Testers loved the Tecnica Mach BOA HV 105 W for its ample volume and plus-size curves, and that's without their huge appreciation for how the BOA closure system put a new spin on the Mach1 wide rid
Does gold medal status at our boot test require perfection? No, of course not, but the Tecnica Mach1 MV 115 W is close to it. Again. The medium width Mach1 women's boots have topped the leader board off and on for several years of boot tests, and last year was no different when the 115-flex model was introduced. Here it is returned to the podium, this time onto the top step out of 11 very good boots in the medium width group of the All-Mountain Traditional category.
It very nearly did achieve perfection for our test team, who as a group gave it perfect 5.0's for its on-snow performance metrics of Dynamic Balance, Edge Power and Quickness & Steering. Testers remain very impressed with how this supremely comfortable (and pretty generous of fit this year) all-mountain utility boot can deliver race-bred power and quickness to narrow or fat skis alike, across an entire mountain of terrain and through any assortment of snow surface our testers drove it through.
The generosity of fit (aka comfortable, warm and not numb) was a blessing for most of our testers, who made multiple mentions of the fact that their toes were not tingling and their calves were not pinched. A few highly discerning (aka critical) testers reduced the Mach1 MV 115's fit score to less-than-perfect because they thought it missed the medium width target by a bit. That's fair, but for the skier who is opting for medium instead of narrow, the key fit zone areas of toebox, forefoot, instep and calf add up to either agony or all-day skiing, and a little bit of extra blood flow and room for nerves to breathe easy is an okay trade-off for most folks in the MV market. Here, they get just what they're looking for, we think. Obviously those critical testers didn't think the comfort level negatively affected performance (hence the perfect scores) but they did mention having to buckle the boot a little tighter--which bumped the Mach1 MV's convenience score out of perfect 5.0 contention. Damn, they're a tough bunch.
How is it that the Mach1 MV 115 can be so comfy and yet ski so strongly and quickly from turn to turn? It doesn't hurt that the Mach1 stance angles have been refined over several years to a well-balanced bullseye. Nor does it hurt that the Mach1 boots rely on tried-and-true polyurethane plastic with more traditional shell wall thicknesses for vibration damping and stability. But the real magic may be the T-Drive cuff to lower shell connector, which ties upper to lower in a rigid way laterally, for strong edging, but a flexible way in forward flexing movements. It restrains the forward movement of the cuff while reducing distortion of the plastic at the intersection of cuff and lower shell in a way that also allows for the use of slightly softer plastic which aids in entry, exit and a more easily wrapping closure of the boot around the foot. Testers liked T-Drive the first time it was introduced and continue to laud its benefits on every model where it's utilized.
Yes, testers like the CAS line-up of bootfitter-friendly custom tech features in both the shell and liner, but in the MV few testers make mention of needing to deploy any of them, claiming the out-of-box fit is hot-spot free and good to go. The truly high volume foot could stuff themselves into this 115-flex MV if the 105-flex in the roomier HV version wasn't going to be supportive enough, and in that case some CAS fit tricks could work nicely. Testers like the up-hooking, cam-cranking power strap that comes with the 115 flex boot, and as always they approve of double pull loops, dual cuff adjusters and GripWalk soles. But, let's be honest here, it's probably that iridescent, matte finish sorta-purple that got it the gold. And that's fair--it is amazing.
Why does our women's boot test team continue to love the Tecnica Mach1 LV 115 W so much, aside from the iridescent dark purple? It's because it hits the fit tension target, or tightness quotient, for a narrow-last performance model right in the middle.
We assess the boot's fit in eight distinct fit zones--toebox, forefoot, instep, lateral column, navicular, heel, ankles, calf--and provide a fit impression score for each of them on a scale of 1 through 5, with a 1 being tight like a World Cup race boot and 5 like a packed-out rental boot. The consumer narrow width boots that we're testing in the 96-98mm range should have a score of a 2, while a medium width fit score hovers around a 3, an all-mountain performance wide around a 4...you get the picture. Every single fit zone score average for the Mach1 LV 115 W was close to a 2. The toebox offered the most relief of squeeze at a 2.25. The ankle pockets were the most tight spot (though nobody complained about them) at 1.67. The average of all eight fit zones was 2.04. That's a heck of an evenly narrow fit from front to back and top to bottom.
