Testers have been waiting for this version of the women's Formula MV to show up, and now that it has they awarded it gold medal level scores and found very little to criticize. While it's packed full of fit and performance features, the Formula 105 W MV GW doesn't rely on those to excel. Rather, the 105 MV gets by on a beautifully shaped shell with neutral, comfortable stance angles and a reliably damp and stable polyurethane foundation in both shell and cuff. Sure the features are cool (Liquid Fit injectable liner, Form Fit oven-moldable shell, solid insert style cuff adjustment and alpine DIN plates in the box) but what testers were most excited about this year was the Formula MV's revised liner.
The 3D Perfect Fit EVO Pro LF W liner (it better be damn good with a name like that) sealed the deal for testers on a slam-dunk first fit and feel straight out of the box. Padded without feeling bulky, sculpted for common prominences and curvatures without leaving them loose, and firm enough around the ankles and heel to provide a performance connection with the ski but without losing the creature comfort that earned it a nearly perfect score for Convenience and Warmth. Testers who've had a chance to test the women's 100mm Formula in past tests were probably the most complimentary of this current rendition for its most-improved flex feel and fit along the shin. They said it's as good as it gets now, even compared to other great boots in the category, but worlds ahead of previous liners' tongue feel. Well done in keeping after that, Head, they said.
While the boot's best quality is the fact that there are very few flaws (the only one mentioned multiple times was that the liner fit a little short on the toes), for those who need to make some changes, the Formula platform is designed to be modified by skilled bootfitters. The mono-injected polyurethane shell and cuff handle traditional stretches and grinds without issue, but the Form Fit oven-cook-then-mold feature is a useful tool when a widespread expansion is required, say opening up the calf in a big way or increasing instep volume. The Liquid Fit wax-goo injection feature is a slick way to provide subtle improvement to the heel and ankle pocket, but it's rarely needed (break-in your liners by skiing several days before injecting, is our bootfitter-test-team's advice).
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