Take a look at the best of what’s new in skier footwear to make this your most satisfying season on the slopes.

BY MARTY McLENNAN, technical editor

While designing a board that carves, pops and drives through various conditions can be
diffi cult, connecting it to an assemblage of 26 bones fuelled by a half-dozen veins and
covered by a thin coating of skin in subarctic conditions provides another monumental task entirely. The reason is simple. Comfort and performance are not great bedfellows—your shaggy house slippers may be great for lounging, but make for lousy hikers. The same applies to ski boots.

Manufacturers have felt the pain of skiers who have faced bone spurs, lost toenails, cold feet and shin bang as a consequence of extensive slope time—no kidding, they’re all skiers, too. So the struggle goes at marrying this unlikely couple of comfort and performance. Advances are all around. Liners are repeatedly heat mouldable, enabling micro changes over time. That technology has been moved up a level with manufacturers such as Salomon continuing with its exterior heat-mouldable
Custom Shell series. The space age has also returned. Moon Boots and NASA technology
are returning to our feet in various reincarnations.

And then there are the bindings. As our boards get bigger and more shaped, and skiing morphs into park and pipe, sidecountry (aka slackcountry) and backcountry, expect more changes and choices. With more skis being sold fl at (without bindings) and more kinds of skiing styles available, choosing a binding might be a bigger decision this year than at any time over the last decade.

Lasting impression

The “last” is a cobbler’s term for the holding form upon which shoes are crafted and repaired. The size of the last denotes a volume coefficient—the greater the last, the greater the overall volume in the boot. Tecnica’s division is fairly typical of the industry. Its Diablo race series comes in 98-mm lasts. And from there it’s a sliding scale to bigger lasted boots. Tecnica’s high-performance Dragon is 100 mm, the all-mountain Phoenix line 102 mm and the Mega—need we say more?—105 mm. Its freeriding Agent line uses all these lasts. Generally, the smaller the last, the higher performing the boot. Low-lasted boots also have another commonality: since they tend to be performance driven, they come with the most bells and whistles and cost the most.

Flex your booty

In this world of internationally regulated norms and scientific precision, we’re left wanting in the area of flex. There is no governing body, like the ISO, nor a scientific test for this index, so the only testing option is to stick your foot in the boot, apply forward lean and go on feel.

Despite the lack of any norm or test for flex, manufacturers mark its range between 40
and 160 (it could just as easily be between 1 and 5 or soft and hard), connoting how easy or diffi cult it is to push the boot forward with shin pressure. These two numbers represent the ends of a continuum.The lower is typically for light skiers and beginners who either don’t have the power, weight or know-how to drive a ski. Above 100, most manufacturers concur with boots that provide a fair bit of resistance to forward pressure. Rossignol labels its sport boots with a 60-80 flex, performance from 80- 100 and expert from 100-130. Its women’s line is softened up for lighter skiers with a 40-60
flex for sport, 60-80 performance and 80-100 range for experts. As a general rule, the stiffer the boot, the greater the control. Consequently,
the higher the flex index, the higher the price.

Evidently, high-performance skiers and racers need stiff, exoskeleton-like structures
adding power to their feet by gripping as high as feasible on the shin. Thus race boots, like Tecnica’s entire Diablo line, code themselves north of 100 on the index. Park-and-pipe skiers need both good foot-to-board connection and lots of give so their bones don’t take a beating on landings. Many of the park boots thus come with fewer buckles and slightly more give. Salomon’s SPK lineup is a good example of that, ranging from 90 to 110 in flex.

However, flex differs among manufacturers and isn’t comparable between brands. Don’t
expect the force needed to crank a Lange 100 flex to equal a Fischer 100 flex. You’ll have to try ’em out yourself. To make matters more complicated, each plastic reacts differently to the cold. Polyurethane, for example, stiffens more than Pebax in the deep frost.

Apex
REINVENTING THE BOOT
After 15 years of R&D, Denny Hansen— the brains behind the eponymous Hansen boot of the late ’70s—and Apex Sports Groups launched their reinvention of ski footwear. The design initiative behind this year’s creation was to separate fit and closure from flex.
Partnering a lightweight, 100 per cent carbon-fibre chassis with a form-fitting, heat-mouldable insert, Apex came up with an impressive by-product: a super-comfortable
walking boot that shifts in a snap from whipping down double diamonds to strutting into après.

