Testers were surprised by the high turn-linking fun-factor to be had with the Roxa Element 95 W once they got out the door and onto the snow--one tester commented that she forgot she was testing bo
The revised Roxa Element 120 IR impressed our test team with its classic, three-piece-powered ease of entry and exit and a neutral (if a little tall-ish) stance that enabled smooth and balanced skiing movements. Testers said that this was also a good value for the performance level, making this an Access category podium sitter.
The initial fit, without any liner heating, was consistently snug, our testers said, with the caveat that the fit over the top of the foot was aggressively so. Testers who performed some subsequent IR liner heat molding said that fit glitch smoothed itself into non-issue status after a little wear time. Testers said the 99mm last width was accurately represented by the medium-snug fit throughout the lower boot and upper cuff, and testers liked the tall tongue fit against the leg (especially the taller guys). They said the flex feel was good and comfortable against the shin but came to a pretty abrupt stopping point. Testers mentioned the fore-aft positioning started from a fairly upright position, and utilizing the Element 120's new forward lean adjustment range could be helpful to get skiers in their personal balance zone where they won't need to flex so far as to find that brickish end-point.
The Element 120 received a perfect 5.0 for its Edge Power quotient, a rare accolade for a cabrio boot coming from this test team and a welcome surprise for testers who might associate ease of entry and a long-travel flex feel with three-piece boots but often don't find the same edge control as overlap shells--not so here, this time around. The crew also liked the neutral lateral set-up that provided equal access to both inside and outside edges, with no modified movements required to go skiing in balanced form.
They liked the simplicity of the cuff release mechanism and commented that it offered a secure lock when in ski mode, with little discernible freeplay in the cuff, and when released offered a decent-enough stride length, a la the cabrio's external tongue flex. No tech fittings here, but part of this Access model's appeal is its value, and tech fittings do drive up the price. Testers mentioned that the included alpine sole set that comes in the box is a welcome addition for skiers who might not be ready to update their bindings to GripWalk compatible models--but testers remind they're gonna have to someday....
The Roxa R/Fit Hike 90 got some mixed reviews at our boot test, which dropped it just out of gold medal territory but the testers in the "pro" camp liked the easy slide into this polyurethane overlap, hikeable wide-ride and appreciated its open, airy fit and tougher-than-expected stance and flex attitude.
The cuff is upright in its stance angle and both tall against the leg shaft and firm in tongue cushioning--so testers thought it suited the taller skier best and would handle a larger calf muscle without issue. The flex feel was much stiffer than testers expected from a 90-flex (they gave it a 110-120 guesstimate on stiffness), but aside from a firm feeling tongue at boot top, they said the flex feel stemming from the cuff was ideal.
Testers all liked how the boot rolled side to side, with a reactive foot feel in the lower shell--small ankle movements translated directly to the ski and the R/Fit Hike 90 offered a clean, connected feel underfoot, they said. Power and quickness were not category tops, but more than adequate for the flex tier and skier looking for convenience of entry, fit and a competent descent.
Testers gave it a perfect score for it's Dynamic Balance and its Convenience, Warmth and Features scores, which indicates that they also liked the functionality of the cuff release for enhanced walking and hiking applications. Testers say that for the Access category's goals the R/Fit Hike 90 ticks all the boxes.
Some of our team got stuck in the "con" camp by fixating on what they called an overly snug and lumpy fit over the top of the midfoot. This fit inconsistency was noted by all testers but most commented that, one, it got better with wear time, and two, it was a workable fit issue most likely solved with a full liner heat mold or possibly a shell oven-cook (the Roxa Biofit shell can be heat molded after warming in a standard bootfitting convection oven). So, scores were dragged down a bit in the Anatomical Fit criterion but prospective buyers shouldn't be disuaded from getting this one on their foot, especially considering a street price of 400-bucks.
