The Trinity 95 surprised testers with how much fun it was to ski once they tuned into its unique flexion mojo and they pushed it into gold medal status in the All-Mountain Walk category.
The 2021/2022 Rossignol Alltrack 130 GW was tested in the men’s All-Mountain Walk wide category by the experts at America's Best Bootfitters, powered by Masterfit.
Testers applauded the step up to a 130 flex in this perennial favorite for the thick of foot, as the 120 has always been good in the past but lacked the support needed for the biggest dudes. The Alltrack 130 GW checks all the boxes for fit and performance for the large, aggressive skier looking for a blend of all-mountain function and high scores for comfort and convenience. A Dual Core polyether shell matched with a Dual Core polyolefin cuff and GripWalk soles enhance the skiing and the walking this year in a boot that testers have always said didn’t need much help.
The Alltrack 130 GW is a good example of a wide last that fits like a proper 102mm. Noticeably more roomy than the medium class but maintains a more controlled fit around the foot than the boots which stray into massive “bucket” territory. The firm fit around the heel and ankles will appeal to performance minded skiers who happen to have wide feet and high insteps—as those fit zones open up nicely in the Alltrack. Testers said that the upper boot remains a little on the snug and narrow end of the wide spectrum, so taller legged and not-massive calves will find an ideal match here. Shin feel upon flexion was a unanimous thumbs up for the test team.
At a list price of 700 bucks the Alltrack 130 GW’s price performance is top shelf, shaving off at least $150 in comparison to most other 130-flex boots. It also wins for stance and alignment, getting a 100% neutral rating from testers. Its highest scores were tied in the stance and balance category and in the edge power and stability category, with testers commenting that the boot was more stable and powerful than expected for the All-Mountain Walk category where often convenience and warmth trumps downhill performance—not with the Alltrack 130 they said. Quickness and steering scores lagged just behind edge power but still crushed the rest of the field’s for that parameter. The walk modality was easy to operate and continues to gain a little more range per stride with every year’s improvements. A backcountry boot this ain’t, testers agree, but the walk mode does offer a nice, relaxed position for line standing, kid hauling and an occasional ridgeline boot pack.
Simple, we like, and the Alltrack 130 GW has that in spades.
The 2021/2022 K2 B.F.C. 120 was tested in the men’s All-Mountain Walk wide category by the experts at America's Best Bootfitters, powered by Masterfit.
It’s got GripWalk soles and a cuff release called an Apres Mode, so you might guess what sort of skier target K2’s gunning for with the B.F.C. (Built For Comfort), but then it’s released in a military matte black and 120-flex like it means to ski or something. It’s confusing—it touts its Hands-Free entry but still has a traditional polyurethane overlap shell with 4 buckles. Testers had no problem figuring it out—it’s the cushiest, best-skiingest wide load on the market, and has been for a few years, except that now it’s a bit lighter and crisper (can a couch be crisp?) turn to turn.
While it’s called a 103mm last, the B.F.C. fits as roomy or more so as any boot on the planet. It was rated the most room of any boot in the test, in every fit parameter we test for: toebox, forefoot, navicular, instep, ankles, heel and calf. It’s big, get it? And soft in terms of its liner feel against the foot and leg. About this bigness and softness, testers said: “Pillows of love,” “Big, cushy, comfy Cadillac,” “The toebox looks like and fits like a C-130,” “Yuge, bigly.” And yet testers say it still manages to hug the foot, in an open way, and approximates the human form, just ins outsized proportions. The calf fit is prodigious to begin with but it is also adjustable to even make it yuger.
Every year the B.F.C. surprises testers all over again with how well it manages to ski given how big it fits and how cushioned the liner is and how much range of motion the Apres Mode actually offers. Granted, the thicker the testers’ foot and leg, the more they tap into its mojo, but the average score for dynamic balance was a 4.67 and the edge power score was a 5.50—that’s pretty damn good. Of course the convenience and warmth score was a perfect 5.00. Is that a performance score? For this skier it is! Testers did confirm that it will in fact go on without any hands, and it practically leaps onto the foot if you kick at it while its Apres Mode is in the open-mawed-Seymour feed-me position. Stance angles are all neutral and work fine for every tester it seemed.
