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
Some boots surprise our test team because they're new. Others, like the Vector 125, surprise us because they're not and yet we find new reasons to love them all over again. Without a doubt, this was the category winner for best combination of luxuriant comfort and way better than expected performance on snow.
Its sedate cosmetics peg it as a bit of a sleeper, but testers started paying attention from the first slide in. The Vector's entry and exit scores were tip-top, as the tri-injected shell and slippery smooth liner lets the foot glide into the Perfect Fit liner like melted butter.
Closure is evenly wrapped with Head’s funky cable-curved SpineFlex buckles that work great but left some testers wrangling them like a teed-off snake. The upper buckles have fold-out Double Power lever arms that make tightening up the cuff a snap. It’s almost too-easy to over-tighten so go easy when latching in.
Testers liked the closure combination in the Vector 125 for its immediate indication that the boot was all about making things easy. The fit is relaxed and silky against the foot. It’s a little short in length, roomy in the forefoot, and low and open at the boot top. Somehow, with all the fluffy-cushy feel here, the Vector still grabs the foot through the ankle, heel and instep, providing a grounded home base to ski from.
The Vector's on-snow performance is shockingly good, considering its through the roof comfort marks. Testers remain somewhat astounded by how much fun they had skiing anywhere on the hill, even at speed. They might have called it a good "dad boot/cruiser boot/advanced-intermediate boot” but not one said it didn't do exactly as they asked.
We allowed each brand an extra model in a category of their choice this year provided the bonus entry was a softer, less-expensive model. We showed no mercy, however, and threw these softer boots in with the rugged, general population in whichever category they landed. We figured they'd probably get crushed by the competition and we'd cycle them into a sidebar or small feature somewhere (which we've done).
The Adapt Edge 110 was Head's soft entry, and it was the only such boot to make the medal cut for a print review in these pages. It was also the winner for best entry and exit in this category; it is probably the easiest-on overlap shell boot in our entire test.
Its numbers do lie a little bit. It fits more like a 104mm last, with massive amounts of room throughout the lower boot and an open for business boot top that will let big calves waltz through the door all day long. Very high volume feet are required to pack its storage space full but that's not to say it isn't a good option for more average width feet that can't tolerate much squeeze without going numb.
Its 110 flex index may be a little overstated. Our testers say it's a softie, but one that doesn’t collapse under stress when flexed. It maintains a progressive feel with an eventual stopping point but it's definitely not for skiers who crush it hard initiating their turns. Skiers who move mainly laterally or have a lighter touch on the tongue will love how it performs.
Our testers were stunned by how well the Adapt Edge held its own when punching with the big boys in this competitive group . It is stable at speed and has sufficient power transmission to the edge. We skied it all over the mountain and found it uncharacteristically good given its stiffness and price.
This wide body shell pairs with a thick Intuition Pro liner for an ample and well-shaped fit for medium and thicker feet—if you fully heat mold the High Five. Testers felt the out of box fit was firmly snug in places where there might have been more space based on the 102 mm shell shape. After thermo-forming the EVA liner this proved to be the case as the ankle pockets became more anatomically defined and the forefoot settled to the boot floor for more nuanced edge control.
Testers found the boot on the upright side of the category norm for tall cruising without killing the quads, and they noted that the slightly lower cuff height made this a potentially good match for those with shorter legs or bigger calves.
One of the easiest boots on and off on the face of the planet, the High Five has a place on the short list for any convenience-seeking skier who has struggled with entry and exit of overlap shell boots.
Skiers looking for the original and narrow Full Tilt lower boot shape (FTO shell) can find it here in retro black, purple, and green styling. The tongue here is a little on the softer side—testers wished it was a little stiffer for supporting a strong stance in variable terrain. But at $550 this is a great value that leaves a few bucks in the account for making an upgrade to a stiffer tongue for 50 bucks. The ability to mix and match tongues and purchase a myriad of replacement parts is by design here, and that includes the ability to upgrade the Intuition liner from the softer Performer style here to the stiffer Pro liner down the road.
Testers felt the Performer liner was soft and squishy—nice for its easy slide on and off, but perhaps lacking in fore-aft transmission. Though depending on the skier this may be just the ticket for a comfortable and warm all-day ride.
Snug fitting toebox, solid sole toe and heel, old-school buckles, rigid bootboard—classic, baby.
Testers said the Viron 12 Vacuum CF skied much like a tuned-down Ranger Pro 13—and that's still saying something. It has a more upright stance than the Ranger, and it's substantially wider—both of which made for a more comfortable, performance ride. They said it was quicker and more tuned-into the snow surface than most wide boots tested, though a bit weaker in flex than the 120 billing suggests.
