Frontside

These boots are made of plastic (generally polyurethane) that may be damp but is supremely rigid laterally and torsionally. The best iterations of these boots will find a way to render the forward flex feel less brick-like, but typically on cold days Frontside boots are stiff beasts and can be beastly to get out of. The soles of these boots are usually solid but if there are replaceable soles they are made of the same stiff stuff as the rest of the boot rail—no grippy walky soles here to sap energy at the critical linkage between skier and ski.

The liner construction of the Frontside boot is often thinner and firmer than that found in the All-Mountain boot where all day exploring in warmth is factored in for some additional cushioning, but the Frontside liner is a far cry from the minimalist lace-up liner of the true Race boot. Frontside boots eschew a sloppy fit and so sometimes the initial out-of-box fit can be a little aggressive, so time spent with a bootfitter to move plastic around a skier’s particular bony bits should be expected for all but the most slender and unknobbified of feet.

The legit Frontside boot is a powerful commander of the ski and can often overpower softer skis not purposed for a high-speed, firm-surface attack. Paired with a suitable ski mate, the Frontside boot will allow skiers to discover speeds and edge angles they may not have achieved so easily before. However, these uncompromising, transmissive boots will also send poor messaging directly to the ski (so you gotta be on your game to love them) and will similarly send terrain inconsistencies—aka, high speed surprises--directly to the skeleton (so you gotta be on your game to love them). And let’s be clear, given these caveats, we do!