Rossignol has gone all-in with the new Vizion boot concept--available for men and women both, in narrow, medium and wide lasts and in a multitude of stiffnesses across the range. The Vizion line-up doesn't replace an existing batch of boots--rather it exists as its own, unique animal in the Rossi menagerie, and like a rainbow-sparkle unicorn this one is special (and we're convinced will be highly sought after). What's so special about it? It's the easiest boot to get on that actually fits and skis like a real boot. Period. We think that's a big deal.
We could end this review right there and be satisfied that we've done our job. We tested it. It was absolutely one of the easiest boots to put on and take off. It fits as well as any of the best boots we tested in narrow, medium and wide categories. And yes, it skis as well as 95% of the fixed-cuff All-Mountain Traditional boots we test. So, there, we're done. To put a finer point on it, the type of skier who has experienced enough struggle with entry and exit that it has affected her enjoyment of the sport is probably already making notes and scheduling a visit to her shop to try on one of these Vizion boots. Testers on our team who are also specialty ski retailers already have waiting lists for customers who want one of these. It won't take much more effort on our part to promote this new boot--we're pretty sure it'll sell itself.
But here we are, so what the heck. Our testers unanimously approved of the women's Vizion Pro 100 W MV GW, in spite of the fact that it's all white with peach accents. Our testers usually creep up toward white boots on tip toes like the boots might give them a nasty rash, but in this case testers instead got giggly goosebumps when they slid their dainty, sweet-smelling tester feet (yeah right) into these fuzzy ski slippers. Okay, so they had to fiddle about with the special cuff-releasing double-buckle hiding beneath the actual buckle--that lower one on the cuff. However, once they figured out how to lever that special-color release buckle into rearwardly-gaping-maw-mode they just stuffed their hoof into it no-handed, like feeding their foot to a gigantic baby bird or a big, cuddly Venus fly trap.
And then the boot gets buckled up like any four-buckle overlap boot, which is what makes the Vizion unicorn-unique. There are lots of boots that are easy to put on. Many soft-flexing wide lasts are easy. Cabrio-throated three-piece designs with spiral-wrapping liners are super easy. There are retro-style rear entry models that are supremely easy. And yet none of these are four-buckle overlap designs, nor are they offered in every width option in flexes all the way to expert level stiffness. And that's the beauty of Vizion—it offers the easy get-on of the rear entry or the too-soft wide-load but without the fit and performance compromises that invariably come with those.
But do they really fit right and ski properly? That was our question going into this year's boot test, too. And testers not only reported back that yes, they are the real deal, but one of our veteran testers plans to make a Vizion boot her own daily-driver for the upcoming season (and this is someone who's a great skier used to 130-flex plug boots or the stiffest narrow women's models available to her).
On top of the fit and performance benefits offered by Vizion, there's the not-looking-weird benefit. Yeah, it's kinda lame that it matters, but bootfitters will back us up here--there are a lot of skiers who would benefit from (and downright love) some boots that offer non-traditional entry and closure, whether it's a rear entry or an exoskeletal chassis-style boot, but these skiers just won't do it. They can hardly be convinced to even try them on--probably because they're afraid they might like them, buy them and end up with them on their feet, like a stigmatized badge of superkookdom. But the Vizion? It's easy to get a skier to try them on--they look great (well, once you're okay with white and peach) but perhaps more to the point, they look normal.
Our women's test team is made up of a lot of skilled skiers who've spent time in the boot trenches, either as salespeople, bootfitters or on-hill pros like instructors or coaches who've worked in ski boots all season long, for many years. They're all very adept at getting ski boots on their feet. But, man, will they let you know how tough it is to get into one if it proves difficult--oh, the drama. Rarely do they get excited about how easy a boot is to put on their feet, but that was exactly what happened with the new Rossignol Vizion Elite 90 W LV. There were a lot of exclamatory statements made--with expletives, even--about how incredibly easy it was to get on. It practically jumped onto their feet, to hear them say it, but the takeaway was that if this is a point of excitement for our crew, there is something special going on.
