Testers loved the Tecnica Mach BOA HV 105 W for its ample volume and plus-size curves, and that's without their huge appreciation for how the BOA closure system put a new spin on the Mach1 wide rid
Testers liked the new Anthem 115 W BOA for its well-shaped and cozy liner paired with an easy in and buckled (BOA'd?) up closure system, and appreciated it even more for its convenient, go-everywhere skiing feel. Testers said not to fret over the too-soft feeling flex during indoor try-on as the thin shell wall polyurethane plastic firms up nicely out in the cold.
The light-in-hand feel of the Anthem boot remained intact with this new BOA version, as did the ease of getting this on and off, testers said. The BOA's cable tension can be completely released by pulling out on the reel with an obvious click, but testers found that there was no need to pull out any cable slack in order to slide into the boot and if they did, they discovered they just had to take more time to reel that slack back in to get things properly done up. Once in, testers liked the traditional buckles on the cuff and got the BOA tension figured out a click at a time by rotating the wheel forward to tighten and rearward to loosen. Testers affirmed that the BOA closure system did allow the lower boot to wrap incrementally tighter against the foot without distorting shape--to a point. The agreed that this is a generous medium width fit and some testers felt that in order to achieve a snug fit they did get to a point where the nice shape over the top of the foot began to flatten out somewhat under BOA constriction. Testers note that there is a slick pocket built into the liner over the toes as a way to add fit tension without having to max the cable closure and crush the bony midfoot.
The test team cast a majority vote in favor of how the Anthem skied--light underfoot and agile in its all-mountain attack, swiftly negotiating technical moves when guided by a deft skier pilot. The ex-racer crowd in our crew thought it lacked a little horsepower due to the thin shell wall plastic, but others loved its accuracy of steering and light weight feel--a heavy, damp race boot it is not, they all agreed.
The Anthem 115 W BOA offers an Ultralon heat moldable liner, though testers liked its out-of-box shape and thought a full temp cook should be reserved for moderating some fit inconsistencies that others might experience. The elasticized Booster-style power strap with cam buckle was a hit for a firm and well-distributed closure at the boot top where testers liked the shin fit, if a little soft for some. Cuff adjustment is enabled by the elliptical mix-and-match inserts for a solid connection between upper and lower, and alpine DIN soles are available for the GripWalk deniers out there, but they don't come in the box.
Testers roundly agreed the new Recon 130 BOA deserved to be in the top group of gold medal boots in the all-mountain medium-width category and gave it the highest score of the men's K2 boots we tested this year. Almost every member of our team liked the addition of the BOA closure system on the Recon's lower shell. With many comments about the evenly medium fit, testers liked how the shell and liner worked in concert to hold the foot in place firmly but with an ideal amount of cushion and insulation for all-day skiing. Balancing out the many positive comments about the Recon's proper fit for the average volume foot and leg were just as many mentions of how well this boot skied all around the mountain.
While the thin shell walled polyurethane produces a light-in-the-hand boot, testers didn't characterize it as flighty or fidgety--exactly the opposite, with testers expressing surprise at how well it handled big skis at high speeds as well as rough and demanding terrain. A couple testers thought it was a little under-gunned in fore-aft support for a 130-flex but they were in the small minority, as most of the team found few flaws in the Recon's on-snow strategy.
While our team has some BOA skeptics on board, their criticism was muted here--very few BOA related issues were cited by the team. Entry and exit wasn't impeded in this model and only one mention of an overly tight fit on the midfoot was leveled at it. K2 has anticipated the possibility of a too tight midfoot with a vacuous fit over the toes and developed a little pocket over the liner toebox where a foam shim can be inserted to better level the dorsal surface pressure. We're not sure this is the best solution for that, but it's a pretty good start and testers appreciate the nod toward putting bootfitter-centric solutions in place from the outset.
