The Salomon S/Pro Alpha 130 EL impressed our test team even more than last year with its nearly flawless combination of narrow class fit and no-compromises downhill performance. Testers scored it well enough for a tied first place finish in the most competitive All-Mountain narrow category and said pithy things like: The ski reacts with subservience to this boot.
We tested the Alpha last year when it was first released, and our love for it was not a fluke, as evidenced by this year's second look and testers' sophomore love fest. What our testers loved this time around echoed their first--a classically Salomon liner feel mated to a powerhouse of a boot without performance flaws.
The fit is shockingly soft and smooth against the sock, from first slide-in to taking it off at the end of the day, testers said. And yet this silky, well padded, anatomically draped and painted-on liner feel didn't equate to a constant re-buckle on pack-out. Testers said it managed to hold fast to the foot and remain consistently tight, while simultaneously caressing the foot. In a boot fit brain tease, our testers were forced to confront the fact that they were calling this boot TIGHT (in all caps) while at the same time calling it COMFY (yes, caps again). There were no mentions of hot spots about the S/Pro Alpha 130 EL. There were multiple mentions of how well the Alpha contoured over the top of the foot and transitioned through the instep and into the boot throat, then on up the leg shaft against the shin. This midfoot to shin transition is one of the best our team's ever felt in a narrow, 130-flex boot. It's snug but somehow ideally shaped for a variety of different insteps and shins. For skiers with chronic instep and shin issues this boot is a must-try-on, according to our testers.
Somehow such comfort didn't deduct from the S/Pro Alpha 130's power on edge, which was given a perfect 5.00 after eleven testers each had their way with it. It's quickness score received a 4.89, so that didn't suck much either. Testers noted that the lateral stance is ever so slightly inside-edgy, which translated into massive trenching power but made for a slightly hooky or locked-up feel in soft snow slithers. These picky testers said it was within the range of an easy cuff adjustment using the eliptical, metal-to-metal adjustment mechanism. Testers say the stance is a touch upright, with a slightly lower-than-average internal ramp angle feel, which leveraged big power to the shovel once a skier made the move forward, but they caution that less assertive skiers will need to get on their A-game to stay out in front of this boot when it's time to go.
Testers dig the bootfitter-centric features, like the moldable Talyn liner tongue and fully dismantleable (totally takeapartable?) buckle and cuff attachment hardware, and they appreciate the placement of the instep buckle closer to the actual instep and with additional adjustment on that location. The 50mm cam buckle power strap does the job for our testers. And the blue? Well, we suppose nothing's perfect. No offense, Smurfs.
Kudos
Caveats