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.
Over the past few seasons we have tested the VFF Pro in different ways—in fully custom tests with assigned testers who had the boots built just for them and also as more "universal" builds that all testers could try, which was our test method this year. While the full-custom tests obviously yield better personal fit scores (duh!), the test results for on-snow performance, entry and exit, stance balance and closure remain very similar.
The VFF Pro teams an accurate and comfortable lower boot fit with a long, soft flex range that can be managed via the boot's signature flex adjustment mechanism. The smooth flex feel is a VFF Pro hallmark, based on previous tests, and testers like the adjustability of the spring-loaded cable system which restrains the boot's forward range of motion when locked but leaves the cuff free in both directions when disengaged—a hike mode design from before hike modes were so cool. The VFF Pro's on-snow attitude is best characterized as sensitive and agile—this is not a grunt for the front lines but rather a foot feel tactician best suited to skiers with a lighter, more nimble touch on their skis.
Testers liked the direct connect feel of foot to ski enabled by the boot's three-quarter boot board which puts the forefoot directly on the floor of the boot. This further lightens and already featherweight set-up that owes some of that lack of heft to its Intuition liner. The spiral-wrapping liner's real starring role is the way it splits open over the top of the foot to ease entry and exit while simultaneously padding the plastic edges of the lower boot's cabrio entryway. There is no easier boot on and off on the planet. Really. No, we're serious.
Though the strap configuration is unique and wire bales a bit old school, the closure is quite good once testers wrassled the buckle octopus into submission. The newly re-designed toe dam "spat" made for a better seal and zero accidental "pop off" events.
The VFF Pro last starts at a plug-narrow 92mm (in the reference size 26) and so could be classified as an ultra-narrow up through super wide—the boot can be last-modified at the factory in long-duration pressure-steam cookers to a jaw-dropping 110 mm. The already adjustable stiffness can be further modified with a precisely placed T-nut to bump the flex to a true 120.
The Kyra 95 is unstoppable—it garnered solid and unanimous votes again this year for a repeat podium, continuing to impress testers with its comfortable but snug feel out of the box and well-above-expectations performance on snow. Testers said it hovered on the snug side of the width group—riding the fence between mediums and wides where a lot of skiers find themselves.
This year we tested the Kyra 95 with its spiral-wrapping Intuition 2. I.D. Thermo Now liner and testers loved how its more pre-formed shape worked right from the first try on. Though it's a fully-moldable Intuition style, it's constructed with softer foam right against the foot for a nice layer of cushion. The spiral wrap style doubled-down on fit benefits for testers by maximizing the cuff's calf fit and also providing a more padded entry for sliding past the cabrio lower boot opening, which made getting the boot on and off even easier than with the traditional tongue style liner we'd tested before. Fully heat molding the Thermo Now liner yields big changes where needed—a great option for wider or bony feet looking for a perfect imprint.
The three-piece construction offers a smooth-travel flex feel but testers note that it's a firm one that kicked like a mule when asked to pin the throttle in junky snow or at speed on hard surfaces. The Kyra 95 has a variety of features for fine tuning fit and feel, and one of those is a flex adjuster which is a nice and increasingly rare option. The Dynalink Rearfoot Retention middle buckle and the ultra-rare Heel Inclinator ramp angle adjustment allow for tweaking the way the instep and shin address the tongue of the boot. Testers loved the feel of the cuff for its well-distributed pressure against the shin but also for how the three-piece design opened or closed to accommodate a variety of calf shapes.
This boot returns to our boot test in similar form as last year, and again our women's test team praised it for it's tougher-than-billed flex (good for aggressive and big, tall women especially), upright stance and edgy-powerful lateral set up that made for strong carves. Testers again noted the "more roomy than most mediums" fit in the lower boot, coupled with a taller, more slender fit through the top of the cuff.
The Waymaker Carbon 100 W is a well-blended high performance hybrid of the rest of Atomic's boot line. Take the lower boot comfort of Hawx and add a little additional ceiling height over the midfoot and instep. Then add on the stretchy Live Fit lateral forefoot panel for additional width where the wide-of-foot may need it. Take a hint from Redster and utilize a carbon-reinforced rear spine and heel area for crisp transmission of movements and ski-driving power. And then connect upper to lower with their new and improved free/lock release mechanism to enable hike-to, skin-to options around the mountain. Testers said, nice work—they loved Waymaker's upright and solid stance and how strong the boot felt on snow, at speed, everywhere they took it. According to the test team the fit is quite close in the heel and ankle pockets, but really opened up in width for the forefoot, toebox and over the top of the foot.
Scott's boot line is unisex—meaning, it doesn't really have a women's specific boot range, with the exception of the lower-cuff G2 90 M. So by virtue of the softer 110 flex rating, our women's test team took on the G1 110 Powerfit WTR in the All-Mountain Adventure category, while the men's crew tested the 130 flex version.
