Why does our women's boot test team continue to love the Tecnica Mach1 LV 115 W so much, aside from the iridescent dark purple? It's because it hits the fit tension target, or tightness quotient, for a narrow-last performance model right in the middle.
We assess the boot's fit in eight distinct fit zones--toebox, forefoot, instep, lateral column, navicular, heel, ankles, calf--and provide a fit impression score for each of them on a scale of 1 through 5, with a 1 being tight like a World Cup race boot and 5 like a packed-out rental boot. The consumer narrow width boots that we're testing in the 96-98mm range should have a score of a 2, while a medium width fit score hovers around a 3, an all-mountain performance wide around a 4...you get the picture. Every single fit zone score average for the Mach1 LV 115 W was close to a 2. The toebox offered the most relief of squeeze at a 2.25. The ankle pockets were the most tight spot (though nobody complained about them) at 1.67. The average of all eight fit zones was 2.04. That's a heck of an evenly narrow fit from front to back and top to bottom.
Okay, they love the way the boot skis too, and always have, but this season the Mach1 liners are revised so testers spent a lot of time complimenting the super snug yet more comfortable fit than they recalled previously. The primary liner change was the use of a 15% softer interior material that addressed the skier's sock with a slightly more cushioned, silky feel and yet didn't allow increased movement or a sense of pack-out as a tester's 3-run session went on or toward the end of our eight-day test period. Another new element of the Mach1 liners was a more slick rear strip to help the heel glide down into the boot upon intial entry. Our testers approved of the change, noticing the difference, though one still complained about the ease of entry, or lack thereof (we think her blood sugar was low).
The skiing prowess of the Mach1 LV 115 W is legendary--it doesn't get any better for our test team for a combination of race level power and stability with the frontside boot's quickness and accuracy of steering, all wrapped in a more cushioned and shock-absorbing package for all-mountain attacking, all day long. Testers remain fans of the traditional feel of a polyurethane lower shell--damp and solid underfoot, aggressive to the edge--but they've come around to the lighter weight polyolefin plastic upper cuff. Sometimes the lighter-than-PU materials get twitchy or collapsible in their flex feel, but the Mach1's T-Drive rear spine connection between the cuff and lower adds enough rigidity to the cuff of the boot that it is not dependent purely on thicker, heavier plastic to get the job done. Testers couldn't find anything that the Mach1 LV 115 W couldn't do over a week of varied weather, snow conditions and temperatures. It didn't get too stiff in the cold or too soft on warm afternoons.
And yes, the iridescent dark purple may have helped propel it to one of the top scores of the entire women's test, but not by much.
Kudos
Caveats