Okay, they love the way the boot skis too, and always have, but this season the Mach1 liners are revised so testers spent a lot of time complimenting the super snug yet more comfortable fit than they recalled previously. The primary liner change was the use of a 15% softer interior material that addressed the skier's sock with a slightly more cushioned, silky feel and yet didn't allow increased movement or a sense of pack-out as a tester's 3-run session went on or toward the end of our eight-day test period. Another new element of the Mach1 liners was a more slick rear strip to help the heel glide down into the boot upon intial entry. Our testers approved of the change, noticing the difference, though one still complained about the ease of entry, or lack thereof (we think her blood sugar was low).
The skiing prowess of the Mach1 LV 115 W is legendary--it doesn't get any better for our test team for a combination of race level power and stability with the frontside boot's quickness and accuracy of steering, all wrapped in a more cushioned and shock-absorbing package for all-mountain attacking, all day long. Testers remain fans of the traditional feel of a polyurethane lower shell--damp and solid underfoot, aggressive to the edge--but they've come around to the lighter weight polyolefin plastic upper cuff. Sometimes the lighter-than-PU materials get twitchy or collapsible in their flex feel, but the Mach1's T-Drive rear spine connection between the cuff and lower adds enough rigidity to the cuff of the boot that it is not dependent purely on thicker, heavier plastic to get the job done. Testers couldn't find anything that the Mach1 LV 115 W couldn't do over a week of varied weather, snow conditions and temperatures. It didn't get too stiff in the cold or too soft on warm afternoons.
And yes, the iridescent dark purple may have helped propel it to one of the top scores of the entire women's test, but not by much.
Tecnica’s foray into BOA boots is constrained to its widest last models and the 120-flex Mach BOA HV is the men’s flagship leading the charge for thick-footed skiers who are looking for maximum room with a convenient new twist on the all-day, all-mountain ski boot.
Testers loved the Mach BOA 120 HV for its well-put-together set of useful design elements—front and center for them was the hugely open fit in the lower shell. Testers said that it offered a massive amount of space for the thickest feet to spread out in and relax—well, if not relax, then at least exist in a not-numb state. The ease of entry is a home run, testers said, and the initial fit was soft and inviting without losing a grip on the ankles and heel. They all loved how easily they got the boot buckled and dialed to their liking—easy and straightforward, which equated to one of its highest scores, recorded in the Convenience, Warmth & Features test criterion.
Most of our test team didn’t have enough meat on the hoof to fully fill the available space offered by the Mach BOA HV and yet universally, testers had two things to say. One, the BOA worked its magic to cleanly close the lower boot around the foot without distorting the fit or the way the boot flexed. Two, testers said the boot felt perfectly balanced in all directions, regardless of the level of looseness they might be experiencing. This, in our experience testing wide boots, is always a great bit of feedback from testers—the best wide boots offer a stance that works, no matter the volume of flesh taking up residence in its cavernous inner sanctum. Not surprisingly, the Mach BOA 120 HV’s score for Dynamic Balance was a nearly perfect 4.90.
The top of the line 120-flex was solid enough for our biggest testers, but guys fighting at the top of the heavyweight card who need a 130 will have to do without the convenience and clean closure of the BOA system, as the boot for the biggest beasts--the Mach1 HV 130--is still buckles-only. Our crew said that the 120 pumped out plenty of power that they thought suited the boot well. The boot’s quickness scores were probably unfairly low, as lower-volume testers made comments of not having much contact with the shell walls! Our tests of wide models have shown that with an appropriately high volume foot, instep and calf the boot’s responsiveness edge-to-edge increases exponentially—so we’re pretty certain this boot will crank off short radius turns at any pace that’s asked of it by the guys who'll be in it.
