Best Ski Boots For 2022 | Buyer's Guide - Mpora

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Best Ski Boots For 2022 | Buyer’s Guide

We’ve tested and reviewed the best ski boots for this season

What are the best ski boots? That’s a question that can divide opinion faster than a Piers Morgan tweet. To be quite honest, the best pair of ski boots depends entirely on each skier’s ski style and body shape. What might work for a park rat who spends all their time on the rails will be entirely different for a freeride skier who’s at home straight-lining couloirs.

“Head to your local brick-and-mortar ski shop and get your feet stuck into a wide range of ski boots”

Ski boots are also pretty unique in that they’re entirely dependent on the fit, which varies massively between brands and models within each brand. So regardless of what kind of ski boot you’re looking for, finding the best fit is essential to finding the best ski boot for you.

For that reason, it’s essential for me to rehash the age-old adage that you should head to your local brick-and-mortar ski shop, and get your feet stuck into a wide range of ski boots to see what fits your unique foot shape, before you go and drop your hard-earned cash on a pair.

Serious ski boot testing in Damüls, Austria. Photo: Syo van Vliet

On top of getting your feet in a range of ski boots, your local shop staff will be able to look at your feet, listen to your ski ambitions and recommend a range of boots they think will work for you. Ski shop staff measure, prod at, and generally evaluate, a huge amount of feet everyday, so it’s always a good shout to lean on their experience if you’re starting from scratch.

“Everything from stiff-as-concrete race boots, to lightweight freestyle kicks”

Putting foot shapes aside, we’ve selected the best ski boots for 2022. The list contains touring-specific ski mountaineering boots, freestyle boots, piste boots and boots that do a bit of everything – all of which come with a wide range of shapes and sizes. Everything from stiff-as-concrete race boots, to lightweight freestyle kicks have been covered to ensure you’re in the best place to pick the best ski boots for you.

Best Ski Boots 2022

  • Head Formula RS 120
  • Lange XT3 130 LV
  • Nordica Speedmachine 3 130
  • Salomon Shift Pro 130
  • Head Raptor WCR 120 S
  • Full Tilt First Chair GW
  • Dynafit Radical Pro
  • Dalbello Quantum Free
  • Tecnica Cochise 130 
  • K2 Recon 120

Head Formula RS 120

Flex: 130
Last: 98mm (at 26.5)
Price: €530 / £450 / $875

BUY HERE

Built from the race heritage of Head Skis, the all-new Formula RS 120 doesn’t make any compromises on either performance or all-day comfort. This has been achieved by taking the extremely successful Head Raptor WCR model, and applying some comfort-enhancing technologies from the Nexo range of ski boots.

The result? The Head Formula RS 120 brings performance to advanced – intermediate skiers looking to progress to the next level. A flex rating of 120 or 130 (it can be adjusted by inserting a screw into the cuff) brings an impressive level of performance – all in a last that won’t trash your feet.

Chosen for the 21/22 Ski 100. Check out our Head Formula RS 120 Review here

Lange XT3 130 LV

Flex: 130
Last: 97 mm
Weight (per boot): 1,790 (26.5)

BUY HERE

The Lange XT3 is Lange’s latest iteration of their extremely successful XT range of ski boots.  The XT range has been built with the highest level of performance possible, while still giving you the option to ascend with the addition of a walk mode. The XT3 takes this a step further, coming in at a lighter weight and offering an improved walk mode.

If you’ve found your touring boots have been lacking in performance, and your foot matches the narrow 97 mm ‘LV’ last, the XT should be at the top of your shopping list for this season. They offer top end downhill performance, in a fit that’ll provide vice-like grip for the downhill market.

Chosen for the 21/22 Ski 100. Check out our Lange XT3 130 Review here

Nordica Speedmachine 3 130

Flex: 130
Last: 100 mm
Weight (per boot): 1,920 (26)

BUY HERE

The Nordica Speedmachine 130 has long been the go-to boot for advanced to expert skiers searching for wide-fitting, performance-focused kicks. Now, for 2021, the Speedmachine is in its third iteration and features a range of performance-enhancing features that help to solidify it as our top pick for performance and comfort.

This highly customisable boot results in a fit that you can make your own in more ways than one. The 100 mm last is going to be suitable for people with slightly wider feet, or who put a lot of emphasis on all-day comfort.

Chosen for the 21/22 Ski 100. Check out our Nordica Speedmachine 3 130 Review here

Salomon Shift Pro 130

Flex: 130
Last: 100 mm
Weight (per boot): 1,679g (26.5)
Price: £540 / €600 / $800

BUY HERE

The Salomon Shift Pro 130 has taken the best qualities from Salomon’s three most popular boots – the fit of the S/Pro, the walk from the MTN and the performance of the S/Max. This results in a freeride touring boot that comes with a comfortable 100 mm last, an impressive 45 degrees of ROM and a flex rating of 130.

There’s also 110 and 90 flex rating versions for those who would prefer a more approachable flex, with the option for male and female models. If you’re someone who loves to spend your time between the resort and backcountry, you certainly can’t go wrong with the Salomon Shift Pro.