Flex no longer depends on cranking buckles (and consequently bones and flesh) of yore. Rather, the infinitely adjusting Boa system (check ’em out at www.boatechnology.com) optimizes comfort with precision tightening around the foot and calf. This sleek “inner” slides into a carbon chassis, allowing for independent control of fit while providing stability for that oh-so- critical edge control. The system is topped off with a Polymeric Leaf Spring Suspension system, allowing for infinite degrees of forward lean and resistance. Better still, it’s 20 per cent lighter than the regular ski boots worn in the
industry.

Changing flex on the fly? Going touring? No problem—ease off the Boa. Need stiffness? Dial up the snake. This kind of high-performance package is raising the interest of just about everyone in the industry, including the fickle All-Terrain segment, which is always looking for that perfect combination of lightness, flexibility and all-day comfort.

Whether you’re going backcountry or cruising the groomers, Hansen claims that it’s the most advanced ski boot he’s seen in more than 40 years in the business. Only time will tell if he’s right. However, one thing is for sure—it’s certainly the most expensive.
At $1,500, the boot confirms one thing so far: the combination of comfort and performance has its price.

Dalbello
CABRIO: BRINGING DOWN THE ROOF
The brainchild of house rider Glen Plake, Dalbello’s Rider Development Project brings the brand’s best minds and skiers—including the likes of Tanner Hall, Jacqui Cooper and
Katharina Mihaljevic—together to create the most rider-centric goodies on the market. Expect to see more of its critically acclaimed Cabrio technology just about everywhere on the mountain. The innovation starts with a rigid and supportive lower shell, open over the instep—thus Cabrio, or convertible—and builds it up with a flexible external (and interchangeable) tongue. The innovative Hyperband closure system seals the deal. Last year’s Rasta-green Il Moro model now comes with a couple of wingmen: the Blender and Voodoo, both with a wider, 103-mm toebox. Women ride the Tango. Both the three-buckle Krypton and the four-buckle Axion series use the Cabrio technology, too. www.dalbello.it

Rossignol
SENSORED
Providing maximum feel and comfort, Rossignol’s acclaimed Sensor 3 system is based on a simple principle: align the liner with the shell at the foot’s most important energy
transmission points—the metatarsal 1 and 5 and the heel, to be exact. Now beef it up with the best available stitching and plastics, and with a snug fit you’ve got precision boots ready to go. You’ll find the Sensor system in numerous upper-end models, including the B Pro, Electra Pro, Sensor 3, Zenith, Bandit and Synergy Vita.
www.rossignol.com

 

 

Full Tilt
IT AIN’T BROKE, SO DON’T FIX IT
Based on Raichle’s three-decade-old Flexon design, Full Tilt’s boot line is as straightforward as it gets. Each of its incarnations adds various modern technologies to the boot that literally came out of the space industry—no joke, inventor Eric Giese was a NASA moon-walk specialist. Today’s astronauts can expect 100 per cent custom heat-mouldable liners, a cable buckle system that distributes pressure evenly and a free-hinging cuff that allows forward flex without boot distortion.

At the top of the line comes the Seth Morrison Pro Model, with a nasty-looking blend of graphics. But on the inside, it’s sweet as can be. Expect to find Full Tilt’s highest-performing custom liner, J-Bar technology, to keep the ankle down, and high-quality lightweight aluminum levers. Seth’s not alone in Full Tilts. Olympic gold medallists like Jennifer Heil (2006 moguls) and Bill Johnson (1984 downhill) wore these on their podium sweeps.

