The Scarpa 4-Quattro GT WMN still stands out for our test team as a great value in an under-rated package for all-mountain and out-the-gate adventuring.
Testers had three things to say to say about the Lange XT3 Free 130 MV. One was, damn this thing is blue. The second was, damn this thing skis well. The third was, damn, I gotta get one of these things.
Well, they had a little more than that to say, but those three comments were shared by testers across our team. Many of the other comments of note focused on the stellar snug-medium width fit throughout the lower boot and cuff, which testers said got better with some time spent in the boot as the liner relaxed just enough to hit the bullseye on what they considered the medium-width fit tension target. They loved the fit of the tongue against the shin and the boot's flex feel and said that while there was enough room in the toebox and forefoot for a warm and comfortable tour, the instep, heel and ankle offered a performance-oriented grip for controlling the ski in even breakable crust with a pack on.
Other comments touched on the XT3 Free's improved touring function. The cuff release switch is glitch-free and simple to use, they said, and they remarked that when locked into ski mode there was no perceptible cuff freeplay--it was ready to rip at the flip of the switch. The range of motion available in the cuff for hiking or skinning was noticeably improved over previous iterations we've tested, and while not full backcountry boot style stride length, testers said it was more than adequate for off-area adventures and a perfect match for the alpine-level skiing power it came loaded with.
Speaking of the downhill game, the XT3 Free has always been solid, but testers said this 130 MV was head and shoulders above most others in the category for its power to the inside edge. It offered totally legit, alpine-level, 130-flex control of big skis at high speed on hard snow and variable surfaces alike, testers said. They were impressed with the stability and strength given the noticeably light weight underfoot, and they said its power was matched by its quickness. There were no performance flaws noted by testers. None.
Testers like the wide, cam-locking power strap and simple, straightforward features--like four buckles and GripWalk soles. The color was mostly a hit with testers, but it was a very vibrant, Smurfy hue, they said. The gave Lange credit for its trend of truth in advertising this year--the color is called Vibrant Blue. No creativity awards there, but honest, and testers didn't care what it looked like given what it helped them do on the hill.
So, you've got a meaty foot and thicker leg with a big calf muscle and you're looking for a tech-compatible freeride boot? Well, there's two ways to handle this situation. One is to begin preparing for the agony of trying on the myriad medium-width freeride boots out there and the eventual bootfitting mission to increase one of those boots to a point where a pain-free and sensate tour might be possible. The other way is to figure out how and where to try on, in targeted specialty retailer/bootfitter fashion, the few wide-lasted Freeride boots on the market--and hopefully, be trying on the even smaller batch of wide freeride boots that fit and ski well--of which the Fischer Ranger HV 130 is one. We think this latter route is best.
While testers may have raised an eyebrow at the submarine yellow cosmetic, the Ranger HV 130 raised the roof (literally) on the high volume fit potential available to big dudes who want to do a little off-area exploring. The instep height was remarkably high and the forward cabin of toebox and forefoot was absolutely massive, testers said. However, while the interior capacity was storage-container-worthy, it was very much not shaped like a box. The test team heaped praise on this widebody for a hotspot-free initial fit and enough anatomical shape to comfortably house the girthiest of bayou-bred gator-stompers.
Our thick-legged testers with muscular calves felt perfectly balanced in the upright and stout HV 130--especially the tall guys--while our shorter, more chicken-legged members of the team felt relegated to the backseat. So, there's lots of boot top breadth to work with for big dudes. Similarly, the thicker-legged gave high marks to the Ranger HV's responsiveness edge to edge, while those who didn't fill the cuff cylinder didn't have as good a feel for the edges, unsurprisingly. Testers felt that boot was strong and stable enough to support skiers of substantial size through any off-piste challenges they might encounter, and they gave its forward flex a thumbs up for comfort along the shin and a progressive feel that had a firm stopping point.
Testers who know about it continue to lavish praise on the Ranger's small and stealthy hike mode flip switch, hidden just underneath the top cuff buckle. It's tiny but effective in releasing a characteristically long Ranger cuff travel range. The mechanism is so well-camouflaged that one of our testers thought the boot was entered in the wrong category--he didn't ever find it! The range of motion is good enough for medium-range off-area missions, testers said, and the boot is lighter than they had expected for how well it skied.
The lower shell is made of Fischer's proprietary Vacuplast plastic which yields to heat stretches at very low temps--Fischer dealers have a variety of ways to manipulate this plastic, and good bootfitters who know what they're working with can achieve great shell shape mods with it as well. Will many feet need stretches in the Ranger HV? We'd like to see that foot. The other thing we'd like to see is someone making fun of the extra large guy wearing mango-yellow boots--we don't think that'll happen either.
