Gear Review
Question: “What is the most important piece of ski gear in skiing?”
Answer: “Your boots”
Why are ski boots the most important piece of in skiing? Because your boots are the only thing that actually touch your body. They are the transfer point between your body and your ski. If your boots are low quality, your skiing will be as well. If you boots are loose, your feet will be moving and your ski will not. That sloppy in-boot foot motion won’t transform to ski motion and your sweet moves will be lost in translation.
So, what’s the best thing to do then? Clearly, the best thing to do is to get the best boots in the industry and ski at your highest potential.
THE AWARD WINNING SKI BOOTS OF 2015:
SKI BOOTS: 2015 K2 PINNACLE 130
AWARD: Backcountry Magazine Editors’ Choice Award
– Backcountry Magazine gave their Editors’ Choice Award to 6 ski boots this year. Of those 6, the K2 Pinnacle is the strongest hybrid for both backcountry missions and in resort charging.
– PIck up a pair of K2 Pinnacle 130 at evo.com: 2015 K2 Pinnacle Ski Boot
- Sizes : 25.5 – 30.5 (half sizes only)
- Flex: 130
- Last: 100mm
- Weight: 10lbs, 2ozs
What Backcountry Magazine had to say about the K2 Pinnacle 130 ski boot:
+ Tech-compatible alpine performance with a consistent flex.
– The powerstrap/fourth buckle got mixed reviews.
= K2’s breakout new boot has a great flex and skis well inbounds and on resort-based missions. – Backcountry Magazine
SKI BOOTS: 2015 Full Tilt Tom Wallisch Ski Boots
AWARD: Freeskier Magazine Editors’ Pick Award
– Freeskier Magazine gave 7 ski boots the “Editor’s Pick Award”, but the 2015 Full Tilt Tom Wallisch Ski Boots is the most park-nasty and unique. If you ski park, this is the boot to get this winter.
– PIck up a pair of Full Tilt Tom Wallisch Ski Boots at evo.com: 2015 Full Tilt Tom Wallisch Ski Boots
- Flex: 6 (1 Soft – 10 Stiff)
- Last: 99mm
What Freeskier had to say about the 2015 Full Tilt Tom Wallisch Ski Boots:
The pretzel man’s pro model is back, with Jordan-inspired styling, for its fifth year of production. The Full Tilt Tom Wallisch Pro ski boots have a 99-mm last, a bit of added room in the toe box for wider feet and a layer of soft rubber in the sole for impact absorption when you take it deep. – Freeskier Magazine
SKI BOOTS: Tecnica Cochise 130 Pro
AWARD: Powder Magazine Skier’s Choice Award
– Powder Magazine gave it’s skier’s choice award to 25 different ski boots this year, but the 2015 Tecnica Cochise 130 Pro is by far the biggest and baddest. If you’re an inbounds skier and you want to charge hard, this is the boot for you. Oh, and it’s got a walk mode, so you can take the bigness and badness into the backcountry if need be.
– Pick up a pair of the Tecnica Cochise 130 Pro at evo.com here: 2015 Tecnica Cochise 130 Pro
- Flex: 130
- Last: 98mm
What Powder Magazine had to say about the 2015 Tecnica Cochise 130 Pro:
The Tecnica Cochise returns with a new lower shell. Featuring swappable soles for alpine or tech bindings, the Cochise 130 navigated inbounds chopped-up powder and wind-buff fairly well. It had rebounding power from turn to turn, something that is typically remiss in crossover boots. However, the new lower shell is long for its size, and when combined with a last that felt wider than 98mm, the boot is better suited for medium to wider feet. The 30-degree walk mode is fine for short tours, but the shells rubbed together while disengaged. Additionally, the flex felt softer than a 130, and narrow-footed skiers will need to clamp it down to charge. – Powder Magazine
I really hope K2 fixed that boot…Saw a ton of those broken last year. And Tecnica Cocheese please there are at least 10 other boots that way out perform that boot.
There aren’t even 10 other boots in the side country class.
“So, what’s the best thing to do then? Clearly, the best thing to do is to get the best boots in the industry and ski at your highest potential.”
Hopefully the above comment is made in jest, or you guys justify it to yourselves by getting some sort of click-through kickback from evo.com.
The best thing to do is to wear a boot that fits and matches a person’s skiing ability. A beginner isn’t going to improve wearing a stiff flexing boot that they can’t use to drive their ski. An improperly fit boot isn’t going to perform well either, as a poor fit isn’t going to transfer energy efficiently from the person to the ski. My unsolicited advice: find an experienced bootfitter.