2004 Boot Review Archives
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Written by Steve Cohen and Jeff Rich | Testing in conjunction with Ski Press Magazine
When Sir Isaac Newton said, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” we're pretty sure that he wasn't talking about ski equipment. Yet, the advent of shaped skis in the mid-Nineties has fostered a reactive explosion in a ski boot market that had been stagnant for half a decade. With shaped skis, the need to apply strong forward pressure to the tips has been eliminated. The ability to move skis effectively requires less strength and more finesse, particularly laterally. Subtle foot-and- The ski boot scene today is a truly full-blown creative stew, the like of which hasn't been seen since the sport's explosive growth years in the Sixties. While overlap based designs continue to dominate, they have been outfitted with better chassis and componentry. The design ethos has shifted to sweating the small stuff. Shackles removed, factories have begun introducing new closure and containment systems, flex control and alignment devices, and liners that hug and flex with the foot. For a look at the most notable advances in ski boot design, click over to our Technical Highlights section.
After an enthusiastic reception to last year's inaugural efforts, both retailers and our testers have greeted this season's New Tech entries with a yawn. Said one perplexed boot manufacturer's product manager, “What's the point? Our traditional boots are just as easy to get in and out of and they ski better. The only reason these products exist is that Rossignol showed some strong market penetration and everybody else didn't want to get caught with their shorts down.”
On the whole, we found more ABB Bests among the traditional four-buckle overlaps you'll find in the All-Mountain Cruiser category (for performance-oriented skiers and in the Out for Fun bunch (for those just looking to recreate in comfort). We breakdown our ABB Best choices into six categories: Race, All-Mountain Expert, All-Mountain Cruisers, New Technology Performance, New Technology Comfort and Out for Fun. Click on category descriptions to see where you fit—and get skiing! TO REVIEWS: race | all mtn. expert | all mtn. cruiser | new technology | new technology comfort | out for fun |
ankle steering is more important than blocky brute power. This revolution in ski design has freed boot manufacturers to let boots flex more naturally. At the same time, new molding techniques that seamlessly blend plastics of different consistencies became affordable to ski boot factories. The result? Modern boots that are universally more comfortable with better handling characteristics. 
‘Soft', or what we like to call New Technology boots, continues to grow as a category. Nearly every major company now has an avant garde collection that uses more textiles and less plastic. 
A handful of these new style boots work well (see our ABB Best choices below) and if you want to be on the cutting edge of technology then by all means drink from this fountain of creativity.