Testers who had the chance to test the Dalbello Cabrio Free MV 120 last year gave a thumbs-up for the improvements in this year's new version. They liked the more upright, balanced stance this time around, which unlocked the 120-level power and stability and improved the boot's long-travel three-piece flex feel.
At a 101mm width, our team thought it fit a little more generously than most other mediums in the Freeride group, which bodes well for many skiers with thicker feet and legs looking for tech-compatible options. Slotting right between the typical medium and wide fits, the Cabrio Free MV 120 IF will offer real warmth and comfort in the skin track with a nice hiking or skinning range of motion, testers said.
Testers were impressed with the side-to-side skills of the Cabrio Free MV 120, saying that it put a big ski on edge and kept it there through variable terrain better than they'd expected from a 120-level cabrio boot. They thought that this set-up would work well for not-huge guys and skiers with a lighter touch to the front of the boot, as the flex was not as stout as much as it was smooth and long-ranging in feel.
The Cabrio Free MV logged its highest scores in the Edge Power criterion, as alluded to above, and also in the Convenience, Warmth and Features parameter where the test team loved the absolute ease of entry paired with a cozy, warm-feeling liner and easy to utilize, functional features like the elasticized down-hooking cam buckle power strap. The easy-to-operate hike mode release paired with GripWalk soles and a long-stride cabrio freeride feel to make for an easy out-the-gate experience for those looking for no-hassle options on and off the hill.
Our testers loved the new gold-medal-winning Atomic Hawx XTD Magna 105 W for its massive, Magna-sized volume in the toebox, forefoot and calf. They remind folks that there are not many options for high-volume female skiers looking for a tech-compatible freeride boot, and they were stoked that this one skied as well as it did everywhere on the hill.
The new XTD Magna range offers all the tech found in the medium Prime and narrow Ultra XTD boots but in a generous 102mm last. Testers liked the polyurethane cuff and shell construction in a 105-flex for its support for strong skiers and normal-sized humans who need a higher volume fit. They were really impressed with the amount of flare and available circumference at the boot top for the high volume calf, and that was in the cuff's stock setting--there is a calf-adjustment feature to open that fit further if needed. The toebox and forefoot fit offered vast amounts of space for the foot to spread out without going numb or cold, testers said.
Even though the fit was more relaxed than many of our testers would want in their own boot, as a group they still awarded the XTD Magna 105 W a perfect 5.00 for its Quickness and Steering criterion. That's an impressive metric for a wide boot, as testers often can't look beyond their own foot's lack of firm contact with the shell to see the potential responsiveness for the skier who will appropriately fill-up the internal space available. The Magna's edge power score lagged a little behind its quickness but still logged-in at gold medal levels--testers said the women's wide freerider was predictable, stable and strong on edge in every terrain challenge they threw at it.
Many of our test team made comments that the boot's total score was most hampered by one excessively tight fit zone, right over the top of the foot. Almost every tester made mention of this fact, calling it the Hawx XTD Magna 105 W's only flaw, but it was one that caused numbness and pain for more than one tester. They thought that pre-padding their instep before performing a convection-oven-powered Memory Fit molding, followed by a liner cook job would probably open up the fit in that area. That said, testers with wide feet and big calves but with lower insteps should put this tech-compatible all-rounder at the very top of their list, testers agreed.
For the expert skier with a low volume foot who is looking for a legit, go-everywhere boot that won't disappoint on either the uphill or the down, well, there are few boots that really fit the bill. Testers say that the new Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 115 BOA W GW is one of those all-mountain freeride unicorns--but they caution that, just like the challenge of capturing a unicorn with a rainbow lasso and getting it saddled up to ride, the entry into the Hawx Ultra XTD required some cowgirl-powered wrangling.
Once you're in, it's an amazing boot--snug, snug, snug! One tester wrote, and most others echoed this sentiment. Yes, getting it on was a bit of a struggle, so less-than-enthusiastic experts who know what they're looking for might settle for the 95-flex version of this ripper. But testers said that skiers looking for high-performance in a truly low-volume package will take the barrier to entry in stride. Tight and light was right, they said, claiming it's one of the tightest heel pockets of the test wrapped by a light-on-the-foot shell and minimal-but-perfect liner. They loved the BOA for its micro-fine-tuning, a click at a time, on the lower boot--they noted that their favorite executions of the BOA system on alpine boots has been in situations where the boot fit closely by virtue of shell shape and liner construction, where the BOA closure could put the three-dimensional icing on the fit cake. Here, it does just that, they said.
