Speaking of blue, one of our veteran testers had an infamous blue heeler whose whole attitude could be summed up in three words: more, now
Salomon drops a bomb (the good kind) on the Frontside category with the all new 2019 S/Max 130 Carbon that won our test team over with its properly tight Frontside fit and show-stopping quickness and feel. The connection of foot to liner and liner to shell was seamless and created a deep-trenching connectivity with the ski, testers said. The new Custom Shell HD process takes half the time to mold and our tests yielded the best results ever for the oven-cook-then-wear protocol.
One tester said the well-distributed and firm grip on the foot and lower leg foretold of responsive skiing, and he was right about that based on its performance scores. The fit is race-room tight with a particularly snug fit on the lower leg just above the ankles where the boot tapers to wrap the leg shaft and instep area in a highly transmissive match. Testers were initially concerned about the super rigid carbon fiber Coreframe insert affecting the navicular area fit, but no such complaints came to light after testing. As a side note the Coreframe insert area is able to be traditionally heat-stretched for additional room there. Testers who found the overall fit a bit too close for comfort and underwent the new Custom Shell HD molding process came out the other side all smiles and in only 10 minutes—impressed, they were (say that with a Yoda voice).
One can tell from the score spread, that the boot's best attribute is its quickness and precision feel underfoot. The thin shell wall polyurethane lower boot with the TPEX carbon Coreframe insert puts the foot in close and transmissive contact with the boot and ski and the Grilamid cuff adds snap while shaving weight (only 1664 grams). This construction combination made for a highly tactile feeling boot that responded immediately to foot steering inputs and transitioned turn to turn with synaptic speed, testers agreed. The boot is not lacking in power, whatsoever, testers assured, calling it a trench laying fool and a turn-completing stomper. Regarding post-Custom Shell process performance—we had one of our testers only mold one boot for the sake of comparison with an un-molded boot and he found no appreciable difference in stiffness between the two, afterward.
Kaprolene is the additive to polyurethane that allows for Custom Shell molding. New this year in certain models within the S/Max and MTN lines the Kaprolene used is pre-mixed in precise amounts into the polyurethane itself rather than as a somewhat random additive at the time of plastic injection. This creates a more predictable and defined molding response which, when used in the thin shelled S/Max and MTN boots, drastically reduced cook times from ten minutes to only two, molding from five minutes to only three and cool-down to five minutes. Our tests showed legit results without a degradation of performance, post-molding. This year Salomon offers a kit for bootfitters to drill out the Oversized Pivot cuff hinge point and replace it with a lateral cuff adjustment for skiers who need more stance angle adaptability than the Custom Shell process will provide. Cantology cant shims are available for the S/Max boots but require over-plating and routing along standard race room protocols.
The patriarch of the RS blue boot family, 2019 Lange RS 130 returned to our boot test this year unchanged but packing the full slate of revisions it received last year to shell and liner which continue to set it apart from the rest. Again, after a week of rigorous testing the RS 130 topped the Frontside category again with nearly perfect scores for stance, edge power and quickness.
The challenge for Lange with this revised RS wasn't just to come up with a new shell and liner but to come up with both of those that were better than what they already had, which was pretty damn good. The shell was tightened internally in the heel pocket but also made more defined in the ankles. The liner is more anatomically sculpted with firm pre-molded material in the ankle and heel area and its exterior material is stiffer and also precisely matched to the interior shape of the shell. Testers said mission accomplished, again—the fit is stronger in the heel and more comfortable in the ankle, but with an even, performance-minded grip all along the foot and into the cuff. From the initial entry to the end of each tester's on-snow session, they said the fit was an ideal wrap of the foot and the leg.