The shell offers Tecnica’s dimpled C.A.S. zones for making clean and permanent heat stretches for guys who need more width or relief for bony bits colliding with the shell, however, the highly moldable and grindable C.A.S. liner is not available here. Our testers had no issue with this, as the regular N.F.S. liner felt great to them, and they pointed out that it was likely the trade-off for adding BOA but keeping the list price at a reasonable (we think) $750.
When writing boot reviews there are two main tasks--look at the tester's written commentary (there's lots) and look at the test data (there's lots) to come up with a consensus of opinion about a boot, then put that into words and try to do it with some sort of new twist or humorous anecdote. That last part is mainly fluff and B.S. but the first two components, comments and data, are objective. What's tough is when you look at those two information sources and see a hodge podge of disagreement and divergence of opinion--that makes for a waffling, vague review, and its also usually associated with lower scores.
What makes writing a boot review easy is when the commentary and data is decidedly of one mind--similar impressions of a boot's initial fit, its stance, its edge power and quickness. Well, that's what you see when you look at the Tecnica Mach1 MV 130's base information--a lot of the same, very positive takes on all of those criteria. It was an obvious gold medal winner based on its overall score of 4.73 out of 5.00, on the podium in the All-Mountain Traditional medium width group, and in the top-ten high-scoring boots club for our men's test.
Other interesting homogeneity was found in the fit data. Our fit impressions scores range from a 1 for a World Cup race boot kind of tightness to a 5 for a packed-out rental boot sort of looseness. The 100mm, medium-width boot's fit score target is a 3. We assess the fit of a boot in eight unique fit zones: toebox, forefoot, navicular, lateral column, instep, ankles, heel and calf. While there were spots of slightly more snugness for the Mach1 MV 130, like in the heel pocket that averaged 2.9, and areas of some squeeze relief, like the forefoot that averaged 3.1, the Mach1 MV 130 was essentially a numeric model of the perfect medium width fit. The average of all eight fit zones over 11 individual testers' scores came to a 3.01.
Looking at the boot's data spreadsheet under the fore-aft stance criterion shows a list of 11 entries of "ideal," and in the lateral stance criterion a list of 11 entries of "neutral." It's almost like testers are comparing notes as they write up the boot--but they're not. This is one of the indications that a boot is one of the best--it works for lots of different skiers' shapes, sizes, abilities and styles. And in the case of the Mach1 MV 130 it manages that without a least-common-denominator, dumbed-down effect to achieve broad appeal. It fits and skis at the top of the heap alongside the world's best boots, period, and does it for a lot of skiers.
Here's what one, veteran tester said about the Mach1 MV 130: It has great heel hold-down and perfect medium fit tension throughout the boot. Rocking distribution of force through the the boot to the ski edge. Intuitive--mindless ability to change direction on a dime. This is a performance skier's all-day, all-mountain boot. So easy to ski with huge horsepower available at speed or on steeper, harder snow surfaces.
Add 10 more comments just about like that and you've got a pretty good idea of what this boot's all about.
Just how good is the new Tecnica Mach1 LV 130? Well, let's just throw a few numbers at you: out of a potential perfect score of 5.0 the Mach1 LV 130 maintained an average total score of 4.89 over five separate, scored parameters, and that's after 12 different testers lodged their votes. Its Edge Power score was a perfect 5.0. It's lowest score element? There wasn't one--each of the other four scores (Anatomical Fit, Dynamic Balance, Quickness & Steering, Features & Convenience) were 4.86's. It was the top scoring boot model in the men's All-Mountain Traditional narrow group, but it was also the highest scoring boot in the entire boot test, including women's boots. It's a new boot, so is it better than the old boot? Well, testers said emphatically, yes! Its score the last time we tested the Mach1 LV 130 (in 2021) was 4.88 and it won its category that year, too--but hell yeah, 0.01 more is better!
