Telemark Talk / Telemark Tips Forum

Hey y'all,

New to the forum here, and just thought I'd throw up a post looking for boot advice and see what comes back. I still have my first and only pair of tele boots, Garment Synergys I got circa 2005. They're terribly uncomfortable and I want to find something better fitting. Gonna be looking for a used duckbill boot cuz I don't want to spend more than a couple hundred bucks or have to buy new bindings. I mostly snowboard at this point actually, but use the teles when I'm out teaching my 5-year-old to ski. If I get better, maybe I'll use them more down the road for touring and off-piste, but for now mostly groomers. Not great chances of finding used boots in my size locally so I'm probably looking at buying something on eBay or the like sight unseen.

So... my Garmonts are a 29/30.5 shell (not sure the liner size). The length seems OK, but they're way too narrow across the mid and forefoot while also sloppy loose in the heel. If I measure my foot for mondo sizing, I get about 28.5. I wear a 13-14US street shoe. I'm thinking maybe a used pair of T2s is a good bet. My questions for any of you good folks are:
1. Are Scarpas wider in the mid/forefoot than the Synergys? If not, are there other tele boots that are wider up front?
2. Anybody with a 13/14 US or 28.5 mondo measurement got a recommendation for a Scarpa size? It seems like the official Scarpa size chart is a bit whacky, since it equates a 13US with a 31 mondo, which def seems wrong.

Thanks for any wise words!
Scott

You should email or call Scarpa customer service and ask them these fit questions, as they would probably know the right answers.

fgd135 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 23, 2023 7:02 pm

You should email or call Scarpa customer service and ask them these fit questions, as they would probably know the right answers.

Not an unreasonable suggestion! I did talk to them and sounds like the mondopoint scale on their size chart actually doesn't reference an actual direct foot length measurement, but is just a translation from US sizes. So it doesn't really line up with other companies sizing.

I skied T2's (and t1's) for several years. I have a narrow foot, and Garmont's were (almost) always way to wide for a decent fit. Exception being the Synergy's; thaey were uncomortably vice-like in the forefoot. Strange fitting boot.
Not sure which model T2's you're thinking about, but as I recall when they moved into the T2X era, the forefoot was wider than the earlier versions. I preferred the flex pattern and cuff fit of the earlier incarnations.

jeanraoul wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 28, 2023 6:55 pm

fgd135 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 23, 2023 7:02 pm

You should email or call Scarpa customer service and ask them these fit questions, as they would probably know the right answers.

I did talk to them and sounds like the mondopoint scale on their size chart actually doesn't reference an actual direct foot length measurement, but is just a translation from US sizes.

That's total bs!! Mondopoint is a precise measurement - a centimeter is a centimeter. What scale are they using to convert? Having said that, I have been happy in all my 26 MP boots.

I’m usually a 13 street sometimes 12, or 47 sometime 46, and I wear a 30.5/31.0 T2Eco. And I can wiggle my toes.
I’m going to try to squeeze into a 29.5/30.0 NTN TX Pro here shortly.

Nick BC wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 28, 2023 10:44 pm

jeanraoul wrote: ↑

Sat Jan 28, 2023 6:55 pm

fgd135 wrote: ↑

Mon Jan 23, 2023 7:02 pm

You should email or call Scarpa customer service and ask them these fit questions, as they would probably know the right answers.

I did talk to them and sounds like the mondopoint scale on their size chart actually doesn't reference an actual direct foot length measurement, but is just a translation from US sizes.

That's total bs!! Mondopoint is a precise measurement - a centimeter is a centimeter. What scale are they using to convert? Having said that, I have been happy in all my 26 MP boots.

In my experience, it is necessary to size down a full mondopoint for Scarpa tele boots; this with several years of wearing them, and Garmonts, too. My Garmonts were always close to actual mondo sizing on a Brannock type device, whereas the Scarpas were always way too big by that measurement.

That’s interesting. One of my feet is 26 cms the other is 25.5. In all my Scarpa boot’s I’ve had slightly more than a finger behind the boot heel with the foot in the shell in size 26. I did try a 25 MP shell when I switched to TX Pro but it was too tight so I went with 26 as always.

jeanraoul wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 22, 2023 10:49 pm

So... my Garmonts are a 29/30.5 shell (not sure the liner size). The length seems OK, but they're way too narrow across the mid and forefoot while also sloppy loose in the heel. If I measure my foot for mondo sizing, I get about 28.5. I wear a 13-14US street shoe. I'm thinking maybe a used pair of T2s is a good bet. My questions for any of you good folks are:
1. Are Scarpas wider in the mid/forefoot than the Synergys? If not, are there other tele boots that are wider up front?
2. Anybody with a 13/14 US or 28.5 mondo measurement got a recommendation for a Scarpa size? It seems like the official Scarpa size chart is a bit whacky, since it equates a 13US with a 31 mondo, which def seems wrong.

For Garmonts, try to find the embossed size, not on the inside tongue or cuff, but in the lower part of the boot. It should span only a half size, like 29-29.5 or 30-30.5 or just give a single US size like 10 or 11. The tongue and cuff will span a wider range, like your 29/30.5 finding above.

My foot measures 29cm mondo-point, and I wear 11-11.5 street shoes (Salomon, Merrell, Patagonia), 45 Rossi NNN BC boots, 45 Alpine Alaska NNN BC(a little short), 28.5 or 29 Garmont Excursion, 28.5 Garmont Synergy (snugger fit), 28.5 or 29 Scarpa T3 and T4.

Normally, v28.5 mondo should correspond to more like 10.5-11 Us and 29-29.5 to 11-11.5 US. 13/14 US would be more like 47 or 31-31.5 mondo. Indeed I have some Scarpa T4

Garmont and Scarpa sizes share the whole and half sizes differently, for example:

Garmont 28 and 28.5 are the same lower shell.

Scarpa 28.5 and 29 are the same lower shell. Scarpa shells can be stamped as 10 (9.5-10) with a 28.5 liner and 10 (10.5-11) with a 29 liner. I have a T4 with shell 12 and liner 30.5, a T3 11 with 11 liner, and 13 shell with 13 liner.

Out of the box, I've found Garmonts are wider in the fore foot.

Scarpa are narrower, especially the very lower .5cm of the lower boot as it contours to the centre line more tightly along the length of the inside of the shell, as having a narrow stiff removable foot bed. Replacing the footbed/"insole" with a wider SuperFeet type foot bed or just a thicker footbed raises the foot and made all the difference for me to get a wider fit in Scarpa.

Sometimes a bad fit or pressure over the toes can just be the liner so always walk around in just the liners before making a final fit decision on a boot.

Another idea is to try finding some cheap used snowboard boots <$20 (look for Morrow or Lamar) that have a wrap Intuition style liner and use that as a replacement for the original tele boot liner. They weigh significantly less, allow you to fit a smaller shell size and I've found them super comfy(let alone, you can thermo-fit them).