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
Rarely is a blockbuster sequel as good as the original (see Jurassic World). But that is definitely not the case with the all-new Mach1 130 LV (see The Godfather: Part II, Toy Story 2). The Low Volume fraternal twin to year-older Mach1 130 MV (medium volume) thrashed his older brother a bit in a friendly match, and then crushed the competition, tying for highest score in the category with one other boot out of a field of over 30 models. Nice encore, Tecnica.
The only problem we had with the LV was right out of The Parent Trap script. From the outside it looks exactly like its slightly chunkier bro—same hue, same buckles, same cool hook-and-cam powerstrap. Did Tecnica run out of colors? The only difference is the M and L designations.
And what do you get for the L of it? The LV means business. It fits snug like a 98mm lasted boot should. This means that while the liner and shell design mirrors the curves of the average foot (with a touch of extra space in the squared off toebox, 6th toe area and ankle bones) the LV is tight enough that you feel your bony bits protest a little bit. Good! That's how a narrow-class boot should feel, dammit!
The good news is you can make any discomfort easily disappear. The punchable, grindable Custom Adaptive Shape (CAS) liner and punch-prepped dimple-zones of the shell are uniquely designed to adapt to common fit issues with traditional bootfitting tools. The shell looks a little like Seal's face but those pock-marks serve a purpose beyond fulfilling a Heidi Klum fantasy. The dimples make stretches more defined and permanent. The exterior of the liner is also built to be heat stretched and ground. Many of our testers are professional bootfitters and they were unanimously impressed by the ability to make space specifically where needed while leaving the rest of the fit alone.
All that fit technology means little if a 130 flex narrow can't buy a turn—but we can attest that it skis as well or better than any other boot we tested. One tester said it skied like a grizzly eating a wolf—we suppose that says it all. But another mentioned it was a perfect balance of power and flex. And one just said it made skiing fun--and then he stole it. No, really, he did and we're still trying to get it back.
In the midst of a trend one of our testers crudely called the pussification of the ski boot (you know, softer, wider, more upright than they should be) along comes a throwback rig reminiscent of the days when only strong, manly skiers with low volume feet (high insteps beware here!) felt at ease piloting performance boots.
We're not going to call the G2 an antique—it's completely modern in its last shape, construction and liner technology, but it sure as heck fits like performance boots of days past. Shorter than most, with a tighter toebox than most, with a slightly more forward lean angle than most, it gave our testers a window to Christmas ski vacations past.
This boot swallows the foot and lower leg like a boa constrictor. The fit contours around the navicular, sixth toe and ankle bones are rubber glove tight. The Ultralon PWR Fit liner is pre-molded but we found a full cook job eased compression enough to gain an all-day fit.
This boot skied as powerfully as any we tested. It’s brick strong and nano-second quick. It is not a boot for racking up massive amounts of easy cruising vert. But serious skiers will appreciate its ability to drive at speed directly at the trickiest pockets on the slope ahead.
It’s built to adventure off-piste with a rubberized boot board, replaceable soles and a grippy mid-arch. Expect a stiff suspension. Either be ready to kick ass or have you ass kicked—those are the only options.
That this Soft-Value entry made the medals cut and achieved the performance scores that it did is hardly the main Rossignol story in this category. We’re most impressed that there’s also an Allspeed 80 for a hundred bucks less and 120 and 130 flex Allspeed versions to suit stronger skiers with thick feet, all at the 102mm width. That’s a whole new wide-load family tree to consider there.
But testers put the Allspeed 100 in their top half for good reason, with wide agreement that it skied at a higher-than-100 flex performance tier and held up Allspeed family values. It has a balanced stance and an even, well-distributed flex feel. Most testers placed it dead-center in the width spectrum of the wide-last grouping and said it successfully avoided drifting into bucket status. It exerts a proper hold on the back of the foot while maintaining front end freedom.
If you’ve come to believe all ski boots are nothing but trouble and that the best thing about them is taking them off, you’ll be disappointed here. Testers reported no trouble on or off, no trouble with fit, no trouble with performance. Yup. That good.
The medium width, fixed-cuff, 120 flex category has captured the hearts, minds and feet of today’s strong male skiers. It is the hot category. The good ones slip on like a wide but ski like a narrow. They are warm and cushy enough for Joey yet they don’t pack out so quickly they fail 150-day-a-year Joe-pro-patroller. It’s the money boot for most companies and the Allspeed Pro 120 is certain to fatten Rossi’s coffers. The scores tell the story: 5th place out of more than 30 boots, and beaten only by Tecnica’s Mach1 brothers and its own sibling, the Allspeed Elite 130. The Allspeed Pro also just edged out venerable half-brother Lange RX 130 LV, and you know that will cause some family drama.
