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
Light and tight three-piece shell with Intuition custom liner love for the freestyle-inspired all-mountain skier. The First Chair 10 does best in softer snow and bumps when it ventures outside its native park habitat. Characteristic long-travel Full Tilt flex for no-shin-bang bashing around the whole hill.
Prior to custom molding the Intuition liner, testers complained about a cramped toebox and tight fit at the lateral side of the foot. After cooking the liner (then molding with toecaps and pre-padding for prominences), testers could appreciate the available space in the new FTS Soul shell's toebox and forefoot.
Testers said liner molding also softened the abrupt edge feel on the shin. The actual fit runs short on marked size by current standards. Be sure to try on before buying.
Testers with a preference for lighter, softer boots with long-travel flex liked the First Chair 10 best. Despite testing with its stiffest #10 tongue (130-ish flex billing), testers said it ran quite a bit softer than that. Testers like the quickness edge-to-edge and noted that lateral moves were its forte.
It’s light and agile with a cushioned but well-tuned feel for the snow underfoot. Most testers complained that they felt tipped overly forward and considered complete removal of the thinnest forward lean wedge.
The Full Tilt accessories list is longer than its list of available boots. Get different length cables, different flex tongues, stiffer bootboard and more. Lots of ways to customize your fit and performance.
Heaps of room in this cushy hangar for guys seeking comfort above all else. The Advant Edge 125 was one of the absolute easiest boots to get on and take off.
The lower boot has massive amounts of volume with touches of tightness below the calf in the cankle zone. Testers dug the feather bed liner feel. The fit at the boot top was more snug than testers expected given the amount of space down below.
Reliable and strong enough edge-to-edge. Testers liked that it held up under load when they maintained a centered stance throughout the turn. The consensus was that the boot ran softer than 125 flex feel and had a very upright stance. That’s great for cruisers and lighter guys; more aggressive skiers had occasional difficulty maintaining a fore-aft sweet spot.
The Double Power Booster power strap is a hit with virtually all testers. The Form Fit shell molding protocol teams with the Perfect Fit liner to fully customize the entire boot system to the foot and leg.
The Hammer 130 is a unique blend of three-piece design elements and Raptor-bred alpine strength. Big-mountain rippers looking for an upright stance and off-road suspension that sacrifices no edge power will do well here. Modifications to the liner improved overall fit and ease of entry and exit this year.
Testers found that the liner molded quickly to the foot after a few runs and heat molding the Perfect Fit HP liner further improved foot wrapping. Most testers found the fit even throughout, if a little bunchy initially in the toebox prior to the liner warming up.
They slotted the Hammer's fit tension between narrow and medium. The cuff is noticeably tall and the tongue feel is firm against the shin. Our longer legged testers liked this best. A few testers mentioned they had difficulty getting the tongue to feel just right against their leg.
The impact-absorbing boot board, grippy boot sole and thickly padded liner provide off-piste shock absorption during full-throttle charging through mixed gnar. The boot sucks up bumps like a downhill mountain bike. Our new school testers claimed it skied switch like a champ. Old school testers liked that it put a ski on edge like a Raptor's first cousin.
The Form Fit customizable shell process is straightforward. Testers who underwent the protocol found that the boot changed in subtle ways, opening up the fit and allowing the foot to seat more neutrally on the floor of the boot. There’s no upper cuff adjustment here; those attachment points are mounted with dense, shock-sucking elastomer bushings.
The Vector Evo 130 mans-up this season. Gone is last year's high-talking softie, replaced by new, stiffer plastic (legit 130). A robust new liner fits skiers, not cush-craving luxury sedan drivers. Our team judged the Evo 130 one of the test’s best.
The Vector Evo 130 is one of very few boots we would put the "benchmark" label on for 100mm fit characteristics. It avoids falling into the also-ran medium width pit by maintaining a firm and anatomical hold on the foot and lower leg. It's a touch on the strong side of the medium fit target but our test team was okay with that. One suggested that maybe the V in Vector represents the V-shaped taper from open toebox and forefoot to more snug than average instep, ankle and heel.
More than a few testers heaped praise on the way this year’s cuff and liner wrapped the lower leg and let the shin seat into a perfectly contoured tongue. That made for comfy flexing moves in and out of all turns.
Testers were surprised by the horsepower emanating from such a comfortable boot. That has been a hallmark of Vector models over past years as well, but this go-round was a step up in terms of throttle response and top end performance.
