The Roxa R/Fit Hike 90 got some mixed reviews at our boot test, which dropped it just out of gold medal territory but the testers in the "pro" camp liked the easy slide into this polyurethane overlap, hikeable wide-ride and appreciated its open, airy fit and tougher-than-expected stance and flex attitude.
The cuff is upright in its stance angle and both tall against the leg shaft and firm in tongue cushioning--so testers thought it suited the taller skier best and would handle a larger calf muscle without issue. The flex feel was much stiffer than testers expected from a 90-flex (they gave it a 110-120 guesstimate on stiffness), but aside from a firm feeling tongue at boot top, they said the flex feel stemming from the cuff was ideal.
Testers all liked how the boot rolled side to side, with a reactive foot feel in the lower shell--small ankle movements translated directly to the ski and the R/Fit Hike 90 offered a clean, connected feel underfoot, they said. Power and quickness were not category tops, but more than adequate for the flex tier and skier looking for convenience of entry, fit and a competent descent.
Testers gave it a perfect score for it's Dynamic Balance and its Convenience, Warmth and Features scores, which indicates that they also liked the functionality of the cuff release for enhanced walking and hiking applications. Testers say that for the Access category's goals the R/Fit Hike 90 ticks all the boxes.
Some of our team got stuck in the "con" camp by fixating on what they called an overly snug and lumpy fit over the top of the midfoot. This fit inconsistency was noted by all testers but most commented that, one, it got better with wear time, and two, it was a workable fit issue most likely solved with a full liner heat mold or possibly a shell oven-cook (the Roxa Biofit shell can be heat molded after warming in a standard bootfitting convection oven). So, scores were dragged down a bit in the Anatomical Fit criterion but prospective buyers shouldn't be disuaded from getting this one on their foot, especially considering a street price of 400-bucks.
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