Testers said it was easy to put on, yet somehow remained race-boot-strong on edge. It has a cushy, draping, dreamy initial fit that somehow still manages to control the foot's movements. It sits comfortably on auto-pilot when arc-to-arc cruising but easily ramps up to warp speed and turns on a dime. Testers liked the huge bandwidth that seemed to suit everybody equally well.
Some of the strong skiability scores stem from the ribbed Sensor Blade rear spine construction—a surprisingly simple way to increase torsional rigidity while reducing weight. The pre-molded ankle pockets on the liner incorporate highly moldable EVA foam inserts to conform precisely to the inside and outside ankle bones. The quilted look of the ankle pocket disappears once it has achieved full-molding temp and is worn for five minutes.
Just because it's Allspeed doesn't mean those guys are grinding their teeth—those are just big, sh$#-eating grins! This involuntary smiling response was a common boot test side-effect from skiing the new Allspeed Elite 130, the flagship narrow class rip-machine leading the Rossi fixed-cuff pack of 98 mm, 100 mm, and 102mm Allspeed newcomers this year. It came, it saw…well, you get the picture. A unanimously positive response to a new boot is rare but that's what the Elite 130 received. Out of 30+ boots tested in the All-Mountain Traditionalist category, it tied for first place with one other boot—both of which also tied for the test's overall highest score total.
The all-new molds in three widths span the flex range from 130 down to 80 but they all share a common shell construction. They also all employ polyether or polyurethane plastic and a unique, ribbed rear spine construction called Sensor Blade that increases torsional rigidity while shaving weight.
Testers called the boot light and lively and said it will put a stiff ski on a rail and guide it with alacrity through all phases of any turn. The Allspeed impressed testers with a combination of neutral power (strong but not over-edged), at-the-ready maneuverability and a snappy flex feel that outclassed the field.
We conducted custom liner molding tests, but fit scores didn't change drastically; the un-molded liner is a gem and received very high marks right out of the box. Testers placed the fit squarely in the middle of the narrow boot class, with a touch more toebox room than most. Many said the out-of-box shape mirrored that of boots that would have taken hours of fit work to get tight-but-right. The biggest change noted in the Optisensor liner post-molding was at the ankle pockets, which were amazing, testers said.
The NXT N1 sets the new Nordica bar for wide riding—it's a 102mm with room to spare, testers say. The open-class lower boot will house the largest, thickest of feet, and the boot's cool Cuff Profile calf adjustment can flare open the back of the boot top to manage the most massive of calf musculature. This one is designed to not offend any big footed customer's sense of squeeze upon initial try—it runs long, gives weight-bearing forefoot splay a wide berth and wraps it all in a soft (but not mushy) liner.
How does NXT ski? Good, testers say, with high marks for smooth transitions turn to turn, a solid connection to the ski and a relaxed, upright stance that makes all-day cruising a possibility. Some said it didn't hit the 120 mark, but with the next step down N2 at 100, that's probably as it should be. Laterally and torsionally the boot held up to abuse with a damp and easygoing attitude. It was just fine everywhere, testers said, and will be a perfect ride for most good skiers with higher volume feet and legs. Thick footed charger-rippers may want to go with NRGy, because NXT may just not appreciate the stress—skiing's supposed to be fun, right?
We all have a friend who knows how to enjoy luxury comforts without sacrificing performance. Maybe he drives a Yukon Denali or rolled out the first 29er mountain bike on the block. Perhaps he swings a Biggest Big Bertha off the tees. Well, you’ll probably find that guy slipping into an NRGy Pro 1 this winter.
Testers said it's stupid-easy to put on, it's soft and warm inside, it's got a little more leg-room than others in the category, yet it totally rips. Who knew, they wondered, that a boot could generate so much power to the edge from inside a comfort-laden cocoon?
Many guys with medium-to-wide feet and solid skiing skills knew this already—the NRGy line is unchanged this season. It continued to impress new and old testers alike with its steady hand and solid back-bone. Testers who cross over easily from medium to wide fits found the most agility here, unlocking the boot's snap by filling up its gaps—especially over the midfoot and instep, where the Pro 1 offers high ceilings. For high arched feet and thicker insteps, this height is a blessing, as many medium-widths clamp down hard there and impinge nerves and cut off blood flow over the top of the foot.
Warmth and power? Why not? They go together as well as heated/cooled leather seats and a throaty V8.
Quickness, power, feel. Testers agreed that the all-new GPX delivered the goods exactly how and where they wanted it—at high speeds and over all kinds of terrain.
Replacing the discontinued Patron Pro, every element of the 98mm lasted GPX line has been completely redesigned. The changes earned unanimous approval from our test team. Most noticeably different—and improved—is the lower shell shape and liner. The lower sports a modernized toebox shape, opening up a bit more room for the foot to spread out in the forward cabin. It maintains a very closely held grip from the midfoot back, especially at the navicular and styloid process (outside border of the foot). The liner is more cushioned and supple than before, insulating the foot a bit more from the closely sculpted shell and offering a little more dampening from off-piste shocks.