Ease of entry is the entire point of the Vizion--Rossignol developed a new and unique rear cuff release mechanism that tips the back half of the boot cuff rearwardly, like an old-school rear entry model, but without the ridicule and poor performance. The release lever is a cleanly engineered, hidden-in-plain-sight affair tucked beneath the lower cuff buckle. Pull that lever into its unlocked position and the boot top splits into a welcoming chasm of white, faux fur and lets a skier's foot and leg slide right in. There's a pull loop on the liner but it's hardly a necessity--this is a hands-free entry, if there ever was one, once the boot is levered open.
The coolest part of the lever hidden beneath that cuff buckle, for our test team (and we think for a lot of good skiers), is the fact that there are three more of them. Buckles, that is. It's a four-buckle overlap design from top to bottom--it functions the same as any performance-oriented overlap shell, straightforward buckles, normal closure. Testers say it skis just like a top tier overlap boot as well, without any performance sacrifices made for the primary ease-of-entry feature. It's a regular old ski boot that fits and skis as well as other boots in similar categories, they said, except that it has this easy entry superpower.
One tester whose daily drivers are always the stiffest women's narrows or sometimes men's 130-flexes loved the Vizion Elite 90 W LV for the way it made everything easy, she said. Not just the entry, but the narrow fit was easy to love, as was the stance alignment, the flex feel and the skiing--this boot made skiing easy to enjoy, with no hassles or hiccups, she commented at length. She called the Vizion Elite 90 W LV slinky fun, and claims she's getting a pair for this season.
The Rossignol Vizion vision was to create an extremely easy-to-put-on boot that didn't sacrifice modern fit and performance standards and also looked and functioned like a "real" four-buckle overlap boot. Our testers say that the Vizion 120 HV represents a Mission Accomplished moment that an ex-president could envy.
The look of the four-buckle design isn't a faux-closure facade--it is a legitimate overlap design here, with four fully functional buckles to close up the high-volume fit in traditional fashion. No laces, no cables and no knobs to foul the user-friendly and familiar format. Some testers were super impressed with the smoothly contoured anatomical fit and comfortably contained wide fit but didn't understand that the boot was unique until another tester showed them the secret, under-buckle latch that releases the rear half of the cuff and allows it to drop back into its massive-maw, foot-gobbling-mode. It's not a requirement for entry into the Vizion boot, releasing the rear cuff--it goes on easier than most while left locked, but once the lever is thrown and the back of the boot hinges to the stern, all barrier to entry is removed and the foot and leg glide into place with ease.
That is the nature of the All-Mountain Access category--removal of barriers to the enjoyment of skiing, be they entry-exit, warmth or convenience challenges. Many skiers have been faced with the choice between settling for a gooey soft bucket of a boot for the sake of getting the damn thing on or giving up on skiing--seems extreme but that not an exaggeration as our bootfitting, boot-selling test team can vouch. Yes, wide-lasted, soft flexing models have represented the best solution for skiers struggling with boot entry, and retromod rear-entry boots and three-piece designs also have good ease-of-entry characteristics, but often these are one-off solutions without a spread of multiple widths and stiffnesses to offer. The Vizion 120 HV represents the stiffest of the range's wides, but it's also available in a 100-flex, and in multiple flexes in a medium-width and also in a narrow, and again in women's models. The Vizion is a far-sighted project that's going all-in for its debut season, and our testers' initial experience with it has been 100-percent positive.
One veteran (30-plus years) boot tester said this of the Vizion 120 HV: The most comfortable, easy on, easy off, easiest to ski boot--ever! That's a pretty solid appraisal from someone who knows. Testers especially liked the wide-load fit for the fat, splayed foot. One of our testers with a spatula like that said that he loved the extra room and curvature of fit along the lateral side of the foot and he also commented that while there was plenty of room where needed there was still enough hold elsewhere to control the ski. This comment was echoed by several testers who praised the wide last fit for exactly that--a proper blend of room and well-shaped containment.
