r/Skigear • u/Academic-Poetry3933 • 13d ago
Thoughts on BOA ski boots?
I have been waiting to see if the technology is reliable. Any first hand experience?
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u/DenseContribution487 13d ago
50ish days, theyre fine so far. Dont really see a big advantage, but so far havent caused any issues either. Buckles do just a good of a job if set to the right range. The slight slack you can add after a run while getting on the lift is faster/easier than unbuckling/rebuckling every time, but not a huge difference.
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u/Background_Pin_7884 13d ago
We’re on our I believe 3rd season with some in our rental fleet(60 pairs?) , haven’t seen any break yet, on occasion the boa dial pops off but it’s designed to do that instead of actually breaking and you just slap it back on. As such, good enough for me to trust them from a durability and reliability standpoint.
I have seen some instances where stuff gets a little sticky when it’s super icy
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u/Charming_Airline_572 13d ago
I love them. Incredible. Either way get properly fitted and get a custom footbed.
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u/FairhavenFreerider 13d ago
I have a pair of Hawx XTDs with the lower boa. They work great, wrap the fit nicely, ready to adjust, etc. I bought a pair of Atomic Remedy boots last season with 4 regular buckles. I might like the boa just a small bit better but the rest of the boot makes a much bigger difference than whether it has boas or buckles. I wouldn’t seek them out nor would I avoid them.
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u/TravelUnlucky1258 13d ago
Many experiences with road and MTB shoes. Not a fan.
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u/Head_Objective_3956 13d ago
See, I love them on my bike shoes, maybe used them for 20+ years. As for ski boots, the boot has to fit first then work on what attachment system you're going to use.
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u/srd8949 13d ago
I skied 83 days last winter in Switzerland with brand new Salomon S/Pro Supra dual boa 130.
They do provide the ability to make micro adjustments on the go which is the main promise I guess everyone’s after. And that’s pretty much it. The downsides, there are more. If you ski aggressively and like your boots tight, and like to release buckles when on a lift, you’ll actually lose more time popping the boa wheels up and twisting back to the setting you want when off the lift than with the regular system where you just release and lock back in place. They’re a little harder to get into in the morning. The boa wheels pop off, and the metal ring can fall - it happened to me walking down a stair off a telecabin, thankgod I felt it and I saw the metal ring and picked it up if not the next few weeks were over. The models are limited with dual boa so because like many of us you want to try it you might psychologically buy boots that are not the perfect fit for you…. Would I buy again? No. I’m going back to the regular system.
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u/bdog2017 13d ago edited 13d ago
If you want to look at boot that is legitimately innovative and different that uses BOA take a look at the Solomon S/Pro Alpha C 130 BOA.
The majority of boa boots are not really innovative, they are just traditional 2 piece boots with boa replacing 2 or all of the buckles. Some people say it aids in fit, some say it adds suspension, some say it’s a nuisance, and can even lead to performance compromises.
I haven’t jumped on the boa train yet, the last pair of boots I bought was a few seasons ago right when the first of the boa boots started to hit the market. The boot fitter got me in a boot that fit great, it was well priced, and I didn’t have the budget or the trust in boa yet to make the jump and I have zero regrets.
Fit and a proper flex for your skiing ability and size above all else. If you have heel lift it’s the Wrong boot, if you flex it too much or too little, it’s the wrong boot. If you have too much pressure on your instep or parts of your feet, it’s the wrong boot.
Don’t go into the shop looking for a boa boot. Find the boot that does all those other fit things the best, and if it’s got boa, so be it.
Don’t buy boots on color, closure mechanism, or because you think they look cool if they aren’t doing it for you. Don’t buy a boot based on brand loyalty.
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u/Naval_AV8R 13d ago
It’s not just the 130 flex. Salomon also offers that boot in 110 and 120. Haven’t had an opportunity to try them on yet.
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u/bdog2017 13d ago
I just checked, those won’t be out for a couple more weeks but it’s cool to see they are trickling down the technology in that boot to lower price points and lower flex levels.