The boot's fit impressions average scoring supports testers' commentary--note that our narrowest score of a 1 is geared toward World Cup plug boot tightness and a 5 would be rental boot loose. A narrow last fit target should be a 2 but it's rare that current narrows hit that mark. The Hawx Ultra XTD 115 BOA W's numbers tell a very snug story: toebox (2.17), forefoot (2.00), lateral column (2.17), navicular (2.17), instep (2.00), ankle (2.00), heel (1.50), calf (2.17).
Testers appreciated the long list of fit and performance features and said they were all functional, no fluff. A couple testers played with changing the customizable tongue's Velcro attachment position and found improvements for their personal instep fit issues. Others commented that utilizing a Memory Fit shell mold cook job might be in the cards for a slight relaxation of fit tension in some overly snug spots. The Mimic liner was a hit with testers for how it fit out of the box, though one tester wanted to fully heat mold it to mellow-out an overly tight ankle pocket fit. All these comments should be making the narrow heel and generally low-volume fit-challenged skier salivate--easy to open up the fit here, but awesome that it starts out so close, they said.
The test team agreed that the edge control and stability at speed was commendable, but they said that the boot's quickness and accuracy of steering inputs set it apart from others in the Freeride category. Agile and precise, they called it, and praised its reliability turn to turn--quick but not twitchy or nervous, they said. Surprisingly, testers matched the high-score for Quickness and Steering with their score for the Hawx Ultra XTD 115 BOA's Convenience, Warmth and Convenience scores which suggests that the quality fit and features overcame initial entry concerns for our test team. Not surprisingly, that same high-score was given to the boot's Dynamic Balance criterion, which backs up what testers had to say about the boot's stance--dialed in all directions.
Testers said that its uphill game offered no flaws, citing a long and smooth range of motion when the cuff was released, both forward and backward. They had no issue actuating the cuff release mechanism and loved how little play existed in the cuff when it was locked down for the descent.
Other value-added bits and pieces like a revised Free/Lock 4.5 cuff release, liner pull loops and GripWalk soles paired with grippy mid-arch cladding impressed our testers. The cam locking power strap, on the other hand, received a miss rather than a hit for its lack of full closure at its max. Oh well, nothing's perfect, but this one came close for our crew.
The new Atomic Hawx Prime XTD 115 W BOA lit up testers' faces with fun-induced smiles in every test modality, earning the top spot in the medium width Freeride category and scoring in the upper percentiles of the gold medal range. Testers called its consistently even fit one of the best in the entire test and had nothing but praise for its comfortably snug match for the foot and leg.
Our crew dug the pistachio and stone color combination, but they were more appreciative of the fact that the 115-flex held up its end of the forward support bargain, with some testers saying that the firm tongue construction and robust flex had them standing tall if they didn't apply a little extra throttle by way of shin pressure inputs. They loved how this boot responded--quickly, they agreed, and loaded up its Quickness and Steering scores to the tune of a 4.83 (out of 5).
Our test team offered a split decision on whether BOA impedes entry and exit, but they thought that for skiers seeking 115-level performance the small amount of struggle they experienced was worth the effort. Once in, testers did like the BOA reel closure in the lower shell for its intuitive ratcheting squeeze around the foot. They found the other adjustments easy to manage, like the Free/Lock 4.5 cuff release mechanism, traditional cuff buckles and cam lock style power strap. Useful features in a proper polyurethane build, both for cuff and lower shell, testers said.
While they didn't anticipate a need to deploy it as a fit feature, testers like the option of Memory Fit shell molding, and they do like the Mimic liner and have found that heat molding it does produce exemplary fit customization, especially in the ankle pockets.
Just to prove we're not simply making this stuff up, here's what one tester said of the Hawx Prime XTD 115 W BOA: Wow! The medium fit is spot f'n on! Perfect, perfect, perfect--best Freeride MV yet! Stance is dialed as is, but has cuff adjustment and forward lean adjustment if needed. BOA reel, adjustable tongue, Mimic liner, Memory Fit shell--all the things needed to dial-in the perfect boot, but I doubt you'll have to touch anything!
