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
Testers unanimously pinned the Vector 105 W with the “Walk Softly but Carry a Big Stick Award.” There is no gap in the Vector's game—except for the price gap between it and the other boots that cost a hundred bucks more that it handily matches. The Perfect Fit liner is another gap-closer for testers who loved how cushy-snug it wrapped the foot and lower leg on first entry (on the snug side of the medium boot group) but also loved how it relaxed just enough after skiing to maintain all-day comfort levels.
The Vector 105 is a half-step ahead of expectations in all ways, testers said, starting with well-contoured grip on the foot and merging with the understated flex index. The boot's officially called a 95 flex, but there were no complaints of folding under load. In fact, many testers said it was as strong as many of the 110 flex boots they'd tested. The feel on snow was balanced to a tee and powerful on edge—while it was damp through crud and stable at speed, testers mentioned that it was surprisingly agile and responsive in all turns.
The Soul Sister returns for an encore performance at our boot test and our women's team re-discovered extra room in the toebox and forefoot (a result of last year's Soul shell redesign that opened up the shell's shape, mainly near the side of the big toe). Also remaining from the Sister's makeover are grippy sole plates that continued to make for a little more dampened off-piste ride and more cushioned walking for testers.
Our test team likes how agile and able this boot is all around the mountain—they say the snug fit in the lower boot (except for the very front) helps make accurate steering moves on skis. They also like the full and cushioned feel of the Intuition spiral wrap liner for maintaining good contact all along the shin. Testers felt the boot was a little soft in forward flex to compete with some of the other more traditional boots in the category on edge power, but gave the Soul Sister props for its lightweight and precise feel underfoot.
Testers say the upper cuff of the Soul Sister is designed for average to slender legs, and some of our well-muscled calf gals had a hard time finding enough cable and powerstrap to get locked in. They had better luck in the 102 mm Mary Jane on that matter.
The Mary Jane returns with a new graphic outlook which testers liked (vintage flower print liner), and they also approved of longer buckle cables for easier closure on larger calves and the stiffer #5 tongue (last year's was a #4).
Our women's test team liked how the Mary Jane fit tall but open along the leg, providing a nice fit along the shin for the long-travel flex feel and an easy grip on tough-to-fit calf muscles. Testers said the boot offered a roomy fit through the instep, ankles and heel, a fit tension combo that could work well for thicker, chunkier feet. The fit was generally evened-out after cooking the Intuition EVA liner, but the Mary Jane is decidedly for higher volume feet.
Testers agreed that the boot's stock #5 tongue set-up is still quite soft—good for easy cruising and lighter or less aggressive drivers. An aftermarket upgrade to a stiffer, #7 tongue is available through Full Tilt for fifty bucks. Testers said the lateral reaction was similarly subdued—best for tooling about in absolute comfort and warmth. They agreed that the Mary Jane is a dream to put on and get off—super easy.
The Zephyr 11 Vacuum fit great out of the box with frictionless entry and exit. Testers said it skied flawlessly in all conditions with a ready and balanced stance. It comes with the additional “fit insurance policy” of Fischer’s unique Vacuum molding process that uses pressurized bladders to form the shell to foot shape.
While testers didn't feel like there was any immediate need to undergo the Vacuum forming process, why wouldn't you? Our Vacuum tests show that both fit and stance are improved after the custom forming process.
The Zephyr 11's tapers to the snug side of the medium class average and our test team liked that. Testers said that the ankle and heel were contained enough for precision skiing but with a freedom of fit in the toebox and also at the boot top for slightly larger calves. For skier looking for a snugger fit than the Zephyr 11 offered in its stock shape, they need only take advantage of Fischer's new 2Zone Vacuum fitting kits that let savvy bootfitters target certain fit zones for tightening and others for more relaxed fit tension.
Stance alignment is happily neutral, said testers, with no rear spoiler to worry about (fine out of box), but again, the Vacuum forming procedure has been shown to make positive changes to stance angles as well. Insurance.
Note that we have tested the Trinity 110 Vacuum before, 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 previously with the exception of comments made about how forward-leaning the Trinity 110 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.