Testers liked the new Cushfit Pro liner which they said kept all the cushiony goodness of old but seemed to add a little more anatomical shape and hold around the ankles and heel. The calf-adjusting upper cuff adds a major custom fitting bonus for guys with massive steers, not just calves, and top of that the shell is oven-cook-and-wearable just in case this dirigible hanger of a boot isn’t big enough for someone. We didn’t think the Apres Mode actuator could get any easier to use but it is, and testers couldn’t say enough about the 40mm Velcro power strap. No, only kidding, it’s just a power strap.
The 2021/2022 K2 B.F.C. W 105 was tested in the women’s All-Mountain Walk wide category by the experts at America's Best Bootfitters, powered by Masterfit.
Every year we get to test the women’s B.F.C. our testers are always surprised at how well it skis for how supersized it fits—apparently enough time passes in a year for testers to go back to assuming wide rides can’t rip. Not true! The B.F.C. W 105 not only outscored the men’s B.F.C., it was the highest scoring wide boot of the test, in all categories, including the men’s! Once in a while, you can just let the tester write the review: “Comfortable, effortless, and powerful! This is the perfect boot for the mom with a big foot--but mom can keep up with her rippin’ kids with this boot! Loved how it skied!”
Mr. and Mrs. B.F.C. win the Widest Couple award, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing at a boot test. Lots of skiers are looking for the most toebox room they can find, or the highest instep, or the most open calf. Well, both B.F.C.’s were the most roomy in every fit parameter we test, and while the men’s was the widest of all boots, the women’s B.F.C. got a wider score for toebox room. So, women with high volume feet and legs rejoice, this is a boot for you—that also skis well. Calf consternation is henceforth banished from skiing by the B.F.C. with it’s new Women’s Calf Adjustment, which opens up the circumference of the boot top without increasing space elsewhere.
Wide, 105-flex, with a walk mode—usually this dooms a boot in the performance categories, but not the B.F.C. W 105. Testers concurred that it’s stout laterally and torsionally to keep a ski on edge exactly as planned through all kinds of high speed trouble. They said it’s upright and solid—more than 105 would indicate—and skinny legs got in the back seat while thicker calves put them right where they needed to be. In fact, testers gave it a perfect 5.00 for balanced stance. That’s a nice change of pace for big calf folks who commonly find themselves overly flexed and smokin' their quads in boots that didn’t have them in mind, stance-wise. Quickness is more a matter of foot and leg volume to fill up the boot’s internal air space—got some mass, get ready to feel this boot react, testers said.
Remember, we said it fits big, but you want it even more roomy all over? Go for it, who are we to judge—pop it in the oven and cook the shell for a customized increase in volume where needed. In our various “custom” oven-cook-and-wear tests, the thin walled K2 shells moved the most—so don’t do it unless you need it, because it works! Testers love the so-called Apres Mode hike option plus GripWalk soles here—lots more cuff range of motion than expected. Activating the walk mode is super handy for getting on any boot, but on the B.F.C. it feels like an invisible boot butler is stuffing the thing right onto the foot, testers said. Convenience, warmth, features? Testers gave it a perfect score for that stuff too.
The 2021/2022 Dalbello Panterra 120 GW was tested in the men’s All-Mountain Walk wide category by the experts at America's Best Bootfitters, powered by Masterfit.
The Panterra 120 GW is updated this year with a revised liner tongue and toebox, and while testers appreciated the better match between liner and shell shape for fit and less liner movement than past Panterras they also noticed what hadn’t changed—its solid, honest performance and fit that exceeds expectations for a wide walk-mode unit. Good bang for the buck in a perennial favorite.