Testers praised Atomic for bringing a wide fit in a performance stiffness to the All-Mountain Freeride category, where diversity of width is limited still to some degree. Obviously there are market-based reasons we don't see many wide-lasted, tech-compatible Freeride boots on the wall, but our testers who also sell ski boots are happy about this new development. Certainly there are skiers who are looking for more relaxed fit tension in a touring hybrid for the sake of sensation and warmth, and the Hawx XTD Magna 130 fits that bill to a tee.
Testers called the fit of the Hawx XTD Magna 130 a modified hourglass. They said take the hourglass shape, then bend it into a 90-degree L-shape, like a boot. They said it was massively wide at the toebox and forefoot and again humongous at the top of the cuff, yet it was snug like a medium-width boot in the middle, meaning instep, navicular, ankle and heel. For a strict out-of-box fit test our team said this earned it some minor demerits on their score cards, but they pointed to a couple situations that moderate any negative slant on this fit map. One, they said, was that a lot of skiers want a boot to tour in that doesn't make them go numb or get frostbite, and for those who need a little bit of extra relief from the squeeze but still want a boot that will grip their foot where it counts for ski control, the XTD Magna offers that fit combo. Two, testers remind us that the oven-cooked Memory Fit shell shape adaptation feature could work nicely to open up a too-snug fit to a customized just-right without much hoopla. So, overall they felt the Hawx XTD Magna 130 offered some interesting fit solutions for a variety of skiers.
Did we mention the massive calf fit? Well, let's mention it again. The flare and big circumference of fit at the boot top is gargantuan, testers say, and our bootfitter testers made a point of bringing it up as a big positive for the XTD Magna--and that was in its stock set-up, even more room is available if the bolted in rear spoiler is removed. There are many wide boots that still pinch the calf, and while heat-stretching a shell's cuff for more room is doable, it often still leaves buckle adjustment issues to deal with. An out-of-box calf fit that will contain a sumo-sized calf is a rarity, and for those of the large lower leg who want to hit the skin track, testers say they better put this one at the top of their short list.
The Hawx XTD Magna 130 lived up to its flex index billing, testers said, citing strong control over the edge and a stable attitude while at speed or traveling through inconsistent snow. For a hinge-cuff, tech-compatible on-off area style boot our testers said it more than held its own on descent. Quickness scores were highest from testers who had enough lower leg shaft girth to fill the cuff and connect with lateral moves where the boot's leverage could be tested, and the consensus was that there were no problems with the quick communication of message from skier to ski. Testers appreciated the solid connection between cuff and lower enabled by the Free Lock 4.5 hike mode release mechanism, and they found it convenient to use, as well.
The new Atomic Hawx Prime XTD 130 BOA put its performance-medium constrictor squeeze on our test team--and they liked it! Recently the trend has been for a lot of 100mm boots to fit quite generously, but the new Hawx Prime XTD 130 BOA bucks that trend in trade for a very controlled fit on the instep, ankles and heel. Testers questioned whether it was far enough off the medium width fit tension target to earn some minor fit demerits, but at the same time they praised how well it connected foot to ski for high performance descents through a variety of terrain and snow conditions.
They say the Prime XTD fit map charts a more open fit in the front of house and at the boot top. Over 11 individual tests performed on the boot, its fit score averages support testers' impressions--considering that a 3.0 designates a medium-fit bullseye and a 2.0 is the narrow boot fit target: toebox (3.18), forefoot (3.18), lateral column (2.82), instep (2.82), ankles (2.73), heel (2.55), calf (3.45). Testers liked how the BOA closed-up the shell around the foot in the more open portion of the clog and while some testers wished they had installed the rear liner spoiler (comes in the box) to take up some room and offer a slightly more forward leaning stock set-up, they felt that the overall fit and closure of the Hawx Prime XTD 130 BOA was one of the best of the test--just tight for a medium.
While the test team loved the fit (with some tightness caveats) they liked the way this all-mountain hybrid skied even more, calling it exceptionally rigid laterally and torsionally--the stiffness that matters for controlling a ski on edge--for such a lightweight boot. They applauded the polyurethane plastic build in cuff and lower for a damp and predictable downhill attack in addition to more easily achieved fit mods if needed. Testers said the boot was responsive to their edge change moves and pressure control inputs, calling the Hawx Prime XTD 130 BOA surgically precise in every situation they subjected it to. Its top scores were, in fact, in both the Edge Power criterion and the metric for Quickness and Steering.