They had few complaints though, citing a perfectly fine out-of-box fit that they said hedged a bit toward more medium fit tension. They noted that the toebox fit was a bit shorter than the average, per size, and looked forward to Vacuum molding to open that up a bit. The CF in the model name means Comfort Fit, indicating that the molding process will allow the forebody of the boot to expand but will not get any tighter in the forefoot—since not that many folks buying a wide boot are looking for a narrower fit there.
Note that we had tested the Ranger Pro 13 Vacuum last year, utilizing a set group of custom testers who underwent the Vacuum process. This year we tested the boot straight off the rack. Results and tester commentary was almost exactly the same as before with the exception of comments made about how forward-leaning the Ranger Pro 13 is out of the box. This is a stance element that can be changed with Vacuum molding, so long as the most upright position is selected by the skier and technician at the time of molding. With that said, the review body that follows is adapted from last year's. The tester comments below are from this year's test.
For the technical all-mountain charger who doesn't need no stinking cuff release, the new Ranger Pro 13 Vacuum is just the ticket. Narrow and stiff, just like it's racy half-brother RC4 130, but with a more off-piste skill set accessed via a shock absorbing bootboard and gripperized, replaceable toe and heel plates. The new liner's Ultralon padding in the ankle, heel and instep area make for a fuller contact feel and better containment for higher shock skiing applications as well. And yeah, our test team thought it looked a lot cooler than its race-bred bro. The Ranger Pro 13 is a super reactive, precise off-piste machine with enough nut to handle rowdy chop or warp speed groomers to the bottom, according to testers who liked the strength of the boot especially after it had fully cured after 24 hours.
It's a Vacuum boot, so figure the fit and the stance are both variable and dependent on the wearer and the process. Our test team made efforts to set up their stance for their particular sets of alignment needs (stance angles are set for how upright or forward a skier desires the boot, stance width is set to a skier's desired specs and knee positioning side-to-side is similarly skier-dependent) and each of them agreed the alignment result after Vacuum molding was dialed. The amount of pre-padding for bony prominences or external padding on the shell to increase a tightening effect as well as the amount of air bladder pressure during molding are all variables that can affect the final fit of the Vacuum product. The majority of our test team said the fit was a home run, though one testers wished his had gotten tighter still. Note that Vacuum boots can be remolded several times—good for re-fitting, and good for hand-me-downs as well.
Testers note that getting the upper cuff adjusted properly prior to Vacuum molding is one of the keys to being fully balanced post-Vac. The cuff adjustment mechanism here is wide ranging and solid since it employs the race boot style "plus sign" shaped inserts medially and laterally. It takes some time to get them installed but it's a one-time affair. Our testers note that downsizing is not necessary (or desirable) as the toe length does not change much from its shorter-than-average fit after Vacuuming, though post-Vac heat stretch spot-mods can always be performed easily on Vacuum boots. Though the proper interface of the toe radius and the binding toepiece should never be fouled-up.
Repeated testing over three generations of Vacuum system boots has yielded good results both for shell shape and stance balance modifications. What the Progressor 13 Vacuum showed at this year's test was that it also fits, stands and skis just fine straight out of the box. The medium width Progressor debuts this year in a Vacu Plast build-out, ready for the cook and squeeze customization process. Testers were stoked to find the new Progressor just as good—if not better—than non-Vac Progressor boots we'd tested previously. The takeaway was light, tight and fit right with good balance everywhere on the hill.
The Progressor 13 maintains a characteristically close fit throughout the lower boot and up through the instep and lower leg before flaring out into a progressively more open boot top. It’s a touch snugger than most of the increasingly relaxed modern medium fit models.
Testers raved about the evenly draped liner feel and good fit match out of the box. And, yes, it is that much better when the shell and fully customizable Ultralon padded liner are molded.
Testers liked the slightly more upright starting position of the upper boot when the two-position On/Off Piste rear spoiler was in the stock Off setting. Those who preferred a more aggressive forward position found it raked just right when snapped it up into the On setting. Flex feel was unanimously judged smooth and long; it’s a little softer than most 130's but engenders a natural and balanced amount of ankle flexion. Lateral stance felt neutral and offered easy and prompt access to inside and outside edges with no hiccups. It sliced comfortable and reliable arcs on all manner of terrain.
