Lightweight and Powerful with a Wide-Ranging Walk Mode
Alpine touring ski boots must balance weight, power and durability with walkability, flex and comfort. Generally speaking, the more downhill-focused the boot, the less walk-friendly and heavier the design. The new La Sportiva Vanguard ski boots break that trend by being lighter and more powerful than similar boots while setting a new standard for a range of motion and climbing comfort. The Vanguard sets a new high bar for downhill performance and uphill efficiency.
The Vanguard brings a fresh take on ski boot design that innovates while keeping it simple and delivering performance on snow. Sportiva rates the flex at 130 and the cuff range of motion at 63 degrees. It’s a boot for skiers who have high standards for downhill performance and uphill comfort.
All-New Design
It’s clear that La Sportiva sat down at the design table to create the Vanguard ski boot. It’s not just a souped-up Vega — their do-it-all four-buckle touring boot (read our La Sportiva Vega ski boot review). From the unique V-shape cuff design to the buckle system and Pebax Rnew material, the Vanguard is new from the sole up.
While the La Sportiva Vega features a traditional boot shell and tongue design, the Vanguard moves to a unique V-shape cuff with a scissor-like construction. The benefit of the design is two-fold. One, it means the boot opens wide for easy entry. Two, it creates a full-wrap cuff that, when locked in ski mode, creates a powerful connection to the boot. In addition to the cuff, an integrated tongue further connects the cuff and boot for downhill power. The design is surprisingly agile and frictionless in walk mode. It affords an incredibly free-moving feel without a need to release buckle or power strap tension.
The La Sportiva Vanguard has a unique scissor cuff design that creates a powerful feel in ski mode and a wide range of motion in walk mode.
Another unique design characteristic is how the upper buckle ties into the power strap. La Sportiva calls this Twin-PWR. It combines the upper buckle and power strap for ease of closure. This likely also reduces weight over a more traditional design and still provides a powerful feel to the cuff.
The La Sportiva Double Release buckle and cable
The forefoot buckle takes a design cue from the Scarpa Wave Closure and uses a cable to distribute tension evenly across the instep. Sportiva calls this a Double Release buckle. It features a two-stage release that lets you adjust tension for walking without fully unbuckling.
Lightweight
Through a combination of design and materials, The La Sportiva Vanguard drops 200 grams (nearly half a pound) a pair over the Vega and similar boots like the Scarpa Maestrale (read our Scarpa Maestrale review).
A common complaint with lightweight but powerful AT ski boot designs is that boots lose their progressive flex. Weight is often reduced by using carbon. Carbon makes a boot light and stiff, but it doesn’t offer the same natural flex as Pebax. The V-Shape design and Pebax Bio-Based Rnew with carbon infusion keep the Vanguard light while maintaining a progressive feel to its 130-rated flex.
Our size 26 test boots weigh in at 1330 grams per boot. They feel noticeably light on your feet. Their lightweight adds up to less energy spent climbing and skiing over a long day of trail breaking and touring.
Pebax Rnew
In keeping with the competition and modern sustainability, the Vanguard’s Pebax shell and cuff are eco-friendly, derived from bio-based Pebax Rnew, a castor oil-based for a more environmentally sustainable approach to ski boots. Renewable plastics are fast becoming standard issue and seem to handle temperature extremes without issue.
Downhill Performance and Uphill Walkability
There are plenty of touring boots that prioritize downhill performance. The remarkable thing about the La Sportiva Vanguard is that it combines strong downhill performance with a high-level walk range. Better yet, it’s just light and stiff. The flex is stiff, but it’s also progressive enough to have that forgiving feel that makes a great backcountry touring boot.
The walk mode is one of the widest and most frictionless of any boots I have skied, let alone a boot with a 130 flex rating capable of driving a ski like the Vanguard. The combination makes for a boot that truly raises the bar for skiing and walking performance in one design.
Walk mode is switched using a simple mechanical arm. All moving parts are external for simplicity. The forward lean is adjusted by flipping the small bar that the lever arm locks into, letting you choose 12 or 14 degrees.
The shell width spec (last) is 102.5 mm. This makes for a middle-of-the-road fit that feels good for my wider-than-average feet. A high-quality and thermomoldable Ultralon liner adds to the boot’s all-around comfort. Even with the nice liner, it pays comfort dividends to have your boots custom molded by an experienced boot fitter.
The Bottom Line
The La Sportiva Vanguard is a proper performance ski touring boot. Its walk mode raises the bar for range of motion, and the downhill performance raises the bar for lightweight boot performance.
The flex is stout enough to control a big ski (tested on a 124 waist) and progressive enough to feel natural. Add a first-class liner, easy-to-use buckles, and a remarkably lightweight feel, and you have a boot that sets a new standard for uphill and downhill function in a lightweight boot.
The Vanguard is available in men’s and women’s versions. Check the availability of La Sportiva Vanguard AT Ski Boots directly from La Sportiva.
Read more AT Ski Boot Reviews.
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