Externally, the shell of the RS 130 is thicker in the heel counter and up through the spine of the cuff than in the past for a more powerful drive train, and modifications were made to the thickness of plastic in key areas to enhance feel for snow and prevent a fold-over flex feel when taxed. In both the shell and upper cuff, Dual Core construction employs a less dense plastic sandwiched between higher density plastic to generate a tensile energy in the material itself. Testers don't know how they did it, but they agreed on all counts again this year—stronger, more tactile, and quicker all around. Testers mentioned again that the turn seemed to start earlier and felt more round from start to finish than with the RS boots of old.
Everything a high performance skier needs and nothing else here: removable rear spoiler, double liner pull loops, cam lock power strap, single side set-screw cuff adjustment, easy-open bottom buckles and a toe dam that doesn't leak.
Testers said skiing in the 2019 Head Raptor 140 RS is a little like seeing a big arena show featuring your favorite rock band from the early 70's, and they don't play any of their new crap—they play all the killer old stuff and they sound every bit as good! The Raptor 140 RS has been, and remains, the perfect Frontside boot, say testers, so why would you change it—and they haven't over the years, save some minor cosmetics and liner tweaks. Returning unchanged this year from last, testers comment that it's lasted so long in its current form that while other boots have gone too upright, its cuff angles of yore are now a welcome, refreshingly aggressive throwback. Now that other narrow boots have begun to feel like wides, putting on a--damn, that's tight--Raptor has become a breath of fit tension fresh air.
The Raptor's fit is straightforward—tight and right. Testers gave it 1's and 2's--1 is true race boot tight--but also commented that there's enough shape built-in to house the common bony prominences and wider areas, but just barely. The liner is thin and dense, but padded just enough to separate bones from plastic and provide a well-wrapped and connected fit. The sense that the ski is not far from the foot is a common mention on test forms. The flex feel is a strong 130, so sure, 140 works, but the feel on the leg is accessible to good skiers—this isn't a World Cup race boot. Yes, testers mention some spots that'd need work for their particular hotspots (styloid process is a common one in the Raptor) but that's what a monoinjected polyurethane shell, cuff and a good ABB bootfitter are for. The Raptor 140 RS fits traditionally lengthwise (i.e. not overly long), so if the other narrows seem to be growing of late, this will remind you how they’re supposed to fit.
The stance set-up is strong, meaning with a little extra oomph to the inside edge, and this, along with the beefy, solid-sole lower boot construction and a bolted cuff, creates monstrous leverage over the ski for sick-and-wrong trenching on-piste. Note that out of all its many tests, it maintained a perfect score for Edge Power and Stability. It's just as strong off-piste, but it's not forgiving of mistakes and is transmissive of terrain hits back into the skeleton—so, highly skilled all-mountain skiers will be thrilled, but keep in mind a smooth surface is the Raptor's native habitat. Most testers find the fore-aft stance just right without the rear spoiler installed, which is the way the boot comes boxed. The Flex Performance tuning anchor for shell and cuff is designed to be drilled and pinned for an even stiffer flex rating—you won't need it, just make sure the one set-screw is tight and then fuggetabout it! Old school racers who've tried going wider and softer and hated it--well, come back home.
Testers like the Double Power Booster power strap that combines a Booster strap with a three-to-one mechanical advantage pulley for serious leg wrapping crankage and a snappy return to center. Dual-side cuff adjustment is a worthy amenity for fine-tuning edge angles, and the Spine Flex buckles wrap the radius of cuff and lower boot (and very few complaints about them from testers this year, they've pretty much given up).
Testers were again pleased with the slightly re-named 2019 Fischer RC4 Curv 130 Powered by Vacuum (PBV) for its more neutral stance than past RC4 versions, its comfortable out-of-box fit and its quick edging moves on snow. They also liked getting a 130-flex boot with a Powered by Vacuum customizable lower shell at an affordable price.
Testers say compared to the RC4 of old, the RC4 Curv 130 PBV is a breath of, well, breathing room! The toebox fits longer and more open thanks to a new seamless liner construction and the entire lower shell and cuff fits with an even narrow-medium fit that testers said sat nicely between the two width categories. Testers noticed a little extra relief on the medial side of the shell wall, at the navicular bone area. The lower boot is made of heat moldable Vacu-Plast which can be manipulated for fit improvements through a variety of different Vacuum methods, while the upper cuff is polyurethane and customizable with traditional bootfitting means.