At this year's boot test the ST1 was submitted for testing with one of its two different liner options. We tested the split-tongue, lace-up "Performance Liner," though this year the DEL 141 Thermoflex Liner (an EVA, spiral-wrapping style) is also to be available through First Degree dealers. The original ST1 liner is no longer available. While testers had some issues with the original liner—primarily grievances with how thick the tongue fit over the mid-foot, they were unsatisfied with the new ST1 Performance Liner, across the board. Testers unanimously found it too thin along the shin which made for an uncomfortable, unsupportive flex feel, they disliked the poorly shaped heel pocket and they struggled with the laces upon entry and exit. While we weren't able to test the spiral-wrapping EVA liner version we are confident that this (with proper molding) could provide many improvements over this year's split-tongue option as well as over the original liner. We will update this review with additional information as new models become available for testing.
With that said, the review below has been adapted from last year's to reflect what we know are the boot's best elements, which should really come to light with the right liner. The tester comments below are from this year's test.
For skiers looking for an all-mountain, park/pipe crossover boot with options on uphill access that's insanely easy on and off, and at seriously value pricing, look no further. The ST1 was a hit with testers for how it compared to big brother ST2—similar, but at a discount.
ST1 offers the same classic three-piece shell construction as the ST2 but with a slightly softer build-out, though testers said that the flex feel is strong for its 110 flex rating. The ST1 was less powerful on edge than the ST2 but for lighter or less-demanding skiers it offered plenty of horsepower, testers said. They like the highly adjustable fore-aft stance enabled by the five-position forward lean adjustment on board, though most prefer one of the middle three settings. The rugged-looking forward lean mechanism also offers a cuff-releasing hike modality as well as a free-flexing mode that offers a softer forward flex while maintaining rearward support. This unique adjustment is one of the ST1's best features.
The fit is V-shaped in the modern trend of a snug rear area (ankle and heel) with a very ample fit in the forefoot and toebox—a good combination for all day skiers looking for control matched with warmth and creature comfort up front. Several testers noted that the fit across the top of the midfoot was quite firm—the liner tongue (note: this is about previous liner version) is thickly padded in this area near the front of the cabrio opening and can be compressed for additional room by way of pre-padding the foot there for heat molding. The fit is a little shorter than most other boots in the category but not as short as the sole length, which measures 299 mm for a 27/27.5. This is due to the boot's design origins in the alpine snowboarding world where minimal boot length prevents toe and heel drag at high edge angles. Here it can help minimize the boot and binding's negative influence on a ski's natural flex pattern, or it can be a reason to need to remount your skis bindings.
Speaking of cabrio—this boot is one of the easiest on and off of the test, with the only hindrance being the laces (note: again, the previous version) which needed to be managed to maximize slack, though these could be removed as well. The boot offers single sided cuff adjustment for lateral stance tweaks and a Booster strap for snug closure at boot top.
Testers found that the ST suited our bigger, taller guys best. Testers who felt that the VFF Pro was a touch too soft, found their fore-aft target in the ST's pinned and reinforced cuff design. The flex feel is still characteristically elastic and long-travel (a DaleBoot trait, we think) but with a firmer starting point that worked well for skiers with longer legs).
This is not to say that the ST couldn't be built for a shorter guy—or even a strong skiing woman—like all DaleBoot models, the lower boot is completely customized to the skier's foot shape and the upper is selected to match the shape and length of the lower leg shaft.
The ST lower can be built to suit the narrowest sliver of a foot (92 mm at size 26) up through gargantuan proportions (110 mm at size 26). The upper boot on the ST is available in two different cuff heights, per size, to suit varying lower leg shaft lengths and shapes.
The liner is any one of six options for volume and density, in two different styles, of which testers noted that the spiral wrapping style did a great job of padding the lower shell's cabrio opening for an easy slide into and out of the boot. The DaleBoot's entry and exit scores remain the best, across the board, period.
At first, testers new to the DaleBoot design struggle with the unique buckle closure system but manage to get trained up quickly and generally approved of the resulting containment. A newly redesigned toe dam "spat," has solved previous pop-off problems, making the buckle-up process much more trouble-free.
Those are some of the comments testers made about the Viper 120, which returns with a complete liner makeover and a cleaner, classy looking buckle set. The Viper is one of those boots that does everything right, and yet by virtue of its classic design and sedate graphics seems to get overlooked in the draft. But the testers who authored the above quotes know talent when they see it. As a group, we found this one of the best fitting and skiing boots at our test and certainly one of the top medium width boots available.