Rossignol has hit its stride with testers for its perfectly balanced stance angles across all models, and the Vizion 120 HV was no different. Testers loved how it put them in a position to make functional, balanced, comfortable skiing moves without adopting any unwanted modifications to their style. Testers said the balanced stance set the stage for the boot to perform on edge (strongly) and in transitions between turns (quickly). Testers had nothing but good things to say about how the Vizion HV skied, but they kept their highest scores in the Convenience, Warmth and Features criterion where it secured a 4.88 out of 5.
Testers said that wide-footed skiers of all abilities would be happy in the Vizion 120 HV but said that if ease of entry was of any importance at all, then it would be a no-brainer, next boot buy.
The boot testing process starts with the so-called dry test, where a tester puts the boot on just like a customer would in a shop, buckles it up and assesses how it fits. For our test purposes, each tester considers 8 distinct fit zones and then also judges the boot’s indoor stance balance, cuff height, tongue cushioning and flex feel. After recording their impressions, each tester ventures out to conduct on-snow testing over 3 runs, typically, paying attention to how the fit, stance and flex feel may be different while skiing and then recording their experience with its on-snow performance in five, scored categories. After a promising dry test, a boot’s exemplary on-snow performance can seal the deal for a gold medal debut. If the dry test was poor, even great skiing boots won’t make the gold medal cut.
Rossignol provided a nationwide dry test experience to their ski boot dealers in early winter to introduce the new, uniquely easy-on Vizion range, and many of our boot test team were able to take part in that. Early tester reports were that the Vizion Pro 120 MV aced the dry test, checking all the boxes expected of a performance medium width fit. Of course, they knew they’d get to do it again in April at our annual boot test, but they were still frustrated in December—the Vizion was a dream to get on and it fit great, but they weren’t able to ski it!
So, the question on many testers’ minds going into the official boot test period was whether the Vizion would ski as well as it was said to.
Well, twelve testers put the Vizion Pro 120 MV through the ringer at our Mt. Bachelor test, and ten testers had nothing but good things to say about how it skied. One said: It skis as well as the vast majority of other boots in the All-Mountain Traditional group. Another said: Feels great and skis great. Buttery smooth. Engages the turn very easily then finishes with power and grace. And another: The Vizion Pro gives you a strong feeling against the ski, just like a polyurethane performance boot--really excellent skiability for a boot that has such easy entry!
What about the two who didn’t have good things to say? Well, let’s just say they’re always a little crabby and we don’t pay them much attention, in general.
But why the extra focus on the Vizion Pro’s skiing skills report card? Well, because it is a boot designed, first and foremost, to be easy to put on and take off. It is a comfort and convenience model that is purported to keep skiers in the sport who are otherwise ready to quit and to bring back from the couch those who had to give up on skiing for the simple reason that they couldn’t get the damn boots on! So, the assumption is, it can’t possibly ski well.
The Vizion concept is like a cross between a rear-entry boot where the rear portion of the upper cuff hinges backward to open like a snake’s jaw preparing to swallow a rat, combined with the traditional, solid closure of the four-buckle overlap shell design. Why is this hybrid architecture important? Because the rear-entry is easiest on but inherently sacrifices performance. A combination of rear entry level ease with four-buckle overlap performance would be a marriage of interest for a lot of skiers—skiers of many sizes, shapes and skill levels. The Vizion’s unique cuff-opening technology isn’t rear-entry but something else—testers say it’s cooler and even easier to release the one special buckle on the cuff (hidden under the other, lower cuff buckle) to pull the rear part of the cuff back and wide-open, ready to engulf the foot and leg in a no-handed plunge.
