Freeride boots
Product 2022
Woman, Man
La Sportiva Vega is a four-hook freeriding ski touring boot. It provides good pressure transmission on the edge thanks to its high lateral rigidity. On the other hand, on the anteroposterior level, when you are flexing the ankle, we noticed a flex closer to a 110 index and not the 120 listed. So, it’s not very stiff for a skier who really wants to put the pressure on. What’s the advantage? The La Sportiva Vega doesn’t have a hard point, neither in the calf, nor on the tibia. If you push hard against the tibia, the shell deforms a bit on the instep.
The La Sportiva Vega has a standard weight for this type of freeriding product. It has two extremely powerful inverted hooks on the instep. So, you can easily adjust the tightening, but they are to be handled with care, so you don’t crush the top of the shell. The two upper hooks are adjustable on the rails. But they can’t be moved to the outer edge of the shell.
The La Sportiva Vega’s main assets (we will add the uphill fore/aft flex) are: the precise transmission of the lateral supports, and the walk/ski disengagement. The latter is very fast and ultra-performant. It doesn’t get blocked with snow and can be handled with or without gloves on without any complications.
The La Sportiva Vega’s fore and aft flex on the uphill is quite impressive because it has almost the same angle as a “real” hiking shoe. You get amazing performance and efficiency going up. The other great bonus is the top hooks: the closed shoe keeps its fore and aft movement! This should be pointed out because some boots keep their movement only if the top of the tongue is open (Rossignol Alltrack and Atomic boots for example).
The tightening strap is powerful easy to handle. The liner has two straps to facilitate sliding your foot inside. It is very flexible and thin, when you take out or put your foot in the shell, it tends to go down to the bottom of the shoe. It is obvious that the developers prioritized shaving off a few grams here than its rigidity. But you feel this finesse in its overall comfort: if you close La Sportiva Vega a little too much, you suddenly feel the pressure points. On the other hand, you gain precision. We couldn’t test La Sportiva Vega in extreme cold conditions.
Talking of volume and fit: some areas are very snug fitting, while others are less precise. It’s tough to get a clear idea in this area, so you should try it on in the store to see if the shell’s volume corresponds to your foot. Our opinion is it is a fairly “snug fitting” boot to favor precision.
La semelle Vibram propose un grip rassurant dans quasiment toutes les situations. On marche facilement avec La Sportiva Vega. En talon, pour entrer les deux barrettes des fixations équipées Lowtech, il faut bien régler ses fixations pour que la semelle laisse passer de manière fluide les deux embouts.
La qualité perçue est dans la norme, l’ensemble est plutôt bien réalisé.
The Vibram sole provides a reassuring grip in practically any situation. You can easily walk with La Sportiva Vega. At the heel, to enter the two Lowtech bars on the bindings, you must adjust your bindings so that the sole lets the two end pieces in easily.
The perceived quality is standard and it’s all well designed.
The Sportiva Vega provides impressive and exciting fore/aft uphill flex. It targets skiers who want a boot that performs on the downhill thanks to good downforce transmission.
We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:
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