The polyurethane, three-buckle isn't just the slower-heavier brother of the Scarpa SL and RS, it's also softer and cheaper—so this boot is perfect for us! We might be slower, heavier, softer and cheaper than real backcountry skiers but we're into earning some fresh, too, dammit, and the Freedom fits the bill there. It doesn't hurt that the toebox and forefoot offer a little extra room to spread out beyond the medium width fit tension felt elsewhere in the boot.
Testers still found the Scarpa edge power on tap here, even though it's toned down from the Pebax and Grilamid versions at the 120 flex above—the softer flex and more damp construction saps a little snap from the otherwise totally respectable power plant. Great for cruising all-mountain in bounds and more than enough mojo for day trips in untracked pow.
The range of motion of the Ride Power Block is on par with the best of the Adventure category, though here in the Traditionalist group it's geared toward apres and gear-schlepping as much as it is for possibly setting a skin track.
Testers find the lateral stance a little bowlegged on a flat surface, which translated into a lot of inside edge bias—like SL and RS versions, but the less stiff and transmissive construction dampened that a little bit. The fore aft stance is upright and the cuff fits tall on the leg, and coupled with the softer flex to allow flexing movements that got skiers where they needed to be.
Kudos
Caveats