The Vizion concept is also about looks—looking normal, to be exact. There are a variety of easy-to-put-on boots out on the market but they all come with some downside. Some are too wide for a narrow-footed skier. Some are too soft for accomplished skiers. Some of the most easy-to-put-on boots allow the liner to remain on the foot and be slid into a hard, exoskeletal frame—but those look odd. That shouldn’t make a difference to real skiers, but it does. The look of a boot matters, especially to the skier who’s already embarrassed to ask for help from strangers to get his boots on in the ski area parking lot. An easy-to-get-on boot that skis as well as any other boot and looks like a regular old boot? Sold--done deal.
Rossignol is so sure of the market need for a boot like the Vizion that they’ve made it available to both men and women, in narrow, medium and wide options, and all of those are available in a variety of stiffnesses, ranging from the softest women’s 80-flex to the stiffest men’s at 130.
Sure, there’s a chance that the Vizion’s newfound combination of ease of entry and performance will extend skiers’ on-hill timeline and only serve to further pack our lift-lines and crowd our low-angle boomer-groomers with the aged and inflexible—and that’s okay, hopefully we’ll all get there someday, and be on skis! One veteran tester put this into some helpful perspective: what I love about this boot is that the target customer isn't just your average old guy that can't get a boot on, it's for anyone who loves to ski!
There have been a variety of rear-entry reincarnations over the years but the Nordica HF line-up is the best of them, according to our testers--many of whom started their skiing careers in such designs (no judgment there, just an observation). We asked Nordica to send one women's and one men's HF model (which stands for Hands Free entry) for the sake of populating our new All-Mountain Access category with a couple very appropriate boots. The brand kindly obliged our request, even though it meant that it used up two of their entries that could have been dedicated to a harder-charging category and model--so we appreciated their playing ball.
The HF is the 102mm wide ride but the HF Pro range is a medium-width. Both lasts offer a few different stiffnesses for men and women. We tested the women's HF 85 W (there's also an even softer 75-flex in the wide option). Testers young and old were impressed with the HF's signature capability--to make putting on and taking off a ski boot ridiculously easy. Testers said that for any skier who's ready to give up the sport (or dreads joining the family on the slopes) because of difficult to put on boots they need to take a breath and get into a pair of these, because they will re-set the board on the skiing experience for that person.
The rear-entry design is made for the All-Mountain Access category. It puts ease of entry and exit and the convenience of a simple, one-lever closure system ahead of performance concerns. That's what this customer is looking for--a barrier-free approach to the sport that doesn't hurt or frustrate in the first few minutes of the day. Testers say that the ideal match for the HF 85 W is a skier who is either less-experienced, skis with a light touch against the skis, or is so frustrated with boots in general that she doesn't care how well it carves at high speed on hard surfaces. This is a cruisey, comfortable, spa-experience of a boot designed as a pleasant conveyance from vehicle to lift to lodge to apres and home--with some easygoing turns made in between, as needed.
Testers loved the way the rear cuff hinges backward in a massive gaping canyon of foot welcomeness. They flipped the lever, slid the foot in, closed the lever, and went skiing. Testers were fairly impressed with the fit of the HF, saying that it was a little more snug than other wide loads and offered enough grip on the ankles and heel to control skis. Some said the fit changed for the worse if the fit was cranked for more control, so they suggested that if any amount of snugness or performance was factoring into the selection equation, the skier should opt for the narrower-lasted HF Pro boots.
The HF 85 W is what it is, and it's awesome for the right skier, they said.
The HF stands for Hands Free, meaning the Nordica HF 110 requires no hands to get it on and off. Don't believe it? Well, it's true. It's a modern day rear-entry boot available as either a medium (HF Pro) or a wide last, and in a few different flexes. We tested the wide, in the middle of the road 110 flex, though there's a stiffer 120 and a softer 100 in the 102mm option. We made the request to Nordica to submit the HF to the boot test specifically to grace our newly minted All-Mountain Access category and they obliged, even though it took two spots on their entries roster that they could have dedicated to harder charging All-Mountain or Freeride models.
