K2 Recon 130 BOA

Testers roundly agreed the new Recon 130 BOA deserved to be in the top group of gold medal boots in the all-mountain medium-width category and gave it the highest score of the men's K2 boots we tested this year. Almost every member of our team liked the addition of the BOA closure system on the Recon's lower shell. With many comments about the evenly medium fit, testers liked how the shell and liner worked in concert to hold the foot in place firmly but with an ideal amount of cushion and insulation for all-day skiing. Balancing out the many positive comments about the Recon's proper fit for the average volume foot and leg were just as many mentions of how well this boot skied all around the mountain.

While the thin shell walled polyurethane produces a light-in-the-hand boot, testers didn't characterize it as flighty or fidgety--exactly the opposite, with testers expressing surprise at how well it handled big skis at high speeds as well as rough and demanding terrain. A couple testers thought it was a little under-gunned in fore-aft support for a 130-flex but they were in the small minority, as most of the team found few flaws in the Recon's on-snow strategy.

While our team has some BOA skeptics on board, their criticism was muted here--very few BOA related issues were cited by the team. Entry and exit wasn't impeded in this model and only one mention of an overly tight fit on the midfoot was leveled at it. K2 has anticipated the possibility of a too tight midfoot with a vacuous fit over the toes and developed a little pocket over the liner toebox where a foam shim can be inserted to better level the dorsal surface pressure. We're not sure this is the best solution for that, but it's a pretty good start and testers appreciate the nod toward putting bootfitter-centric solutions in place from the outset.

Testers liked the idea of different density inserts on the bootboard itself for modifying the ground feel or vibration dampening of the boot, though very few fiddled with it. They wished a set of alpine soles came in the box, but alas that is an aftermarket purchase for those stuck with pre-GripWalk binders. The cam buckled, elasticized power strap was a hit and testers liked the Ultralon ankle pockets in the liner for enhanced heat moldability.