Sidecountry skiers who are fans of the stellar Krypton design will find the Lupos exactly as advertised: they’re Kryptons with a rock-solid hike mode integrated into the back of the boot. Because the Krypton cuff blocks rearward travel by sitting on a shelf on the lower shell, the addition of a hinged block at its base that can swing out of the way does little to change the flex behavior of the boot in the ski position, a function that remains controlled by the external tongue.
New for 2017 is the Lupo Carbon T.I. (for Tech Insert) with a Grilamid shell for the serious, all-day hiker. The Carbon T.I. is a 130 flex boot, as is the standard Lupo T.I., a full-on AT boot that isn’t made from polyamide. The Lupo S.P. I.D. is a third option in a 130 flex with a 100% adaptable Intuition Hike Light wrap linter and a standard DIN sole.