Comparing the 2024 Boa Boots Offerings from Atomic, Fischer, K2 and Salomon

[Csr_jr]

Now I can't wait to see a boa boot and see for myself!!! I don't think I'd move away from the 4 buckle boot I have (Head Raptor 120 WCR), but not certain I'm in the target demo here.
I do think that boa would be a helpful add to beginner and some intermediate boots.

 

[Scruffy]

This is like a soap opera: As the Boa Turns Seriously though, nice video and analysis, @Philpug and @Tricia, thanks for doing it.

Strawberry milkshake color it is on the Salomon boot.

 

[HardDaysNight]

My suspicion has been that the primary objective of the BOA boot manufacturers is to create a new, “must have” sense of desirability in the minds of those skiers who yearn for the gimmick that will help them ski better. A much-needed fillip to what is a pretty stagnant market. The marketing hype (greatest advance in skiing in 60 years as per K2!) seems to support this thesis. I had not thought about some of the drawbacks @otto listed. Very interesting to hear from one of the doyens of the industry who doesn’t have any personal axe to grind.

 

[Tricia]

BOA is being falsely promoted as a mechanism that can make improperly fit ski boots fit better. Simply not true!

Maybe some are saying that it will make an improperly fit boot fit better, but not me and not here. If anything, I'm clearly stating in the video that I've skied two of the 4 manufacturer's boots and found the one that is based off a 100 last was not a good fit for me and couldn't make it fit well enough to ski more than a few days.
The Atomic, which is narrower and has a lower volume fit is working well for me.

Its product overviews like this that are showing well that you still need a bootfitter to properly fit you into boots. Doesn't matter if the proper fit has BOA or not.

Is it a benefit if you are a boot fitting specialist that can no longer open up the lower boot with a boot spreader to be able to mark, punch, or grind the boot to solve fit problems?

This is a consideration I had when I was analyzing these boots, but then the materials these boots are made from are more likely to be heated and punched.
I doubt I'd grind any of these(so far) options.

@otto it is hard to disagree with anything you wrote, I have to agree and I don't think I have written anything contrary to this is, BOA will not makle a boot that doesn't fit, fit. It is not going to make or break a boot fit and I would not hold off on a purchase based on BOA. I think the same could be said about GripWalk, the energy put into both of these "advancements" to use the word loosely, could have been used better elsewhere.

I DO think that brands are doubling down on it and we will see it on boots, these four brands and some others, for the foreseeable (5-7 years) future.

100%

 

[jt10000]

My only concern is durability. Even if it's easy to fix, I don't want the annoyance of something breaking or popping off.

 

[Brian Finch]

Ppl like shiny things that are new. If BOA brings interest to skiing, it’s a net benefit for all of us- even us race or rear entry stock

The rising tide lifts all ships.

 

[jt10000]

Ppl like shiny things that are new. If BOA brings interest to skiing, it’s a net benefit for all of us- even us race or rear entry stock

The rising tide lifts all ships.

I doubt it'll attract people who don't ski to otherwise ski. It might increase spending on product.

 

[Philpug]

My only concern is durability. Even if it's easy to fix, I don't want the annoyance of something breaking or popping off.

It is no more a concern than breaking a buckle on a step, bending a brake or even getting a core shot. Stuff breaks. If you want to deal with any of that, well, maybe skiing isn't your sport.

 

[neonorchid]

Is it a benefit if you are a boot fitting specialist that can no longer open up the lower boot with a boot spreader to be able to mark, punch, or grind the boot to solve fit problems? -

BOA is a cancer that will eat the boot business from the inside out.

the Pointy Toe Last norm is a cancer eating the boot business patrons from the inside out!!!!!!

Woah, this has not been mentioned at all!
It has been billed as just a different method of closing.
So how does one punch or grind the Boa clog? Or are they all just heat moldable?

pop the knob off of the boot and remove all of the guides, they are bolt on's right?

...and I'm supposed to trust a boot fitter

 

[Rich_Ease_3051]

Boa made me realise the annoyance factor of buckling and unbuckling and turning clock and counter clockwise many times to get just the right level of tightness of metal buckles.

But they didn't need to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Metal buckles are still better in terms of cost, replaceability, and strength.

What they should have done is redesign the metal buckle with a single flick crank that is attached to a multistep screw that goes all the way from very loose to very tight. Not an insurmountable engineering challenge I think.

 

[James]

pop the knob off of the boot and remove all of the guides, they are bolt on's right?

No reason to remove the guides.
That’s not the issue. The issue, perhaps, would be the overlap is too big to open with a spreader.

 

[neonorchid]

No reason to remove the guides.
That’s not the issue. The issue, perhaps, would be the overlap is too big to open with a spreader.

I haven't handled one but would think the thinner walled more pliable overlap upper should bend enough to allow access, I mean if not how would one put these things on and take them off, right, only one would still need to get the wire out of the way, no?