The stance angles on the RC4 Curv 130 PBV are more in-line with others in the All-Mountain category than was the RC4 of old. The Curv 130 stands more upright and is less tipped-out, laterally. More neutral-feeling all around, said testers. A few of them mentioned the cuff was set-up too "in" for them and they'd perform a cuff alignment tweak using the solid race cuff alignment adjusters to better match their more bowlegged angles. The RC4 Curv boots are straight-lasted as opposed to abducted, Soma-Tec style, a trickle-down design change from the 92 mm RC4 Podium race boots. While testers may have a particular preference for one stance set-up or another there were certainly no complaints here. Testers did agree that the flex feel was a little shy of the 130 mark but they also concurred that the boot's precise steering and rapid fire edging game was amongst the best.
Bootfitters like the screw hardware for removing cuffs and buckles, and another bootfitting nicety, the RC4 Curv boots are Cantology compatible. Feeling soleful? GripWalk soles are available as an optional purchase as well, for use with GripWalk compatible bindings. The PBV lower boot (Vacu-Plast) can be molded via oven cooking or with the techie and quite cool Zone Fit adhesive heating elements.
We tested the 2019 DaleBoot ST in the Frontside category because it's the stiffest model DaleBoot makes, and testers thought it fit right in there alongside other race-bred powerhouses. Testers liked the power-to-weight ratio the ST brings to the table—stiff and strong with a close-feeling connection to the ski and snow surface.
The guys at DaleBoot set up our Frontside test model as a narrow last to better match the other boots in the category, and they also chose to load it with their higher density liner option for a firmer, more transmissive Frontside feel—both choices that were favored by testers who gave the painted-on, custom fit the double thumbs-up. However, the ST could be built as a medium or a wide, and with a variety of different Intuition liner styles and densities. Similarly the height of the cuff is variable—selected for the particular skier the boot will be made for. The flex feel of the ST is pretty rigid—again, DaleBoot's stiffest set-up—and that appealed to testers in this particular category, though for bigger, taller guys the ST is a good All-Mountain option too.
The ST's rigid cuff design allowed testers to bury the rail at high speeds and on hard snows, but did so without loss of a tactile feel for the snow. Testers liked the way the three-quarter length, adjustable bootboard supported the rear foot and set the ramp angle but left the forefoot to sit directly on the thin shell base—as close as the foot can come to ski. Very high durometer (stiff) polyether plastic is used to make the lower boot rigid but with an unusually thin shell wall. This gives the boot a feely, connected character but without being flimsy. Light and sensitive but strong on edge—a unique combination, testers agreed.
The three-quarter length bootboard is adjustable laterally to better support the rearfoot or provide mobility there and can be set up for use with a posted or non-posted custom insole. A large part of the DaleBoot customizing process, beyond just fit, is ensuring that the skier's stance is dialed, and their unique, snap-on canted soles are a quick and effective way to fine-tune the boot's performance.
The 2018 Salomon X Max Race 130 is born of shrinkage—no, not like Costanza, but rather because this year's X Max utilizes polyamide plastic in the lower portion of the shell, and one property of polyamide is some shrinkage during cooling after being pulled off the injection mold. This shrinkage amounts to the 2 mm difference in last width from last year's 98 mm X Max to this year's 96 mm. Here, Salomon chooses to stick with a similar liner as last years, hence, tight tight baby--let's call it X Max Race! In the other 98 mm X Max boots this year a thinner liner construction is used to maintain a more "pedestrian narrow" feel.
