward lean adjustment without just adding a spoiler.
    Looking forward to full review!

    1. cap

      Also interested in that “flex feel”!

      1. Gavin Hess

        With the caveat that Im planning to have my first day out on the F1RS tomorrow, I’ll throw in my 2 cents here.

        I’d describe the flex as somewhere between the ZGTP and the Ridge. The overall feel and construction is more similar to the Zero G, but it feels a bit softer on the whole (In a good, progressive way, to me). Compared to the ridge, nothing feels as rock solid and play free as far as the upper-lower shell connection; the F1RS seems like it will have similar limitations to just about every non hoji lock boot out there as far as developing slop in the walk-ski mechanism.

        The walking is lower friction than I remember in the zero g, and similar to the ridge. The ROM, similar to the Zero G, is somewhat limited by the height of the lower scaffo and its interaction with the cuff.

        I had been wondering for a few years when Scarpa was going to come up with something to challenge the market dominance of the Zero G; this is certainly that.

        1. cap

          Cheers – how was that first day out? 🙂

          1. Gavin Hess

            A week or so in – really impressed with these. Somewhat similar to the ridge, they feel more soft at the top of the flex than many touring boots that are aiming for downhill skewed performance. I like that.

            The fit seems a little more wide than the alien rs/f1 lt platform, while the instep is medium (and relatively forgiving with the soft plastic and boa). Heel hold is, as Jason said, quite good. Worth noting that my last lightweight Scarpa boot was a sz 29.5/30 Alien RS (that was a little too big), I’m in a 27.5/28 F1 RS and mostly loving it.

  4. bruised

    Really interesting boot. Probably need to think harder about the geometry but from first look it seems like the base of the boa being on the cuff means the cable will loosen the harder you push forward into the cuff which seems problematic. Curious for how it will ski with the solid overlap.

    1. Christian Strachan

      I think that cable guide where it comes off the scaffo onto the cuff is pretty close to the pivot point, and if one is flexing forward, the mechanics look like it would possibly either tighten it or keep tension constant. I imagine the engineers and testers worked that bit out. Can’t imagine prototype testing that and immediately addressing it if it were an issue.

      1. Patrick Fink

        I think you’re off on this one. The cable pivot that’s on the upper is forward of the cuff pivot point, so flexing into the tongue of the boot will result in slack in the BOA. My guess is that they have to make this compromise because the two alternatives are bad: 1) BOA knob on the lower– too bulky and prone to damage; 2) BOA pivot rearward of the boot pivot– forward flex results in all weight going into the BOA cable rather than the flex of the boot itself. The only way to resolve this issue would be to put the cable pivot directly over the cuff pivot. Or just don’t use a huge boa…. Thinking about this is very reminiscent of mountain bike suspension geometry and chain stretch.

        1. Gavin Hess

          In practice, I haven’t noticed anything funky with the cuff flex affecting the boa tension, but I’ll try to pay some specific attention to this phenomenon next time I’m out. I think the Boa is close enough to the pivot and the travel relative to the pivot is minimal enough that it isn’t a significant issue.

          I’ve got to say, though the BOA knob looks comically large on the cuff like that, it is one of few boots that I can easily over-do it with instep/lower buckle tension. With other boa’s I often feel like it can be quite effortful to get sufficient tension.

  5. Slim

    Interesting boot. I would have thought that the Alpine Boa and its pulleys was heavier than a Z-cable/buckle, but maybe not. Or they feel it’s worth it for micro adjustability.

    Either way, it’s nice to see more options in the “middle ground” boot category.

  6. leonardthedog

    Maybe I missed it, but what skis have you been pairing with this? Any thoughts on how far you’d go on either end (skinny or wide) with this boot?

    1. Jason Albert

      Hey there, it’s just a first look, but I’ve been on the Moonlight Carbon Cruiser Superlight skis, 114mm underfoot in a 177cm. Note, these are very light skis. Skinny: I can see 90mm underfoot being fine Wide: If and when it snows, I could see a heavier ski (than the Moonlight) like the Atomic Backland 109 being good. I suppose if it ever snows enough, the test would be the Nocta’s (177cm)…they are my heaviest touring ski.

  7. Brett Nicholas

    Great first look. How does to cuff height compare to the ZGPT, ridge, and Quattro (if you have them lying around to compare)? I’m tired of super low cuffs on beefier touring boots. I feel like I’m constantly going to tib/fib myself in the Quattro. Understandable on an ultralight boot but annoying on a beef boot.

  8. Kam DH

    And no gaiter to fall apart unlike the F1 XT/GT/LT too…

  9. Ethan Ayer

    So the shell is Pebax Renew? If so how comfortable are bootfitters with punching that material?

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