Still, it's skiers with low volume feet or high tolerances for compression that will applaud standing up for this one. The stance angles are on the forward leaning side of the group, clearly built to move skiers down the hill with speed. Expect crisp ski response and nano-second reaction time coupled with race-bred dominance on hard snow.
Granted, all this goodness comes at some price and testers felt that for all the fit improvements, the GPX 130 still exacts a minor toll on bony prominences. It also wasn’t easy in or out nor was it the toastiest of the group. But are you heading to the hill for skiing or après skiing? Two thumbs up if it’s the former. And we’ll meet you for rope drop.
The SX 120 isn't just for wide feet (although they will be super well accommodated). It's also for average to narrow feet that get cold easily or tend to go numb with tight fitting boots. There's nothing wrong with a relaxed fit so long as the key fit zones—instep, ankle and heel—are held stable so they can control the ski. And that's where the SX 120 shines.
Testers with all different kinds of foot shapes praised how well it skied. They said it worked well partly due to its comfy grasp of the rear foot but mostly because its stance angles work so well, even with a skinny foot doing the hotdog in a hallway dance.
Updated cosmetics has given the SX 120 a fresh look but it's still a sedate number—good for dads, young grandpas and those who don’t want to bling out as long as the can rip their turns. But don't let the conservative graphic fool you. Testers unanimously vouched for its on-snow game. One tester cage-matched the SX on one foot and the Lange RS 140 on the other and said arc for arc the SX 120 matched the RS power game (albeit in soft snow).
In addition to a roomy forefoot and toebox, the calf fit is generous and with a removable rear spoiler, even more so. The height over the midfoot and instep is on par with wide boot norm—roomy but not sloppy. Testers called this the 102mm gold fit standard.
There has never been a better time to be a good skier with a low volume foot. There are a heap of great boots on the market that mate well with skinny feet and the RX 130 LV continues to command a perch at the top of that pile. It blends the race boot power and precision necessary for burning frontside speed laps with the off-road suspension dampening required in fields of crud, slammin' off bumps and stomping the occasional flat landing.
Thankfully, Lange hasn't changed much here this year. Testers did make note of the new goblin green buckles that pop like stripper heels under a black light and the revised tongue construction that eases a perennial slight tension spike over the top of the foot. The use of perforated foam over the midfoot produces a more accommodative feel there, freeing up blood flow and eliminating the under-buckle ache that often plagues narrow, performance boots.
The RX LV has defined narrow-class fit tension for years (meaning it is snug everywhere) and it also calibrates the industry yardstick for stance angles—neutral fore and aft and dead-flat side-to-side. The RX LV home base is exactly where good skiers want to move out from, and is the key to its versatility in all terrain and turn shapes.
Just because they call a boot a 102mm doesn't mean you have to have a foot the shape of a Christmas ham to wear it. K2 tabs the Spyne 130 HV (High Volume) for hefty feet but in this case the HV designation is relative to its slimmer medium-width brother, Spyne 130.
You wouldn't call a light-heavyweight cage fighter a fat-ass, and we're glad we approached the 130 HV with similar respect. It’s a badass, and fully ripped for all-mountain destruction. It's wide enough to feel distinctly different from the other 100mm K2's, but just barely, and rightly testers put the 130 HV on the narrowest end of the wide-last group. They loved the fit, flex pattern and winning combination of stutter-step, quick-turn agility with a haymaker style power arc.
The Intuition liner fit (lower portion) opens up somewhat after a full cook job, but the Spyne 130 HV is a big guy boot—but not necessarily a big foot boot. Medium width feet will be plenty happy here. And for good skiers who traditionally go narrow but just don't want the bootfitting hassles that often entails—here's a one-stop shop solution. Skis like a narrow, fits like a wide (almost).
The Spyne 110 was the highest scoring men's Soft-Value entry at this year's boot test and one of only a handful of Soft-Value boots that scored well enough to earn a review slot in Ski and Skiing magazine. Why does our test team love the Spyne 110 so much? In a nutshell, it stuffs (almost) everything that the 130 offers into a condensed power pack that will sell for a bargain street price (MAP) of $499. That’s a lot of bang for the buck.
Is the 110 as strong a skiing beast as the 130? Certainly not, but testers agreed that it has stability and power that exceed its flex index label and price tag making it a great value for budget-minded all-mountain skiers.
The lower fits on the snug-side-of-medium. It can easily be customized by heating the Intuition liner and completing the simple molding process. Or you can let it break in over time if snug-medium is right for you. It will just fine.
The upper cuff is well-balanced front-to-back and side-to-side but testers noted that it runs a little short. This makes the boot agile and adept in tight spots, but didn’t provide quite enough support for heavier guys and those with long legs. But if you’re a short on cash and stature this is a perfect choice. The lower cuff also worked great for our testers with larger calves as the cuff rim sat below the muscle mass.
