Maestrale

I've had a chance to ski these boots 5 or 6 times so far this year and they're incredible. I had wanted to get Scarpa AT boots in the past, but they never seemed to fit my foot quite right. The Maestrale has a different fit than Scarpa's Spirit 3 & 4 boots, and its fit was perfect for my foot after molding the liners. They're very comfortable (and super light) on the uphill, and the intuition liners are like slippers. The wide range of forward and backward motion is a huge bonus too. I tried using the stock insoles for a day but my feet were in pain at day's end, so I put Superfeet insoles in them and they've felt great ever since. I was skeptical about the hinged front of the boot, but after using it I've found that it's not complicated and makes it easy to get into the boot quickly.

As far as ski performance goes, I've skied them in shallow loud powder, deep powder, and zipper crust so far, and they've done fantastic in all conditions. I had heard reviews of the boot being a bit soft on the downhill, but I don't see it at all. I was easily able to drive my mid-fat skis (95mm waist) in all conditions with them. I really don't have anything bad to say about the boot, other than that the front two buckles iced up a bit toward the end of a long touring day. I highly recommend the Maestrale if you can stand having your feet look like they're celebrating Halloween each time you ski.