Sportiva stratos superlight Dynafit ski mountaineering boot

With all this lardy gear hitting the market recently it is nice to see a manufacturer that hasn’t forgotten the ethos of ski mountaineering. We don’t know the exact weight of the new Dynafit compatible Stratos ski touring boot, it is top secret, but there is enough carbon fibre to keep a Le Mans team happy.

The two buckle boot actually looks similar to the 1200 euro XP 500 from the stable of Grenoble based Pierre Gignoux. The XP500 is aimed firmly at competition use. A pair of Pierre’s boots will tip the scales at just over 1kg without liners. La Sportiva has hinted at a similar weight for the Stratos. It will certainly please Italy’s ski mountaineers, some of the best in the world.

The boot is covered by three patents and has undergone rigorous testing in the lab and up on the Italian glaciers. La Sportiva has 80 years of experience making mountaineering boots and have worked with advanced materials but this is their first departure into ski touring. Dino Merelli, the brains behind the boot, already makes super lightweight carbon fibre skis (1350 grammes a pair in 166cm). The boot’s official launch will be at the ISPO 2009 trade show in Munich but limited numbers are already in production before a full launch and the opening of a manufacturing facility this year.

Further Information

http://www.lasportiva.com/Magazine2007/English/Scarponescialp6.htm#
http://www.merelliski.com/
http://www.volopress.net/volo/spip.php?article337 – you will notice in Volodia’s review of the XP500 he talks about the Sportiva/Merelli boot.