The new Salomon Shift Alpha BOA 115 W lived up to its alpha-female billing for a snug lower boot fit (that's one part of being Alpha in Salomon lingo) and apex-predator-level skiing performance. Testers were equally impressed with the bold "ultra violet" purple cosmetics paired with the speckled flecks of recycled plastic in the lightweight, polyolefin upper cuff.
Alpha is the model line badge that indicates narrow, and this one is, at least in the clog portion (that's the lower, shoe part, not the cuff). We score fit tension on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is World Cup race boot tight and a 5 is as wide as a packed-out rental boot. A 2 on our scale would be the typical fit target for a consumer narrow, like this one, in the 96-98mm last range. Our test team gave the Shift Alpha Boa 115 W's lower boot fit an average of 1.73 for all fit zones from the toebox back to the heel pocket. Its tightest scores were logged in the heel at 1.5. Just for some perspective, the tightest boot of the entire women's test was also a Salomon--the all-mountain S/Pro Alpha 110 W--that had a slightly tighter heel at a 1.44, so that says pretty clearly that this freerider is a perfect match for the skier with even the most slender feet. We probably could've told you that without all the numbers, huh?
The upper cuff offered a more relaxed fit and a fair bit of boot top flare for a larger calf. To hear testers say it, the cuff fit was huge by comparison to the foot grip, but in looking at the calf fit scores they were only slightly roomier than the narrow target, coming in at an average of 2.5. Testers noticed this differential, though, and made a point to highlight this fit map as one that's often hard to find for skiers with narrow feet and thicker legs--a lower-to-upper shape combination that's actually pretty common among skiing human female types.
Testers say this boot skis like a top-of-the-food-chain kind of beast with more on-edge stability than expected from a lightweight Freeride model. It was also quick to pounce, to milk the predator comparison a bit more, and it pleased testers with its accuracy of steering and quick pressure control movements. Testers were unanimous in their appraisal of the boot's lateral responsiveness and rigidity--the Shift Alpha put a big ski on edge and held it there without fail and was quick to transition between powerful arcs.
Testers were less enthusiastic about the fore-aft positioning and flex feel. Most felt that the boot was on the upright side of neutral, which they were fine with for a comfortable all-day skiing position, but several also mentioned an uncomfortable and inconsistent fit along the shin which made it hard for them to push through the upright stance to a position they wanted to attack from. Testers mentioned that a full-temp liner molding session would be on their to-do list if they took this boot home with them. Salomon also issued an update after our test concluded that they made some changes to the cuff release's internal design to further reduce a very small amount of play in the cuff, so there's a chance that this will indirectly improve the general flex feel for prospective buyers trying on the Shift Alpha BOA 115 W this Fall.
Testers liked the BOA's incremental closure on the already snug lower shell and a few mentioned that they appreciated the graphic rule for better quantifying the tightness of the fit (for those folks who have to know what catch each buckle should be on, we suppose). The gliding ExoBelt BOA cable anchor at the boot's "45," or throat, was commended by testers who liked how it moved to a stable position as the cable tension was increased.
The Shift Alpha's molded GripWalk outsole was nice for a secure, rolling stride, if not replaceable, and testers said that the sideways Twinlock cuff release mechanism remains a favorite for its ease of use and a solid connection in ski mode--with an even more-solid linkage to come with the mechanism update we didn't get to test.
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