Chosen for the 21/22 Ski 100. Check out our Salomon Shift Pro 130 Review here

Head Raptor WCR 120 S

Flex:120
Last: 96mm
Weight (per boot): 2,480g
Price: £500 / 550€

BUY HERE

You’ll spot these black and white boots with their skeleton-like buckles peppering World Cup race circuits as well as freeride faces on the soles of everyone from Wendy Holdener to Hedvig Wessel. Updated for 2021/22, the Raptor WCR 120 S leads the pack in Head’s line up of general-purpose race boots, second only in stiffness and narrowness to Head’s athlete-specific range.

The Raptor WCR 120 S is built for downhill technical finesse and aggression, and not for versatility; this is a boot for race-inspired and downhill-focused skiers. Hazard warning aside, expert skiers who find their 120 flex boots are giving out under pressure, the Raptor WCR 120 S may well be your answer. If you love slicing ice with high angle carves – whether between gates, piste markers, or choppy terrain – the Raptor RS 120 has you covered for ultimate stiffness, accuracy, and speed.

Chosen for the 21/22 Ski 100. Check out our Head Raptor WCR 120 S Review here

Full Tilt First Chair GW

Flex:100
Last: 99 mm
Weight (per boot): 2,050
Price: £350

BUY HERE

Updated for 2021, the First Chair 100 replaces the successful First Chair 8. Given its flex rating of 100, it sits in the middle of Full Tilt’s First Chair family, offering a great freeride and freestyle boot for strong intermediates, or lightweight advanced skiers.

This is a great ski boot that can do just about anything a resort skier requires. Its 100 flex rating is ideal for those lightweight, or intermediate, skiers who are looking for a slightly softer flexing boot. The addition of a GripWalk sole unit makes it capable of hiking to lines, while the increased shock absorption means the boots are also comfortable in the air.

Chosen for the 21/22 Ski 100. Check out our Full Tilt First Chair 100 Review here

Dynafit Radical Pro

Flex: 120
Last: 103.5
Weight (per boot): 1,400g (26.5)
Price: £560 / 600 / $800

BUY HERE

Built and designed by freeride skiing legend, Eric Hjorleifson, the all-new Dynafit Radical Pro offers a flex rating of 120 in an extremely lightweight package of 1,400 grams per boot. The Radical Pro is ideal for skiers looking to dive into backcountry exploration, without having to sacrifice too much performance as a result.

A slightly wider last of 103 means that the Radical Pro will fit a wide range of feet, while offering comfort for big days in the backcountry. The walk mode is a thing of beauty, too, with a single motion flipping three buckles at once, instantly putting you into the friction-free 60 degrees of ROM.

Chosen for the 21/22 Ski 100. Check out our Dynafit Radical Pro Review here

Dalbello Quantum Free Factory 130

Flex: 130 mm
Last: 100 mm
Weight (per boot): 1,313g (27.5)
Price: £600 / €660 / $750

BUY HERE

On first impressions, the Quantum Free Asolo might look very similar to the first Quantum boot but Dalbello has borrowed a few bits from their other, extremely successful, freeride boots to help juice up the flex rating of this extremely lightweight boot.

If you’re looking for a ski touring boot that can tour as well as it can ski, then you don’t really need to look any further than the Dalbello Quantum Free. The 130 flex, combined with the excellent 65 degrees of range of motion make for an unrivalled freetouring package.

Chosen for the 21/22 Ski 100. Check out our Dalbello Quantum Free 130 Review here

Tecnica Cochise 130

Flex: 130
Last: 99 mm
Weight (per boot):  1,850g
Price: £520 / $750

BUY HERE

The Cochise range from Tecnica has been built to make zero compromise on the downhill, while offering a (relatively) decent walk mode for accessing those secret powder spots. For 2021, Tecnica has made some handy updates to the Cochise range which helps to further cement the range as the go-to option for freeriders. 

The Tecnica Cochise 130’s combination of performance, responsive flex pattern and adequate touring comfort are fused together to create a boot that offers very little compromise for advance – expert skiers who put downhill performance at the front of their buying choices.

Chosen for the 21/22 Ski 100. Check out our Tecnica Cochise 130 Review here

K2 Recon 120

Flex:120
Last: 100
Weight (per boot): 1,700g
Price: £450

BUY HERE

Normally, if you’re after a high-performance downhill ski boot, you’re forced to look at heavier boots for a boost in stiffness. But now, thanks to the development of some clever plastics and shell structures, K2 has managed to develop the Recon range – a range of boots that keep the weight incredibly low, without sacrificing an ounce of downhill performance.

This is a seriously exciting boot release from K2. If you’ve previously groaned about the feeling of skiing with a pair of breeze blocks on your feet, then you’re going to love the energetic feeling of these boots. The blend of agility and performance is something that’s previously been reserved to ski touring boots; now it comes in an alpine boot package.

Chosen for the 21/22 Ski 100. Check out our K2 Recon 120 Review here

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Topics:

Dalbello Dynafit Full Tilt Gear Head Skis K2 Skis Lange Nordica Salomon Ski Boots Skiing Tecnica
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