Testers liked the idea of different density inserts on the bootboard itself for modifying the ground feel or vibration dampening of the boot, though very few fiddled with it. They wished a set of alpine soles came in the box, but alas that is an aftermarket purchase for those stuck with pre-GripWalk binders. The cam buckled, elasticized power strap was a hit and testers liked the Ultralon ankle pockets in the liner for enhanced heat moldability.
After an encouraging debut last year, Kastle returns this season with a broader offering of models, including an understated 100-flex medium and low-volume all-mountain model pointed at the women's market. Our testers got in the 100mm K100P at this year's test and were impressed by this newcomer who rolled into a very well-populated category and hung in with some heavy hitters there.
This one will appeal to four-buckle overlap purists who know what they want from a boot (straightforward fit, traditional fit mods, real downhill performance) and aren't so gentrified that a little entry and exit struggle or need for a shell punch here and there would dissuade them from pulling the trigger on a great boot. This hints at the few chinks in the K100P's armor--testers thought that this boot harked back to an era where skiers might have been a little tougher. Ease of entry and exit was the boot's biggest demerit, but it didn't cause any tester to give up or cry. A very roomy toebox (vertically) and some lack of shape in the ankle and heel pockets added up to minor demerit number two. None of these issues were enough to bump the K100P out of gold medal standing, but they led testers to drop it just below the level of the big name perennial favorites in the category.
The Kastle K100P is something of a sleeper, they said, solidly powerful beyond the 100-click stiffness rating Kastle gives it and confidence-inspiring in the way that it damps vibrations and controls the ski through irregular and firm surfaces alike. They (and the men who tested two models) universally liked the way the cuff wrapped the lower leg and cradled the shin in a close match to the skeleton without crushing soft tissue. The stance angles were on the mark (its highest score), testers said, and they liked the no-frills features set: dual pull loops on a lace-up liner, cam-buckle power strap and GripWalk soles. Testers liked the inclusion of Velcro liner fit pads for tightening up the ankle and heel area. They also said the white with teal cosmetic was classic and classy.
This boot says: time to quit fussing about and go skiing, they said.
In Kastle's sophomore year as a boot manufacturer and our first interaction with the 110-flex medium-width K110P, testers were again impressed (having tested its inaugural 130-flex last year). Testers applauded the quick gains from last year in the way of an improved liner and more flex offerings. The consensus was that the Kastle boot has its fresh roots sunk into deeply established old-school, four-buckle-overlap design traditions--and our somewhat old-school testing team dug that, with a few minor caveats.
First, they loved the 110-flex for everything the 130-flex was not: easier to get on and off, softer flexing against the shin, forgiving of mistakes and more comfortable on bony points. The softer polyurethane plastic build-out of the 110 just made everything a bit more relaxed, which made this Kastle more approachable for the masses (and our testers) and a bit more fun. It's still a serious boot that will appeal to technical skiers looking for a spartan, no-nonsense ski driving machine, testers said, but for all but the most demanding and hard-core skiers the K110P would be plenty. It flexes and skis stronger than the 110-flex indicator suggests, they said, and it's a snug 100mm last. Going to the 97mm narrow version and the 120 or 130 stiffnesses would come with trade-offs in comfort and ease of access, testers thought.
That Kastle's entry into the boot realm is focused on the narrowest race plugs and then performance 97- and 100-mm overlap performance models sets a high bar for themselves, as the best, most established boot brands in the world own this space, and yet Kastle has not embarassed themselves. Far from it, they've proved that simple still works, and for the right skier that's a win. Our test team loved the K boot's stance angles (a perfect 5.00) and skiing response, and they only had a few complaints about the fit's less-than-contoured feel on common bony bits. They felt that with a good bootfitter's help, the shape would be on par with the best boots in the category, but still the out-of-box fit experience got a "needs improvement" on their report cards.
Did testers love the Kastle color? That was a split decision. Will the Kastle boots be available at brick-and-mortar specialty retail shops? That remains to be seen. If they're not, it ain't because they don't deserve to be, we think.
