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
Let’s play a quick word association game. What comes to mind when we say “supreme comfort?” Down comforter? Leather recliner? Sleep Number mattress? A pile of huggable plush toys? Asian massage? Well, mash-up all those things in a ski boot and you’ve got the new Vector Evo 130. It’s so comfortable it practically climbs onto the foot and begins to rub it with kittens!
What else? Well, it was damn hard to leave the test center to ski it. Testers seemed to want to sit around in them, maybe order a cocktail and hang by the fire. But head outside they did where they were pleased to discover that the Vector Evo still skied with Head precision. Several testers had been doubtful based on the extreme cush-factor initial fit.
The Evo slashed super smooth and predictable turns through a variety of snow conditions with no surprises. Testers did feel the boot ran a lot softer than the 130 label and was light on the rearward support. Head acknowledged our findings and said production boots should run 5-7% stiffer than the ones we tested.
The Vector Evo fits like a generous medium width—with more room than category average at the forefoot—but maintains enough linkage with the ankle, heel and calf to enable quick moves as needed. On top of this already sweet, anatomical fit, Head's new Form Fit heat-and-mold shell technology provides added shape matching.
The AdaptEdge 105 was this year's winner for best entry and exit in this category, and quite possibly the easiest-on overlap shell boot of the entire test.
Testers said the lower boot fits more like a 104mm last in the toebox and forefoot (though the length fit runs short), and combined with an open for business boot top that lets big calves through the door all day long you've got a great match for high volume feet. They commented that the fit is fairly close through the ankle and heel for as much room as it boasts elsewhere.
Its 105 flex index may be a little overstated—our testers say, but it doesn't fail in forward flex, just travels a long way for larger guys. It maintains a progressive feel, with an eventual stopping point, but it's not for crushers. Skiers who move mainly laterally or have a lighter touch on the tongue will love how this boot performs.
Our testers were stunned by how well the Adapt Edge held its own in terms of stability at speed and power transmission to the edge, right up against some of the big-boys of this competitive group. We skied this boot all over the mountain and declared it uncharacteristically good for its stiffness and price.
We're not sure what it has descended from, cuz this one's all new from Full Tilt, and testers unanimously voted most improved fit over the previous 102mm High Five. The Descendent 8 is the headliner among three new wide-lasts and envoy for the brand's new shape.
This is the most anatomically shaped Full Tilt we have tested, and testers liked the way the shell and Intuition spiral liner team to wrap the foot, instep and lower leg with an even and consistent grip. For skiers looking for a long and uninterrupted flex feel, the Full Tilt family flex trait is still quite evident here.
Even after full heat molding, the Descendent fits more like a medium-width, and its length fit is particularly short. For those looking for compact toebox and even grip on every nook and cranny with a lower feel on the leg, stick with your usual size—but for skiers seeking a true 102mm relaxed feel in the forefoot and toes and a slightly taller cuff feel, consider going up one size.
Testers agreed that the Descendent 8 was a softie—suitable for lightweights and less aggressive skiers—our guys crushed it. For a purely jibbing application it would work well, but for those seeking a bit more all-mountain performance check out the stiffer #10 tongue that's available as an option for fifty bucks.
The First Chair boots utilize the updated Soul shell shape that offers slightly more toebox and forefoot room than its Original predecessor. This makes for an easy fitting 99mm that is superbly easy to get on and off—one of the best out there. Also updated are the buckles—still old-school sliding ratchet style but with improved levers and slider actuators which testers appreciate.
The beauty of the First Chair 6 is the long-travel, classic three-piece flex feel—smooth and unhindered. However, testers thought the #6 tongue was much too soft to compete in the all-mountain traditionalist category, even though it was entered as a soft-value entry (110 flex and under). They said the value was there, and the soft came in spades! The First Chair 8 offers a step-up in stiffness for another hundred bucks.
Testers liked the fit after fully molding the Intuition spiral wrap liner, and said it offered more room for the pigs to spread out than the 99mm last would suggest. The forward lean is a touch more aggressive than the modern norm, and coupled with the soft flex put a few quads to the test, our team said.
