The Gist
For the money, the 2019 Head Advant Edge 85 W packs surprising punch and hits the bullseye on the wide-group target for a warm and comfy lower boot, our testers said. They unanimously praised the balanced stance for promoting good skiing movements.
The Fit
Testers thought that the lower shell fit the way a 102 mm boot should—wide enough and nicely padded everywhere, with a hint of snug control at the heel and ankle area. A few testers had issues with the liner's lower calf (soleus muscle, aka "cankle") area where thick pads felt a bit jabby and made entry past that area difficult. They hoped that liner molding would remedy that (Form Fit shell molding is an option on the slightly stiffer 95, but not on this model).
Performance
The Advant Edge 85 W handled itself masterfully on and off the groomed, surprising testers with its snappy, responsive feel. Testers said the fore-aft stance is set-up a bit on the upright side, but with a soft enough flex to move forward with and find home base for linking aggressive arcs. They liked the soft flex and mentioned that it didn't collapse, but they also pointed out that the stiffer 95-flex version is available.
Cool Features
First, you've got color options here—either go-with-everything black, or the white and grey with yellow highlights, so lovely! And there's two Double Power lever buckles on the cuff—great for cranking the heck outta that cuff fit with gloves on! If walking in super strolling style is a goal, GripWalk soles are available this year for use with GripWalk bindings, and on the boot sole front there are also Advant Edge specific (and Vector) canted soles available in 0.5-, 1.0-, 1.5- and 2.0-degree increments.
Kudos
Caveats