Did we mention that this one is tight, gentlemen? Testers said they were locked in a well-contoured vice with a little added dominatrix torture action on the ankle bones and across the throat of the boot at the instep. This had a few testers wondering if it was too tight, some others considering a Custom Shell 360 oven cook, and the rest loving how well it gripped the foot. The Frontside category is for grippin', tippin' and rippin', right? The cuff is similarly close to the bone, though test data indicated a little bit of give for the calf muscle at the boot top.
Testers agree that the cuff is a touch upright in its stance angle and also rides a bit high on the lower leg. This baby's stiff, too, so testers found that the combination of these factors put them back on their heels a little bit, creating a challenge for them to man-up and get over the top of this boot and into the driver's seat. Aggressive, tall testers had a better time finding the sweet spot. There is an X Max Race 120 that our sissy-boys might have had an easier time with. Lateral movements in the 130 were rewarded with deep, trenching carves and a lot of rebound energy in the transitions. Locked and loaded edge power.
The X Max Race models have sick cam-lock power straps and dual pull loop liners. Again, the Custom Shell 360 customization feature works best (we think) when the boot is a little too darned tight everywhere even after molding the liner, and the process also helps to fine-tune stance angles for the individual skier.
The 2018 Nordica Dobermann GP 110 isn't the runt of the litter, he's just the softest flexing of the ass-kicking Dobermann family. Why were we testing the 110-flex and not the 120-, 130- or 140-flex Dobie? This was Nordica's Soft-Value entry—we ask every brand to submit a softer-flexing, bargain version to make sure we mix up the review offerings a bit. The Dobermann GP 110 was the highest-scoring Soft-Value ski boot of the entire test, men's and women's combined.
It's a Dobermann, so it's narrow, but evenly so, from the toebox to the heel, the ankles to the instep and up through the upper cuff. On a scale of 1-5 (1 being World Cup tight), it got all 2's—perfect for the Frontside category. The fit is close, but without hot spots (beyond the normal bony point ouch zones), and testers loved the smooth and progressive flex feel—a bit stronger than 110, but still an easy-flexer. The Dobie 110 is great for low-volume feet, slender legs and lighter-weight skiers. It's a great low-volume, high-value option for teen boys and women as well.
This is consummate Dobermann on-snow dominance, just toned down a bit for the lighter and less-aggressive. Accuracy on edge defined, the Dobermann is precise and agile—a joy to ski for a skilled skier with a light touch for the snow. However, testers say there's plenty of low end torque and stability at speed, even on the hardest snow. Is it warm and cushy and easy to put on and take off—not so much. Does a Dobermann make you a better skier instantly? Yes it does.
This is classic four-buckle overlap land, so not a lot of frills, but the Dobermann GP 110 shares the same cuff adjustment mechanism found on the others in the Dobermann group—it's a dual-lateral adjustment that also has "rotational" tweakability to alter the internal- or external-rotation of the shell to either match or attempt to manipulate a skier's knee tracking during flexion, either for improved balance or increased inside edge power—pretty slick when needed and properly implemented.
The patriarch of the RS blue boot family, 2018 Lange RS 130 returned to our boot test this year packing a full slate of revisions to shell and liner. It left after a week of rigorous testing with the highest score of any boot, men's or women's, out of all categories.
The challenge for Lange with the RS wasn't just to come up with a new shell and liner but to come up with both of those that were better than what they already had, which was pretty damn good. The shell is tightened internally in the heel pocket but also more defined in the ankles. The liner is more anatomically sculpted with firm pre-molded material in the ankle and heel area and its exterior material is stiffer this year and also precisely matched to the interior shape of the shell. Testers said mission accomplished—the fit is stronger in the heel and more comfortable in the ankle, but with an even, performance-minded grip all along the foot and into the cuff. From the initial entry to the end of each tester's on-snow session, they said the fit was an ideal wrap of the foot and the leg.
