Our test team gave the Atomic Nexus 105 BOA W the “easiest” score in the entry and exit metric, and in the buckles and closure metric they rated it “great,” (which is as good as that gets there). Those were two of Atomic’s primary goals for the Nexus project—make a boot that’s supremely easy to get on and off but also make one that is easily closed-up. Those two challenges were masterfully met, testers said.
The Nexus synthesizes several technologies to accomplish the entry and closure task. First, it employs a rear-entry style rear cuff, complete with a seemingly old-school rear spine lever and even a retro, spinning disk for fine tuning that clamping action. This latching mechanism is called the QuickFlip Lever and testers said, aptly named. They loved it for its easy-to-grab, intuitive releasing and locking action, and the fine adjustment disc was similarly easy to suss-out without having to RTFM (you know, read the manual). No, the spinny disc thing didn’t tension a cable that closed the fit down on the instep, like a true old rear-entry, but it did a great job of clam-shelling the cuff together without any hassles.
Second in the closure chain of command is the upper cuff buckle, which initially seems the usual fare, but it has a nifty bale-locking catch that will keep the wire bale in place when the buckle’s lever is thrown open. You can open that buckle without losing the bale’s place on the teeth, stuff your foot into the boot (no-handed if you like), then close the buckle without any fiddling about. In another straightforward naming scheme it’s called the Set-and-Forget Buckle.
Last but certainly not least is the lower BOA reel that puts control of the lower shell’s closure in a skier’s hand in one centrally located (and rotating) spot. This is a great use of BOA technology, our team said, and it was the final piece in a well-coordinated effort to help skiers get their boots on and done-up with less of it (effort, that is).
Regardless of the rear-entry style clam shell cuff closure, the boot functions as a modern, overlap design in the lower shell, which inherently gives the boot some guts for controlling a ski. Testers said that while an off-piste attack dog the Nexus was definitely not, it was a predictable, stable cruiser that loved sticking with a relaxed, upright stance and preferred not straying too far off the groomed path. With those caveats in place, testers loved skiing the Nexus BOA all around the hill and appreciated the warmth and comforts of its spacious interior accommodations.
While the women’s nexus is billed as a 101mm last, indicating a roomy-ish medium-width, testers gave most of its fit zones wide-ride fit scores, with the exception of the instep which they said felt more traditionally medium-width. They liked the snug (but highly cushioned, they assured) fit over the top of the foot for the added control of skis it offered. However, they suggested that for skiers with thick insteps that likely go hand-in-hand with wide feet and big calves, employing the Memory Fit oven-cook shell feature to gain some additional instep height might do the trick for a more evenly applied open floor plan fit.
