Every time Tecnica has entered a Mach1 LV in our boot test it has received a gold medal, like clock-work, and this season's all-new entry was no different. Testers said the Mach1 LV 115 W was improved in a variety of ways that brought smiles to their faces, in fit, performance and a more accessible demeanor.
Not that this is a pushover now--not a chance, testers said, claiming that it's got a still-stout flex feel and all the edge power and torque any expert skier needs to charge in serious terrain. However, the newer Mach1 LV is a newly nicer version in a couple key ways.
First, it's easier-on (and off) by way of a smoother strip of material down the back of the liner and a slightly taller instep fit. The minimally raised roof produced maximally improved comfort and warmth scores by not occluding blood flow over the top of the foot, which was definitely a characteristic of the predecessor LV that most testers were not sad to see go bye-bye. The lowest-volume testers on the team lamented the loss of top-down security for their wafer-thin-mint feet, but they were the only complainants in the matter. Another nice change that absolutely nobody disparaged was the slightly softer liner material and deeper inside ankle pocket design--both of which reduced the bit of bite that was previously billed as the cost of doing business in a badass boot like the Mach1 LV.
Testers liked the friendlier fit of the new LV and for the most part didn't feel that the narrow-class grip was overly relaxed. They repeatedly mentioned that the performance of the boot was simply made more accessible to more folks by these new niceties.
However, one of the new developments was the revision to the T-Drive connector between cuff and lower shell, which was not a gentrification project but rather a performance-driven upgrade. The new gizmo on the rear spine now creates a snappier return-to-center after the cuff's been flexed, and the slightly longer flex plate enables a more transmissive merger between body and ski--in all directions. Testers thought the boot was more solid and more damp than it had been in the past, and it was no wimp to begin with. Some testers thought the boot's edge power outshone its quickness quotient, but not to any degree that dulled a rapid response when a direction change was called for.
Our crew still digs the performance-oriented features found here: hook-enabled and elasticized powerstrap, dual liner pull loops, lateral cuff adjustment, newly thickened-up GripWalk soles and a full complement of C.A.S. custom fitting options on liner and shell. Yes, the metallic plum colorway is a test favorite--and that never hurts.
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