K2 Anthem 110 MV

The 2019/2020 K2 Anthem 110 MV was tested in the women's All-Mountain Traditional medium width category at Silver Mountain Resort by the experts at America's Best Bootfitters, powered by Masterfit.

The Gist

Supreme comfort in a lightweight package was the takeaway from this year’s test of the new-in-name Anthem 110 MV. Gone is the Luv and its former look, but testers’ love for its easy on and easy to cruise the entire mountain nature is certainly not. They liked its open forefoot, toebox and taller instep fit and equally appreciated the snug grip of the heel and ankle pockets. It runs a little softer than billed, they said, but the polyurethane chassis kept it stable at speed and on hard snow.

The Fit

Our test team's fit scores in the toebox and forefoot averaged out to a 3.67 (1 tightest, 5 loosest), and then tapered progressively back to a heel pocket of 2.83 and then flaring back open at the boot top to a 3.33. What do all those numbers mean? Testers translate the data to say the Luv MV's shape is well-adapted to the foot and leg, wrapping all the usual contours with a nice blend of plush and firm from the liner—just shifted a bit toward the roomy end of the spectrum. Lots of space for additional warmth that will suit the higher volume foot type well, they said. Given the removable spoiler (which most testers preferred removed) and the Luv's calf-room expansion adjustment, the Luv 110 MV is a super option for thicker-legged skiers, testers said. The generous out-of-box fit and the ability to expand it further via oven-cooked custom molding make the Luv worth a serious look from good skiing women who might normally limit their choices to wide last boots.

Performance

Testers were unanimous that the stance (sans spoiler) was on the money, giving the boot's dynamic balance the highest score of the five score categories it was rated on. Testers loved the Luv's lux liner feel against the shin and all agreed that the flex feel was solid, progressive and on-target for the 110 rating. While the Powerlite Shell is light (1650 grams in a 26.5) by way of thinned-out, stiff polyurethane construction (favored by most bootfitters), testers said less about its heft and more about its edge power, predictable stability at speed and its ease getting on and off—three things that often don't go hand-in-hand with new, lightened-up designs. Most testers described the Luv 110's performance attitude as solid, reliable, predictable and stable, rather than jittery or hyper-active, but the majority opinion was that if the foot properly filled the shoe it was properly quick edge to edge.

Cool Features

For their rather understated, classic exterior appearance, the Luv boots have a lot going on. The light weight Powerlite shell is custom moldable by way of the typical oven-cook-and-wear process, though testers said it would be unnecessary for most and a clear second choice to a custom molding performed on the pre-shaped LuxFit Pro Ultralon liner (which all testers agreed is far superior to K2 liners of the past) which would provide an enhanced fit match without risking excessive roominess from shell-cooking (our tests showed it works, for sure—almost too well). The women's calf adjustable rear part of the boot cuff is a slick design and easy to adjust, and the dual lateral cuff adjustment mechanisms are solid, though a little tricky for first-timers to sort out, and this year they are anchored internally with traditional, toothed T-nuts (bootfitters in the K2-know appreciate this). The grippy soles are both replaceable and cantable.