In their second year building Alpine Touring boots, Scott made a few changes to address issues with buckles breaking and improve the touring performance of the Cosmos and Celeste boots. The buckle change is disappointing; their ability to hinge out of the way made getting in and out of the boot a simple affair. Unfortunately, too many users asked for warranty replacements when they walked with the buckles sticking out to the side and accidentally broke them off. Since reigning attitudes say Scott should pay, they eliminated the likelihood of that happening by removing the ability to hinge open.
 

Downhill Chops

For average weight and normal aggression levels Scott’s Cosmos is all the boot you need, meaning it’s as little as you can get away with and still have fun. You can be pretty darn aggressive with them but if you’re charging bumps at speed, or weigh over 200 pounds, the cuff will not be stiff enough. Even in crud they held well, at least at medium speeds which is all I was willing to do anyway.

While this boot is not stiff with regard to forward flex, Scott only rates it a 125, thanks to a stiff Grilamid® lower shell it has all the lateral control you need to hold an edge on hard snow. You’ll feel fine ripping GS turns at speed, or pushing snow snakes aside in Cascade Crud.

Touring Efficiency

Where the Scott Cosmos II / Celeste II really shines is in touring mode. For starters, you aren’t swinging much weight around when you’re wearing these, only 3.2 lbs (1450 g) per foot. Secondly, they have a huge range of motion in the cuff when their patented mode switch unhooks and lets the cuff pivot unimpeded by the Achilles bar.

Switching modes is standard stuff; flip up the heel mode lever and open the cuff buckles, which do lock open. This yields a large range of motion very quickly.

What resistance remains is provided by the liner and the tongue. The tongue has been modified with bellows added at the bend in the tongue, making it more bendable so your leg can move easier. In addition the liner has a soft spot above the heel to reduce resistance to the rear as well. The net result is a sweet 25° of rear cuff motion, and over 40° forward. YMMV.

Lastly

The best news for most people is Scott kept the last of the boot unchanged, so it fits average and high volume feet easily. Those with a low instep will want some form of shim to hold your heel in place. Scott claims the Cosmos has a 103.5mm last width. That’s one of the wider last widths, but as sensations go, it’s a tight 103, not oversized. Thanks to a relatively thick liner of heat moldable foam, there’s a lot of room for various width feet.

General Details

Even though the lower buckles don’t hinge open anymore, the buckles open easy enough for Cosmos to be an easy boot to get in and out of. The cuff buckles feature those springy wire locks to hold the bale in the tooth you set it. They work, but I’ll take this moment to ask for the EZ-Lock ladders Garmont used with the Radium boot. Cleaner, less fidgety, but probably more expensive.

Conclusion

As long as you aren’t dropping 20 footers except in pow, or hammering moguls in-bounds, Scott’s Cosmos II has all the power you need with as little weight as it takes to offer that kind of performance. The short version is you’ll be able to knock out more vertical with these without compromising your smile back at the trailhead.

Scott Sports
Cosmos II

MSRP: $ 700
Weight/boot: 1450 g (27.5)
Last width: 103.5
Sizes available: 25 – 31.5

Celeste II
MSRP: $ 700
Weight/boot:
Last width: 1250 g (24.5)
Sizes available: 23.0 – 27.5

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