Doctor-lawyer model this is not, unless they are chargers. More than a few testers made mention that they'd consider abandoning their narrow-last rides for the blend of strength, agility and comfort found in the Vector Evo 130.
Testers raved about the Double Power Booster power strap’s circumference-cranking cinch-ability and stretchy-snappy return to center. Some testers loved Spine Flex buckles' ability to accurately wrap the curvature of cuff and lower boot, others found them finicky. After a little intimacy they’re easy to figure out.
Head’s Form Fit shell molding process combines with its Perfect Fit liner to tailor foot to liner, liner to shell and shell to foot shape. It works. Our testers with feet thick enough to feel a little tingly in the Vector liked the result of Form Fit shell molding. Others preferred the snug out-of-box fit and said they'd rather just mold the liner alone. So, as always, start with the liner and move on the shell if you still aren’t completely dialed-in comfort-wide.
This is a sneaky one. It packs a solid punch that you wouldn't expect at 110 flex points and $650 MSRP. It brings big boy Spyne cajones to the table in a slightly lower-cuffed package that works great for shorter, lighter guys who know how to turn it on.
Testers unanimously said K2 is white lying about the HV (High Volume) label it slapped on this model. Virtually all testers scored it smack down the middle with medium-width fit scores in our off the rack tests. Even after thermo-molding the liners (an Intuition lower teams with a more conventional upper), testers still didn't feel it really hit the 102mm fit tension target.
However, testers who underwent both liner and shell molding protocols found fat foot freedom. It worked as billed and generated an even, wide fit profile. So keep in mind this wide is sorta like a medium that can become a wide if you need it. But we're not exactly sure which bathroom it's allowed to use.
Like a younger brother who happens to be a jiu jitsu master. Watch out, because this kid has some powerful tricks up its sleeves. And pant legs.
Born out of the dialed K2 stance set up, the Spyne 110 HV will make any turn on any type snow on any pitch, so long as you have the skills and knowledge to command it. It is always at the ready. And able to make it happen.
Shorter testers liked the lowish cuff height more than our taller, heavier dudes but that's as it should be. For shorter, lighter guys or for those looking for a high value boot that performs at a cut above its price point and marked flex, take a close look.
Intuition liner molding should be considered standard op here and is a great place to start opening up the fit of the lower boot without rendering the heel and ankle pockets baggy. Move on to shell molding after that for maximum volume modification.
K2 continues to muscle its way into the best All-Mountain boots conversation. For the third year in a row, the Spyne 130 LV finished in the top group despite some serious competition. It’s got strong fit, sturdy on-snow performance and a robust set of customizing tools.
Testers told us it was tight. This is an LV that means it. Guys with prominent ankles, navicular and styloid bones will get a bit lit up by the out of box fit. The toebox also fits quite snug and short initially. All this snugness (not a bad thing in a narrow model) is partly due to the thick Intuition lower liner (the upper part of the liner is a more traditional construction).
It relaxes a bit simply by skiing, but for a fit more true to the Spyne 130 LV's intent, molding the liner is a must. When we molded with the whole shebang process (toecaps, pads on bony prominences), the fit demonstrably improved.
K2 has mastered the stance game. Their boots are perfectly dialed front-to-back and side-to-side. Testers agreed they were always moving out from a solid home base. The flex is firm and lateral juice is present in high concentration. It’s powerful but you can feather it on and off. Drift, skivot, roll 'em up high and rail it; the boot obeys skier commands and constantly exceeds expectations.
We like the oval-within-an-oval lateral cuff adjuster (dual sided) with a trick no-strip inner screw. It’s got good range.
We also like K2's new shell molding protocol, though it takes a while to get the hot shell and liner fully cooled down to where it takes a permanent set. Still, it’s worth the time and effort.
We found that the cooked shell can expand prodigiously and does not lose much of its stretch even after spending a couple days on a sunny, hot window sill. We did a full-bore expansion and turned this narrow LV into a good fitting medium for one of our testers.
But before you start whomping on the shell, start with the liner. Move on to the shell only if the fit still remains too tight.
Sporting only minor innerboot changes (a slightly more cushioned lining against the foot) the RX 130 LV returns to claim a place amongst our test’s very best. This is a testament to Lange knowing what works for skiers—anatomical fit, neutral balanced stance, no-frills performance—and remaining committed to providing just that. Even if it means doing nothing.