Externally, the shell of the RS 130 is thicker this year in the heel counter and up through the spine of the cuff for a more powerful drive train, and modifications were made to the thickness of plastic in key areas to enhance feel for snow and prevent a fold-over flex feel when taxed. In both the shell and upper cuff, new Dual Core construction employs a less dense plastic sandwiched between higher density plastic to generate a tensile energy in the material itself. Testers don't know how they did it, but they agreed on all counts—stronger, more tactile, and quicker all around this year. Testers mentioned that the turn seemed to start earlier and felt more round from start to finish than with the RS boots of old.
Everything a high performance skier needs and nothing else here: removable rear spoiler, double liner pull loops, cam lock power strap, single side set-screw cuff adjustment, easy-open bottom buckles and a toe dam that doesn't leak.
The 2018 Head Raptor 110 RS W garnered many perfect scores of 25 at this year's boot test, dominating the women's Frontside category and scoring highly enough to put it in the top 3 of all the women's narrow All-Mountain boots if we'd mixed it in there. Testers loved this boot for how well it made them ski.
Testers rate this 96 mm last as one of the very tightest fits of the test (at least in the lower boot), but they liked the shape of this super snug Frontsider. There were very few complaints of hotspots, except over the top of the foot, where high-arched or bony midfoot folk got a little crunched. Testers praised the positive grip on the foot for its confidence-inspiring control of the ski. You say you don't like your heels lifting up? The Raptor 110 RS W is your solution. Need a little more room for your calf than for your heel? It's got you covered there too, for as snug as the lower shell is, the upper cuff runs a touch low and open, suitable for many leg shapes.
For many testers, the Raptor's good fit is just a bonus—they'd like this boot for how it skis, even if they had to suffer a bit. Across the board, the Raptor rings the winner bell for quickness and lateral power to the edge—testers unanimously said they chose to ski harder and faster in this boot because they could, in confidence. While the Raptor 110 RS W is entered in the Frontside category, testers repeatedly praised its off-piste power and balance and said it shouldn't get pigeon-holed as a groomers-only sort of boot. Some testers thought the cuff's more forward-leaning stance angle gave a skier a bit more leverage over the boot's flex, making it feel a little softer than 110, but this did not affect fore-aft support scores, which were tops.
Testers like the straightforward Velcro powerstrap and traditional buckles on this year's Raptor 110 RS W—no fiddling around, just get it done up and go. They also appreciate the dual-sided cuff adjustment for dialing lateral stance where needed.
The 2018 Head Raptor 140 RS, the capo dei capi, came all the way from Italy (that's where the Head factory is, you know) unchanged (why would you?) to reclaim his spot at the head of the frontside family table, and did so with ease (well, he shared the head of the table with one other boot) and style. Raptor 140 RS continues to impress testers, both veteran and rookie alike, with its near flawless frontside (hell, all-mountain too) game.
Enough with the parenthetical notation, the Raptor's fit is straightforward—tight and right. Testers gave it 1's and 2's--1 is true race boot tight--but also commented that there's enough shape built-in to house the common bony prominences and wider areas, but just barely. The liner is thin and dense, but padded just enough to separate bones from plastic and provide a well-wrapped and connected fit. The sense that the ski is not far from the foot is a common mention on test forms. The flex feel is a strong 130, so sure, 140 works, but the feel on the leg is accessible to good skiers—this isn't a World Cup race boot. Yes, testers mention some spots that'd need work for their particular hotspots (styloid process is a common one in the Raptor) but that's what a monoinjected polyurethane shell, cuff and a good bootfitter are for. The Raptor 140 RS fits traditionally lengthwise (i.e. not overly long), so if the other narrows seem to be growing of late, this will remind you how they should fit.
The stance set-up is strong, meaning with a little extra oomph to the inside edge, and this along with the beefy, solid-sole lower boot construction and a bolted cuff creates monstrous leverage over the ski for sick-and-wrong trenching on-piste. It's just as strong off-piste, but it's not forgiving of mistakes and is transmissive of terrain hits back into the skeleton—so, highly skilled all-mountain skiers will be thrilled, but keep in mind a smooth surface is the Raptor's native habitat. Most testers find the fore-aft stance just right without the rear spoiler installed, which is the way the boot comes boxed. The Flex Performance tuning anchor for shell and cuff is designed to be drilled and pinned for an even stiffer flex rating—you won't need it, just make sure the one set-screw is tight and then fuggetabout it! Old school racers who've tried going wider and softer and hated it…well, goomba, come home to the family.