Why do our women testers love the Trinity 110 Vacuum so much (one of the tops, second year running)? Well, look at that last width range and take a guess—it isn't the second number, it's the first. A 93 mm last width is the domain of world cup race ("plug") boots. It is tight! Some ripping women skiers may choose to try to ski a true plug boot, but not many—they're typically stiff and heavy with thin, cold liners. The Trinity 110 Vacuum is snug like that sort of boot, but with a real world expert's flex rating, lighter weight, a new and much-improved (testers said) Ultralon padded liner, and oh, yeah, that whole Vacuum custom boot thing. Vacuum is last but certainly not least in that run of attractive features. As with last year's test our women's team loved the process and result of the Vacuum protocol—with the Trinity 110 they set the cuff alignment, cooked the boot, put it on, set the stance for width and forward lean, stood still and let 'er rip! The molding process applies pneumatic bladder pressure against the boot, pressing the Vacuplast shell toward the foot and contouring around wide or bony spots and getting slightly tighter in less snug zones.
How'd the boot fit and ski? Like a glove and a bobsled on rails, testers said. The ground feel is sensitive but the boot is not weak—especially after the full cure time post-molding is achieved (skiable after 12 hours, fully cured and at max stiffness after 24).
With its reliable turn-to-turn performance and balanced stance angles this perennial medal winner again scorched test cards. The Mantis 95 is a medium width favorite that won't steer you wrong, both on the hill and at the cash register.
A traditional overlap design, it maintains a slightly lower-than-average cuff height that kept movements agile and tuned into the snow. Testers liked how the lower boot gripped the foot and communicated their desires directly to the skis. Dalbello's tri-injected lower—with the stiffest material employed at the ski-binding interface and softest at the instep—was appreciated by testers for the combination of power and on-and-off ease it provided.
The Mantis shell is tailored specifically for women with a tighter fit through the heel and lower, a flared cuff and room for chronic bony spots like ankles and the lateral side of the forefoot. Testers found the overall fit to be even and well distributed with no problematic zones that distracted them from the task at hand—skiing well regardless of terrain or snow conditions.
Our test team was unanimously surprised at how well this boot skied for an 80 flex—every single tester commented that it felt stronger than billed and balanced in all ways during their on-snow testing, citing the Luna 80 as one of the best of test values.
The also liked how tall the boot fit them over the midfoot and through the instep—a great solution for high-arched feet that have a hard time under that second buckle. The 101mm last was on target they said—widish medium through the forefoot—though a few mentioned that the heel pocket could use a little tightening.
This year's KR 2 Chakra returns with a cool cosmetic overhaul that I test team liked and impressed again for its "yummy" initial fit and liner feel as well as its lateral agility and feel for the snow.
The KR 2 Chakra is the little sister of the KR 2 Pro but she's her own woman—in fact, the lower shell mold is a women's specific shape, which is a rare thing. Usually a women's boot is all liner magic, so a dedicated shell shape, gender specific liner construction (more flared open calf and tighter heel) speaks to our women's test team.
The boot is available all the way down to a size 21.0 and that's junior boot range, so another check in the women's fit issue tally. In fact, smaller and lighter weight skiers would do well here, as our bigger and more aggressive testers said the boot didn't hold up at its billed 95 flex index in. Our petite testers and those with a lighter touch on snow liked the progressive three-piece flex range. Testers all agreed that the lateral stance and feel for the snow from edge to edge was excellent.
With the exception of a shorter than average length fit and a narrowish calf, testers felt the boot had a more medium-ish fit tension best suited to the average to slender lower leg shape. This "relaxed-narrow," plus Contour 4 shell shaping that provides a little extra room for typical bony parts like the navicular and fifth metatarsal makes this boot a potential fit match for plenty of average foot types.
This year's Live Fit 80 W 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.
For the third year running testers unanimously pushed the understated Live Fit 80 W onto the wide category podium, and not just for its disco diva liner sparkle show-through shell—though it helped, luring them in like a flashy rapala—no, it's because this boot is for real, they said. Two buckles and 80 flex index points? Total sleeper according to testers who found Live Fit 80 W packing more punch and balance than they expected. They roundly applauded the fit—yes, massive forefoot, toebox and instep room but enough comfy contact in the ankles and heel to get the job done. The cuff is lower than average they said, so gave a nod to shorter gals, but it didn't stop our taller stronger testers from hammering this boot through the junk with smiles on their faces.
