With the Zero G series, which includes the Guide Pro, the slightly less stiff Guide and the Guide Women, Tecnica is adding a lighter, more ascent-oriented alternative to the tried-and-tested Cochise models to its lineup. The manufacturer's description is almost poetic: "What sounds like space exploration is in fact the Tecnica Zero G Guide Pro: a combination of alpine boot and touring boot that gets up close and personal with the force of gravity."
The basic principle of the Zero G Guide Pro is a classic, two-part four-buckle boot (with a strong powerstrap), with tech inserts, walk mode and interchangeable soles. The buckles are screwed, the strap riveted. The shell is made of "bi-material TRIAX 3.0", Tecnica's own polyether material mix. The lower part of the base and the ankle and rear cuff area are made of a more solid type of plastic, the rest is made of a slightly thinner, more flexible material (bi-injection ski boot), which makes it easier to get into. Certain areas of the shell have a kind of structuring that is intended to make the boot more adaptable to possible problem areas ("Custom Adaptive Shape" System).
The Dynafit-certified inserts are built into the shell, not the sole. The slightly rockered "Skywalk" rubber sole complies with the ISO 9523 standard. The sole pieces on the forefoot and in the heel area are screwed to the shell (4 screws at the front, 5 at the back) and can be removed. A removable sole is not supplied. We assume that the interchangeable soles of the new Cochise series are compatible, but this would have to be checked with the manufacturer if necessary. The thermo-moldable inner shoe comes from Palau. It has laces and is otherwise pretty straightforward. According to the manufacturer, a shoe with liner in size 26.5 weighs 1540g. Our test model in size 27.5 weighs only slightly more. In 27.5, the sole length is 315mm.
Rise characteristics
On the manufacturer's website, the rotation angle, or freedom of movement in walking mode, is sometimes given as 42°, sometimes as 44°. In practice, the difference hardly makes a difference. The freedom of movement to the rear is better than with some heavier freeride boots with ascent mode, but not as great as with the typical "pure" touring boots. This is primarily noticeable on long, very flat ascents. The forward freedom of movement is also not record-breaking, but for me it is sufficient in all situations. The low weight is certainly the biggest plus point of the boot on the ascent, especially when you consider the good downhill properties and the weight of other boots that are comparable on the descent.
Switching from walking to ski mode and vice versa is also easy to do with gloves. The walking mechanism consists of a kind of metal clip that can snap into a metal guide and thus lock. The system supposedly adjusts itself when the metal parts wear out and thus permanently prevents play from occurring with heavy use. The walking mechanism is located between the two parts of the shell and is visible but difficult to reach. In certain situations (especially when trudging through soft snow), snow can penetrate the walking mechanism and prevent it from locking. To solve this rare but annoying problem, I had to take the shoe off and tap it for a long time to get the snow out, as it is not possible to scrape the snow out somehow. As another potential solution, you could pour tea or hot water into the walking mechanism to melt the blocking snow.
