Scarpa Maestrale RS Alpine Touring Boots

The last review we prepared of the Maestrale RS boots was way back in 2018 and until now not much has really changed with these iconic AT boots. Rather than go over all of the design features and specifications of the RS Boots I’ll leave you to read our previous review here, and instead, I’ll just highlight the improvements with the 2023 Maestrale RS Boots—trust me there are a lot.

For Fall 2023 Scapra will offer newly redesigned Maestrale and Gea Boots (for the ladies) as well as the stiffer Maestrale RS and Gea RS Boots. These alpine-touring boots now provide more power on the downhill while at the same time improving the overall fit and feature set across the board.

Scarpa has placed Carbon Core inserts in the upper cuff of the RS Boots to match the Carbon Core construction in the lower shell. They used U-shaped carbon inserts that are co-moulded into the shells which now surround the lower foot and the upper ankle providing more torsional stiffness and directing increased power to the skis. Other boots will flex and deform along lower shell’s sidewalls which means a loss of power transmission from boot to ski. Third-party testing has validated that the Maestrale’s Carbon Core design allows these boots to deliver more power to your ski’s edges and provides the ability to drive wider skis. In the regular Maestrale and Gea Boots Scarpa has also integrated these Carbon Core inserts into the boot’s lower shell which improves their performance and sheds 60 grams per size 27 boot. All this carbon in the RS Boots doesn’t impede the boot’s cuff rotation, however, and actually helps provide a nice progressive forward flex.

All of the lew Maestrale and Gea Boots continue to be built with Pebax Rnew which is a sustainable, plant-based material. It is made from 65% renewable resources with the main component being Castor Bean oil. This plant-based renewable material saves approximately 32% of the CO2 that would normally be produced with conventional petroleum-based materials.

• More precise fit. Compared to their predecessors, the new Maestrale and Gea are slightly wider in the forefoot at 102mm, slightly narrower in the back part of the boot, and feature reduced volume in the instep. This evolved shape provides a more precise fit for the majority of skiers’ feet.
• Lower stand height, putting skiers’ feet closer to their skis and to the ground for improved skiing precision.
• Improved lower boot construction thanks to SCARPA’s Alpine Axial Hybrid construction. This design employs a boot tongue that is fixed on the medial side of the lower boot shell but floats over the other for excellent volume control, providing the power of an alpine boot in a much lighter-weight design.
• A new floating strap increases the closing force over the instep.
• An extra layer of insulation underfoot for added warmth.
• First to market with Vibram’s new Traction Lug Technology, which features 25 percent better traction and increased surface area compared to the previous sole.
• A new Wave Lite closure system on the lower boot shell, which is lighter and more adjustable, and provides better adjustment for a wider range of foot shapes.
• An integrated, more powerful Booster strap on the stiffer RS models.
• An updated Heel Retention Strap design that is field-replaceable.
• A wider, beefier Speed LTM ski/walk mechanism that doesn’t increase weight and has 61 degrees of cuff range (16 degrees forward lean +/- 2 degrees).
• Updated Intuition thermoformable Liners.

For the ladies, the Scarpa Gea RS is the same overall design as the Meastrale, they are just optimized for women’s feet. We hope to get a pair of the new Get RS Boots to review but in the interim please give our previous review a read here. You may also be interested in reading our review of the stiffer Scarpa Maestrale XT Boots which have now been replaced with the Scarpa 4-Quattro XT Boots that use four buckles to increase performance and fit further. If you are more interested in saving on weight for those big touring days or testing the waters of Rando Racing then you should read our reviews of the Scarpa F1 LT and Scarpa F1 GT Alpine Touring Boots.

The updated Heel Retention Strap design is field-replaceable and securely sets your foot in the back of the boots.

An integrated, more powerful Booster strap now has a built-in hook and adjustability which is far more efficient than the old velcro version.

The new and improved Speed LTM ski/walk mechanism provides a 61° range of motion in walk mode and a 125 flex rating with 16 degrees forward lean (adjustable +/- 2 degrees).

A new Wave Lite closure system over the boot’s forefoot is lighter and more adjustable.

Inside you’ll find new thermoformable Intuition Liners that are warmer and cushier.

Vibram’s new Traction Lug Technology is built into the Maestrale’s outsole with 25 percent more traction.

Shell/Cuff/Tongue: Grilmid Bio® w Carbon Core/Pebax R-New®/Pebax®
Liner: Pro Flex Performance (Intuition)
Outsole: Vibram Cayman LT (ISO 9523)

• Carbon Core cuff for increased torsional stability
• Carbon Core shell for increased torsional stability
• Wave Lite closure system is highly adjustable and increases closing force for a more precise fit.
• Intuition® Liner is thermoformable and super warm
• Ski/Walk Mode: Speed MLT

There is a reason that the Maestrale is the best-selling ski touring boot—they're light, perform well and fit like a glove. These are all things Scarpa did not mess with in their new 2023 RS version, instead, they looked at a few of the features that could be improved upon and did just that. Without repeating myself and stating all the new features of the Maestrale RS again, I will just highlight a few that stand out after several weeks of touring in these new boots.

Firstly the fit. While I thought it simply could not get any better, Scarpa again delivers here with a more plush Intuition liner that is also warmer. There is now more room in the toe box and the out-of-box fit is pretty impressive for my average foot shape. A nice heel pocket and mid-boot buckle keep my foot positioned securely in the back of the boot where it belongs. I only had to perform minor boot fitting to get these boots to conform to my feet well which kept me happy all day long and increased the performance they provided.

The Maestrale’s forefoot buckle system is now more refined thanks to Scapra’s new Wave Lite closure system, which eliminates the possibility of the buckle unclasping from the tension wire every time you unfasten it. This was a minor irritation on the previous version of the Maestrale RS and I’m glad to see how simple and idiot-proof this new system is to use. There are multiple points of adjustability on the Wave Lite so you can easily fine-tune the buckles pressure but I would like to see Scarpa come up with a more refined and elegant micro cable adjustment as the thumb screw does seem a little rudimentary in design.

The power strap now has an adjustable hook system that allows for easy tightening and loosening. No more having to rip velcro each time to get out of the boots and then try to find the perfect position to get back in, only to try again. This more powerful booster strap allows for a tighter fit without any wear and tear like on the previous velcro strap.

This new 2023 version of the Maestrale RS is only 20g heavier per pair over the previous iteration but they are 100g heavier than the version we last tested. While the overall weight is slowly creeping up, at 2,920g / 6.4lbs per size 27 pair, these are still very lightweight AT boots, especially considering that the overall comfort, fit and performance severely outpace this minimal weight gain. The Maestrale RS are very powerful touring boots that achieve an impressive balance between their lightweight comfort, downhill performance/stiffness and the huge range of motion they are capable of in walk mode (even with all the buckles secured). These are really the only boot you need for resort and AT skiing unless of course you are old like me or spend so much time crushing vertical that you need to save on weight and are willing to give up some performance in return. In this case, read our review of the Scarpa F1 LT Alpine Touring Boots as they are likely better suited to your needs.

If you are in the market for a new pair of AT boots then do yourself a favour and slip a pair of Maestrale or Gea RS Boots on your feet and I am sure you’ll see what I mean.