One veteran tester, who skied the Mach1 LV 130 late in the week-long test period after testing many other models in the All-Mountain Traditional category said this: Skiing the Mach1 LV 130 again re-frames your perspective on how a narrow boot is supposed to fit, and ski. It's just an awesome boot that makes you a better skier, instantly. The ways that testers convey the message about the Mach1 LV's skiing performance may fluctuate--one compared it to Italian supercars, another to a rally car build and one said it cranked the amp to 11 and blasted Black Sabbath--but the meaning is always clear. This is one of the best skiing boots available anywhere. Perhaps skiers should spend a season in one as a controlled-experiment designed to find out what's limiting their performance--their boot or their skills.
There was no reason for Tecnica to change the shell shape in this year's update--it had just gone through a revision the last time we tested it--but the liner's interior material was re-built with a 15% softer material to improve initial fit and a low-friction panel was integrated into the rear of the liner to help the heel glide down during entry. Testers noticed both of these updates straightaway, commenting about an easier slide in than before and a more plush feel against the sock with less aggressive bony spot pressure points. They said that the kinder, gentler entry and feel against the foot and leg did not translate to a looser-feeling fit or a loss of tightness as the boot warmed up. Rather, they just liked the boot more than they had in the past--even if 0.01 wouldn't suggest big wow-factor. It was wow-worthy, they assured.
Testers continue to heap praise on Tecnica's T-Drive cuff-to-lower connector that anchors the two essential components in a flexible-forward but rigid-sideways fashion. They say the flex feel is as good as it gets--progressive in resistance against the shin without any collapse or folding feel and snappy in its return-to-center at each turn transition. They agree that the softer plastic in the lower shell (enabled by the buttress-effect of T-Drive) makes the boot a bit more supple and more easily buckled-up around the foot without negatively affecting power transmission to the ski.
This year's addition of a stretchy Booster-type element to the hook-in-loop power strap did not go unnoticed by testers, who felt that the added elastomer enhanced the flex feel and snappy rebound from turn to turn without incidental softening of the boot-top closure. Testers also maintain their appreciation of the C.A.S. line-up of bootfitting-friendly features in both the shell and the liner, but as always, they mention that the shape of both are good-enough out of the box to render those fit solutions nearly moot.
The Salomon S/Pro Supra 90 W flew a bit under the radar at the boot test but testers say it's a obvious bargain at a list price of $450. They said it's stiffer and more stable than its 90-flex labeling would suggest and had zero deal-breaker fit or performance issues. They said the buzz of BOA may have pushed the buckled Supra 90 out of its well-deserved limelight but assured that it was a competent all-mountain cruiser for intermediates and price-conscious advanced skiers alike.
Testers thought it fit the bill for a what's expected of a medium-width fit--plenty of room at the forefoot and toebox for warmth and wiggle but a suitably snug fit to the rear of the foot for ski control movements. Testers liked the cuff wrap around the average leg but said that there was enough flare at the boot top to handle a bigger calf without trouble. They liked the option of a Custom Shell HD oven-cook-and-mold mission in the case of fit problems but mentioned that simply heating up the stock liner would be enough to moderate the few minor fit inconsistencies they noticed during testing.
One tester had an initial problem with the tongue biting a bit, mid-shin, but reported that with some wear time this was manageable, again suggesting the full liner mold as the obvious next step to eliminate that issue if it were to persist.
While testers didn't have any big issues with the Salomon BOA system, they did like the regular old buckles here and the savings that they brought to the table without any notable performance deficit. The features set was standard for the category but exceeded the typical fare found at this price point: dual liner pull loops, 35mm Velcro power strap, lateral cuff adjustment mechanism and GripWalk soles.
Our crew said the S/Pro Supra 90 W skied admirably, holding its own on firm, fast groomers and off-piste exploring, both. It was predictable and balanced with no-surprises appeal for a wide variety of skiers. While they said it lacks the top-end power and quickness of the 110- and 115-flex boots, testers said there was nothing missing here, with the exception of a bunch of extra dollars that didn't need to be spent.
