Does gold medal status at our boot test require perfection? No, of course not, but the Tecnica Mach1 MV 115 W is close to it. Again. The medium width Mach1 women's boots have topped the leader board off and on for several years of boot tests, and last year was no different when the 115-flex model was introduced. Here it is returned to the podium, this time onto the top step out of 11 very good boots in the medium width group of the All-Mountain Traditional category.
It very nearly did achieve perfection for our test team, who as a group gave it perfect 5.0's for its on-snow performance metrics of Dynamic Balance, Edge Power and Quickness & Steering. Testers remain very impressed with how this supremely comfortable (and pretty generous of fit this year) all-mountain utility boot can deliver race-bred power and quickness to narrow or fat skis alike, across an entire mountain of terrain and through any assortment of snow surface our testers drove it through.
The generosity of fit (aka comfortable, warm and not numb) was a blessing for most of our testers, who made multiple mentions of the fact that their toes were not tingling and their calves were not pinched. A few highly discerning (aka critical) testers reduced the Mach1 MV 115's fit score to less-than-perfect because they thought it missed the medium width target by a bit. That's fair, but for the skier who is opting for medium instead of narrow, the key fit zone areas of toebox, forefoot, instep and calf add up to either agony or all-day skiing, and a little bit of extra blood flow and room for nerves to breathe easy is an okay trade-off for most folks in the MV market. Here, they get just what they're looking for, we think. Obviously those critical testers didn't think the comfort level negatively affected performance (hence the perfect scores) but they did mention having to buckle the boot a little tighter--which bumped the Mach1 MV's convenience score out of perfect 5.0 contention. Damn, they're a tough bunch.
How is it that the Mach1 MV 115 can be so comfy and yet ski so strongly and quickly from turn to turn? It doesn't hurt that the Mach1 stance angles have been refined over several years to a well-balanced bullseye. Nor does it hurt that the Mach1 boots rely on tried-and-true polyurethane plastic with more traditional shell wall thicknesses for vibration damping and stability. But the real magic may be the T-Drive cuff to lower shell connector, which ties upper to lower in a rigid way laterally, for strong edging, but a flexible way in forward flexing movements. It restrains the forward movement of the cuff while reducing distortion of the plastic at the intersection of cuff and lower shell in a way that also allows for the use of slightly softer plastic which aids in entry, exit and a more easily wrapping closure of the boot around the foot. Testers liked T-Drive the first time it was introduced and continue to laud its benefits on every model where it's utilized.
Yes, testers like the CAS line-up of bootfitter-friendly custom tech features in both the shell and liner, but in the MV few testers make mention of needing to deploy any of them, claiming the out-of-box fit is hot-spot free and good to go. The truly high volume foot could stuff themselves into this 115-flex MV if the 105-flex in the roomier HV version wasn't going to be supportive enough, and in that case some CAS fit tricks could work nicely. Testers like the up-hooking, cam-cranking power strap that comes with the 115 flex boot, and as always they approve of double pull loops, dual cuff adjusters and GripWalk soles. But, let's be honest here, it's probably that iridescent, matte finish sorta-purple that got it the gold. And that's fair--it is amazing.
Kudos
Caveats