Changed to Salomon Boa boots this season and they’re fantastic. No more downward pressure on the top of my foot, really brilliant for those of us with high insteps. 100% satisfied.
I truly believe the Tigard 130 or even 110 is the best boot on the market right now for a hard resort skier that doesn't want to have this huge push back on weight and especially ROM. The boot fits about every foot well, Hoji System is again by far the best in the industry...
As this season is drawing to a close, I’ve changed my mind on this. I still think grip walk is a pretty big deal, but when the parking lot is far we just change into our boots at the ski rack.
That’s a pro tip for sure. Here’s what we do now… I bring a backpack for shoes, lunch, extra lenses, etc. The backpack stays on the ski rack, and no one has messed with it yet. This year I carried rescue equipment and snacks in a fanny pack, and it worked okay, but I was constantly moving it every time I got on or off a lift. Next year I’m going to try one of those cargo vests people use for off trail running.
As a teenager I used to have boots with this boa system, and that is 45 years ago! So there’s nothing new to it. But the cable was hidden, it ran underneath, there were no buckles, just the dial high up. I can’t remember the brand, only that they were the most expensive pair in the shop and super comfortable. They got stolen on my second ski trip that year.
They keep pitching this crazy mass marketing for something that was already tried out and like many ideas - didn't last. He puts two hits on that knob on a wooden table and thinks he won that discussion. For me I just keep wondering why they are mass marketing a novel format for a problem that doesn't exist. Many 4-buckle boots are comfortable and warm and super functional. They remind me of the EV people trying to ram EV's down everyone's throats.
Yes, gimmicky. I use BOA mountain bike shoes and have had problems with the button dials breaking or jamming. IDK on ski boots how smooth they’d work jammed up with ice & snow. Plus I like being able to vary buckle tension between the toe box and Midfoot with individual buckles.
Buy a quality boot, get a Zipfit liner, get a custom orthotic, get the liner heat molded, get the shell punched if you need to. Good to go for many years, Zipfit will last a long time. Oh, I forgot, pay like $1500-$1800.
You'd have to be crazy to buy a K2 Ski Boot wirh all the ones have imploded recently. K2 really needs to do a voluntary recall if they want to ever sell a ski boot again in any significant way.
The bottom two buckles are only for allowing you to get into the boot and keeping snow/cold out, they don't serve any extra purpose. Not sure why you'd need to cinch it down for a "tighter higher performance feel". Pretty sure if you buy a high end boot you're buying a correct size boot.
@@ryan39584 yup but i mean if u look it up all the companies are saying the buckles are to adjust the last lol. it supposedly cinches down the footbed area too and it honestly feels like that. not a fan of boa but those buckles do adjust the last
For ski instructors (or other professionals), would you say the BOA system is still a good option since we are in our boots, like a lot a lot? The budget doesn't really allow us to buy ski boots every season/year
Awesome video!! I'm looking for some new custom boots and this video was great in informing my decision. I thnk the BOA system looked really interesting and will now look out for it if surefoot has any boots with that feature.
The 5 buckle things? I had a pair of those back in the early 90s. Great when skiing, torture anything other than skiing - took those MFers off as soon as I got to work or back to the car.
They're very convenient, but they fray & break. Boa offers free repair kits, but that's not much consolation when your on the mountain with a broken cable. I carry some beefy zap straps & a shoelace for my snowboard boots. They will break & often at the most inconvenient time.
So dynafit is the best all round boot. Looking to get new boots this season but have no idea wear to start mine are 6 year only k2’s loved then just after something with more comforts
The BOA system will not work for skiers with a wide toe box and a normal to low instep. Two things that I felt... First your toes will feel the tightness much earlier than your instep feels secure and tie down. Second, your heel will not be retained in the heel pocket and will slide forward. I tried the Salomon S-pro Supra120, Medium volume since my last is 112mm; the 27-27.5 boot will accommodate up to 108mm last feet "close enough". Given that the boots have not been molded, I still don't think that that will solve the problem and so I will be getting the normal four buckle boot.
You should not be relying on the front buckles to hold your heel. From your comment I'd suggest that the boots are too large for your feet. Get the length and heel hold to fit first then you can mold the boots to give your toes more room to be secure and comfortable. Whether it's BOA or buckles, the front latches are not for heels hold. A lot of people can ski with them unbuckled. One of the thoughts about the BOA is that they're acutally changing the least important part of the boot adjustments.
Any skier who likes tight fitting, performance oriented boots will never use a boa. The boa caters to quick & easy recreational users that ski 5-10 days per year & favour comfort over performance. They arguably make sense on snowboard boots because they replace laces. I don't see any advantage replacing buckles. Buckles are pretty fast to close, buckles rarely break, buckles can tolerate ridiculous tension, whereas the boa will fray & break. If you do go boa, then know the specific dial system & cable length for repair, or prepare to buy new boots every year.
I have a unbelievable high instep. It took about six trips to my boot fitter to get my Technica 130’s to fit and the over the foot buckle is on the lightest setting. I have the high instep problem on all shoes and boots I wear. Since my Technica’s are only two years old I am staying with them for now but I think the BOA will work for people like me.
For a beginning to intermediate skier, the BOA makes it easier for them. For high intermediate to advanced skiers it doesn’t allow the skier to adjust the first two buckles on a four buckle boot. It assumes that you want to have the same pressure from your toes to your ankle and that’s not true. I like four buckles with the first two being adjustable and not very tight which is my preference. The third buckle is the one that is the most important as it locks your heel into the heel pocket of the boot and then the fourth buckle would be the second most important to keep your leg above the ankle locked in. This was a very limited selection of boots, as there are many many more choices available.
@@maggot1234 One device takes care of two buckles around the toes. Again, this is for beginning to low intermediate skiers. They don’t really know how loose or how tight they want the two buckles to be. The boa makes it easy to tighten or loosen the tow area very easily.
The BOA ski boot is simply STUPID! Over time the dial stops working because of the internal gear tightening/loosening failure; besides ski boots need to be adjusted for every part of your foot, hence buckles with micro adjustments. A circumnavigating cable that tightens/loosens everything indiscriminately is insane
