La Sportiva Shadow

The Gist

Our testers were immediately drawn to the good looks and technical appearance of the new 2019 La Sportiva Shadow. They found the stiffer flexing successor to the predecessor Sparkle 2.0 to be a top-shelf hiker-skinner and that it packed some punch with its upright and spring-loaded flex feel. They found that the fit improved greatly with liner molding but said that the heel remained a bit roomier than expected for secure skiing and skinning.

The Fit

The toebox and forefoot is noticeably roomy, testers agreed, and they felt that while liner molding evened the fit elsewhere in the lower boot, they wished that the heel pocket was a little more aggressive—so generally a fit they said favored the thicker-footed tourer. The closure system was difficult to figure out, they said, but they agreed that the final result was a good lock-down and release for transitions between skiing and skinning.

Performance

They said that the hiking and touring mode was one of the category best, appreciating the ease of the release switch and the comfortable and long-feeling stride it enabled. They also liked how the Shadow skied, but several mentioned that the upright and stiff cuff put them a bit on their heels and they suggested that perhaps a little additional heel lift or rear spoiler shim might help.

Cool Features

The design of the Pegasus Plus buckle system has elevated boot closure to an art form, but testers agreed that it is overly complicated and virtually impossible to manage with gloves on.