Testers have been waiting for this version of the women's Formula MV to show up, and now that it has they awarded it gold medal level scores and found very little to criticize. While it's packed full of fit and performance features, the Formula 105 W MV GW doesn't rely on those to excel. Rather, the 105 MV gets by on a beautifully shaped shell with neutral, comfortable stance angles and a reliably damp and stable polyurethane foundation in both shell and cuff. Sure the features are cool (Liquid Fit injectable liner, Form Fit oven-moldable shell, solid insert style cuff adjustment and alpine DIN plates in the box) but what testers were most excited about this year was the Formula MV's revised liner.
The 3D Perfect Fit EVO Pro LF W liner (it better be damn good with a name like that) sealed the deal for testers on a slam-dunk first fit and feel straight out of the box. Padded without feeling bulky, sculpted for common prominences and curvatures without leaving them loose, and firm enough around the ankles and heel to provide a performance connection with the ski but without losing the creature comfort that earned it a nearly perfect score for Convenience and Warmth. Testers who've had a chance to test the women's 100mm Formula in past tests were probably the most complimentary of this current rendition for its most-improved flex feel and fit along the shin. They said it's as good as it gets now, even compared to other great boots in the category, but worlds ahead of previous liners' tongue feel. Well done in keeping after that, Head, they said.
While the boot's best quality is the fact that there are very few flaws (the only one mentioned multiple times was that the liner fit a little short on the toes), for those who need to make some changes, the Formula platform is designed to be modified by skilled bootfitters. The mono-injected polyurethane shell and cuff handle traditional stretches and grinds without issue, but the Form Fit oven-cook-then-mold feature is a useful tool when a widespread expansion is required, say opening up the calf in a big way or increasing instep volume. The Liquid Fit wax-goo injection feature is a slick way to provide subtle improvement to the heel and ankle pocket, but it's rarely needed (break-in your liners by skiing several days before injecting, is our bootfitter-test-team's advice).
The Head Formula 130 MV GW is one of those boots that testers say shouldn't ski as well as it does for how cushy, comfy and convenient it is--but it does! Head has revised the Formula liners to a place where they provide a praiseworthy blend of comfort and control, testers say, calling this version the best all-mountain performance medium they've ever tested from Head. Where many boots either occupy one end of the spectrum defined by creature comfort while others live at the other end, in the pure performance cul-de-sac, the Formula 130 MV splits the difference nicely. The scores back that up--its highest scores (4.90 & 4.80 out of 5) were found in the Convenience, Warmth & Features category and the Edge Power category.
The Formula's chassis is modeled off of the Raptor WCR boots, with a new polyurethane plastic blend that testers like for its resilient and energized flex feel and that bootfitters like for its easy grinding and stretching character. The stance map is neutral, with just a hint of extra leverage to the inside edge with a 0.5-degree tip out of the cuff. Testers loved the dynamic and technical feel of this boot, whether it was driving a piste ski on hardpack or a fatty in pow. There were virtually no complaints about the fit or performance of the Formula 130 MV, save a few mentions that after on snow testing the fit opened up to a "generous" medium width for some testers.
The features kit on the Formula boots is well-crafted and useful, testers said, highlighting the snap in cuff adjustment disks that move the upper boot 1-degree in or out and fit enhancement features like the Form Fit shell morphing oven-cook option or the ankle and heel filling Liquid Fit injection. Bootfitter testers remind skiers that Liquid Fit works best if the boot is properly sized to begin with (it won't fix a too-big boot fit) and is most effective after the liner has been broken in with several days of skiing prior to injection. Testers like the 50mm Velcro strap with the gliding PowerPlate that allows for broad distribution of pressure at the boot top. Some testers miss the double pulley style Booster strap found on other Head flagship models and a few still gripe about Spine Flex buckles, but these were minor concerns amidst an overwhelmingly positive response to a solid performer.