The All-Mountain Access category is important to us because it represents boot manufacturers' commitment to skiers of all types, not just the expert-level, tip-of-spear, cool-guy influencers of skidom. The Access category boot is about eliminating barriers to the enjoyment of skiing, and one of the primary hurdles for skiers remains ski boots that are difficult to get on and off. The Nordica HF tackles that issue head on with the return to a rear-entry design that with a single rear lever flip hinges the back of the cuff rearwardly, opening up a huge gap that a skier fills with foot and leg, then just closes up shop with again, just that single lever. Done--in the boot and out the door to go skiing.
There are all sorts of folks who either want to be skiers and struggle with boot entry as novices or perhaps have been lifelong skiers but who have had to walk away from the sport because they simply couldn't bear to battle with their boots any longer. It may seem extreme to those who haven't experienced it, but many of our testers are career bootfitters and we see the problem daily. The Nordica HF is one of very few options for the seriously entry-challenged, and it was cool to see these veteran testers' reactions to finally getting to ski the boot (most hadn't, previously).
Does it ski really well? Hell no. But does it get someone into their boots without any help and then get them all around the hill in comfort and warmth? You bet. Our testers are mostly aggressive skiers, but they could see the HF for what it was--a godsend for the type of customer who needs its help, and they loaded a lot of praise onto a boot that fit that bill for that skier. Check out the Tester Comments for this review--we think those say it all, well, minus one hater, and we're requiring him to attend sensitivity training.
Testers said the Head Edge 105 W HV GW is an ideal match for the All-Mountain Access category for its supreme ease of entry and exit, easy out-of-the-box fit for the high-volume foot and it's convenient strolling skills. Oh, yeah, they said it skis damn well too!
The All-Mountain Access category is all about eliminating frustrations with the sport's footwear, i.e. boots. Namely, the inconvenience of hard to get-on boots remains a barrier for skiers who just want to get on the hill and have a good time. The Edge W HV boots are some of the easiest boots to slide a foot into ever made (we've said that before and now we're repeating ourselves, because it's true). Part of that easy slide on comes from a very high instep fit combined with softer plastic at the throat of the boot to help spread open the boot. Additionally, the Edge HV W's walk mode can release the cuff in rearward fashion to aid the entry angle-of-attack for virtually hands-free boot-up.
For skiers with thick, high-volume feet, the Edge 105 W HV offers the cure for numb, cold feet--it's massively spacious and luxuriantly cushioned. Testers were blown away by the available internal acreage of the lower boot and said that for the widest of feet and the thickest of insteps, the Edge should make their short list and will probably make the final cut.
Testers were surprised (and a little concerned) by how narrowly the boot cuff tapered at the top where they found it clamped onto their leg shaft where it felt jabby on the calf. They felt that this fit zone didn't match the rest of the Edge HV's highly roomy and cushioned fit. Given this, testers suggested that the first step for thick-legged skiers would be to utilize the on-board Women's Adjustable Profile rear cuff adjustment to open up the fit there and then follow that with a Form Fit convection oven shell cook that enables a very convenient way to open up the calf fit while the skier stands or sits in the heated-up boot. They felt that these easy tricks would take the calf fit from jab to fab for the high volume leg shaft and turn this into the HV gold medalist that it deserves to be.
Testers liked the ease of the hike mode release switch and were impressed with how much walking range of motion the cuff offered in partnership with the rolling feel of the GripWalk soles. The power strap's Power Plate was mentioned as a nice way to spread pressure on the shin and customize the flex feel a bit. Testers also liked the easy-to-match cosmetics that wouldn't clash with anything.
Several of our most experienced testers had nothing but good things to say about the Head Edge HV 130 GW.
One said: The geometry of the Edge 130 HV is well-tailored for a strong skiing position--it lets the skier push the accelerator. This is Head's sum of user-friendly concepts--ease of entry and convenient closure mechanisms are collected in the Edge.