The stance was in the middle fore-aft and laterally, so let testers of a variety of sizes and shapes find home base on skis. We received no striking comments about the stretchy Live Fit panels here, but our test team may not have had the width to engage those RV slide-out style expanders. Our testers claimed that for women with shorter legs, muscular calves and a very wide foot there is no better bet than this boot, and at a street price under 300 bucks there sure isn't a better deal either.
A complete makeover on a popular model is risky business, but testers said the Hawx 2.0 100 W pulled it off without creating a Botox perma-smile. The Hawx revise opens up even more fit doors for women than its fits-most-everybody predecessor. The relaxed fit lower boot lets thicker feet enter the medium width club and a more-flared calf fit accommodates muscular legs.
The new Memory Fit shell expands fit options further by offering a cook-and-mold option—just five minutes in an oven and two minutes on the foot sets the custom shape. Our testers liked the out-of-the-box fit but the custom tests we performed confirmed that the process works as billed for shell shape fine tuning.
"Easy on, easy skiing with a great feel for the snow," is how one tester said it, and this was echoed throughout the test group. The initial fit is well-padded and cozy. A new Thinsulate layer throughout the liner lower aids in warmth retention on the coldest of days.
Testers roundly approved the boot's stance angles, citing a balanced home-base position from the get-go. If that’s not to your liking, the rear-spine Powershift forward lean adjuster sets in three positions (13, 15 and 17 degrees).
The new Hawx bagged go-everywhere accolades for its point-and-shoot simplicity on snow. A few testers mentioned that it felt softer than the listed 100 stiffness but the Powershift gizmo allows the boot to be stiffened or softened by an additional 10 flex index points by drilling and pinning the cuff through an available hole or pulling the existing single screw.
A perennial favorite that we nonetheless barraged with a battery of tests. We put heavy mileage on the X Pro 130 in off-the-rack mode and then again after customizing it every which way to Sunday. Testers say the X Pro rocks in both stock and full-modified versions.
Many of our crew preferred the firm grip of the stock set-up's liner which holds the heel and ankle aggressively. It’s great for skinny heel/wide forefoot guys (there's room up front) without any surgery. Other testers preferred to cook only the liner to ease that rearfoot grip and retain the otherwise firm fit throughout. A good portion of our test team liked the full monty: a ten minute oven cook of the shell followed by five minutes of molding and five minutes of cooling. They found that provided a more open fit around their peak pressure points and subtle stance angle improvements.
The X Pro 130 similarly aced its on-snow exams. Testers like the boot's starting position, with its modern, upright cuff, tipped slightly outward for strong inside edge engagement. They also like the flex feel. It’s solid but with long enough travel for making supple flexing movements that responded well in a variety of turn shapes and sizes and through all terrain and conditions. Some testers who wanted a slightly flatter edge set-up noted that a Custom Shell 360 cook job eased that edge bite by an estimated half-degree. Expect reliable, predictable, fun everywhere and A-plus performance.
In the extensive custom shell and liner tests we performed this year, we repeatedly found that the best results came from starting with a close-to-right size and model for the skier's foot and leg. Count on customization to perform sleight of hand magic, not make the Statue of Liberty disappear. For our slender-footed, lower volume testers the X Max 120 was a perfect starting point.
This year's version sports a revamped pre-molded liner that grabs onto the instep, ankle and heel with an even but relentless grip. It’s perfect for railing high-speed arcs and rapid-fire short radius rippers. But for our bony ankle and thick-heeled guys this was a quick fling, not an all-day love affair. The fit was too intense for them without making a little extra room.
The Custom Shell 360 molding process was key here, taking the sting out of peak pressure points and generally relaxing the all-over fit just enough to turn the stiff suspension track car into a performance-oriented sport sedan. One tester felt the shin fit also improved after Custom Shell molding, allowing his tibia to seat more deeply in the tongue and make the flex feel more progressive.
Testers like the close feel of the shell that comes from the thin, dense liner painting the shell's interior. They called the communication from foot to ski “quick,” “resilient” and “accurate.” Some of our longer-legged guys were able to over-power the 120 but were quite happy with their past test rides on the sturdier X Max 130. Also, a couple of our double-D-sized ankle guys said that while the Custom Shell process helped improve fit there substantially, they would still require a traditional stretch to gain all-day comfort.