The shell shape and revised liner work together to tick all the boxes for how a narrow category boot should fit: heel and ankles held firmly, bump-outs for bony points, enough height over the midfoot to avoid numbness without losing foot contact, a touch of freedom at the forefoot but not enough to feel perfect straight out of the box, a little bit of forgiveness in the toebox to warm the little piggies. Testers love the off-the-shelf fit and that Lange doesn't mess with the design too much year to year.
One tester said the RX 130 LV "turned my skis into giggle sticks," and while that makes us a little uncomfortable when we say it, we nodded in agreement. The combination of snug fit, lively flex feel and lateral and torsional rigidity in both cuff and lower make this boot a joy to ski on the whole mountain, testers said.
Powerful edging meshes with precision steering and fine tuned guidance at the transition between turns. That sets the RX 130 LV above many others that have power or finesse but don’t blend the two as well.
Our bootfitter testers thought the mono-injected polyether lower and polyurethane upper was a cool feature. Say what? That means we can give you clean stretches and grinds where needed and no pesky seams to get in the way or delaminate. Single sided cuff adjustment. If you need more, have your alignment tech use model-specific Cantology shims. It’s a great canting solution that maintains the walkability of the RX's Ultra Grip soles.
If you're looking at 102mm boots then it stands to reason you have a thicker, wider foot and larger calf. And that means the Lange SX shape is ideal for you. It’s essentially a blown-up version of Lange’s medium RX.
And if you've got that meaty a foot, one might assume that the rest of you is big too. Right? And because you're thinking Lange, perhaps you know how to stand on a ski and make it work? Well, you sound like the perfect candidate for this year's SX, now offered in a more robust 130 flex.
So, if you were to build a wide boot, wouldn't it make sense to take a benchmark medium width and simply open-up the critical fit zones at the toebox and forefoot, through the instep and at the top of the boot cuff where the foot and leg will have higher mass? Well, if you say “Duh!” you are ready for a career in ski boot design because that's just what Lange did.
Testers loved the creamy, dreamy first-on feel after an easy slide-in. But they noted that you shouldn’t let the plush, cushy feel against the foot fool you. It holds the rear foot exceptionally well during aggressive skiing moves. This is not a bubba box; it has curves where they belong. Think Zena the Princess Warrior gonna kick your ass kinda curves.
Head and shoulders above most wide class rides, testers said. RS and RX lineage runs deep. It has deceptively fast super-heavyweight quickness and legit 130 raw power on edge. All that without ever having to unbuckle on the chair. Some testers said the stance was a little too upright for them but guys with thicker calves will be dialed fore and aft.
The 120 is black with green buckle highlights, the 130 is black with neat orange buckles. That's a cool feature right? Yeah, this is a stripped down elemental boot. Find your frills and fluff elsewhere. There's a cam lock power strap on the 130 not found elsewhere in the line. The lateral cuff adjustment is single-sided and Ultra Grip soles are replaceable and cantable via Cantology shims.
Aptly named, the Cruise 110 is built for comfort and skiing at an easy-going pace. Big instep room and a relatively low cuff height make the Cruze 110 a comfy berth for thick-footed skiers with meaty calves.
Super cushioned and soft, the initial fit and easy entry welcomes one aboard. The volume available here is gargantuan. Most testers felt like a kid in a California king bed. Guys who haven't been able to find comfort without up-sizing will find a welcome mat here.
The open cuff fit and tall instep gave too much latitude for less-voluminous feet and legs to wander about. Thicker insteps and bigger calves will fill those voids and find balance. More at home in longer, drawn out carves than staccato short swings, this ship sails along just fine through a variety of different snow and terrain changes. Testers said it packed surprising edge punch given how soft its flex feels. It definitely felt softer than its 110 billing, they said.
The Adjustable Cuff Profile (ACP) is a calf fit adjustment that can increase the circumference and flare at boot top. The Cruise 110 is the top choice we tested for skiers with truly huge calves.
A purist's weapon of choice for all-mountain domination. The GPX 130 is an inspiring blend of old-school, race-bred power and precision combined with modern liner construction and straightforward, functional features that appeal to serious skiers.
There's a slight gasp of breathing room in the toebox but everything else is locked down tighter than a supermax prison. Just what you want from a narrow class performer.
Testers said that the cork-clad liner ankle pockets are initially aggressive but relax and auto-contour after a few runs, relaxing their vice-like grip. Skiers with bony prominences on their feet will know they're in a real boot.