Another said: Very approachable boot--fits well and skis well. I remember when high-volume boots used to suck--this is one of the highest volume boots out there and it skis great!
And a third veteran tester said: Good comfort and appropriately light-contact fit tension. An easy fit for the fatter foot and super user-friendly--easy to use in every way. Comfy, comfy, comfy--the best Head Edge I've ever skied.
And then those testers went and gave this gold medal boot silver- and bronze-level scores. We don't get it. Sometimes our testing protocol falters and the numbers don't bear out testers' true impressions of a boot, and we're afraid that may have happened here with the Edge 130 HV as testers' words said winner, but then their numbers didn't back that up.
What every tester agreed on was that the wide ride fit was curvaceously massive, meaning it was wide and high but with anatomical shape--think sumo wrestler in a latex catsuit--or, on second thought maybe don't. Testers said that the contact against their more average volume feet was light, but consistent in that contact all around the foot, up through the instep and into the boot cuff. A couple testers thought that the calf fit at boot top was more snug than the rest of the fit, and they mentioned that for large calf skiers the Head Form Fit moldable shell technology should be deployed for just that issue if it were bothersome--though most testers had no issue with the boot top circumference.
One of the signs of a well-crafted wide load is when the stance angles stack up a skier with average volume (or even low volume) feet and legs in a functional way that allows them to ski that generally loose fit aggressively all over the mountain. That was a repeated comment about the Head Edge HV--too big for me, but I still ripped in it! Well, they at least thought they were ripping. That's saying something, when there's enough control in the rearfoot (the heel and ankle) and a neutral balanced stance set-up for anybody to jump in a boot and shred. They said that if a skier had the mass to fill the fit gaps the performance scores would only skyrocket--especially quickness, which relies on quick, tactile messaging from body to boot to ski.
Every tester praised the simple but functional hike mode release and said that the walking range of motion and quality was quite good. A few testers mentioned how well releasing the cuff enhanced the ease of entry (which was already one-handed or better).
Even with the high level of liner cushioning and a releasable cuff, testers still went out of the way to say this boot was solid--a real 130-flex, they said.
We'll let another tester conclude here--he was the one who gave the Edge HV 130 a perfect score (and we think he got it right): the Head Edge has always been a tester favorite and one of the best wide category rippers on the market. With a hike mode it makes this super convenient easy to get on and offers an easy walk through the parking lot or to the bar. It'll charge down the hill--the 130 flex is legit and the stance angles are right on the money. There's nothing wrong with this boot--one of the best wide boots of the test. If we don't carry this boot at our shop this season we're stupid.
The All-Mountain Access category is about taking a go-everywhere boot and adding some extra element that makes skiing just a little bit more appealing and more convenient for skiers to help get them on the hill. Here, in the Fischer Ranger 95 HV, its sneaky, hidden (just beneath the upper cuff buckle) walk mode switch makes it easy to one-finger-flip the cuff into released and rangy stroll-about mode. GripWalk soles pair with our favorite hike mode actuator and the Ranger 95's better-than-most cuff rotation to produce a very walkable all-mountain wide-ride for those who might work in their boots 100-days a season or maybe get worked as a hands-full mom who’s always dragging little rippers to lessons or race training.
The wide-ride element itself here is also unique to this 95-flex Ranger because while there are lots of wide-lasted loafers with convenience walk (aka, apres) modes, very few of them trend above an 80-flex for women and those that do often don’t ski well. Not so with the Ranger 95 HV, according to our test team who were very impressed with the control this softer flexing unit exerted over the ski, claiming that it skied much more adeptly than its softer flex hinted at. A massively wide toebox and forefoot tapers back to a comfortably snug heel and ankle pockets which made for sure-footed edge changes and precision steering asks that took testers confidently through all types of terrain and snow. One tester felt that the heel might be a little too snug for the width target, but the majority viewpoint was that it anchored the foot for good skiing moves while the rest of the foot luxuriated in warmth and maximum piggie wiggle room.
