Scott Synergy. Best/only new tele boot for 2014.
Three years ago Garmont gave up on the ski market and sold their ski boot assets to Scott Sports. Sales had been dwindling steadily since 2006 when Garmont abandoned their traditional last shape and adopted a narrower last. Former customers who counted on the wide lasted boots were forced away and new customers did not replace them. There aren’t a lot of extra frills for this boot, but there aren’t many missing features either.
Volume
Scott Sports appears to have recognized the discontinuity and is offering the Synergy to appeal to people with higher volume feet. Do not be deceived by the name. As a four-buckle boot it is more akin to the old EnerG than the SynerG as the name implies. Unlike the remaining 75mm model, the Voodoo, it marks a return to a wide last, 103mm wide to be specific.
Turning Performance
The performance of the boot is reminiscent of the old EnerG as well, with a medium flex bellows for good sensitivity and adequate power for the majority of telemark conditions. More flex resistance can be added with a more active binding, but soft snow sensitivity must be built in, or take time to break in. Scott is claiming a flex rating of 130. As with most telemark boots, that might apply to the cuff, but the overall sensation is more like 110 when compared with other boots. It’s softer than BD’s Push or Scarpa’s T1, but definitely stiffer than a T2, maybe on par with BD’s Seeker. I had no problems driving skis up to 110mm wide, but as with any tele system, that’s also dependent on the binding and driver skill. Compared to the Voodoo, the Synergy has a much smoother flex in the sole.
Weight
As you might expect it is not the lightest BC boot on the planet, but telemark boots ceased winning those comparisons long ago. As a four-buckle boot it is on par with its peers at just over four pounds per boot (mondo 27.5)
Liner
Scott is using their Pwr Tour, a tongued liner using heat moldable Ultralon foam; a closed cell foam that holds its shape better and has a uniform density when compressed. This is the same foam used by Intuition® for their best liners. The Pwr Tour has reinforced padding around the heel for positional security with a soft, pliable moccasin toe at the end and a thin outsole underfoot. The tongue is reinforced with Pebax for more power transfer from the lower leg.
Touring features
Decent touring ROM in the cuff for a tele boot.
There are lock catches on the cuff buckles so you don’t have to reset the wire in the ladder when opening the buckles for touring. Just flip ’em open and the wire will stay secured where you want it when you’re ready to point ’em down.
Summary
Other features that we have come to expect in a modern PTB are all there, like a lugged sole for good purchase when scrambling on rock or walking a dry trail, a reversed front buckle, and a ring to tether a safety strap to. As with any boot, a lot of it comes down to fit. If you’ve been holding on to your old Garmont boots, or even gave up and adopted training heels because you couldn’t find a tele boot to fit your high volume feet Scott is now offering something to lure you back. Synergy doesn’t break new ground, it offers a welcome return to a comfortable fit with solid tele performance.
Scott Sports
Synergy
MSRP: $750
Weight/boot (mondo 27.5): 4 lbs., 1 oz. (1850 g)
Sizes available (mondo): 25 – 30.5
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BCTalk comments on Scott Synergy
© 2014
5 comments
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Do the boots accommodate 3-pin bindings?
yup
Most plastic boots have too thick sole for 3-pins. Voile is a few mm roomier than Rottefella though.
HURRAY!!!!! THANK YOU SCOTT!!! My third pair Garmont SynerG boots are past worn out and none of the recent Garmonts fit my feet. I found a slightly used pair last season and picked them up not even asking what the cost was.The BD boots were a closer fit than the new Garmont Voodoo, but the old wide last of the Garmonts have fit my feet like slippers all the way back to the days of the Garmont Gara & Veloce. I am buying a pair of these boots this season, and I’m going to be on the lookout for another pair or 2 when end of season sales start to show up. AWESOME!!!!!
PS- I learned to ski in old Scott Superhot alpine boots in the late 1970s. Nice how things always seem to come around…
Chiming in late, but…I’ve had these 2 seasons now, and they are great. HOWEVER, the semi-gushing about the liners, in the review, is unwarranted. The stock liners are absolute crap (worse than the stock liners in the old Ener-G’s, which is saying something). They are super thin, and the tongue is not moldable foam (not good for my super high instep).
Skiing these with stock liners was a lot of pain for me. I swapped them out for Scarpa-branded, Intuition, overlap liners, and now these boots rock.
So maybe they will work for you, but if considering buying these, consider budgeting for new liners as well.