The liner, while anatomically shaped and well matched to shell, is low profile and puts the foot into close contact with the shell. Testers said the cuff felt slightly tall and firm against the leg but in a good way.
No compromises. Skiing performance is most definitely priority number one. The boot actually makes ski edges feel sharper by virtue of its unyielding power transmission to the ski. Think it, do it. Synapse-firing quickness will match you move for move at all speeds and in varying turn radius.
The boot is engineered to ski from the midfoot forward; heel-centric hip swiveling will not make the turbines turn. Testers liked the slightly forward-leaning cuff angle and didn’t experience any quad burn from it.
Stance fanatics liked the Full Motion Pivot cuff adjustment system. It makes dual-plane lateral and rotational modifications with one gizmo. The 60mm wide Power Driver power strap with quick release clip-hook is awesomely secure around the shin and latches and unlatches conveniently.
It's baaack. And way better than it ever was. The all-new Speedmachine 130 is lighter, stronger, more comfortable and easier to get on and off. It’s a rare occurrence when a long-awaited sequel exceeds expectations, but this one most definitely does. It's a bit like a contestant on “The Voice” doing an Adele song better than the pop superstar herself.
Quintessential (old school) Nordica: cushioned, contoured, pillowy love. The first slide inside brings immediate gratification. “Sublime,” one tester called it. The Speedmachine 130 has quite a roomy toebox and forefoot for a medium width but the feel underfoot is surprisingly neutral (flat) and connected.
The rearfoot control center (ankle, heel, instep) maintains a secure grip on the average foot. Testers liked the way the tongue contoured around the shin (not at all bulky like previous generation Nordica mediums). Testers said the Power Driver power strap cup thingamajig creates a snug and well-distributed fit at the boot top once positioned properly.
The Speedmachine utilizes a higher density polyurethane plastic and a thinner wall construction in non-critical areas. It maintains thicker plastic in the power transmission regions. The result is a lighter weight boot with amazing feel for the ski and snow. Testers unanimously praised the connection and accuracy underfoot.
Lightweight and cushioned often coincides with wimpy but not here; the power to the edge and stability at speed was shockingly good. Don't let the creature comfort bounty deceive. This boot is the real deal.
The Speedmachine line utilizes a proprietary custom fitting system called Infrared. Not surprisingly, it uses an infrared heating source to turn the materials malleable. Infrared stretching has been around for a while but hasn't been packaged and marketed this well.
The system comes in a super cool carry case with a nifty no-meltdown cage around the heating element. Because the thin shell wall at key fit areas (forefoot, navicular, styloid) gets heated through-and-through by the penetrating infrared heat the stretches are well-defined and permanent.
But that's not the coolest part. The stretches are accomplished by a suction mechanism akin to an auto body dent puller. The suction head is placed on the heated plastic at the desired location and it pulls at the warm plastic for a few minutes and—voila!—a perfect bump for your lump. It also works with the foot inside the boot so the skier can perfectly gauge the amount of stretch necessary. The liner also has a grindable and moldable cork area on the exterior of the ankle pockets.
The little engine that could really snuck up on testers. Badged as a mid-powered 100 flex at only $500 MSRP, it competed with zeal and tallied marks that made it one of the very best boots of our test. How? Why? The Allspeed 100 fits like a true wide but skis with the power of the best mediums and narrows.
The 102 mm last should fit a fatter foot, right? Well, the Allspeed 100 does that but without sacrificing snugness in the control zones. The toebox and forefoot is ample but not cavernous. The top of foot through the transition into the shin is tall and well-suited for the thicker, higher volume foot. The calf is flared to handle the mass of meat big guys carry on the backs of their legs. Yet the heel and ankle a tapered, snug enough for even average and narrow-footed testers to tap into a turn without slopping about.
The Allspeed 100 exceeds its performance labeling, skiing more like the 110s and 120s we tested. It has a softer feeling flex than the stouter models but there’s a firm stopping point and solid lateral transmission that still allowed bigger testers to hammer through piles of spring mashed potatoes at speed without experiencing any ski deflection.
Its most notable feature is its massively high performance-to-price ratio. It does have a Thinsulate liner for extra warmth and a single-side lateral cuff adjustment. It also offers off-piste versatility with flex tuning and sole swap out options (WTR and Cantology compatible). That’s a plus feature on every Allspeed model.