A common complaint we hear from our women's test team when it comes to narrow boots is that it's not really a narrow. Well, there is no way that gripe will ever be directed toward the Salomon S/Pro Alpha 110 W. Testers had two words in common in their reviews of this narrow All-Mountain Traditional gold medalist--snug or tight, take your pick. These were terms of endearment, mind you--our test team loves a heel-gripping, ankle-grabbing and calf-squeezing narrow--and the S/Pro Alpha 110 W did not disappoint when it came to a shrink-wrapped foot and leg match throughout the whole lower shell and upper cuff.
Testers made so many comments about how snugly this boot fit that we did some digging. The S/Pro Alpha 110 W was the tightest fitting boot in the women's All-Mountain Traditional narrow group. It was tighter than its next-tightest competitor, the Nordica Promachine 115 W, by 20% in the heel and ankle zones and by 40% in the toebox and forefoot. We took a look at the women's Frontside category where the boots are typically even more snug-fitting, and found that only the Lange RS 120 SC had a more snug heel fit score--however the overall tightness quotient, averaged over all fit parameters still went to the Salomon S/Pro Alpha 110 W, by 15%. So yeah, the Alpha's a tight one, and just right for accomplished skiers with low-volume feet and legs our testers said.
They loved how it skied. Absolute precision of steering inputs, transitions between turns and quick pressure controlling moves were enabled by the painted-on fit. They said that once they placed the ski (exactly where and how they wanted it) the 110-powered cuff over-performed to control their biggest, stiffest skis at high speeds over and through any type of snow surface. They couldn't find its performance threshold--calling it a ninja and a scalpel--except for a couple testers who went numb from the high-performance squeeze-chamber and lost control of their precise foot movements altogether.
Maybe it was too much of a good thing for the S/Pro Alpha, as its lowest score fell in the Anatomical Fit and Initial Feel criterion--most likely driven by a too-tight fit for some testers, especially at the "throat" of the boot where the lower leg transitions down into the instep area. One tester said this performance fit unleashed her inner Hulk, but another said it rendered her locked in a cast. Suffice it to say, a slender leg and lower-volume instep will fit best into this limited berth space.
The Alpha 110 W's highest score was for, not surprisingly, its Quickness and Steering, at a 4.83, but testers matched that high score in the Convenience, Warmth and Features criterion where they gave props to the boot's functional features. They liked its relatively new cuff adjustment ability, fat 45mm Velcro power strap, screw-affixed buckle and strap hardware, GripWalk soles and Custom Shell HD moldable polyurethane up and down on the shell for a maximum variety of bootfitter-friendly modification options.
We've been testing the S/Pro boot for many years and seen it evolve through several variants. At one point Pro meant medium, but now you can have an S/Pro Alpha, which is a narrow, forcing the use of modifier Supra to designate Salomon's medium width all-mountain range. Last year we got an advance look at the new Supra BOA in a 120-flex, and this year we tested the S/Pro Supra BOA 130. Testers loved the extra 10-points of power and stability it brought to the table and they still loved the way Salomon has integrated the BOA system into its liner design for maximizing the shell’s cable-cranking, three-dimensional closure--even if that comes with some associated ease-of-entry challenges (more on that later).
This S/Pro (so-called Supra now) is the best version we've seen from Salomon, testers agreed. Gone as of last year is its former, ungainly Core Frame insert and bloated lateral shell shape, and in its stead we find a slightly more robust version of the svelte S/Pro Alpha narrow boot shape that preceded it. The S/Pro Supra’s is a clean, anatomically-inspired shell shape with curvature where it makes sense but without extraneous doo-dads to clutter its classic four-buckle overlap design. The best parts of the narrow Alpha's fit blueprint can be found in the Supra, just slightly expanded in its proportions for the higher-volume foot it seeks to house.
