While the Fischer RC4 105 LV BOA is a Vacuum boot and one of the unique qualities about the Fischer Vacuum molding system is that it can compress the shell around the foot, actually making a heel p
A good value for thick-footed cruisers looking for agility and ease of use in a cushy package. The RC Pro W 90 Thermoshape received high marks for predictable turns and business class creature comfort.
Testers say this fits much wider in the lower boot than a 100mm boot should. That doesn't make the fit bad, just mis-labeled. Wide, high-volume feet and average to wider calves will do well here. Testers love the cushioned, well appointed liner (fur) and thought the closure system was simple and straightforward (easy buckles with gloves on).
Cruisemobile, one tester called it, saying that the cuff wasn't strong enough for hard-chargers but would respond to less demanding instructions all around the hill just fine. Testers liked the playful flex feel and neutral stance set-up and pointed to the RC Pro W 90 Thermo as a great option for intermediates looking to become better skiers in comfort and warmth.
There are three other RC Pro W Vacuum models available (90, 100 and 110 flexes) and these could be a good step up from the Thermoshape version, but at a premium Vacuum price.
A low volume charger straight out of the box with an option to substantially modify fit with the Vacuum process. The Trinity 110 Vacuum Full Fit's big three for our team was: fit, performance and one pink buckle.
Testers liked the evenly snug lower boot fit and the way the stove-pipe shaft lined the lower leg. Bigger calf testers needed to remove the rear spoiler (which most testers did anyway to straighten up the very forward stance angle). The length fit is shorter than average, testers said, and will remain so. While this is a Vacuum model, based on our previous Vacuum tests skiers should not count on the Vac process increasing length fit much.
Because Fischer didn't provide a Vacuum system for the test, we had to focus our Trinity test effort on straight out-of-the box fit and performance. Testers almost across the board chose to remove the rear spoiler and many moved it in front of the tongue as a way to straighten up the too-forward stance. Once they did, performance scores rose.
In the real world the easy way to solve that problem would be to Vacuum mold the Trinity 110 using the 14-degree forward lean setting during the process. Testers love the energetic, snappy flex feel of the Vacu Plast shell. It’s lightweight and lively from turn-to-turn, they said, affording precision execution of expert level moves with plenty of horsepower on tap.
The 2Zone Vacuum Full Fit system allows the skier to determine how snug or how relaxed the fit will be in both the rearfoot (heel, ankle, instep) and cuff as well as in the front of foot (toebox and forefoot). It's possible to exert different levels of pressure on the rearfoot for a snugger-than-stock fit while achieving a more-open fit up front. Stance angles are altered to suit the skier's anatomy automatically, but it's critical to select the right forward lean angle (we've almost always liked the 14-degree setting in past tests) and a proper, neutral stance width (the width where you want your skis to be flat).
To achieve truly wide-last room, skiers may need to go a size up in the Plush 6. Testers said it runs a snug-medium in the lower boot and big calf skiers had trouble getting it buckled. Custom liner molding was key, testers said.
Short and tight with snug closure over the top of the foot and a means-business wrap on the lower leg shaft—testers were happier with the overall fit after full liner molding using toecaps and pre-padding prominences. After molding testers still called this an easy going medium—wide last status is achievable by going up a size and molding the liner, they said. Testers liked the molded feel of the thick liner underfoot—good shape adaptation for skiers without custom footbeds.
The Full Tilt M.O.—too forward and too soft for our testers. One of our custom testers swapped on a stiffer tongue (a #8 that comes stock on the men's Descendant) and was immediately impressed with the taller stance and firmer, more supportive flex. Lateral moves were consistent and easily engaged, but the Plush lacked the turn finish of narrow sister Soul.
There is an adjustable forward lean mechanism, but with limited range to straighten the cuff. There is a lateral cuff adjustment that could be tweaked for more edge power and the shock-absorbing bootboard could be swapped (via the spare parts order sheet) for a rigid one for a bit more power under foot.
Slender legged, skinny-footed lightweights who seek the bumps and pow will find this boot their, well, Soul Sister. It wiggles its way from summit to lift maze with quick lateral moves and a super long travel and soft flex that benefits from a light touch to the front of the boot.
Length fit is short and narrow-class snug throughout the lower. The spiral wrap Intuition liner rings the leg shaft like a boa constrictor. Testers liked the fit better post-molding. The process helped the foot seat into the floor of the shell and relaxed the bulk along the lateral side of the leg where the liner overlaps double up. Testers got used to the old-school Flexon style buckle adjust tracks and swinging cables after some fussin’ and cussin’.
Light and agile with a long-travel flex, said testers. Lighter weight testers with low volume feet and slender legs liked it best. Bigger testers folded the boot over like a soft taco. Those with thick calves had a hard time buckling the boot and were pushed too forward into a semi-wall-sit position.
