Props to Martin @ Sturtevants (Sportiva Spantik)

[Dane]

I don't get the best fit in Sportivas but wanted the best dbl boot I could find. The Sportiva Spantik solves the second problem with some aplumb. A decent fit for me takes some extra work. I first had a young lady fit me with Intuition inner boots @ Feathered Friends. The fit ended up so bad I couldn't use them and they were returned with no hassles. Several months later I tried again at Sturtevants in Bellevue.

 

Turns out that Martin, who is the boot fitting manager, is a climber and skier. He took the time (well over an hour) to give me a perfect fit in the Spantiks. They also are the largest seller of Intuition inner boots in the country, fitting something like 600 pair a year.

 

I am not the first to come up with the idea of an Intuition liner in a Sportiva Spantik I had the chance to talk gear with "Big Wall" Pete Takeda yesterday. He has been using that same combo to over 7000m and highly recommneded the same combo.

 

If you are like me and have fit problems in any climbing or ski boot I can't recommend Martin @ Sturtevants in Bellevue highly enough.

[Hendershot]

Thanks for the post. I am in need of getting my Spirit 4's molded. Marmot couldn't help me out yesterday & FF is by appt only. I called Sturtevants and the staff is headed up to Canada for a boot fitting clinic for the next week.

[RuMR]

Martin flat out rocks...actually, all of the sturtie's staff is great...

[Dane]

In the past I had spent a few years working retail in ski and climbing shops. After my FF experience I had the impression the Intuition would work if it could be fit better. All it should take is some serious hands on experience, additional fit kits, insoles and tools to do it right. Far as I know Sturtevants is the only place locally with the shop tools and fit kits that a good boot fitter would require.

 

I have a foot that is difficult to fit..long feet and a really narrow heel, so nothing drastic if the fitter knows what they are doing.

 

On my first visit to Sturtevants the place was jammed and it took three hours. That visit got me $100 custom insole and some fit parts. Pretty much like the FF experience I knew it wasn't going to work after walking around in them a few minutes at home. Thankfully I met Martin on the second trip and he was able to take the time required to get it done right including a new insole. The price of the original insole was refunded in full as well.

 

All the local shops, FF, Marmot and Sturtevants have great staff. FF in particular has fit up many, many pairs of Intuition inner boots over the years for happy climbing customers. We all spend serious time in our boots. Just wanted to point out Martin as the guy if want your boots fitted perfectly.

[fishstick]

Spantik question:

 

I own a pair, but have yet to have the opportunity to us them in truly cold conditions. Assuming your motivation to go with Intuition liners was warmth, how cold a temperatures would you consider the stock liners suitable (assuming multi-day rather than roadside)?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

GB

[sexual_chocolate]

heh. we bought a house that the sturtevants owned way back almost a hundred years ago or somesuch.

[Dane]

Sorry I can't offer anything on that one. I added the liner for fit, not warmth. Guys are using the stock boots in Canada's winter conditions, on Denali in the spring without over boots and all over the Himalaya. FWIW the Spantik is the warmest dbl boot I have used by a good margin.

 

I wouldn't have added the extra liners if I had a better fit.

[fishstick]

Thanks Dane. Did you try to shape the stock liners?

 

Cheers,

 

GB

[Dane]

Hey GB, no I didn't. By the time I hooked up with Martin I had actually forgotten that the stock inner could be heated and molded. What made me nervious (and forgetful) on that was Sportiva didn't have an authorised fitter in the US and even less info on how to do it right. I climbed a bit of ice in the stock inner boots and could have used them as is for easy climbing and slogs. But what I really wanted was a tight fitting inner for technical terrain. The Intution inner solved that for me with the added benefit of some more warmth and no need to crank the inner laces.

[RuMR]

plus, you can toss 'em into your skiboots also!!

 

...granted, the intuition liner won't be fitted to the shell, but it'll still fit your foot...