First Look: Tecnica Decoy

After my escapades with the Scarpa Quattro Pro last winter and the first part of winter 2026, I’m continuing to appreciate having a heavier boot in the quiver for things like trips to Japan. With a lot of lift-accessed touring, my feeble attempts at freeriding after short approaches in places like Teton Pass, and my occasional forays into Jackson Hole Mountain Resort or Snow King, heavier, damp boots are just plain fun when the weight penalty isn’t too hindering. 

I caught wind of the new Tecnica Decoy this fall from some gossiping among Blizzard-Tecnica-associated folks in my orbit. Something between the Cochise and Zero G was the word on the street, and while I may have preferred a Zero G-Zero G Peak hybrid, something burly with a little more touring ability than the Cochise piqued my interest as well. 

The internet rumor mill seemed to think the Decoy is a Zero G with a PU lower scaffo and Cochise-style stiff wire buckles. On the surface, they aren’t far off, but clearly a little more thought went into this project as far as fit, added reinforcement, and details like liners and power straps. 

Folks who follow the alpine boot world will have seen the Mach 1 130 LV that Tecnica released in 2025; in essence, it was a fixed cuff, PU lower, with a very Zero G-like cuff and what is essentially a fixed, carbon fiber version of the T-Hike double locking ski/walk mechanism (called T-Drive in the Mach 1). Looking a bit further back, the cuff reinforcement layout and some of these design features started with the Zero G Peak. It seems interesting and unique to see 1kg boot design lessons influencing the fixed-cuff freeride boot design. Anyways, if we could simplify things to say the Mach 1 LV got a Zero G-influenced update, we could similarly call the Decoy a Cochise with a Zero G-influenced update. 

Our Decoy test boots arrived late season (normal ski-season skinning from the valley didn’t last very far into the spring here in the Tetons), and generally, I am skiing lighter boots later in the season. All to say, I only had a few days in the Decoy, but I have a few initial takes. 

First, the fit is a bit higher volume than the Zero G Tour Pro. I added a shim under my insole and had to crank the buckles fairly tight to achieve good performance. The stock liner is super robust—perhaps it could be the one liner in a two-liner, one-shell system, where the stock liner is for resort use and a lighter, higher-ROM liner gets subbed in for touring. The walking performance with the stock liner was quite poor, and swapping to my Zipfit Espresso or Scarpa Quattro stock liner made a night-and-day difference in walkability. The stock liner has lots of foam, thermoformable plastic C.A.S panels, and a really nice, tight heel pocket, so it certainly isn’t a throwaway. 

With the caveat of a liner swap, walking performance was incrementally worse than the Zero G Tour Pro but otherwise similar. Not quite as good as the Quattro, but the tradeoff for damping, suspension, and overall support while skiing is apparent. The ski performance is excellent; I imagine folks who ski fixed-cuff boots and struggle with touring boot performance will be generally pleased with the Decoy’s skiing performance. Unfortunately, the new Mach 1 design is only available in the LV last so far, while the Decoy is only available in the MV Freeride last, so a direct comparison isn’t entirely fair, as one will probably fit better than the other for most folks. That said, it would be pretty interesting to test ski performance side-by-side between these boots, given their very similar designs. 

A few small differences from the Zero G that likely matter to some folks are the forward lean and the Gripwalk sole. The Decoy comes with 15.5 degrees of forward lean, instead of 14 on the Zero G. It seems most will prefer this update, and I wonder if one could retrofit the Zero G with a Decoy part to increase the Zero G’s lean, similar to the aftermarket Raide mod. The Gripwalk sole is controversial, and some ski tourers seem to really dislike it. I find it a bit annoying/slippery on icy, well-traveled bootpacks in the ski area or someplace like Mount Glory on Teton Pass. Otherwise, while trail-breaking or following a less-traveled bootpack, scrambling on rock, etc., it either isn’t an issue at all, or I put on crampons and don’t stress about it. No big deal. 

Overall, like the Quattro, I see the Decoy as an excellent boot for mixed touring and resort use, travel, or folks looking to throw down and ski fast in variable snow. I’m looking forward to getting more days in the Decoy, trying some different liner combinations, and seeing how they perform on some bigger ski tours. We’ll report back later this season with a full review.