Testers loved the Fischer RC4 95 HV for how thick and pillowy it felt against the foot and leg, with plenty of room at the forefoot, instep and calf for the typical higher volume foot and leg. They were surprised (and a little concerned) by how tightly the heel was gripped in this 102mm wide ride, but for women who have a wide forefoot and thick calf paired with a slender heel testers said this was a match made in heaven. It was not much of a surprise to see that our test team gave the 95 HV's Convenience, Warmth & Features score a perfect five, but it was a shock to see it match that 5.00 in the Quickness metric--for the target audience at a 95-flex, testers said it was spot on for an accurate steering response.
The RC4 95 HV's fore-aft stance was a touch more upright than some, which testers thought paired well with the ample room at the cuff that accommodated a thick calf--the muscle mass of which usually drives the leg a bit more forward, in this case ending up right where it should be rather than flexed into a quad-crushing wall sit. The side-to-side angles were neutral and offered easy edging for our test team, which was fortunate as there is no on-board cuff adjustment mechanism in Fischer's RC4 HV boots.
This is a Vacuum model, which Fischer downplays a bit nowadays, happy instead to focus on its good, out-of-box fit that usually doesn't require any messing around with ovens and pressurized bladders, but for those who needed some tweaking--say, a more relaxed heel squeeze--this is a fantastic fitting tool when handled by a Fischer dealer with the right equipment for the job. Our tests of the Vacuum fitting system over the years have yielded very positive results, but as with any bootfitting modification, the skill of the fitter is at least as important as the implement or feature.
The new Fischer RC4 105 MV BOA VAC GW impressed our test team not just with its encryption styled letters and numbers naming scheme but for its simplicity of design and straightforward on-snow character. The MV sits in between the LV with its ZipFit liner option and the 95 flex HV widebody cruiser, and testers thought it filled that niche. They gave the MV fit scores that put it on the roomy end of the medium width group, but they did like the way that the new BOA lower boot closed down, a click at a time to snug the fit around the foot.
It took our testers a little bit of fiddling to figure out how to dial in (literally) their preferred BOA fit, and until they realized that the tension could be backed off one click at a time rather than popping the reel to release all cable tension they cussed a bit. Once testers had played with it a bit, they turned into BOA fans for the most part. They said that in the RC4 105 MV BOA the cabling did not seem to impede entry and exit.
With neutral stance angles and a cuff height that testers called ideal, the RC4 105 MV BOA was easy to access for good skiing, they said, and they especially liked the flex feel against the shin which they characterized as on-the-money for a 105 flex. Testers appreciated the no fuss 45mm Velcro power strap and traditional buckles on the cuff. The insert-style cuff adjustment feature is solid, if tools-required, and they liked an option to Vacuum mold the boot, though there was no immediate need to expand the shell, testers said. They suggested going LV if the relaxed fit of the MV felt a bit too comfortable out of the box.
Fully automated vehicles may still be a ways off, but testers said that the full auto-pilot ski boot is here and it's called the Fischer RC4 105 LV VAC GW! Perfect scores for both edge power and quickness supported testers' comments that this boot skied well no matter what the ski, snow surface or terrain. Testers said that while the 105 performed more strongly than the flex index would suggest its greatest strength was its seemingly automated turn entry and strangely intuitive forgiveness of mistakes--like it knew what was being asked of it, they said. Easy to ski, fun to ski was the mantra.
This is a consistently snug, low-volume fit, testers agreed, which is nothing to sneeze about any more. So those skiers who have struggled to find narrows that actually fit as such can add this one to their short list for early season try-on. The stance angles were right where testers wanted them to be and the flex feel against the leg was ideal, they said. For a 105-flex narrow class fixed-cuff boot, testers said it went on and off more easily than expected.
There wasn't a BOA option on this model and testers were just fine with that, happy to slide in and buckle up using four normal buckles and a 45mm Velcro power strap. Nor was there a fancy ZipFit liner option for this boot and testers were okay with that too. In fact, they were provided a ZipFit prototype to test with this shell and they actually preferred the stock liner--so the takeaway is that this one's a beaut right out of the box! Speaking of out of the box fit, this is a Vacuum model that can be extensively modified with a variety of proprietary Fischer Vacuum tools--and we've had great success over the years testing this feature--but testers said this one's damn good just the way it is.