The smooth transition from over the top of the foot, through the tall instep and into the cuff has long been a Panterra fit hallmark—the thick footed will find a comfortable warm grip that’s easy to slide in and out of, whether with traditional tongue or spiral wrapping liner styles. Our test team liked the tongue style liner they tested this year for its ease of use and reduced bulk in the upper cuff—and it’s 100 bucks cheaper. The toebox and forefoot is a bit tubular (i.e. lacking anatomical shape) but it works, and the VVF (Variable Volume Fit) bottom buckle does work a trick for tightening up that radius around the piggies.
The 120 flex Panterra is an unflappable cruiser that handles whatever you throw at it without missing a beat. Large dudes may want to step up to the 130 flex but our test team’s heavyweights had no collapse complaints here. Damp, reliable, stable and torquey were more common descriptors than lightning quick, but the Panterra is no slouch turn to turn when it comes to clicking off short radius arcs. The hike mode is super easy to actuate and the range of motion is better than expected for cruising about.
The use of DB Hyperlite shell and cuff reduces the swing weight at the end of your legs, but it is the bootfitter’s bane of existence when it comes to a ball and ring stretch (seek a skilled bootfitter’s help to keep the end result looking clean). The Dynalink 45-degree middle buckle remains a tester favorite for simple instep retention without shape distortion over the top of the foot. GripWalk soles are sticky strolly for high performance apres trouble seeking.
The 2021/2022 Dalbello Panterra 95 W GW was tested in the women’s All-Mountain Walk medium category by the experts at America's Best Bootfitters, powered by Masterfit.
Testers used the words comfortable (or comfy), cushy, soft and warm several times each to describe the new Panterra 95 W. One tester called it a cotton candy pillow, and another called it a marshmallow fluff cloud with a cuff! It hands-down won the testers’ unofficial, most-comfortable-boot-that-skis-well award at this boot test. The test team unequivocally recommended it to any good skier (or one aspiring to get good) looking for a trouble-free wideish medium (or mediumish wide).
The cosmetics were cool and the entry was easy—both of those elements bode well for an All-Mountain Walk category boot, and then the overall fit of the Panterra W had testers on the hook. The flex feel was soft and the tongue was highly cushioned, making flexing movements dreamy-silky, testers reported. Some found the flex a little on the soft side for 95 but without any real fit complaint. The fit in the lower and upper boot was evenly wide-medium except for the length fit, which several noted ran shorter than the norm.
Testers unanimously liked the balance and feel of how the boot moved laterally, putting skis on edge with a predictable and smooth power that made skiing easy all over the hill. Edge power well above the expected 95-flex level, they agreed. There was less consensus on the fore-aft balance, with some feeling like the ramp angle was a little excessive and others feeling the soft cuff allowed a bit too much flex forward—while other testers had no issue at all. The fore-aft takeaway there may be that taller, heavier, more aggressive skiers may just want to step up to the Panterra 105 W GW (for an extra C-note) and solve that softness problem (if that’s a thing) before it starts for them.
The new IF Comp liner incorporates more neoprene in the toebox area and a more matched-to-shell-shape tongue construction this year to which testers attributed to the newfound cushy comfort over previous years’ versions. The Dynalink 45-degree middle buckle works well to retain the foot in the heel pocket without crushing the top of the foot. Testers like the simple Velcro power strap and straightforward cuff release lever switchy pull tab thing—and said it enables surprisingly long and smooth cuff rotation that pairs with the GripWalk soles for an enjoyable stride.
Take the successful R/Fit W four buckle overlap traditionalist, shave a buckle off the top for weight and convenience, add a cuff release for easier walking and hiking and put a $450 price tag on it and our test team says you’ve got a bang-for-buck winner. The R/Fit Hike W 85 shares the same wide lower shell fit that testers love in the R/Fit boots and the single buckle cuff with a calf adjustment opens up the fit for average and thicker legs. Testers say the R/Fit flex is stronger than advertised so good skiers shouldn’t let the 85 flex dissuade them.
Wide in the front (toebox and forefoot) and tapering to a more snug rearfoot (but not too tight in ankle and heel) and then a bit closer up through the cuff, testers said the average legged with wide feet will find a perfect fit match here. The flex feel is stronger than the 85 rating would suggest, testers agreed, and they appreciated the calf adjustment feature for an easy option for higher volume legs.