 

[1Turn2Many]

It is no more a concern than breaking a buckle on a step, bending a brake or even getting a core shot. Stuff breaks. If you want to deal with any of that, well, maybe skiing isn't your sport.

I’m still skeptical. Both products I’ve had with BOA broke (ski boots and helmet). I’m extra skeptical of the claims that BOA boots will provide excellent fit across a wide range of foot widths. I think it will be good for entry level boots, especially rental boots. I don’t think performance oriented skiers will find it an acceptable replacement for buckles. I’m frequently wrong though.

 

[Philpug]

I’m still skeptical. Both products I’ve had with BOA broke (ski boots and helmet). I’m extra skeptical of the claims that BOA boots will provide excellent fit across a wide range of foot widths. I think it will be good for entry level boots, especially rental boots. I don’t think performance oriented skiers will find it an acceptable replacement for buckles. I’m frequently wrong though.

And you would be here too.

 

[onenerdykid]

Woah, this has not been mentioned at all!
It has been billed as just a different method of closing.
So how does one punch or grind the Boa clog? Or are they all just heat moldable?

Spreading a shell for assessment and/or boot work is totally possible - just unscrew ONE screw at the instep cable deviation. Doing that will allow for using a shell spreader, a Scott press, and most other tools. No one should be grinding these boots anyway, so being able to get a Foredom into the shell is a non-starter.

I know many boot fitters who remove all buckles (often taking off the cuff) before performing shell work. True- it is one more step in order to spread the shell open for assessment, but that BOA is all of a sudden creating massive headaches for boot fitters is treading into Straw Man fallacy territory.

 

[Tony Storaro]

Sounds to me like we need four Boas per pair of boots. One Boa for the instep and one for the toe buckle.

Make the dials a bit smaller, between the size of the current one and the helmet Boas.

Coming new for the 2026 season: You asked for it, and we listened. The new Boa Quatro.

View attachment 201001

This looks terrible. Absolutely terrible.

 

[Rich_Ease_3051]

My only concern is durability. Even if it's easy to fix, I don't want the annoyance of something breaking or popping off.

Yeah I've never heard of a buckle pop off ever.

This product hasn't been released yet and they were already showing instructions on how to pop the round thing back in lol. Not very encouraging.

 

[onenerdykid]

Yeah I've never heard of a buckle pop off ever.

This product hasn't been released yet and they were already showing instructions on how to pop the round thing back in lol. Not very encouraging.

It's ready because people have questions and concerns. Do you think not having anything ready is somehow better?

 

[jt10000]

It's ready because people have questions and concerns. Do you think not having anything ready is somehow better?

It's ready because of questions and concerns about something that is not exceedingly rare. Whereas broken buckles are exceedingly rare. So yes, having parts ready for if it happens with BOA is better than not. But it being so rare as to not really be a thing would be even better.

It is no more a concern than breaking a buckle on a step, bending a brake or even getting a core shot. Stuff breaks. If you want to deal with any of that, well, maybe skiing isn't your sport.

If it's much more common than those issues, then it's more of a concern. And beyond that, just because everything can break, moving to something that breaks more often seems a step backwards unless the new is far better in some other way. My feet are easy - I'm sure buckles and BOA are both fine for fit for me. But why move backwards in another dimension?

 

[coops]

I think their message (or K2's at least) of getting two lasts out of one is incredibly disappointing and ultimately detrimental to people's understanding of how a ski boot should fit. But the system works, fits better, and is far from being a gimmick or a flash in the pan.

The full hyperbole can be read here:-

K2 Recon 120 BOA® Men's Ski Boots

Loaded with all the tech but without the weight of a high-end performance alpine boot.undefined

k2snow.com

"BOA® on ski boots? Yep, you read that right. It’s the biggest advancement in skiing, let alone boot fitting in sixty years. "

"We’ve named this all-new boot last our MultiFit last, ranging from 97mm -104mm. Fitting a wide range of feet right out of the box and eliminating the need for both a “Low Volume” and “Mid Volume” fit."

and the most laughable to me :-
"Say goodbye to all your boot-fitting woes, with the new Recon 120 BOA® . Its redesigned shell delivers a better “wrap,” and a more even pressure distribution across the foot. Gone are traditional pain hotspots caused by overtightened buckles,"

Errr, my forefoot pains from new boots (recently experienced due to my old Atomic Hawk cracking ) is alway due to my sixth toe like very, very many others... doesn't matter how loose or tight the buckle is - assuming the boot is not so preposterously oversized i.e it's a proper boot fit.

After punching, those 2 buckles are indeed loosely tightened just to get a seal and then it was back in with my Zipfit liners once the shell was ok, and Zipfits also allow my top two buckles to be only one finger easy latch tight just to take up boot shell slack.

Come to think of it, Zipfits are the biggest advancement in boot fitting in sixty years.