The ideally contoured and padded liner tongue that mirrors the instep and base of shin in the Alpha (one of our favorite fit features there), does so here in the Supra with slightly more ceiling height throughout. Some testers complained about an initially lumpy, inconsistent feel in that zone, which was worrisome as it should be one of the best fit areas of the boot. However, follow-up notes from these testers showed that some warmth and wear time evened out those fit glitches nicely--so, prospective buyers who experience this same phenomenon should give the liner some extra time to settle in during try-on, testers suggested. The vertically spacious and squared-off toebox shape works even better for skiers looking for a true medium-width fit than it does in the narrow-lasted version of the S/Pro, and testers commented that their foot felt just enough room to spread out and tune into the skis’ feel against the snow in the Supra, without numbness but also without any loss of connection to the ski or quickness of steering inputs.
The test team agreed that the lower boot held the foot nicely, with a comfortably firm grip on the ankles and a snug heel pocket. They also concurred that closing-down the boot around the foot with the BOA reel worked exactly as billed, wrapping in a consistent and three-dimensional way in easily-tuned, clicky increments. Testers liked the graphic tightness meter lines scribed on the shell overlap for their instant, visual appeal to the OCD bucklers and dialers on our team who just can't handle it when ridge hippies tell them to "just relax and feel it, bro."
Testers really liked the 120-flex Supra BOA they tested last year (it was a gold medal winner too) but they really, really liked the additional power and torque that the 130-flex delivered to the ski this time around. Enabled by a dead-on-the-money stance set-up (the Supra’s highest score metric), the boot's stable, strong attitude was apparent to testers who got their skis up on high edge angles, at speed, through some very sketchy off-piste conditions and early morning frozen spring cord. Testers found no chink in the S/Pro Supra's armor when it came to its descent performance--they loved how this boot skied.
Oh, but the trade-off for what testers called the test’s best execution of BOA from a fit-wrapping perspective was a limitation on the ease-of-entry that we think is related not to the BOA itself but to the built-to-BOA liner's ExoWrap instep gauntlet. The tubular material encircles the liner over the top of the foot to create a low-friction glide path for the shell above to smoothly transect as the BOA constricts, tightening the shell. It's one of the reasons testers say the S/Pro Supra's BOA closure quality lives up to the technology's hype--but at the expense of an easy slip into the boot. A few testers struggled, certainly. We suppose you could snip the ExoWrap out of there with scissors (we can already hear the gasps from Salomon reps), but we think the loss of the sweet fit-wrapping wouldn't be worth it. Our suggestion to the entry-challenged is to suck it up and deal with it or step down to the 120-flex version that's easier to get on.
The Salomon S/Pro Alpha 130 is one of our test team's favorite narrow, all-mountain boots for its simultaneously tight and cushioned fit character and unique set of traits that set it apart from the rest of the narrow-class crowd--and we don't just mean its bold Race Blue tone, though testers like that too.
One tester said it had a best-in-industry transition of fit from the lower leg shaft through the throat of the boot and over the top of the foot at the instep. Another testers said it has the lightest weight feel of any boot in the category, without loss of power. And several praised its slightly flatter ramp angle and slightly more upright cuff angle for a strongly leveraged starting position that helped load tons of power to the shovel of the ski at turn initiation. These are highly specific nuances that our testers notice and they made sure to give credit where credit's due. These unique fit and stance traits do take it slightly out of the average for the category, which may have hurt it in its final scores, but for certain testers (and skiers) those same niche elements propel it to the top of the leader board.
The boot comes with two rear spoilers and the thicker, 6mm comes mounted on the boot. Testers saw little reason to change it unless the wearer had a really muscular calf. In fact, most testers thought the boot stood more upright than most with the 6mm spoiler in, which they liked for a tall and relaxed starting position that could apply a lot of leverage to the front of the ski upon forward flexion. The flipside was that the backseat was ready and waiting to receive skiers who didn't stay on line or encountered unexpected terrain changes--similarly, shorter testers felt challenged to get out in front of the boot while our taller testers loved the set-up right out of the gate. A couple of our testers mentioned that their first mod, if they were to take it home, would be to add a small amount of heel lift to the internal boot board.