The women's take was similar to the men's—an evenly snug fit in the lower boot with an initially tight toebox that settled in fairly quickly tapers to a tighter fit through the ankles and lower leg shaft and maintains a narrow grip along the leg through the boot top. Testers with slender legs did better here, and even some of them needed to remove the rear spoiler to ease the tall and stove-pipey fit at the calf.
The G1 110 is strong laterally and sensitive to the snow, testers said, but they also agreed that the flex was softer, with longer travel than they expected for the 110 flex level.
Testers said the touring range of motion was adequate, but not much more than that , though they claimed the cuff release actuator was easy enough to operate.
Our test team’s consensus on the Freedom SL: “Best one-boot quiver for hard-charging women as interested in going uphill as down.” Crisp, racy power and quickness paired with light weight and huge touring range of motion make this a no-brainer for skiers who regularly venture beyond area boundaries for day-long or even multi-day missions.
The Scarpa fit varied for our team, who bounced between their normal size and a step-down. Those who took advantage of the model’s slightly longer fit in the toebox to drop down a size, found a form-fitting Narrow feel. Those who stuck with their normal size experienced a Medium fit with extra toe room. For those doing extended tours, the latter is the go-to option as creating more toe length in the thin Pebax lower boot is tricky for even the best bootfitters.
Note that even our veteran test team experiences some confusion over sizing with Scarpa due to the fact that the brand’s shell length changes on the half-size (i.e. the 24.5 and the 25.0 are the same sole length at 287mm). The Freedom SL series merits try-on with a topnotch bootfitter to ensure you get the desired fit.
The lower boot sole’s rigid carbon insert construction continues to impress testers with the accurate power it generates; uncanny given the overall lightweight package. No other Pebax boot we've tested comes close to the Freedom SL's torsional stability and direct transmission of energy.
The cuff's range of motion and friction-free quality of movement would stand out among true backcountry boots but it's staggeringly surprising in an all-mountain hybrid that has the option to swap-out with Alpine soles. The boot comes stock with rockered, tech-compatible soles but the Alpine set (which we tested) is available as a $35 add-on.
The Quest Pro 100 W embodies versatility—in skiing application, fit and features. It has something positive to offer to all skiers, said testers. Its ease of entry got our crew interested from the get-go; the simple buckles, cushioned initial fit and straightforward hike mode apparatus kept the positive comments rolling.
Testers liked the open and airy toebox and forefoot fit but noted that it was paired with a quite firm grip on the ankles. Comfort and control, they crowed. Maybe too much control on the ankles for a couple testers who quickly signed up for Custom Shell 360 molding to moderate the fit tension.
The Custom Shell 360 process was a large part of our boot test this year and custom testing bore out what many of our bootfitter testers already knew: the ten-minute oven cook, five-minute molding session and five-minute cool down works fit magic, easing peak pressure points and increasing volume where needed. Post-molding, many testers also noticed a more finely tuned snow feel as their foot seated flatter into the bottom of the boot.
Testers loved the tuned-in feel of the Quest Pro 100 W, especially in variable terrain and soft snow. It sliced and diced crud, pow and groomers with equal ease making it a stable partner for all-mountain exploration.
Testers liked the Eden for its well padded Ultralon liner and simple hike modality, both packaged at a great price.
They said it fit roomier than most medium-width boots in the category and experienced looseness in unanticipated areas—some said women with wide toes, high insteps and really thick heels would find a suitable fit in the lower boot. Better for slender to average calves, our thicker legged testers felt it was a bit stovepipe-like at boot top.
This is a strong 105 flex, they said, with a firm feeling tongue on the shin—so women who find fault with most women's specific stiffness may like what they feel here.
The Alltrack Pro 110 W's signature candy-coated cosmetics got our testers singing the Team America theme song. But its luscious looks were only one of many attributes our testers liked and they awarded the boot the top spot in the All-Mountain Adventure category. The smooth entry and luxe comfort of the snow white fur trimmed liner also earned instant approval from testers; one called it “A down puffy for your foot,” while another said it was “A fuzzy snow bunny bedroom slipper.”
With that sort of talk, you'd be forgiven for thinking the boot was all bar fluff and flab. You'd be wrong. Testers said the Alltrack Pro's command of the ski is muscular and agile, fueled by its tall, upright cuff and even flex feel. Particularly good in powder and jumbled crud, testers prized its damp, off-piste suspension but they also found it silky smooth and snappy rolling arc-to-arc at speed on frontside groomers. Some testers noted the supportive and upright cuff required an assertive driver and commented that laziness will be instantly punished by a trip to the backseat.
They say it’s a big girl medium with extra fit freedom in the toebox, forefoot and calf. That's partnered with a well-articulated ankle grip that ensures there’s at least one hand on the steering wheel at all times. Warmth scores were chart-topping thanks to the Thinsulate liner.
