The Gist
After a couple seasons of waiting, women get the high performance KORE 2 W freeride boot from Head. It comes with all of the top tier goodies that the men’s KORE 1 has integrated recently, like a reinforced Grilflex shell construction, a reinforced liner cuff and a new, beefier Power Plate power strap. Our women testers love how this snug medium-width grabs the foot, with a particularly performance-minded feel around the heel, and they love the on-target 110 flex feel that says ready to rock. The Liquid Fit liner provides an option on an even tighter heel pocket, but most didn’t think they’d need it! The boot is light on the foot and comes with an option to upgrade to GripWalk soles. Testers thought the rearward range of motion was adequate for touring but mention forward rotation is limited.
The Fit
Definitely on the snug side of the medium group, testers agreed, but not full-blown narrow territory. They like the slightly longer toebox feel for comfy touring and cited an evenly distributed fit everywhere in the lower and upper boot. Some testers note some aggressive liner padding above the achilles and below the calf, which some hoped would mellow out with a liner cook. Testers liked the even flex feel and said it was right where it needed to be for its performance tier.
Performance
The KORE 1 has always displayed accurate steering and a quick move to the edge (a perfect score there in last year's on snow test) and easily found a stable sweet spot through a variety of snow conditions. We expect similar results for the new women's version. Some of our male testers thought the boot felt a little edgy at first but discovered that Form Fit shell molding created a more balanced and neutral feeling position--our female test team felt the boot stood neutral in indoor fit tests. All testers who've gotten Liquid Fit injected have noted an uptick in steering, quickness and edging performance.
Cool Features
The Smart Frame shell construction maintains thicker, ribbed and rigid Grilflex plastic in areas where stability and power are critical and keeps the thinner, better wrapping Grilflex where it suits foot-shape matching and easing entry and exit. Graphene is a powder additive to the plastic that increases stability and provide a damp feel like polyurethane without adding substantial weight. GripWalk soles come mounted on the men's KORE but are an optional purchase on the women's KORE 2 W. The updated liner cuff material, 45mm Velcro power strap and integrated plastic Power Plate are key to the KORE's improved flex feel. Testers like the buckle lock keeper-bales that hold position while touring with buckles undone but that can be buckled over the top of for more convenient on-area buckling.
Kudos