The room in the toebox is notable, especially vertically, and with a relatively low-slope internal ramp angle testers occasionally found themselves heel heavy and looking for leverage above the toes to pry themselves back into more-forward balance. Some testers wanted a thicker-toebox sock or a pad applied to the top of the liner toebox to snug up this area while others with chronic bloodflow limitation and resulting cold toes gave this fit zone a double-thumbs-up.
The Custom Fit 4D World Cup liner is spectacularly padded-feeling but without straying into mushy, gonna-pack-out territory, testers report, claiming that the cushioning along the shin and down into the instep is the best of the group--possibly best of the test. It's a well-shaped and well-executed liner tongue to begin with but testers note that it's also easily modified as its plastic front is not stitched all along the tongue, so removing padding or even possibly adding more is an option for skilled bootfitters without a lot of surgery involved.
Salomon successfully thins the plastic shell wall where thickness is not critical for stability and power. This makes the boot better wrapping over the top of the foot during buckling and shaves some ounces off the total. The S/Pro Alpha 130 is one model that manages to pull off some weight savings in the shell design without any apparent loss of edge control or dampness--many lightweight alpine boots get twitchy and unstable, that's not the case here, testers assure.
Testers like Salomon's return to a laterally adjustable cuff on the new S/Pro boots, including the Alpha 130, and the fat cam buckle power strap was a hit with testers for its broad capture of the front of the tongue and shell for a well-wrapped leg fit and solid flex feel. Dual pull liner loops are standard fare but appreciated and while GripWalk soles are the norm, testers love having both the grip and shock mitigation on a piste-powerful all-mountain boot like this one.
Roxa's boot offerings span a huge catalog of three-piece designs and overlap shell constructions, in every width, and across applications from on-area piste skiing to lightweight backcountry touring boots. Every year we test Roxa's entries we prepare ourselves to be surprised, and this year was no different--we just had no inkling that the little 85-flex that could would end up on the top of our wide All-Mountain Traditional category among some other very competitive (and established) models.
Our test team roster is made up of some pretty sharp women--they're common thread is a passion for skiing but their backgrounds are diverse, inside and outside the ski industry. They're an open-minded bunch, but pretty exacting at the same time. When they dislike something about a boot--it's made quite clear. Same for the good things--they're lavish with praise where deserved. They avoid being predjudiced for or against a brand. They do their best to not have a particular bent toward a traditional four-buckle overlap over a cabrio style. And, as evidenced by this gold medal award, they are definitely not flexist. They elevated the 85-flex over two 105-flex competitors in its wide group, and score-wise this 85-flex bested a lot of 115-flex boots.
Does this mean that it's more powerful than a 115? No, testers look at each boot's intended audience, and the 85-flex boot is aimed at the less-experienced skier, the petite skier or the bargain hunting skier. If a tested model nails the fit, stance, edge power, quickness and convenience targets for that boot's intended audience--it's a winner. Testers said the R/Fit 85 W delivers (in spades) to those three constituencies listed above, and generally over-performs on the performance-oriented test metrics—enough to appeal to skiers who'd otherwise be looking at 100- or 105-flex models. To belabor this point, the R/Fit 85 W received perfect scores on its stance, edge power and quickness elements. That's high praise.
Specifically, what one tester said was: I forgot I was skiing an 85-flex Roxa and I was just ripping around everywhere on the mountain! Great skiing boot...Wow. And another tester echoed it: I was ripping railroad turns on the low-angle groomed without any issue. The liner is very cushy and warm--this is just an easy to ski, solid boot that will make an intermediate very happy.