Our test team was able to ski the fixed cuff 95 flex R/Fit W but still waiting for a chance to get this bargain out on the snow.
For the money the R/Fit Hike W 85 is packed with useful stuff: double pull loop on the Ultralon foam liner, thick Velcro power strap, an easy to actuate cuff release and additionally walkable GripWalk soles (with DIN alpine soles in the box) and an adjustable calf spoiler. Serious value for the wide footed all-mountain skier.
The Gist
Last time around testers didn’t see this one coming! The sleeker and lighter R/Fit Hike 110 was a sleeper-contender for best walk-mode boot. Testers said its shape was surprisingly well-matched to the foot and leg, with a firm enough grip to light up quick turns on demand but without negatively affecting comfort. Testers called it a vacation home for your feet and the best newcomer to the boot test. Its lowest scores were for fore-aft support but testers said aggressive skiing average and smaller guys with thicker feet will be just fine, and intermediate to advanced skiers of all sizes will find a great all-mountain option here.
The Fit
At first try-on testers were a bit hesitant about the fit's distribution of fit tension along the foot and leg, but as the liner warmed up the feel evened out and testers became fans. Most of the room in this wide ride is found in the toebox and instep--a good combination for blood flow to the toes for the high volume foot. Initial lower leg and calf fit felt more snug than average for a 102mm boot but testers said it relaxed with some wear time. Flex feel is strong for a 110 they said and also, initially firm against the top of the shin but quickly relaxed.
Performance
Testers were surprised by how well this spritely boot skied in all sorts of challenging conditions. Polyurethane plastic in shell and cuff provides some dampening and stability through bumpy mank as well as helped drive the ski on hard snow at higher speeds. Testers admit that the 110 flex is a little under-gunned for big, fat skis (and big, fat guys), but for most all-mountain ski and pilot combinations it held up well.
Cool Features
Testers like the handy walk mode actuation--simple and functional, which when released and in combination with GripWalk soles made for great apres cruising and parking lot schlepping, and a set of alpine DIN soles come in the box. Just a single upper buckle makes closure pretty easy and testers appreciated the double liner pull loops and straightforward Velcro power strap.
The Gist
The HF 110 heralds Nordica’s featured Return of the Rear Entry in an attempt to capture the damn-can’t-get-my-boots-on market, and we bootfitters agree there’s a need—hard to get on boots are a barrier to entry (get it?) in a sport where our demographic is, well, maturing! HF stands for Hands-Free and our testers put exactly that to the test. Flipping up its rear-latching buckle (a new take on the old-school rear entry style with a spin-dial cable adjustment) opened up the boot’s mega maw with one flip and even with the ratchet-strappy lower buckle still closed each tester was able to stuff his foot in no problem, no hands ma! We were even able to close the rear buckle using our other foot, and strategically located holes on both buckles allow for a ski pole-tip-levered-release to avoid ever having to bend over. There’s an 85-flex women’s version and a heated option for both the men and women.
The Fit
The HF is based off the 102 mm Sportmachine last and fits similarly in lower and the upper. It's definitely wide, our testers confirm, but it's not a rental bucket--it has some anatomical shaping going on for the bony parts of the foot and has a fantastically high and smoothly contoured ceiling over the instep. As with all proper rear entries of yore, the rear "mono block" buckle has a threaded spin-dial cable adjustment for bringing that higher instep roof down onto the foot and as such is capable of retaining a variety of different foot types--this really is the best fit element of the rear entry design, our old school bootfitters think. There's a ratchet-strap buckle on the lower boot that is a little fiddly, especially for those challenged with bending over, but once it's set it can virtually be left buckled and one can just stuff the foot on in there, then buckle up the rear.
Performance
While it's primary performance is geared toward the getting on and getting off--and it does a heck of a job with that--the HF 110 does ski adequately, our testers report. No, it's not an all-mountain ripper-charger, but it does get somebody on the mountain--and for this boot that's what counts.