The Ranger 95 HV is descended from the unisex wide Rangers HV 130 DYN and 120 DYN. The DYN business indicates Dynafit tech inserts are employed in the design, which elevates a boot into All-Mountain Freeride territory. The so-called freeride boot is typically built with lighter weight plastic in the upper cuff and is geared a little higher, ski-performance-wise, than the boots in the more-chillaxed Access group since the freerider is all about stepping into a lightweight touring (and spendy) "tech binding" for the sake of reaching unmolested, out-of-bounds adventure snow. But, you might notice, the Ranger 95 HV doesn’t have those little tech fitting buggars.
Given this, there are two ways for women to react to Fischer's wide-last, hinged-cuff family tree. One is to say, WTF Fischer, women with wide feet don't get tech fittings? You think we're just chained to our ski-schooled children so that our male counterparts get to go explore the skin track with their bros? Valid, sure. The other tack would be to embrace the positives of freeride-inspired light weight, better walk mode range of motion and higher-level ski performance that have all been tied up in a way more affordable package, sans tech fittings (and really, how often do any of us really want to go sweat, uphill, for what will probably end up being breakable crust?). We think the latter is a more glass-half-full way to approach this fantastic sleeper of a boot.
Speaking of value, in an era of 1000-dollar ski boots it's good to see a reasonable price tag still attached to a solid product. When it begins to seem that the post-Covid consumer has lost his or her mind with regard to what's considered acceptable pricing and brands are increasingly happy to take advantage of this new out-of-their-minds buyers' paradigm (the mere existence of a Tesla Cybertruck lends credence, no?) the Fischer Ranger 95 HV reels it back in with a lot of fit, performance and features bang-for-buck. And better yet, all this keepin it real happens without any reels (queue applause from four-buckle purists).
Testers gave the Dalbello Cabrio MV 95 W IF a gold medal in the All-Mountain Access category for its supremely easy-on approach, ultra-comfortable fit and predictable on-snow nature. They said this was an example of a boot that delivered for its target skier and deserved heaps of praise, even if it was outmatched by other boots from a strict performance perspective.
It's a comfy cruiser for the all-day enthusiast who might stay on snow all day or mix things up with some lodge lounging or perhaps have to go deal with some skier-kid logistics with her boots still on. Testers said there's no need to take these off, except for driving or sleeping, because they had absolutely no fit issues and remained smooshingly delightful and wonderfully warm all day long. The smoosh factor was a good thing, by the looks of testers' commentary--the super-cushioned and well-shaped IF (not spiral wrap) liner paired with a classically-cabrio, long-throw flex pattern for a lot of luxurious shin love and easy ankle flexion. This boot is perhaps softer than the 95-flex labeling, testers said, but they qualified that with mentions of surprising lateral and torsional rigidity that put the ski on edge and held it there in stable fashion through lots of different turn shapes and speeds.
While testers called it a mom-boot, it wasn't intended as a dig--moms do ski the whole mountain, ya know. The point was that there were no unnecessary hassles or fit worries with this boot--it was a grab-and-go, point-and-shoot, no-brainer kinda ride that would do pretty much everything for a lot of different foot and leg shapes. However, testers say that if hard-core charging takes priority over ease-of-entry, comfort and warmth needs then this is not the boot for that expert-level skier. But if those soft-skills sound pretty high up in the skier's hierarchy of needs, then the Cabrio MV 95 W IF is built to suit. The characteristic ease of entry on this three-piece is enough to sell this boot upon first try-on, testers said, and they were impressed enough with its lateral edging game to keep it in the select gold medal group.
The All-Mountain Access category is about removing barriers to the enjoyment of our sport--and if difficulty getting boots on and off, comfort or warmth have factored into a skier's vacation frustration levels, then testers say a trip to a Dalbello dealer is in order. There are a few boots that check all the proper boxes in the Access group, and testers said the Cabrio MV 95 W IF is one of them.