Were there no complaints about the R/Fit 85 W? Yes, there were a couple comments that the initial fit felt a little "lumpy" and inconsistent throughout, at least to start. This knocked the boot's fit score down a bit (in fact, the only score parameter that wasn't a perfect 5.00) but the rest of the story is that those testers noted that the fit improved greatly after the liner warmed up and some time was spent skiing--the liner's Ultralon construction will make substantial fit adaptations available upon full heat molding with a bootfitter's help. Other fit issues are more easily remedied with a fitter's help due to the boot's polyurethane construction in both shell and upper cuff.
This is the little boot that could! At 525-bucks testers loved it for how it showed up for its intended market, but they really appreciated its stepped-up skiing game that will make it a player for way more skiers than it should.
Testers elevated the new Roxa R/Fit MV 105 W into gold medal status after having a chance to test it this past Spring at Mt. Bachelor. Aside from its attractive Seafoam and Aqua color way, testers were most impressed with how the R/Fit MV 105 W skied, saying that handled everything they threw at it from remaining pockets of thick pow to morning melt-freeze boilerplate.
They liked the R/Fit MV's stance set-up, which they said was neutral and balanced and ready for action with an ideal flex feel and perfectly cushioned tongue that distributed pressure all along the shin in comfortable fashion. Testers said the balanced starting position set them up for successful edging and steering, which the R/Fit MV handled equally well. Stability and control were on target at all speeds and the R/Fit MV's agility ability was flawless, they said, and they backed up these claims by dropping perfect score 5.0's on both the Edge Power and the Quickness and Steering test metrics.
Testers also gave it a 100%, A+ rating for its Convenience, Warmth and Features criterion, saying that it was a straightforward, four-buckle overlap with all the top shelf features expected of a category winner. They liked the ease of entry, the simple to use buckles, the double liner pull loops, dual sided cuff adjustment and GripWalk soles. The fuzzy liner didn't hurt either--our testers are suckers for fur.
What testers didn't like so much was the R/Fit MV 105 W's initial fit, which they called inconsistent in fit tension and lumpy in a couple places. Noted complaints were an overly short-fitting and lowish toebox fit, a too-tight fit across the top of the foot and some vague gappiness around the ankles. Now, these initial fit issues did drop the R/Fit MV's Anatomical Fit scores somewhat, but testers also made note that after some wear time all of these inconsistencies moderated a bit. That gives hope for solving these with a more aggressive full-heat liner molding session, they said. They also mention that the Biofit CM shell offers a convection oven cook option, which could serve to open up the fit in both the toebox and midfoot zones.
The Roxa R/Fit line-up continues to impress our testers for how it improves every year we test it. This year's R/Fit 120 IR was a hit with our team for its consistent, even fit that matched common foot shapes and held the heel and ankle well enough for good ski control through a variety of conditions. Testers say it lost some points for being a little more medium-width in its fit tension than they'd expect from a 102mm boot, but that didn't stop them from liking it!
The initial fit was even throughout the lower shell and cuff, they said, with the exception of a slightly too snug (certainly for a wide) fit over the top of the foot, but testers did mention that this fit inconsistency improved with some time spent in the boot. Testers thought that heat molding the liner would do well to even-out that tight spot and would help open up the fit during break in for skiers looking for a slightly wider fit throughout. The polyurethane Biofit shell design also offers the ability to heat-mold the shell via convection oven heating, so testers mentioned that as a down-the-road option for skiers looking for a bit more volume, still.
The entry and exit was easy, according to the team, who also liked the straightforward buckle-up and closure of the four-buckle overlap design. They thought the liner and shell mated well together, with no movement between the two, and connected the foot and leg to the ski in a directly linked manner that performed well for them. One tester said the R/Fit 120 IR was the best-fitting and best-skiing Roxa boot he'd ever tested.
Testers liked the balanced stance set-up offered by the R/Fit and said it would suit both up-and-coming intermediates looking to step-up their all-mountain skiing game or more accomplished skiers seeking a solid boot for no-frills ripping about.