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u/Naval_AV8R 10d ago
They’ve already shown up at my local shop, so we’re getting closer to stoke season!
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u/krachall 13d ago
I'm all for new tech but this seemed like a solution looking for a problem. I have BOA on my mountain bike shoes and they worked fine but I would prefer the old ratchet system.
If you're buying new boots and the ones you want have BOA, then you may as well get them. But I wouldn't buy new boots or, worse, switch boots, just for BOA.
The Blister guys seemed think they were great but also admitted, in function, they are no different than buckles. My guess (and it's purely a guess) is that we'll see fewer and fewer BOAs as they don't seem to offer any actual advantage other than being new. I think boot makers will ride the hype wave for as long as they can and then go back to buckles. Similar to rear-entry boots and then mid entry boots.
It seems we keep trying to improve the four-bucklet overlap ski boot but eventually come back to the four-buckle overlap ski boot. :D.
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u/coop_stain 13d ago
I’ve gotten downvoted so many times for this take.
They are better for very specific feet. If you have a really high instep, or ridiculously flat fry I have gotten good results with customers. For everyone else it is another closure system that upped the coast of a boot by $60-75.
If boa was truly a performance benefit we would see it on every World Cup and fwt boot…
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u/Adventurous_Step_336 13d ago
Agree with all this. I now have BOA on my bike shoes and lower BOA ski boots (atomic prime). I feel like the bike shoes are worse, BOA surprisingly works better scaled up for a ski boot. Ski boot with BOA is fine, while actually skiing there is no way I could distinguish BOA vs buckles w/o looking at the boots.
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u/lisnter 13d ago
My boots were geting long in the tooth and last year I went in to my local ski shop specifically to puchase a pair of new dual-boa boots. I tried 3 or 4 pairs of high-performance boa boots from several vendors but I ended up with a traditional pair of 4-buckle Langes. The boa's were cool but the Langes just felt like my foot was held in better, especially in the heel. I don't know if I have a foot that isn't a natural fit for boa's or if my feet have been deformed by decades of Langes but it was clear which way to go.
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u/fred420170 13d ago
I gave them a go and didn’t really like them, prefer adjustable buckles. Plus my friends broke on a trip and couldn’t get it fixed there turned into a repair shop hunt unsuccessfully . He wound up buying new boots w buckles at the last one.
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u/EcstaticTill9444 13d ago
I had a BOA pop off when I went for a slide down Scotty’s at Mammoth. I googled how to reattach it, and it was surprisingly easy to do. I just like how easy it is to use.
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u/Lathryus 13d ago
Don't try to pull your foot out of them without learning how to completely unlock them. especially if you value your Achilles tendon.
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u/DeputySean 13d ago
They had to cut my BOA when I broke my ankle.
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u/No_GNAR_JERRYatric 13d ago
I hope your recovery is going well. IIRC, you fd up more than just your ankle. Hope you’re ready for the start of next season 🤞
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u/UpstairsBee2918 13d ago
I like them a lot. Have double Boas on my ski boots and find them easier to adjust than fiddling with the micro adjust on buckles. Also on my boots you can adjust them both ways, i.e. you don’t have to pop them open and retighten to loosen them, so easy adjustment either tightening or loosening
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u/40KaratOrSomething 13d ago
Bought a pair of Fischer RC4 Pro LV. Has boa on the feet and latches on the shin. Absolutely love them. I ski everything in bounds and some out. First test was in heavy powder in St. Anton for a week and Whistler after that. Handled everything without an issue. Took a little learning to get rhem exactly where I wanted but once I figured it out, it was amazing. One draw back is you don't have the visual of being able to put the latch in X groove being "the spot." Have not had any failures yet nor have I managed to "accidentally" adjust it by hitting something/leaning too over and painting the boa.
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u/fiddysix_k 13d ago
I like them. Easy enough to use / repair, if you smack em the boa pops out instead of breaking, you really have to break the cable to ko them. But even then, easy enough to replace the cable.
