Sometimes a boot gets robbed at our boot test, and the Dalbello Veloce 130 might just be one of those models. When we went back through all the test forms and took a close look at testers' written comments it was apparent that there was very little wrong with it, in fact, testers heaped praise on the boot again and again. And yet our testers' scores didn't mirror their words. The obvious conclusion is that the Veloce is a great boot but somehow we failed it. Perhaps it's the green? Perhaps its name is too difficult for Americans to say: Veh-low-chay. Whatever the reason the Veloce 130 received a gold medal last year and a silver this time around, we're sorry Dalbello, but results are results and now we'll try to talk our way out of trouble.
Easy to move to next edge in heavy snow. Reacted quick without any feeling of ski disconnection, like the ski was a part of you. That's what one tester said of the Veloce 130 and another echoed that praise for its off-piste performance: It stood out in the heavy snow conditions, I felt I could motor through anything without getting bounced around. Most of testers' comments about the Veloce 130's performance were like this, revolving around its bankable stability and powerful transmission of energy to the ski's edge, and yet its quickness score was actually its highest performance metric. So, at least testers were in agreement that the Veloce 130 went everywhere they pointed it and got the job done without any fuss.
Fit-wise, testers agreed that this is a snug fitting medium width, with one of the most snug instep fits of the 100mm boots we tested. A few testers commented that there was a tight area over the top of the toes, which would most likely be resolved with a toe dam grind on the shell if a typical liner heat molding session didn't take care of it. Other than that, fit commentary and scores were positive and described an evenly distributed snug-medium grip throughout the lower boot and cuff with few hot spots of note. Several testers commented that the boot's out of box anatomical fit was its best quality.
On further examination of testers' comments it's clear that there wasn't a problem with the green, as explained by one tester: Looked good. Felt good. Skied good. With that said, we promise to work on our Italian pronunciation for next year's test.
Kudos
Caveats