A few testers thought that the snug instep fit combined with the BOA closure system rendered the boot a little harder to get on than the Hawx Prime XTD had been previously, but most testers took it in stride for how well the boot fit and skied once it was on the foot and out the door. Speaking of stride, testers also approved of the hiking or skinning range of motion offered by the revised Free/Lock 4.5 cuff release. The potential for a Memory Fit shell cook-and-mold was on a few testers' minds for some relief of the more-snug-than-medium squeeze--and slight relief from an even but too-snug fit is the ideal use of the Memory Fit feature, our bootfitter-tester-types say.
The remaining features set we haven't yet mentioned impressed testers as there's a lot to choose from: 4 different liner pull loops, a cam buckle power strap, GripWalk soles and grippy exterior mid-arch cladding plus a 3-position forward lean adjustment. This boot has you covered, from start to finish, testers said.
The Tecnica Cochise freeride boot has been through a number of revisions and updates over the years, with nary a backward step, and now Tecnica takes a huge stride forward with a wide-freeride (freewide?) option in the Cochise 105 HV W Dyn. In our collective memory we can't think of a true 102mm last boot with freeride features on the women's market, and there has been a need for one. Our test team was excited to get this one on their feet, out the door and down the hill, which they did, to unanimous acclaim.
Testers gave the Cochise 105 HV W an overall score of 4.90, which was the second-highest score of the entire women's test. They gave it perfect 5.00s for Edge Power (testers said this is a tall-cuffed, stout 105-flex that flexed more firmly than advertised) but also for Convenience, Warmth & Features, in something of a Beauty and the Beast appraisal. All of the common, favorite elements of the Cochise line-up were available here, testers said--from an easy entry or exit and straightforward buckle-up to its uniquely customizable CAS liner and shell. But this one comes with a legitimate wide-lasted shape that will appeal to thick-footed skiers looking to get out and about, beyond the typical on-area hike-to stashes. A tech-compatible wide boot for women simply hasn't been a thing until now, and our testers were stoked to discover that it didn't disappoint.
Testers thought that the heel and ankle areas were just snug-enough to keep a lid on unwanted ski wandering without getting pinchy. A couple testers commented that the cuff circumference didn't seem proportionately wide enough--those with thick calves wished for more buckle range options.
They all liked how this boot skied--mainly for how strong and stable it was in controlling fat skis at speed through variable terrain. It's a damp and powerful ride that inspired confidence in all terrain applications. They said it is quick enough (a 4.83 ain't bad), if a skier has the foot mass to fill the extra space and tune into the boot's response potential. Testers said that the cuff angle is a touch upright, fairly tall on the leg and stiffer than billed, so they said that it was a challenge to access the quickness that was there, waiting to be tapped. Our taller and more aggressive testers loved this set up. They reminded folks that there is a 95-flex version of the HV as well. Every tester praised the Cochise's balanced lateral stance.
Features are on the mark for what's expected of the Cochise lineage: locking T-Ride walk mechanism, dual liner pull loops, dynafit tech inserts, GripWalk soles and a 45mm Velcro power strap. Time to go skiing!
The new Tecnica Cochise 130 HV is one of the three big boot stories of the year for our test team (see the home page blogs for that discussion). Why is our test team so excited about the new HV Cochise? Because it's a tech compatible, 102mm boot--and not some pretend AT brand 102mm that actually fits like a narrow boot. The Tecnica Cochise HV line-up represents a three model phalanx of legitimate wide rides that will suit skiers with thick feet and legs who want to haul their high-volume carcasses over hill and dale in the pursuit of sick pow or aerobic health. Or perhaps the skins and the touring is purely aspirational--and that's okay--the Cochise is one of the few freeride boots that really do ski as well as all-mountain alpine boots without walk modes, so it's alright to pay a few extra ducats for tech fittings, just in case the granola calls, but mainly use that T-Drive, locking walk mode to saunter up to the bar. It is a truly multi-use ski boot.
But wait, there's more! The Cochise 130 HV is available all the way up to a 32.5 and that's a rarity in the freeride boot world too. Do humans that large tour? Of course they do--think of the distance they can cover with the long legs attached to those massive feet.
Yes, these developments are somewhat pedestrian--big last widths and big sizes, but that's what gets our bootfitter tester types fired up (true, they're nerds), but they uncovered other more traditionally exciting things about the Cochise HV as well.
Namely this wide body rips, they said. It was pretty well unanimous that it skis as well as the 99mm Cochise, both in its power and torque quotient and it's quick response to transitions and steering moves. The only thing that would hamper the connection of body to ski or slow the transmission of messaging would be a lack of girth--there's some room there that needs to be filled for the true performance limit of the Cochise 130 HV to be approached. They also liked the simplicity of design and functionality of features--it's a boot, with four regular buckles and a hike mode. Okay, the microscopic lock switch on the cuff release lever is damn small and is a bare-fingered adjustment, but if that's the Cochise's big flaw we're doing pretty well, folks.