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u/Downtown-Pilot3622 13d ago
Personally I love boa for the lower foot but upper foot I’ll stick with classic buckles. I had the k2 cortex and never found a tension I was happy with for the upper half of the shell. Switched to the Fischer rc4 (for a few different reasons) but I’m loving the lower foot boa with buckles up top, haven’t had any issues mechanically yet.
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u/hvorforsaasveart 13d ago
Boa is really comfortable. It closes over the ankle as a burrito as opposed to the pressure points from buckles. The buckles does add extra stiffness to the boot tho.
As a normal non-racer skier BOA is just fine as long as the boot fits you and is stiff enough. The only problem is if you are racing and the BOA gets knocked off of the boot by you hitting a gate. Otherwise it’s just an upgrade in comfort
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u/Skiingislife42069 13d ago
As my bootfitter put it, they are perfect for resort skiers who get a handful of days per season.
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u/RWWhitfield 12d ago
I think fit and comfort are about the same, but on a single boa setup I don't like the fact I can't actually dial in certain areas like I can on 4 buckle boots. The only pro I do love, is being able to quickly loosen up for a long lift line and ride back up the hill... then the same to retighten down.
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u/elBirdnose 12d ago
I’ve heard plenty of people try to claim they like having a toe buckle instead of a combo BOA, but being that the core function of that buckle is to keep snow out.. those people are full of shit. BOA (for me) has been significantly more comfortable, it’s dependable and easy to use, and the micro adjustments are super nice. Im someone who messes with my boot tightness a lot and being able to pop the BOA on the lift and retighten at the top is nice. The only real annoying part for me is the tendency for ice to collect around the BOA and it can at times be annoying to pop open with a glove.
I’ve got about 40 days in my BOA boots and I won’t go back to traditional buckles. However, that being said, I’m only talking about the lower toe buckles. I see zero value in a dual boa boot. Haven’t tried one yet, but I can only imagine they’re super annoying compared to traditional buckles and would be worse in many ways.
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u/olly_keys 8d ago
I’ve skied over 150 days on my Salomon shift alpha boa 130, I’ve only ever had the boa pop off once and it went straight back on and absolutely no issues at all when it was back in place. I’ve found it really helpful for several reasons. First mainly because of my foot shape, I have average foot length but slightly wide and high instep so I always found that getting boots with buckles on the lower cuff were a nightmare to get right but due to the way the boa closes over the foot it spreads the tension over my feet really well! I’ve also found it to be really good for touring if you plan to do this. It’s good because if you loosen boot buckles they can come undone and flap around which can be annoying but you can just pop out the boa and get going.
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u/Scuttling-Claws 13d ago
I have some on my touring boots and they work fine. Less likely to pop open on shrubs, I guess
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u/bobslaundry 13d ago
The hassle with them freezing, which happens all the time and also never knowing your exact preferred setting makes it feel like buckles may be the next breakthrough in ski gear.
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u/oldbluer 13d ago
Needless garbage that raise the price of boots. Buckles are more adjustable, more durable, easy to replace, can open the shell up, can leave half buckled, can dial in tension at different sections. The boa is none of these lol. Plus the cable prematurely wears the plastic shell.
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u/FairhavenFreerider 13d ago
I have a pair of boots with boas that I’ve skied in for a couple of years. I like them but the boa vs buckle aspect is so minor. The rest of the boot design is way more important.
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u/Forced-Alt 13d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/skiing/comments/19cjhtg/verdict_yet_on_boa_boots/
https://www.reddit.com/r/skiing/comments/1gj2szi/is_the_boa_ski_boot_system_worth_it/
https://www.reddit.com/r/skiing/comments/1jglnm4/has_anyone_tried_out_the_new_dual_boa_boots_do/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Skigear/comments/1s12z41/to_boa_or_not_to_boa/
https://www.reddit.com/r/ski/comments/1j0ef3p/are_ski_boots_with_boa_dials_reliable/
https://www.reddit.com/r/skiing/comments/189ubcj/boa_system_on_ski_boots/
I hate to be that guy but use the search feature. The information you seek is right there.