Testing 2027 Ski Boots with SkiEssentials - Matt's Experience

Most people run one boot at a time, maybe two. Usually it's an alpine, resort-specific boot that gets held onto for a few years until the liner is thoroughly packed out, at which point it's replaced with something similar. Maybe you're one of the ambitious ones with an alpine boot and a touring-capable boot. That was me for my entire life until the past two seasons or so.

This past season, I wanted to get seriously educated on what different styles of boots have to offer, alpine boots in particular. I managed to get my hands on, or should I say my feet into, nine different boots. They covered a whole lot of ground: race-specific, freeride-focused, all-mountain, and freeride-touring. Some with dual BOA, some with buckles and BOA, and some with buckles and no BOA at all. The goal was to see what each one brought to the table through the lens of my own preferences and skiing style.

Honest confession: before this experiment, I didn't really know what I liked in a boot. I just knew whether I liked it or not. That sounds a little funny coming from someone who reviews gear for a living, but I'd never had the option or the opportunity to try a wide array of boots. Now, after a season of homework, I can tell you with real confidence what I love and what I just don't jive with. For reference, I wear a US 13 shoe and skied 28/28.5 shells in every one of these.

To keep things as consistent as possible, we ski boots stock out of the box before diving into extensive fitting work like grinding or stretching plastic. The Head Raptor 140 needed a little grinding to keep the peace, but everything else went in without any major overhaul. I used my Zipfit Gara LV where I could, though I ended up in stock liners a lot of the time. The Gara LV found its way into the Salomon S/Pro Alpha C BOA 130, Tecnica Mach1 130 LV, Nordica SpeedMachine 3 130C BOA, and S/Pro Supra Dual BOA 130. Of those, the ZipFit Gara LV boosted the performance of the S/Pro Alpha 130 and Mach1 130 the most, but nailing the perfect fit proved tricky.

Here's the puzzle I kept running into: the Gara LV took up a lot of volume over my instep in all of those boots. I could barely get to the tightness I like before my forefoot started going numb. And I like my forefoot extremely tight. So I'd snug the instep down to the point where I still had blood flow, then crank the forefoot as hard as I could, and the instep would end up getting crushed. The stock liners never gave me that problem. What I really wanted was Zipfit support in the heel, ankle, and shin combined with the instep and forefoot tightness the stock liners provided — which is exactly why I picked up a Zipfit Corsa this past spring, the moment the lifts stopped spinning. The lower volume should solve a lot of this, and I'm genuinely excited to find out. Expect a whole lot more testing and tinkering with the Corsa this coming season. Bottom line on liners: stock most of the time, with the S/Pro Alpha and Mach1 as the two Gara LV exceptions.

Matt's Boots in No Particular Order:

2027 Atomic Remedy 130 Ski Boots

This was far and away the boot I reached for most this season. These fit MY feet better than anything I have ever put on my foot, with the gentle reminder that this says nothing about how they'll fit yours. Case in point: I bought a pair for my girlfriend and she couldn't last more than one run at a time. Out of the box, with zero modifications, these checked almost every box for fit, performance, and overall feel.

The low cuff height is absolutely incredible. For my style of freeriding, I could get more forward into the boot and drive the tips of my skis more easily, which makes total sense given the 16-degree forward lean and 4-degree ramp angle. Boots that feel too upright and I do not get along; I'd rather feel like I'm in a constant athletic position than locked in a standing straight up position, even if that upright stance means quicker, more powerful transfer. The Remedy gives me exactly what I want. It's stiff, too. The thick plastic is unwavering and a bit sensitive to temperature. Lateral stiffness left nothing to left to be desired, carving was an absolute dream, and rearward support was excellent for drops and surfier maneuvers in soft snow.

As I said, the Remedy fits my feet perfectly. I can crank every buckle down to the point where it feels like something's about to snap, get the fit ridiculously snug, and still have zero pain or pressure points anywhere. I can leave them like that all day long without a single complaint. The forefoot lockdown especially stands out — no vertical movement at all, which I can't say for other boots I tested this past season. I'd happily ski these every day, and I'll likely add a tech toe fitting to make an already fantastic boot even better.

Shop Now: 2027 Atomic Remedy 130 Ski Boots

2027 Salomon S/Pro Alpha C BOA 130 Ski Boots

This boot first popped onto my radar in October 2025 on a trip to BOA headquarters with Salomon. I was shown a schematic where you couldn't really tell what was going on, but it left some tantalizing clues. Having now skied it, I can say this boot is flat out something else entirely.

What sets it apart from anything I've been in is the stiffness-to-weight ratio, medially and laterally, how quickly power gets to the ski, the heel hold, and how easy it is to get on and off. At first I wasn't sure I liked the new ExoDrive and PowerLink because they felt so different from the norm. Now I think they're genius, and I can't wait to spend more time in them.