The petite testers in the “like” column said the flex was super soft and the stance overly forward. They liked the boot for its quick lateral direction changes and ability to absorb mogul hits. Switch skiing and jib-centric testers approved its park-quotient but similarly wished for a more upright stance and stiffer flex and suggested upgrading to a stiffer tongue and removing the rear forward lean wedge at the base of the cuff.
Testers loved the look and the Intuition liner's extreme moldability. The cuff adjustment mechanism is old-school and a little tricky to set. Enlist professional bootfitting help to make the adjustment and don’t lose the bag of parts that come with it.
The new Advant Edge 85 W was a pleasant surprise. It’s roomy and upright yet skied joyfully all over the mountain with unflinching confidence. A big value for big feet and legs.
The cuff is tall and upright but its open fit accommodates larger calves. In fact, skier with larger volume calves will find themselves in a slightly more athletic and forward position in this boot. The liner lower is well padded with a cushy, easy-going feel. A "guaranteed no hot spot" fit, testers said.
Stouter than its advertised 85 flex. Combined with the upright and tallish cuff, that made ankle flexion a challenge for some of our lighter weight testers. One took advantage of the two-position flex adjuster to soften it and reported good results.
Laterally, the Advant Edge 85 W was a beast; testers were impressed with its strength and stability on edge at high speeds, even on harder snow surfaces. It wasn’t super quick but testers said it’s a tactile boot that follows commands accurately.
Head’s Form Fit shell can be molded to open up volume in tight spots. Testers said it would take a really wide foot and big calf to need it. Nonetheless, a great option for some. The Perfect Fit liner also heat molds to the foot and inside of the shell for a locked-in match between foot and boot.
The Vector Evo 110 W combines a silky interior feel with a silky on-snow demeanor. It’s a well-balanced comfort and performance package that will work for a wide variety of skiers looking for a medium width boot.
Dead-even medium fit tension scores throughout the lower boot and upper cuff with the exception of the heel pocket. Several testers mentioned it felt a little looser than it should.
It also had a touch more room at the calf as well (a good thing there, testers said). The liner is exceedingly cushioned and has a smooth, slippery feel that most testers liked. Some felt their foot sliding around a bit while skiing. Team with a grippier sock material.
Testers said the boot felt a little softer than billed. Note that the flex adjustment comes set at the softer 100 flex out of the box. If more resistance is preferred, it’s easy to make the adjustment in shop during try-on.
Most testers felt the cuff angle was quite upright. They liked that fairly straight stance angle for long swooping carves and softer off-piste conditions but some yearned to be a little more forward to speed up the turn intervals on firmer snow. Testers liked that they didn't have to unbuckle at any time; it’s ultra-comfortable, they said.
The Form Fit shell and Perfect Fit liner work as a team to match the foot shape. They also mate well, marrying the exterior of the liner to the interior of the shell for a more secure translation of foot movements to ski. Testers said out-of-the-box fit is so comfortable it requires a pretty thick foot to need shell molding. Most testers found the Spine Tech buckles cumbersome to fiddle with.
For all-mountain skiers who refuse to sacrifice performance, the Spyre 100 is a strong skiing medium width for shredding steeps and stomping landings (with a few easy trades made on fit and convenience).
Initial fit for most testers was tight in the toebox and tight over the top of the foot. The Intuition lower portion of the liner opens up substantially with full thermo-molding, and our custom tests showed that both those issues were greatly improved by the process. The liner tongue is well cushioned and testers liked the progressive flex feel of the Spyre 100. Testers were unanimous in their opinion that the K2 is not one of the easy ones to get on and off.
Stance-wise many testers thought the boot too forward-leaning with the thick rear spoiler installed and pulled it out for a more upright stance in line with category average angles. Once they found their fore-aft sweet spot, testers couldn't say enough about how well the Spyre skis—light and agile underfoot coupled with a damp and easy power band for accessing power throughout the turn.
Testers like the dual-sided cuff adjustment mechanisms and the fact that the thick rear spoiler is made of an easily grinded material for dialing in a perfect fore-aft set up. The Intuition lower liner is very moldable and with toecaps and pre-padding for bony spots the comfort factor skyrockets.
Returns unchanged except for updated paint job. And that’s for very good reason, testers said. One tester wrote, “[The RX 110 W] blows away the competition." It was neck and neck at the top of the medium-width division with Tecnica’s Mach1 105 W MV.
The RX 110 W has classic Lange medium-width RX line fit profile. It’s on the tighter side of the medium group with a noticeably firm grip on the heel and ankle and welcome additional room over the top of the foot and in the toebox. Testers said it's not super easy to get on but the glove-like fit makes any tussling worth the effort. One called the initial fit “locked and loaded, ready to go off.”
