Testers liked the new Anthem 115 W BOA for its well-shaped and cozy liner paired with an easy in and buckled (BOA'd?) up closure system, and appreciated it even more for its convenient, go-everywhere skiing feel. Testers said not to fret over the too-soft feeling flex during indoor try-on as the thin shell wall polyurethane plastic firms up nicely out in the cold.
The light-in-hand feel of the Anthem boot remained intact with this new BOA version, as did the ease of getting this on and off, testers said. The BOA's cable tension can be completely released by pulling out on the reel with an obvious click, but testers found that there was no need to pull out any cable slack in order to slide into the boot and if they did, they discovered they just had to take more time to reel that slack back in to get things properly done up. Once in, testers liked the traditional buckles on the cuff and got the BOA tension figured out a click at a time by rotating the wheel forward to tighten and rearward to loosen. Testers affirmed that the BOA closure system did allow the lower boot to wrap incrementally tighter against the foot without distorting shape--to a point. The agreed that this is a generous medium width fit and some testers felt that in order to achieve a snug fit they did get to a point where the nice shape over the top of the foot began to flatten out somewhat under BOA constriction. Testers note that there is a slick pocket built into the liner over the toes as a way to add fit tension without having to max the cable closure and crush the bony midfoot.
The test team cast a majority vote in favor of how the Anthem skied--light underfoot and agile in its all-mountain attack, swiftly negotiating technical moves when guided by a deft skier pilot. The ex-racer crowd in our crew thought it lacked a little horsepower due to the thin shell wall plastic, but others loved its accuracy of steering and light weight feel--a heavy, damp race boot it is not, they all agreed.
The Anthem 115 W BOA offers an Ultralon heat moldable liner, though testers liked its out-of-box shape and thought a full temp cook should be reserved for moderating some fit inconsistencies that others might experience. The elasticized Booster-style power strap with cam buckle was a hit for a firm and well-distributed closure at the boot top where testers liked the shin fit, if a little soft for some. Cuff adjustment is enabled by the elliptical mix-and-match inserts for a solid connection between upper and lower, and alpine DIN soles are available for the GripWalk deniers out there, but they don't come in the box.
Kudos
Caveats