This boot's full name reads like a cross between Elon Musk's kid and a Spanish royal--but like any good code the Fischer Pro MV ZF BOA CFC GW is packed with secret meaning designed to explain exactly how it managed to kick so much ass at this year's boot test.
The Pro is used to indicated a 140-flex step up from the other similar MV's in the line-up this year--testers loved how stout this Pro was, without losing a progressive and even flex feel against the leg. The MV identifies its internal forefoot width of 100mm and testers said it was fairly well placed in the middle of the fit tension range for medium width boots. ZF might get german transmission geeks excited but here it means ZipFit liner, which is offered in two Pro models this year and also as a standalone product for separate purchase. BOA as a modifier is pretty straightforward--this is one of them reel-spinner boots we're hearing so much about and it's a feature that testers said worked just fine here, not out of place at all. CFC is not an ozone-depleting aerosol but rather a Carbon-Fused-Cuff that bolts onto a regular polyurethane lower shell (no Vacuplast found here), and is basically another way of spelling BEAST, our testers confirmed. GW is not an ex-president but stands for GripWalk soles that come mounted on this model.
There's a lot to be found in a name, but testers found that there was even more to unpack once they'd gotten this boot on their feet. One tester said that it had multiple fit personalities, from its inititial out-of-box fit to its on-snow break-in period to its polished persona after a more formal liner molding session--and none of them were bad! The ZipFit offers some entry challenge to be managed, with the overwhelming preference being to put on the liner, snug the laces, then ram the foot-liner combo into the shell, plug boot style. It's actually pretty easy once the method has been practiced a few times, and for those with knobby midfoot bumps that chronically get whacked on the way into boots, a laced-up liner protects that spot quite well, even during the most violent shell entry ramming.
Once inhabiting the inner shell sanctum with cuff buckles and BOA done up, the ZipFit exerts a firm squeeze against the rear foot and base of the lower leg, yet flares into the forefoot and toebox as well as the calf for some additional breathing room there. The firm cork-flow ankle pockets of the ZF liner begin to warm and conform (slowly) as the skier wears the boot, and after a couple runs the fit had improved substantially for testers. Skiers trying on this boot in consideration for purchase should be mindful that the liner's shape will somewhat match the last person who tried it on, and give it a little bit of time to warm up before rendering judgment. Many of our testers went so far as to heat mold the ZipFit liner, using both a convection oven and a hot stacks, and found that both methods were beneficial to a more personalized fit, though the convection oven warmed the liner liner exterior in addition to its insides, which made for a more locked-in match with the shell's interior shape and less internal shearing or slippage during aggressive skiing.
The polyurethane lower shell and polyurethane with infused carbon in the cuff meant business, testers said, claiming that this MV skied as strongly as any boot in the group, powered by traditional, damp and stable plastic. It's perfect score for Anatomical Fit was matched with another 5.00 for Quickness and Steering, so testers backed up their positive comments with top tier metrics as well. They liked the pro-level features like a fat power strap with a cam lock buckle and rigid cuff adjusting inserts (non-neutral inserts available separately). They liked the Boa too, quite a bit, for a new way to close up the fit of the lower boot--but that's what it was, a new take on tightening an already great boot, not the one thing that made it special.
How did that song go, don't worry, be happy, or something like that? The Fischer RC4 130 MV BOA VAC GW perfectly embodies the gist of that tune, according to testers who said it was a no-hassle slam dunk for off the shelf fit and instant skiability in all-mountain conditions. The universally liked how easy the boot went on and closed up around the foot and leg in an intuitive fashion. The Boa reel did not impede entry they said, and the slender-footed testers said that it did a masterful job of tightening the lower boot around them without distorting either shape or flex feel. The consensus among testers was that the RC4 MV handled itself admirably in a variety of conditions, for a variety of foot and leg shapes and skiing styles.