The Progressor 13 maintains a characteristically close fit throughout the lower boot (a touch more snug than the increasingly relaxed, modern medium fit) and up through the instep and lower leg before it flares out into a progressively more open boot top. Testers raved about the evenly draped liner feel and good fit match out of the boot, which only boded well for the fit changes that occurred in our custom Vacuum tests. Across the board the Vacuum process improved both fit and stance balance.
Testers liked the slightly more upright starting position of the upper boot. Flex feel was unanimously reported as firm but still enabled a natural and balanced amount of ankle flexion. Lateral stance felt neutral and offered easy access to inside and outside edges, turn to turn without any surprises. Comfortable and reliable arcs on all manner of terrain was the general takeaway on the Progressor 13 Vacuum.
Maybe it was the stealth ninja cosmetics. This one certainly snuck up on testers who were pleasantly surprised by how much they liked its convenience, fit, versatility and all-around performance. It's not a Vacuum model so it’s more value priced, but there wasn't a single complaint about the fit or stance. Impressive.
Testers raved about the Hybrid 12's ease of entry and exit and a welcoming initial fit that enveloped the foot in a soft but even wrap. It fell right in the middle of the wide last group’s fit tension spectrum. Everything worked efficiently to close-up shop and get skiing quickly. Testers heaped praise on the buckles, power strap and the Hike Lock walk mode. It doesn't happen often, but they seemed shocked that they couldn't find anything to nit-pick here.
Skiwise, it scored high marks both on- and off-piste. Testers said it has a stout but slinky feel turn-to-turn with a tall stance. It flexed progressively throughout its range for smooth moves in any radius arc. A few testers thought the cuff fit a little low on the leg for aggressive crud hammering, but they were generally outnumbered.
The ST1's new spiral-wrapping fully thermo-moldable liner lit up test scores this year and made this year's First Degree boots (same liner on the stiffer ST2) the best versions that we've tested yet. The three-piece shell design's ease of entry and exit was unlocked by the overlapping liner material that pads the foot from feeling the edge of the cabrio throat and increases the liner bulk in the cuff, improving closure and wrapping around the lower leg.
The liner's initial feel is a bit firm and had our crew wondering about some fit inconsistencies and minor hot spots, but across the board testers mentioned that a couple runs worth of warm up and the liner settled in nicely, evening out peak pressure points and letting the heel seat deeper into its pocket. Testers who took the time to fully mold the EVA construction liner got even better results.
The ST1 skis much stiffer than the 110 rating, and as such was tapped as the better value between it and stiffer ST2 (130 flex). Some testers successfully experimented with the rear-spine-mounted forward lean adjustment's flex control to free up the cuff's range of travel. Laterally, the ST1 ain't bad, testers said, putting a ski on edge and holding it there just fine in all conditions tested. The thick liner underfoot muted some feel and reduced agility scores for more technical testers, but for skiers looking for a compliant, cushy all-mountain set up with best-of-rest entry and exit, look no further.
One of our all-time favorite three-piece boots. This Boss benevolently rules the workplace, cajoling quality turns without slamming an iron fist. Testers couldn't get over how well this wide body skied, regardless of how much or little foot volume was stuffed inside. It was favorably reviewed by everyone from our stick pen-footed to our Flintstonian testers. Everybody felt well seated enough to get it done everywhere on the hill.
A key to the broad fit spectrum is the slick Hi-Low Twinstep Closure buckle. Uniquely, it adjust for higher or lower instep fit by simply selecting a different set of buckle teeth on the lower buckle. Testers also liked the 45-degree Dynalink Rearfoot Retention middle buckle that helps create just the right amount of closure through the throat of the boot for a variety of foot shapes.
And it’s a value CEO. For the price, this boot calls the on-snow shots every bit as well as ones that will pick your pocket for 200 bucks more. Testers thought it was smooth, powerful and agile enough—especially when filled with a beefy foot—to make this a daily driver for all but the most aggressive of big guys.
If we gave an award for creature comfort this Avanti would be a top contender. One tester said it felt like slipping your foot into a marsupial pouch. “Forgiving,” “friendly,” “relaxed” and “softly contoured” jumped off the review forms. Sounds almost more like a high end spa experience than a ski boot.
So we’ve established that the new Avanti 120 I.F. has the coziness goods but it also sports a surprisingly strong backbone when it comes to ripping turns. It promotes a tall stance which helped it effortlessly trigger medium and longer radius arcs with confidence-inspiring stability.