Cool Features
The 3D Corkfit Primaloft liner adds a nice combination of cushion and comfort coupled with firm-enough ankle and heel retention--it has two pull loops to help with entry, but really, you won't need them. It's a roomy instep fit, right? Well, there's a integrated flip-over boot board shim that will take up some of that slop if needed. The HF has an interesting split lower boot design (kinda like a narrow-slot cabrio affair) with an internal waterproof gusset and an exterior shield to ensure that the easy on and wrapping lower doesn't leak. The coolest feature, we think, are the pole tip holes in the buckle throws, designed so that the truly stiff of knee, hip or back can get these things off while standing tall and proud--no begging for help in the parking lot ever again!
The Gist
Last season an all-new women’s performance three-piece line-up took up the mantle from the softer, cruiseyer Kyra boot. Our testers loved the stronger, quicker Panterra 105 W for its higher performance character, but felt it ran stiffer than billed and firm against the shin. Enter the Panterra 95 W--a softer and gentler beast of a cabrio that clocks in at 100-bucks less. The Panterras are all supremely easy to slide on due to their 3-piece architecture and spiral ID (Intuition-Dalbello) liners are available in top tier models for men and women to further bump up custom moldability and ease on and off.
The Fit
The last width for the women's Panterras is listed as a 101-99 mm (1 mm narrower than the men's) and testers agreed that its fit hovers on the borderline between medium and wide. Testers all note the extra high vertical space through the instep made available by the cabrio lower shell--a bit of fit freedom which is hard to come by in performance medium widths and a blessing for those with high arches. The 2 mm differential is due to the Variable Volume Fit (VVF) first buckle feature--closing it tight allows the cylinder of the forefoot area to tighten by those 2 mm's across. Yes, it's just a buckle, but closes the volume in a circular way, without squashing the top of the shell flat against the foot. Testers say the ankle and heel are snug in a performance-minded way and the upper cuff runs a bit tall on the leg with a bit of flare for larger calf muscles.
Performance
Testers have always been impressed with how strongly the Dalbello cabrio women's boots have skied--surprisingly powerful and stable, and this new version is more agile and accurate than cabrios they've tested in the past. For a combination of ease of entry and exit with all-mountain charger cred, it's hard to find a better option than the women's Panterra line.
Cool Features
A benefit of the VVF buckle is that once it is set to the wearer's desired volume, it can be left alone--the boot can be put on and taken off easily without opening it back up--set it and forget it volume control. This year GripWalk soles come mounted on all Panterra models, and as such plan to have a GripWalk compatible binding. At a list price of only $600 we think the value here is a cool feature--and for an extra 50-bucks you could upgrade to the spiral wrapped full-thermo I.D. liner version.
The Gist
The women’s top of the line Alltrack Pro has gained a reputation as the perennial best-looking boot of the test and its pale Ice Blue hue still wins over our test team. They said that while it has a hike mode, it looks, feels and skis like a full-on Alpine boot, with no power or quickness demerits. The fuzzy liner eases entry and exit, but testers also said it belies the beast within—this is an expert’s boot that still welcomes intermediates. The solid and damp Dual Core polyurethane shell mates with a lighter, snappier Dual Core polyolefin cuff to marry power and agility seamlessly.
The Fit
Our test team says the Alltrack Pro 110 W fits like a glove—a medium-width one. No bothersome hotspots, no pinch points, a calf fit that suits average bodies and a flex feel that's cushioned enough and progressive. They love the charcoal fur liner (faux chinchilla, no?), even if it's a little over the top, and they say the boot's a dream to get on and off.
Performance
From relaxed cruisers to hard-charging ex-racers, every woman likes the turns they lay down when they're wearing the Alltrack Pro 110 W. They say turn initiation is automatic, deep carves are stable at speed and off-piste carnage is tamed with ease. Some say the cushioned, fuzzy liner might rob the boot from a little quickness, but a happy trade for most. Very few testers have much good to say about the hike mode range of motion when the cuff is released, but they do appreciate that this boot doesn't ski like a boot with a hike mode. They say look at the cosmetics to know the difference—this is a real boot with a bar mode, not a hike mode.