The revised XT 2.0 110 W LV found a wildly receptive audience in our boot test team. They unanimously cheered the new lower shell shape and the updated hike mode mechanism with increased range of motion. Though the way this area-based, sidecountry explorer skis was its real calling card. One tester said it brought out her inner Lange girl, and of course we like that. Stable, responsive, powerful, confidence-inspiring were commonly found scrawled on review forms.
The lower boot is completely new with a slightly taller, more rounded fit over the midfoot and instep. Higher-arch testers smiled broadly. The Thinsulate Control Fit liner was put on a weight-loss program and is also slightly more shock absorbing. Testers described it as “supportive and cushy with the right amounts of each where they need to be.” Some felt its overall volume was wider than most narrows. Given that there is no medium width women's XT at the 110 flex level perhaps this will suit a broader fit-spectrum of hard-charging women.
The upper cuff is made of lighter weight polyolefin plastic, and the buckles have been redone to reduce weight and provide a more stylish look (testers liked). Testers said the revamped interface between the lower and upper has improved the cuff's range of motion somewhat. Adding rockered Walk-to-Ride (WTR) soles to the package has bumped up the boot’s exploratory aptitude.
A test team favorite. It combines piste-power and alpine-bred agility with lighter than average feel and a great touring range of motion. The Minaret 100 has been upgraded this season; the new liner features a more open toebox fit and the Syncro Interlock mechanism has been modified to work specifically with the boot’s shorter women's cuff. Testers noticed the liner change and responded by logging improved initial fit scores. They didn't seem to notice the cuff release change. We took that as a good sign since they had given it high marks in the past.
Characteristic of K2's 100mm boots, the Minaret slots as a snug-medium on the width tension spectrum. Our performance oriented team liked the fit though some with squared-off toe shapes and wider forefeet needed to fire up the hot stacks and cook the fully thermo-molded Intuition liner to make more room. The Minaret 100's flex feel and well-padded tongue earned praise and helped broker successful off-piste missions to pound on crud and crust.
Testers repeatedly said it skied stronger than its three buckles and 100-flex rating would suggest. Its solid, damp feel underfoot and torsionally stable edging moves made high speed, all-terrain hammering stress-free. Testers unanimously praised its confidence inspiring on-snow personality.
For this year's boot test we designated two of our veteran testers to have the VFF Pro built specific for their foot, leg and stated skiing needs. After extensive testing, modifications made by DaleBoot technicians and then on-snow re-tests, these boots were made available to other testers of similar foot size and shape. For these subsequent tests the VFF Pro's Intuition liners were either remolded or a completely new Intuition liner was molded for the new tester. Test results for the women's specific DaleBoot builds were the best ever this year.
Girls want options (at least our women testers do) and DaleBoot offers more than any other custom technology boot, in our opinion. The lower shell can be made to fit as narrow as a 92mm last or as wide as a 112mm. The upper cuff can be selected for short, average or long lower leg shafts. The lower boot is completely custom molded at the Salt Lake City factory based on measurements and tracings of the athlete's foot, and then the appropriate upper cuff is attached prior to shipment. On site (in our case at the boot test center at Mt. Bachelor) the shell may be additionally modified as needed, the Intuition liner (traditional tongue or spiral wrap, in a variety of volumes and densities) is custom molded and the skier's stance geometry is checked and the boots' angles modified as needed.
These steps above yielded some of the closest yet most comfortable fits of our test, but in a couple instances where the fit wasn't ideal after a few runs, testers popped in, got a couple quick tweaks performed and headed back out, dialed. This process wasn't specific to our custom testing program but rather is a exact replica of how DaleBoot deals with every customer.
On snow the VFF Pro is a sensitive and reactive ride. Testers liked how light weight the boot feels underfoot and how close the foot feels to the ski. The shell plastic is thin and there is only a three-quarter length internal bootboard separating the foot (and liner) from the ski. This highly tuned-in forefoot feel is a hallmark of the DaleBoot design and testers dig it.
The buckle system remains tricky for testers, but they say that closure gets cleaner after a few runs around the learning curve.
The Kyra 95 makes its third annual podium appearance this year. And while it's back relatively unchanged, this unassuming three-piece always surprises our test team; it’s capable, comfortable and versatile.
Some testers were most impressed with its universal fit appeal; the 45-degree Dynalink Rearfoot Retention buckle maintains a comfortably snug instep fit for both high and low volume feet. Testers with a wide range of calf shapes also found a happy place here. Though even without activating the Cuff Volume Expansion feature the cuff fit is generous. The toebox and forefoot is extra roomy, testers report, and especially well-suited to wider feet.
Other testers loved it for how it handles on snow—both up and down inclines. Our skinning tests showed that the Kyra toured fine (although it’s a little heavier than others) but skied down with great aplomb. On- and off-piste, the Kyra 95 demonstrated a strong-enough lateral toughness and predictably smooth transitions from turn-to-turn. “Fun and easy to ski” was the tester takeaway. It was clearly more cruiser than crusher and there’s nothing wrong with that. Though one hard core tester did say it would be perfect for her mom or grandma. We're sure they both rip.