How many ways to say, "It rips?" We're not sure but testers used these descriptors: OMG, buttery, efficient, eager, perfect, nimble, solid, fluid, consistent and bam. We'll just go with that.
Our test team thinks the coolest feature of the RX boot is its virtual lack of cool features. They liked its elemental nature. It just fit well out of the box and skied well from first turn to its last.
Testers said the SX 90 W was the best performing of the All-Mountain women's wides. They liked that a boot with extra room at the instep, calf and forefoot can put a ski on edge and perform all over the hill.
Volume-extended versions of the medium width RX boots, SX models are more open in the toebox, forefoot, instep and calf. This works well for good skiing women with higher volume feet and legs who want secure heel and ankle hold for precision skiing.
Flex was on target, testers said, and comfortable against the shin throughout its range. Not the easiest boot in its class to get on, testers said, though they felt the performance it delivered was a more than fair trade off.
Shines in all turns, all snow conditions and terrain. Testers found zero flaws with its performance game. Solid on edge and in quick in transitions, it steers accurately given the generous volume. Testers said the Lange performance force is strong in this one. Stance angles are neutral and on the upright side. Women with thicker calves will put the leg shaft right where it belongs. Otherwise the slender-legged can have their bootfitter add a custom spoiler.
Testers loved the colors and the clean, simple cosmetic scheme. Pretty basic design: single sided cuff adjuster, 35mm Velcro power strap with four buckles.
For intermediate and low-advanced skiers with big feet and big calves, the Cruise 75 W is tougher than it sounds, flexing more like and 85 or 90 flex and stable enough at speed and through chop.
Huge everywhere, with a slightly more snug heel (good thing), especially at the calf where there is also more room available via a calf fit expansion adjustment (good thing). Some testers said the buckles got tangled with each other, but all said entry and exit was a breeze. A couple testers complained about a sharp shin fit.
Firm flex feel loads some gumption to the ski, testers said, and with enough foot to fill the fluffy container, quickness isn't out of the question. Just fine for tooling around the groomed with the occasional jaunt off piste, they agreed. Plenty of power for $349, that's for sure.
The ACP (Adjustable Calf Profile) is a sweet feature that's easy to use for further opening the calf fit to massive proportions. The Cruise line-up features Nordica's Natural Foot Stance, a slightly more duck-footed (abducted) stance, which works well for more duck-footed folk. If when standing you make your feet parallel (like a parallel skier) and you feel instantly knock-kneed or heavy under the little toe side of your feet, this is for you.
Longer legged, slender calved, narrow forefoot ripper girls will say yes to this address. The GPX 105 W features a charger's cockpit that strafes all snow and terrain.
The boot received evenly narrow-ish fit scores across the board, with recurring comments that the heel felt a little loose. That’s easily solved by having a thicker heel or a bootfitter installing custom L-pads. Testers felt the boot cuff rode a little tall and fairly tight on the calf with the rear spoiler installed. A few thought the stance was a bit on the forward-leaning side, so pulling or thinning the spoiler could resolve both issues.
Descended from the Dobermann, the GPX 105 W can, of course, ski with the best of them. Technical, aggressive skiers liked this boot best. It responded well to a firm tone and skilled movements. Testers liked its stiff even flex feel against the leg. It's powerful but light, quick but stable.
For alignment range of motion, it's tough to beat the Full Motion Pivot upper cuff adjustment mechanisms. It rotates the cuff or tips it laterally with the same gizmo. We like it. Shock absorbing bootboard and grippy soles make for a damp, off-piste ride at speed.
So many good elements come together here. The out-of-the-box fit was among the best, testers said, if a bit too roomy in the toebox and forefoot for a true medium width. The flex feel is dreamy and the cosmetic touches impressed. As did the Speedmachine 105 W's dedicated Infrared custom fitting system.
While testers felt a little disconnected in the toe and forefoot zones, they mentioned that the cork liner heel and ankle pockets retained the foot well and that firm contact at the instep held them where they wanted to be. Flex was long travel with well-distributed pressure along the shin. Testers thought it a little softer than its 105 rating, some noting they would probably opt for the stiffer 115 flex model.
Laterally, there was no shortage of stiffness with which to lever the ski up onto edge and hold it there. Testers were impressed with its speed and hard snow game, but were just as keen on how well it dialed it back and feathered on-and-off edge with finesse. This is a boot with a wide performance bandwidth that will work for many different types of skiers, they said.
The new, stiff Tri-Force shell spine and lower rail construction (like a cuff-to-sole "L" shape) work well to maintain a rigid skeleton while shedding overall weight. The lower shell is molded with thicker areas for a strong power link and thinner areas for weight reduction and easy shape modification.
Using a proprietary Infrared molding system, the thin areas are heated where needed for additional room and a suction cup is affixed to the area. It pulls the shell material outward, rather than the traditional push from the inside, to accommodate for bony prominences.