Cool Features
The Thinsulate Platinum liner is warm as well as fuzzy, which testers liked. The alpine boot soles can be swapped for GripWalk as an aftermarket purchase ($50), which will improve walkabouts and require a GripWalk compatible binding—or they could hit the skin track with an A.T. frame binding.
The Alltrack Pro 120 is reviewed in the so-called All-Mountain Walk category because it has a hike modality but no tech binding compatibility (found a step up in the 130 flex GW version)—don’t let that fool you! This boot is not about walking, it is all about skiing! The Alltrack Pro line up remains one of our test team’s favorites for a near-perfect combination of convenience, warmth, comfort and absolute skiing power—all wrapped up in a releasable cuff. Where many walk mode boots sacrifice performance for convenience gains, the Alltrack Pro flips that script, maintaining a downhill performance priority, and takes the creature comforts and walkability in stride as a nice bonus on the side.
As with many Rossignol boots, the Alltrack Pro 120 trends toward the roomy side of the width group but without feeling sloppy or poorly shaped. Testers say the roomy toebox and forefoot tapers back to the heel and ankle pocket nicely and the transition from the instep up through the lower leg and calf is anatomically seamless and well contoured. The liner feel is full and well-draped around the foot—an element so lacking in many boots in the All-Mountain Walk category (but this luxury comes with added weight). Entry and exit is a slam dunk, and the buckle-up is straightforward.
Smooth, AWD SUV style all-terrain utility is what testers appreciate about the Alltrack Pro. It may not be the quickest off the start or through the corners, but it might just be the easiest of the group to just put on and go skiing, slaying all in its path, with little adjustment to technique or line selection. Damp, forgiving and plenty strong, testers confirm that it goes everywhere and does everything. Our crew is not particularly impressed with the Alltrack's sidecountry acumen, citing a limited hike mode range of motion and alpine boot weight class, but for mainly area-based sorties it's right on target, they said.
The Thinsulate liner is a warm one, by all accounts, and testers like the option to swap on optional GripWalk soles for better hiking-walking grip and roll (GripWalk compatible or A.T. frame binding required). Testers like the sedate Deep Blue hue.
The Gist
Many testers rated the fit of the top-shelf B.F.C. W 90 Heat last year in 5’s across the board (that’s the roomiest score possible) and another’s fit commentary was just one word: huge. Another tester, discussing the initial fit and feel said, put this boot on and try not to smile—I dare ya! This one’s big for sure and returns unchanged this season rating most room in almost every fit parameter except the ankle and heel where testers said there was a little more retention. They did also say it skied head and shoulders above their expectations—sleeper slippers.
The Fit
The fit is so oversized that testers wrote warnings on their test forms that only truly wide, high-volume feet need apply, but they also had no hotspot complaints or shape concerns—it was foot-like in its shape, as best they could tell. The entry and exit is worth mentioning here—as easy as it gets (and pop the walk mode and it gets even easier). One tester claimed she could put it on with no hands and with all the buckles still done up. Flex feel was even and comfortable they said, and they agreed that the calf is comfortable here—even a grown-up cow's worth of leg shaft would be at home, they figured.
Performance
Testers were shocked at how well the B.F.C. W 90 Heat wide load rode—the stiffness was on-target, the stance angles were neutral and enabled athletic movements, the edge power was solid and the quickness was there (if you could fill up the space with foot). Testers got aggro' with the Built For Comfort and found that, apparently, it was built for crushing it too.
Cool Features
The Apres Mode (that's what K2 calls it) walk feature is adopted from the other more serious hikers in the K2 boot line, but if nothing else, K2 knows its target customer. This cuff release mechanism is all about strolling parking lots, tailgating, beers at lunch (maybe breakfast too), and its ease of use and range of motion is fantastic, testers said. GripWalk soles can be purchased to make the strolling even more sublime (if you have an appropriate GripWalk binding). The B.F.C. W 90's Convenience, Warmth & Features score was a perfect 5.0.