This year’s addition, First Chair, is a stiff all-mountain boot with a professional liner, rigid bootboard for responsiveness and black leather styling. Job-specific interchangeable parts like these will continue driving this iconic footwear for decades to come. www.fulltiltboots.com

Alpina
PICASSO-READY
This year’s novelty is a do-it-yourself graphics package on Free (for men) and Style
(for women). Alpina has left the outer translucent so you can customize your inner as
you see fit—paint with posterboard markers, cutouts, whatever you please (the insert
is also washable, so you can repaint the “canvas” at will). More than just colouring by numbers, this family of freeriding boots has a wide forefoot stance and shock absorbing inserts for stability and recovery. www.alpinasports.com

Atomic
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE…RENU!
In with the Renu and out with the old—materials, that is. Atomic has put its money into developing the first planet-positive ski boot. The Renu comes with a lightweight bio plastic cuff and shell made from renewable castor plants. The inners are made from recycled textiles, foams and bamboo fibre. A cork footbed and a cotton power strap complete the picture. And the lack of graphics and colour is all green. Atomic scores ecological points on all fronts by using renewable resources, reducing carbon emissions a full 13 per cent and creating a non-coloured recyclable boot. While its two incarnations are 98-mm pro lasts, the Renu 110 comes high cuffed; the 90 low—so everyone can
be Renu-ed. www.atomicsnow.com

 

 

Garmont
WRAP-UP
Making lightweight boots for the long trek upwards with precision and strength for the way down, is the ultimate challenge for designers of All-Terrain wear. Garmont claims to have found the way by offering a boot with four different plastic injections. Its unique A.D.D. Wrap design eliminates the restrictive tongue, allowing more independent movement between the cuff and the lower shell. The result: better walking, climbing and skinning with a progressive downhill flex, formidable on the way down. The series comes complete with this year’s Daemon and Shogun for men and Luster for women. www.garmont.com

This season, Garmont is jumping on Rottefella’s revolutionary New Telemark Norm (NTN) binding bandwagon. Although late in coming (the NTN revolution began three years ago), the Prophet’s four injection overlap construction designed with its anatomical pre-punched shell offers the comfort of the leather boots of yore with the responsiveness of today’s best alpine boots. And damn, leave it to the Italians to come up with a beautiful-looking boot like this one! Garmont’s Prophet joins the Scarpa and Crispi NTN lines. www.garmont.com

Salomon
FRESH OFF THE PRESS
Salomon proudly proclaims it still offers the only heat-mouldable outer on the market. The patented Custom Shell product moulds to your foot in less than 20 minutes, creating the snuggest feel short of a bootfitter. Expect to see the innovation spread throughout the upper end of its premium Impact, Idol, Falcon, Instinct and X3 Race series. Speaking of which, the traditionally red X3 Race series has had a cosmetic makeover and now comes in Olympic white in commemoration of the 2010 Games.

Biovent, a technology that extracts, transfers and evacuates moisture from your feet keeping them dry and warm, has found its way into Salomon’s Mission and Divine series. And for the baggy-pants crowd in the park, the Salomon Cushioning System continues to offer a novel solution to black toes from bad landings. Check it out on both the SPK Pro model and Kaos.

As for bindings, this year’s Z12 Oversized provides more boot-to-binding contact for a better foothold while maintaining the required release values.
www.salomon.com

Head
THE NEW VECTOR
Head’s newest high-performance boot combines a spread of technologies, including its SuperHeat4 liner, stylin’ Spineflex buckles and a redesigned triple-injection frame. The former blends high-tech fibres, “inorganic leathers” and the latest adaptive materials to match comfort with ultra-quick and precise power transmission. The latter’s ratchet design and flexible suspension enables a higher level of power transmission while increasing both comfort and fit. This year’s high-performing Vector 120 comes with the complete package of bells and whistles, while its little bro, the Vector LTD sticks with traditional buckles. Women will prefer the Vector 100 version.

Head claims to have designed boots from top to bottom, inside and out, for women
by women. This season’s Dream Line covers the gamut of skills from beginners to pros.
At the top of the line, the Dream 12.5 comes with the women-specific SuperHeat3
fl eece footbed and fur lining for extra comfort. The reinvented shell and brand-new
buckle design make getting in and stepping out even easier. For those with a footwear fettish, not only are they said to be bombproof on the slopes, they’re also beautiful to look at. www.head.com

Marker
ARE YOU A SCHIZO?
Solving that troubling question—where do I drill my skis?—once and for all, Marker’s
Schizo line lets you move your bindings forward and back at the turn of a switch.
Going backcountry? Move ’em back for a little extra lift in the light stuff. Landing park features switch? Gain a little balance with a centre-mount. Binding position can be tweaked easily depending on geography, snow conditions and even your sex. All-mountain boards are truly all-mountain. Using the toe and heel components from its award-winning eponymous bindings, Marker’s Griffon (4-12 DIN) and the beefier Jester (6-16 DIN), Schizos give as much as 60 mm of continuous travel for a perfectly balanced riding position in skis over 80 mm
wide. www.markercanada.com

