Boots 2006: Two Steps Forward, One back?

Test Management by the MasterFit University Educational Staff:
Jeff Rich, Bob Gleason, Greg Hoffmann and Mark Elling

In their quest for universal comfort fit, are manufacturers compromising on-hill performance?

There’s no question that the past five years have seen ski boot factories make considerable strides toward the Holy Grail of boot design —out of the box, universal comfort. It’s a problem that has vexed the industry since the late Sixties when Bob Lange unequivocally demonstrated that better performance came from rugged and rigid plastic instead of leather, then the boot material of choice.
But in their drive to reinvent the round wheel, have manufacturers opened a Pandora’s Box, sacrificing function for comfort? If there’s one overriding theme that our testers echoed in their comments this year, it’s that many boots provide reduced dynamic fit tension as they continue to grow more voluminous in both girth and length.

 “Downsizing has become even more paramount but that’s not the complete answer,” says tester Greg Hoffmann, owner of Green Mountain Orthotics in Stratton, VT. “New liner materials and constructions are providing exceptional static comfort and form fitting initial feel but they seem to be packing our quicker and to a larger cavity after a short time. If the foot isn’t secured, the skier loses the mechanical advantage over the ski.”

“Too many of the boots below the all-mountain category are unresponsive,” said tester Daphne Amory, a PSIA Level III instructor and a professional wine consultant who knows a thing or two about quality products. “The boots that were sensitive to the foot created strong dynamics that transmitted directly to the snow.”

A good ski boot is similar to a computer operating system. It does its job sight unseen and is a rapid conduit for transmitting information. And like an operating system, when it glitches, everything unravels.

Most of our testers who are also professional bootfitters see the results that come with a good fitting boot with proper balance characteristics almost daily. “It’s amazing what supposedly ‘average’ skiers can accomplish when their boots works for, not against, them,” says Jeff Rich, technical director of the America’s Best Bootfitters Boot Test and owner of U.S. Orthotic Center in New York City.  “The little shudder, the small bobble, the hunt and peck for a clean edge track through the snow disappears. The link from thought to ski is electric. The hill becomes a never ending series of ‘Oh, It’s You Bob’ moments.”

That’s one reason we don’t test true entry level boots. They really don’t work well—for anyone. We appreciate that ski boots represent a considerable investment but they’re not the place to trim your ski budget. Buy a cheaper ski (so many work so well) or wait another year for the hot new jacket.
“So many people constantly change their boots because they’re not fitted properly or they bought inferior products,” says tester Peter Palmer, who is also a 30-year PSIA Examiner and knows what helps a skier improve. “An investment in quality boots and professional fitting services is amortized over a number of years. In the long run, it can actually cost less than constantly changing boots.”

We hope that our extensive testing will help you zone in on a good choice. But by no means are the models we review the only good boots on the market. We request that every manufacturer submit one model per category. Usually they select one they will produce in the greatest quantity or the one that headlines the particular collection. Sometimes, especially with women’s models, very limited sizing is available at test time. If we can’t get enough tests on a specific model to reach a consensus, we won’t consider that particular boot for review.

Often the characteristics exhibited by one model are evident throughout the collection so you might want to consider a related boot above the recommended model. Keep in mind that our tests show that stepping down can negatively impact your skiing.

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