The RC4 130 MV BOA VAC's biggest problem may have simply been that it was tested up against big brother RC4 Pro MV. That big, bad bird of prey essentially booted this fledgling out of the next with its 140 weight power and a Fischer factory ZipFit liner--so perhaps the test team's comparative analysis may have cast some shade unfairly on the 130 MV, as testers noted that the MV's stock liner, while dreamily draped around the foot, lacked a little heel and ankle hold and testers felt that it moved around inside the shell until it was properly heat molded (this, in direct contrast to the grip of the Pro's ZipFit liner). This extra movement in the boot's control center contributed to some lack of transmission to the edge for testers but they also found that after heat molding the foot-to-liner-to-shell connection was more direct.
Testers heaped praise on the RC4 130 MV BOA for its forgiving (almost universal) fit and similarly adaptable skiing character--everybody commented that it did everything asked, caused no trouble and inspired an easy going confidence no matter where they pointed it. Their favorite on board feature was the Boa closure on the lower boot but they also like the option of Vacuum fitting if needed, though few fit comments suggested much need for that. The revised cuff alignment inserts are solid and simple, but not included in the box. For those who go the 130 route and then wish they had that bird of prey level heel and ankle hold, the ZipFit liner is available as an aftermarket purchase through Fischer.
It's nice to see that as much as things change and evolve, some things stay the same--in a good way. Take the Fischer RC4 Pro LV ZF CFC GW for example. Yes, the name is new and a bit cryptic, but the character of the new RC4 very much stays true to its heritage. We've always counted on the low volume RC4 to set the fit tension standard for what is a true narrow, and this year's test showed that remains true. The RC4 Pro (the pro means it's a 140-flex) LV had the tightest fit scores in every single tested fit zone of all the narrow All-Mountain entries this year, with a particularly tight fit identified at the navicular, heel and ankle pockets. Did some testers with prominent ankle or navicular bones complain about that? Yes, they did, but that still made them happy, because narrows that don't irritate those testers' particular spots should be called something else, namely mediums.
However, testers said that much of the initial harshness of fit on bony prominences began to vanish with time spent in the boot as the ZipFit liner (that's the ZF in the code name) became warmed by the foot. They said that some movement and pressure from the act of skiing further improved the fit, as the firm cork and resin filler used in the liner slowly migrated to match the skier's shape. Testers also conducted some secondary tests where they cooked the liner using both a hot stacks and a convection oven and reported the best results of all for fit, and while they didn't go so far as to say a full-blown liner molding was requisite, their elevated praise for the positive changes it brought on makes us feel like it should be the first thing someone does once they plunk the money down for this one.
Stance and performance feedback from testers also harked back to RC4s of old, but in a subtle way. This RC4 Pro LV offers a slightly stronger inside edge set-up than most of the all-mountain narrows we tested and a slightly more forward leaning cuff angle, but not by much. The RC4 of old was raked very aggressively forward and had a tipped out cuff that was almost unmanageable in off-piste terrain. This modern take on the venerated model will favor the technical skier who spends a fair amount of time on hard snow, at high speed but who will tear off into the junk on the sides of a run with high edge angles and a commitment to the outside ski rather than a park-influenced swivel and schmear. If the out-of-box stance is too aggressively forward and outboard for skiers looking for a more relaxed quad and flatter ski, both are easily adjustable with Velcro rear spoiler and fixed cuff adjusting inserts (of which the latter do not come in the box).
For skiers who need a bit more help for their navicular or styloid process hot spots, an 80-degree (C.) convection oven and Vaccum mold is not an option on this solid beast. It's a polyurethane lower shell coupled with a carbon-infused polyurethane cuff (the CFC in the code name)--so, more traditional bootfitting methods will be required to bend this one to a skier's will and shape. Testers were just fine with this, as they said this more traditional plastic build (and stiffness) put skis on edge in serious fashion and helped maintain a stable attitude over unpredictable surfaces regardless of mach-level. Not surprisingly, the RC4 Pro LV's highest score was for Edge Power, with a near-perfect 4.91.