Our testers still like a polyurethane lower shell (CAS dimpling is useful) and we can deal with a polypropylene cuff just fine. GripWalk works without issue, and while testers said the cuff's range of motion while released is a bit limited, they remind that this isn't one for the uphill-rad and Lycra-clad but rather aggressive descents and all-day adventures found near the chairlift.
Our test team continues to love the Salomon Shift Pro 110 W after this year's re-test of the revised (new liner) model. They still scratch their heads a little bit about the Shift's color palette, calling this year's hue creepy Barbie flesh, even though it's really called beach sand, which is much happier-sounding. But outside of minor cosmetic quibbles, they had nothing to complain about--again!
They love how comfortable the Shift Pro 110 W feels against the sock--too comfortable for a piste-centric model, perhaps (one tester surmised), but just right for the on-area/off-area tribe (so long as one doesn't eschew a little bit of creature comfort). It's a luxuriant feeling liner, with a snug-side of medium width grip on the foot with just a touch of extra space for the forefoot and toes. Testers agreed that the cuff fit flares to the roomy side of the medium width spectrum, and a few of the slender-legged testers said they felt like the upper boot wasn't doing much for them. The thicker-of-calf crew loved it, obviously.
This boot skis well, period. Testers have nothing but praise for its stance and balance and its solid combination of power and quickness, no matter what the terrain, snow surface or turn shape. In fact, testers gave the Shift Pro 110 W a perfect 5.00 for Edge Power and also for Quickness & Steering which puts it at the top of the medium freeride heap for performance. For two years running testers have called the Shift Pro one of their top faves. This year it was edged-out for first place in the category by only five-hundredths of a point.
Testers say the touring range of motion is adequate and the quality of movement is just fine, but say that it's a little limited when compared to the S/LAB MTN SUMMIT, for example. They thought that the sideways release switch's ease of use was super and liked how positively it locked into ski mode.
Testers appreciate that there's a Custom Shell HD molding option there if some subtle shape changes were in someone's future, and they liked the dual pull loops on the liner as well as the option to lace up the liner for a more snug internal fit if so desired. Testers noted that there is a less-fleshy color option in both the 100- and 90-flex versions.
Our test team rendered something of a split decision on the Roxa R3 120 TI I.R., with those who loved the boot citing its light weight, close 99mm fit and snappy reaction to steering and edging movements. The opposition claimed that the fit felt a bit disjointed and not anatomically matched to the average human's lower extremity. We did a forensic analysis of both sides' test forms to attempt to parse the truth from the bluster.
One veteran tester who was in the for camp said this: Wow, this is the best Roxa freeride boot I've ever tested! The liner fits well enough right out of the box to immediately go ski and have fun. I have no fit issues that would require a full liner molding. The flex feel is classic three-piece cabrio and the 120 rating is right on. The fore-aft stance is good, if a little bit upright to start, but easy to move into a dynamic position. The lateral stance is neutral and it's plenty strong side-to-side for a 120. Close to a perfect score for Roxa, nice work!
Another equally experienced tester in the against camp said this: I feel you can ski a boot like this if your foot is shaped like this--but who has a foot shaped like this? It's Vice Grip tight at the forefoot but loose in the heel and ankles.
We had multiple testers echoing both of the above statements, so it wasn't a single Roxa fanboy singing its praises or a solo cabrio curmudgeon pissing in its soup.
What we can gather is that much of the differences in fit perception relate to the I.R. (Intuition/Roxa) liner not being fully molded prior to indoor and on-snow tests. Our test protocol is designed to match the customer's in-shop experience--we try on boots just the way they come out of the box in a shop, then we go ski them the same way. Sometimes we perform secondary fit and on-snow tests after full molding of Intuition-type full-thermo liners, and that typically improves fit impressions across the board. We're a bootfitting-centric test team, so it's apparent that much of the naysayers' complaints are overblown--it's easy to do a forefoot width stretch on a Grilamid shell if needed and it's easy to snug up heel and ankle pockets.
So, upon judicial review of the data, our executive editorial panel finds in favor of those who love the R3 120 TI I.R.! It's an agile and accurate all-mountain ripper with a classically long, three-piece flex feel. Those testers who were against it must buy drinks for anyone wearing Roxa! We have so ruled.