Viper's fit numbers paint a picture of the ideal medium width boot. It’s not narrow class tight anywhere, but there’s also no wide-style slop to be found either. Testers noted that the fit is anatomically smart—extra room for navicular, ankle and the lateral side of the forefoot—which stems from Dalbello's Contour 4 shell shaping. They said the new liner still provided a cushioned fit but with a slightly snugger feel overall and without any pressure spikes or hot spots. Testers liked the calf fit for how universally it struck their leg. It wasn't too tight or too loose for any tester and with its removable spoiler, stands as one of the better big guy, big calf options in the category.
Speaking of big guys, this is a good value for bigger, stronger skiers because most testers gave it stiffness scores that edged up alongside 130 flex models. The flex feel is firm but evenly distributed and progressive, according to our testers. They also liked the amount of forward lean (not too forward, not too upright). The good bang-for-buck here extends to other members of the Viper family like the 110, 100, and 90 flex versions.
This year's Live Fit 130 returned to the boot test with a new Thinsulate laminate in the liner and cooler, new buckles—it remains the same, otherwise, and similarly testers' feedback was positive.
This 102 needs to work on its self-esteem, because Live Fit 130 could claim another few last width digits (or five) according to our test team who say this is the widest wide-body on the wall. And then it has stretchy Live Fit panels at the forefoot to allow even more width expansion. Next, this is also a 130 flex, and one that feels legit, testers say, which would make this boot the only truly wide 130 flex in existence. Last, this boot only has two buckles. So then, should it not stand to reason then that this boot has been designed for the biggest, fattest, laziest Sasquatch ever to roam the land? You'd certainly think so, but then you read what our average sized testers said about the boot and you scratch your head—they loved it as much as the wide foot folk on the team did.
Testers noticed a firm enough heel and ankle fit to allow for skiing movements to happen from the rear control center of the boot, sort of like the fireman driving from the back of the hook and ladder rig. Up front all but the widest of feet floated about in the Live Fit bootosphere, yet the rear foot hold and close-enough fit through the cuff did the trick. All about balance they said, and testers did think the stance was money side-to-side and front-to-back. A couple testers mentioned that the combination of prodigious width, Live Fit stretch panels and the boot shell's 3-degrees of toe-out made this boot especially well suited for really duck-footed dudes. No, really, it would be the shiznit for somebody like that, allowing the feet to seek a naturally abducted position over straight-ahead skis. But then again, it seems that the regular old straight (and massive) feet guys do pretty well in it, too.
Change is good! And yet we humans innately fear change. So it’s understandable that the bootfitters on our test team who were fans of the Hawx boots were worried that their go-to ride (and slam dunk sale) might have gone away. It only took one run for these concerns to be laid to rest. relax, people, the Hawx 2.0 isn’t dead—it fact, it still got a killer set of talons. And while it impressed testers with its new personality, there is one striking similarity with the Hawx of old, which one tester summed up succinctly: "This boot is great for a lot of different skiers."
First big difference. There's more room in the forefoot and over the midfoot than previous versions. Testers felt the Hawx, like many others in the medium width group this year, had shifted its fit toward the wide end of the spectrum. Because of its redesigned toebox it also fits a bit longer at the first toe, which allowed more than a few testers to step down a size for a snugger fit. So, the new shape offers some new versatility depending on chosen size. Testers were unanimous in that the fit was even and comfortable, with snug heel and ankle pockets that allowed for precise skiing movements. The liner retains its Dynashape laminate, which reduces a packed-out feel over time, and adds a Thinsulate layer for added warmth—fully wrapped around the lower portion of the liner in the 120 and big brother 130 but just in the toebox on the softer versions.
Second big difference—gone are the gill-like iflex zones, but the concept of underfoot flexion is not. The increased flexibility in the boot directly under the forefoot has been relocated now to the boot sole itself, along the lines of how the Redster achieves it. This change allows for longitudinal flex along the boot sole for supple pressure control movements but maintains slightly stronger lateral and torsional stability. Testers noted that edge power was plenty solid and liked that the boot wall was now a solid material for internal shell grinding if needed.
Third big difference—the Memory Fit shell is heat moldable after only a five-minute cook in a convection oven. The liners get loaded into the hot shells and the skier wears the boot for only two-minutes to allow the shell to adapt to the foot and lower leg's shape. A five-minute cool down is all it takes to set the modified shell shape. We tested this feature on the Hawx and were impressed with how malleable the plastic became in such a short time. We felt that the customizing action was subtle but useful as a fine-tuning fit tool. We don't know exactly how the Memolink plastic additive works (Atomic won't say), but we are impressed with how well it skis.