Dynafit
DOUBLE DUTY
Dynafit continues making extremely lightweight, performance-oriented All-Terrain gear. This year it beefed up its offerings with the four-buckle Titan (for men) and Gaia (for women). Made for aggressive all-mountain freeriding on fat boards, you may never need another pair of boots. This smart-looking, stiff twosome come wrapped in an alpine crossover shell bearing two sets of soles—one for regular alpine bindings and the other
that works with Dynafit’s AT and tech binding configurations. Both come with excellent walking capabilities, stretching back past fully upright position for upward treks. The Gaia is based on last season’s ZZeus model.
www.dynafi t.com

Tecnica
NEW AT TECNICA
Tecnica keeps it simple with four different lasts. The Diablo race series slips in at 98 mm, the Dragon series at 100 mm, the comfort-driven Mega series at 105 mm and the new
Phoenix all-mountain line at 102 mm. The latter comes with Tecnica’s 3 Density Construction, offering a 60:40 mix of hard to soft injections marrying ease of entry with performance. The boots feature new, more ergonomic lasts. The Phoenix features a new hinge point (now higher and more forward) called Power on Demand, providing a more gradual and natural flex. Pair that with the Delta Power device to customize flex and you get a strong all-round performer. Freeriders also have a greater selection to look at with the expansion of the Agent series, with stiffnesses ranging between 80 and 130. Women ski the Attiva series. www.markercanada.com

Nordica
HOT DOG!
With the recent change in FIS racing regulations, Nordica has revamped its Dobermann design with a new cut to provide a much better wrapping of the foot. Also new is its Efficient Dynamic Technology (EDT), which enhances the efficiency of the outer structure by employing a screw-in aluminum footboard that increases torsional rigidity and lateral stiffness. Nordica says this will result in signifi cant efficiency upgrades. The Dobermann comes in tight-fitting, race-ready 95- to 98-mm lasts.

All-mountain skiers looking to get a taste of the Dobermann’s high performance, but without its rigidity, can buy into the Hot Rod boot series. The company’s newest line compliments the eponymous ski series and adds Full Shock Eraser technology—adjustable spoilers, cuff padding both inside and out of the liner, plus a shock-resistant toe box and boot board. www.nordicacanada.com

Fischer
A NATURAL CHOICE
Now in its sixth season, Fischer’s patented Soma technology has always been about
creating a proper stance with a centre-weighted foot over the ski and the toes edged outwards, like they would naturally. According to company spokesman Richard Wolvers, this results in the ability to initiate turns faster and move more quickly from edge-to-edge. It also translates into a lot less stress on your knees and hips.

The Soma system is the basis of all Fischer’s boots, from kids to experts. New this year is the Viron, an easy-entry, 103- mm lasted boot which comes in 65, 80, 95 and 110 flex ranges for men, and with 60, 75 and 90 flexes in the women’s-specific My Style series. All of these boots are heat system ready, which means the boot liners are prepared for threading through a warming cable.

Fischer hasn’t forgotten the kids—or their parents—either. This season the company has begun selling its new line of kids’ skis in a systems package, pre-mounted with junior rails. With no drilling necessary, they ensure perfectly mounted skis every time and no need for re-drilling when the foot size grows. Check out the RC4 Race Jr. for speed lovers, Joy for girls and Watea Jr. for young piste and powder lovers. Not only should they be great for cruising the slopes, they ultimately benefit everyone in the family with a higher resale value once the kids grow out of them.
www.fischersports.com

Lange
WHAT A BLAST!
The all-new Blaster series comes with all the features important for performance skiers offered at a realistic price. Company offi cials are saying it’s an incredibly well-fitting boot—they scanned tens of thousands of feet before creating the 102-mm last. Innovative buckle extenders enable additional leverage. The cuff on the Super and Pro models feature the Climbmatic, Lange’s new release system, offering comfort on long hikes, tram lines and après ski. www.langeskiboots.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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