Testers like the Double Power Booster power strap that combines a Booster strap with a three-to-one mechanical advantage pulley for serious leg wrapping crankage and a snappy return to center. Dual-side cuff adjustment is a worthy amenity for fine-tuning edge angles, and the Spine Flex buckles wrap the radius of cuff and lower boot (and very few complaints about them from testers this year, they've pretty much given up).
The all new 2018 Fischer My Curv 110 Vacuum Full Fit was our test team's favorite Fischer women's boot for its even fit, progressive flex feel and dialed stance angles. They liked the way this boot skied through a variety of terrain and every turn radius.
Testers felt that the stock, non-Vacuumed fit was on the roomy side of the narrow fit group, but they suggested it might be snugged up with a high-pressure Vacuum molding session. They liked the new liner's, pre-shaped 3-D ankle pockets, and of the flex-stabilizing inlaid composite panel on the lower shell's medial side, one tester said this boot had the most consistent-feeling flex of the test for her. Testers did mention that the out-of-box calf fit was tighter than the general tension of the lower boot.
Testers liked the stock stance angles of the My Curve 110—this was a marked improvement over testers' take on Fischer's narrow women's boots of the past. Lively and full of energy with snappy, crisp transitions is how one tester described it. Another commented that turn initiation was effortless. While this boot was entered in the Frontside category, testers thought it was a fine All-Mountain boot too, and much more solid than the 90-flex My Curv that was entered in that category.
While we didn't custom test Fischer Vacuum boots at this year's test (Fischer's decision), our previous tests have shown this to be an effective fitting and stance alignment tool. With the My Curve 110 testers didn't make much mention of needing it outside of a few individual fit match issues or for trying to tighten up the lower boot.
We tested the 2018 DaleBoot ST in the Frontside category because it's the stiffest model DaleBoot makes, and testers thought it fit right in there alongside powerhouses like the Lange RS 130 and the Head Raptor 140 RS—and that's saying something. Testers liked the power-to-weight ratio the ST brings to the table—stiff and strong with a close-feeling connection to the ski.
The guys at DaleBoot set up our Frontside test model as a narrow last to better match the other boots in the category, and they also chose to load it with their higher density liner option for a firmer, more transmissive Frontside feel—both choices that were favored by testers who gave the painted-on, custom fit the double thumbs-up. However, the ST could be built as a medium or a wide, and with a variety of different Intuition liner styles and densities. Similarly the height of the cuff is variable—selected for the particular skier the boot will be made for. The flex feel of the ST is pretty rigid—DaleBoot's stiffest set-up—and that appealed to testers in this particular category, though for bigger, taller guys the ST is a good All-Mountain option too.
The ST's rigid cuff design allowed testers to bury the rail at high speeds and on hard snows, but did so without loss of a tactile feel for the snow. Testers liked the way the three-quarter length, adjustable bootboard supported the rear foot and set the ramp angle but left the forefoot to sit directly on the thin shell base—as close as the foot can come to ski. Very high durometer (stiff) polyether plastic is used to make the lower boot rigid but with an unusually thin shell wall. This gives the boot a feely, connected character but without being flimsy. Light and sensitive but strong on edge—a unique combination, testers agreed.
The three-quarter length bootboard is adjustable laterally to better support the rearfoot or provide mobility there and can be set up for use with a posted or non-posted custom insole. A large part of the DaleBoot customizing process, beyond just fit, is ensuring that the skier's stance is dialed, and their unique, snap-on canted soles are a quick and effective way to fine-tune the boot's performance.
