The Nexus BOA set out to blend three evenly-weighted goals—be supremely easy to get on and done-up, fit like a proper boot for the medium-to-high volume foot and leg, and ski damn well. Our team says done and dusted, the Nexus ticks all those boxes.
Is Atomic’s Nexus 120 BOA the first boot to attempt to combine these three key access elements in recent years? No. Is it the first boot to resurrect a quasi-rear-entry cuff closure in that endeavor? No. Is it the best attempt at combining all three—that’d be a resounding yes from our test team. The Nexus is aptly named, as it serves as a collector of several closure technologies into one.
First, it’s got a rear-entry style cuff release with a set-it-and-forget-it tension adjusting dial on a big, easy-to-grab, restomod rear-entry style latching mechanism. Second, it re-imagines the traditional buckle bale keeper clasp to allow the buckle lever to be opened but not lose the bale’s purchase on the particular tooth the skier has set for preferred tension. Third, it incorporates a lower boot BOA reel to keep any additional tightening or loosening housed in one simple location.
The idea here is that getting into the boot is the first hurdle for a lot of skiers—and the Nexus 120 BOA we tested is as easy to get on as they come—but after stuffing the foot in, one-handed (or no-handed), the next task of closing-up the boot system can prove daunting for some folks. The Nexus closure system makes it straightforward for skiers who might be challenged in the flexibility department to get the boot done-up, just right, without busting a gut or having to ask for help.
The 101mm last suggests that the Nexus fits between the medium and a wide, and our testers say, sure, with a wink—it’s pretty wide, they assure. The fit zone most notably higher-volume than the average medium-width fit is the instep. The fit over the top of the foot and up through the boot throat is ample. The thick-footed folks and high-bony-arched guys who struggle to find a comfortable top-of-foot fit that doesn’t reduce blood flow (and warmth) or cause numbness will be ecstatic about the extra clearance here. Lower instep, flat-ish feet may find closure and heel retention lacking due to the vaulted ceiling height.
The broad arc of the lower boot along the outside edge of the forefoot is fantastically shaped for the wider foot to spread out and find the floor in a balanced and neutral fashion, and yet the BOA cabling did an admirable job of snugging the fit for the less-fat-footed on our test team.
While our test team felt no need to heat-mold the liner for a more relaxed or comfortable fit, for very high volume feet and legs the Mimic liner (Platinum, Gold or Silver versions dependent on the Nexus model’s stiffness) offers a high degree of moldability to further open-up the fit.
The stance is upright, regardless of how forward the Nexus’s advertised 15-degrees of forward lean may sound, testers report. Big calf skiers will love it and the slender legged will likely want to add some form of rear spoiler between the shell and liner to tip them into a more athletic, fore-aft position. Testers were pleased by how well the Nexus 120 skied on all terrain and snow surfaces—it was predictable in how it rolled the skis onto edge and held them in strong, stable fashion at all speeds through a variety of turn shapes. Skinny-legged and low-instep testers were at a disadvantage with the upright stance angle and high-volume instep fit but even they loved its edging game, especially on predictably smooth pistes.