It’s not snappy quick—the cushy liner saps some response time immediacy—and the wider-than-medium width profile requires a thicker foot to fill the interior cavity. But many testers said the swaddling comfort outweighed any shortcomings. If groomed cruising is your sweet spot, the Avanti will have you jumping like a kangaroo.
Hawx lovers were understandably curious about this new, prophylactically-named Hawx Magna. Could it possibly match the rep staked out by the regular Hawx with which it shares a surname? Since it billed as wider than the already generously-lasted Hawx, they were curious if there would be enough fit tension. Could it possibly be properly Hawx-like? The “alls-well” sounded once they slipped in. It’s surprisingly skin-close, contouring precisely through the ankle, heel and instep (albeit a thicker ankle, heel and instep). It swells to contain big-guy forefeet and calves comfortably. Entry was easy. Closure was straightforward. Skeptics were relieved.
They were completely won over once they set the Magna to “flow” and pointed them downhill. For a wide body, its ski driving skills are equal to many in the narrow group. It has more torque towing capacity than off-the-line quickness, testers said, but with plenty of forgiveness and shock absorption for exit ramps to the off-piste. Testers said it's a great fit for skilled skiers with high volume feet.
Simple styling and slimmed down features appealed to our tester. As did its slipper-easy on-and-off capabilities. The word “butter” greased its way onto several test forms.
We liked the Hawx 120 last year and we loved the Hawx 130 this year. How much more? Well for sure more than the ten extra flex points we tried this year—eleven more! The Hawx is so easy in every way, it's impossible not to love this boot. Testers, once again, found that it's easy on-and-off, easy fitting (zero hot spots), easy to get buckled-up—and then easy to shred whatever terrain and snow conditions come your way.
It's warm and it's cushy. The stance angles are solid while being a little upright and relaxed for those who just want to fly on auto-pilot. The Memory Fit custom molding shell technology fully personalizes what is already problem-free fit.
There’s nothing not to like so long as you're bringing a meaty foot to the velvet rope. This is a decidedly roomy medium. Which is awesome for just about everybody, and it's why this boot is so popular.
But to take full advantage of the Memory Fit molding technology you'll need to have a pretty thick foot. Our Memory Fit tests were all successful—but there's just not much need to mess with the Hawx fit unless you feel the shell hard against the foot somewhere (which virtually none of us did). So, what does that mean? Thick footed ripping skiers should put this on their short list. When it feels a bit too tight everywhere, that’s the green light to fire up the Memory Fit oven.
Far and away the best fitting and performing Apex boot we have tested to date, the MC-3 offers a full slate of improvements this year that our test team validated in comprehensive fit and on-snow testing.
Most noticeably improved is the forward lean adjustment that enables 4 different stance positions, easily adjusted using the rear flex arm, which is also adjustable for 3 different stiffnesses using elastomer bushings that come with the boot. Testers felt that the previous "backseat" feeling was eradicated, allowing for a comfortable but athletic stance that helped tapped the boot's lateral power. The lateral cuff adjustment range is wide for making side-to-side stance tweaks as needed—canting the boot sole is not an option here.
Testers have always appreciated how strongly the Apex's nano-fiber chassis transmits skier movements to ski, but this year's design improves how the inner boot mates with the chassis—tighter tolerances and higher friction surfaces between the inner boot toe and chassis toe cup area improved foot to ski communication and bumped up quickness scores this time around.
The pleasure of walking around in what is essentially a snowboard boot is undeniable—light and comfortable on the foot and leg, and several testers commented that for ski industry folk who need to be in and out of skis throughout the day and possibly switch between ski and board this could be the ultimate footwear. This will also appeal to anyone who simply spends enough time out of their skis to consider changing into shoes but who isn't quite ready to throw in the towel for the ski day.
What would keep our testers from making the Apex their daily driver—only a few things—though, in fact, a few of them were impressed enough to entertain the idea. The fit runs shorter than typical ski boots, so at least one size larger than normal is required. Additionally, the sole length of the chassis is huge, requiring maximum binding adjustment (most testers had to find skis with demo bindings in order to test). These two elements make for an awkward clomp-around while walking when buckled into the chassis and a long footprint on the ski, neither of which testers liked much.
