Crispi EVO 2009/10
by Mitch Weber
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November, 2009-- Those who have been following the ongoing
saga of the introduction of the NTN boot and binding system have
seen first hand the last couple of years that it's been the boots
that have been the major stumbling block out of the gate. As
it turned out, optimizing a duckbill-less tele boot for this
revolutionary new system was a bit more challenging than anticipated---
In NTN's debut year, both the Crispi and Scarpa NTN boots, the
only NTN boots available at the time, suffered from having a
too-stiff bellows which overpowered the NTN binding's springs,
making it difficult- to- impossible to get the ball of the foot
down and onto the virtual platform created by the binding when
matched with a properly optimized boot.
The result was that tele skiers
trying the new system for the first time were often disappointed.
Last season there were additional boot issues, again limiting
acceptance of NTN, but this year it would appear that a lot has
changed. As of fall 2009, NTN skiers and the NTN curious have
many models of boots to choose from, all sporting
the kind of easy bellows flex which works well with the NTN binding. Happily, that would include original NTN partner Crispi.
When I got a call last year from
a Crispi representative explaining that they had softened the
EVO's bellows by some 15% and had a pair they'd like me to try,
I jumped at the chance. That's a significant softening of the
bellows and it might just do the trick, I remember thinking at
the time. |
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Unlike it's older siblings, the
2009/10 Crispi EVO was for me a pleasure to ski, and most importantly,
this was true pretty much right out of the box. My first turns
in the new boots still felt a bit awkward, the EVO's bellows
remains quite a bit stiffer than those found in either the Scarpa
or Garmont NTN models. Though it didn't take but a handful of
tele turns to adjust for this extra pushback from the boot. The
EVOs responded well to a subtle change of stance. Rolling the
hips back a bit, I found a sweet spot in the EVO/NTN combo that
was very much to my liking, especially on firm snow and fast,
hard groomers, this is where the stiffer bellows seems to shine:
It's easy to crank on lots of edge pressure early, resulting
in fun, powerfully carved turns. The tall cuff and big boot,
4-buckle design obviously help here as well. The EVOs and the
NTN binding turned just about every test ski we had in the quiver
last year into absolute carving machines.
On softer snow, and in powder, my
preference for a softer bellows flex remains, but I could learn
to live with these EVOs, no doubt, and to some extent I did over
the course of a couple dozen days of testing last year, and here
again at the start this season. They work, they are fun, and
I found them to be super comfortable, a first for either of my
feet inside a Crispi, ever.
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The liner has an exceptionally soft,
plush feel that often had me reaching for the EVOs when my feet
would start to feel beat after a run of days last winter in less
comfy boots.
This level of comfort was an even
bigger surprise than the EVO's reworked bellows. The EVOs were
money. Putting your foot into really comfortable but powerful
tele boots boots should feel a lot like sliding into a Recaro
seat in a 911. The EVOs are one of the few boots we've skied--
going back to the original purple Terminators-- which hit that
lofty mark.
Another note on fit: In general, Crispi
boots still tend to fit differently than other boots and
that's good news for NTN-- diversity in fit among the various
models being a plus for the new system-- but as always, your
mileage may vary. Try before you buy is definitely the call here. |
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As has Scarpa, Crispi has chosen
to manufacture their NTN boots with a non-replaceable "second
heel," the little underfoot ledge the NTN binding grips.
Garmont has gone with a replaceable piece here, and only time
will tell which is the better solution. Unnoted in our recent
Garmont Prophet review (because I don't recall it happening before
last week), is that in certain conditions a patch of snowy ice
will sometimes cling stubbornly to the tops of the screws holding
Garmont's replaceable second heel, sometimes making it hard to
get in the binding. I can probably address this little problem
with a coating of some kind applied to the screw heads, and it's
obviously a minor inconvenience compared to finding oneself with
an otherwise serviceable pair of NTN boots, but for a chewed
up, worn out non-replaceable second heel. Again, time will tell.
Conclusion:
The latest Crispi EVOs offer NTN-ers a choice in the type of
bellows flex they prefer. Some might like a bellows that pushes
back a little more, and the new EVOs do just that, without completely
overpowering the binding. The fit is different as well, making
the EVOs a solid contributor to diversity among the NTN boots
available, something that will become more and more important
if the new system is to continue to gain acceptance. Fun, powerful
and optimized to work well with Rottefella's NTN binding, the
Crispi EVO 2009/10 will no doubt put smiles on a lot of faces
this year.
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