I skied this one with both the stock liner and the Zipfit Gara LV. The stock liner gave me more forefoot precision and more forward lean but left too much room around the ankle, while the Gara LV ate up too much space over the instep while leaving too much room in the forefoot and calf. The stock liner was the more balanced of the two, so that's what I used most. I'll be pairing this boot with my new Corsa a ton this coming season. I have a feeling that combination is going to be incredible for me. Overall, I absolutely love this boot and would be thrilled to ski it all day, every day.

Shop Now: 2027 Salomon S/Pro Alpha C 130 BOA

Chairlift Chat: 2027 Salomon S/Pro Alpha C 130 BOA Introduction & First Impressions

2027 Head Raptor WCR 140S Ski Boots

The Raptor 140 is a beast. Even with a short drive to the mountain, I still have to put the shells in the passenger footwell and blast the heat on max just to get them on in the parking lot. Oh, and I have to World Cup my way into them. But once they're on? Insane.

The plastic is thick everywhere and the design is traditional, so there are no big surprises here. They're stiff, they're heavy, they're very tight, and they're pretty unforgiving. But it's all worth it for the smoothness, power, and precision they deliver. If you're wondering whether they feel like a bucket, yes they do, and that's entirely the point. No frills, just thick plastic and raw, unadulterated power. Comfort isn't the priority with these, which makes it all the more surprising that they were comfortable for me right away. After about four hours, the top of my heel usually has had enough and I need a break, but everywhere else stays happy. These plus my new Zipfit Corsa are going to be wild.

2027 Tecnica Mach1 LV 130 Ski Boots

For me, the Mach1 LV 130 is by far the most energetic, reactive, and snappy boot in this mix. It's not the smoothest of the bunch thanks to the light weight and thinner plastic, but the T-Drive 2.0 delivers a ton of energy in return. It also felt quite upright to me, and that stance combined with all that reactivity had me skiing more calculated and precise; the heavier boots with thicker plastic let me get away with being looser and more imperfect on the strength of their sheer mass.

The headline here is how much stiffness you get for the weight, which is a genuinely impressive trick. The lack of smoothness is where it gives a little back. I ran my Gara LV in the Mach1 more often than the stock liner, which smoothed things out nicely, but I ended up with a ton of pressure over my instep which got crushed, while my forefoot floated in space. I expect the Corsa liner is going to be a much better dance partner going forward.

Shop Now: 2027 Tecnica Mach1 LV 130 TD2 Ski Boots

2027 Head Kaliber Pro 130 LV Ski Boots

The Kaliber is extremely comfortable out of the box, once you get it on. Getting into these was more of an adventure than the others; there's a lot going on, and you have to make sure all the overlapping elements land in exactly the right place. Once everything's set, though, the comfort is excellent. If this was my only boot, I do not see this being a hinderance as once you dial in the routine of putting them on, it would become easy.

The liner is plush and very cozy, but I felt like I traded away some precision for it. Movements and inputs felt a touch delayed when I really tried to put the hammer down. The boot also feels quite upright, which is a challenge for someone like me who wants to be way forward over his toes. That, plus the high cuff, meant it took me some time to settle in.

2027 Nordica Speedmachine 3 130 C BOA Ski Boots

The Speedmachine is everything a normal skier needs in a performance-oriented boot. There's nothing shocking or surprising about it, and that's a compliment. It has the latest multi-injection plastics and closure systems, and it's going to perform well for just about anyone who puts it on.

For me, the flex was linear and predictable, and the fit was comfortable and the very definition of mid-volume. That's also where my foot and this boot part ways: I found too much room in the forefoot, in both width and height. The stock liner improved both the forefoot room and the instep pressure, though it didn't quite give me the stiffness I like. Overall, a very well designed and well executed boot for the general population.

Shop Now: 2027 Nordica Speedmachine 3 130 C BOA Ski Boots

2026 Kastle K130 P Ski Boots

This is the boot that kicked off my whole boot journey. It was my first time in something race-oriented with thick plastic and a minimal liner, and it was mind-blowing at the time because it was so different from anything I'd skied before.

The K130 P fits my feet extremely well and feels like a snug mid-volume overall. The draw here is the smoothness, composure, and sheer strength. There isn't a lot of energy coming from the boot itself. Instead, you use its strength to extract energy from the ski, which is a very satisfying way to ski. I'd happily ski these forever. Plus there's something about that teal that I simply cannot get enough of. Make the whole boot teal, please!

Chairlift Chat Review: 2024 Kastle K130 P Ski Boots

2027 Salomon S/Pro Supra Dual BOA 130 Ski Boots

This was the first dual BOA boot I got to try, and I can absolutely see why so many people love them. If I walked into a shop and tried these on, I'd be perfectly happy and walk out the door smiling. Super comfortable.

It doesn't have the precision or the stance I personally chase, but for the vast majority of mid-volume skiers it checks every box. My one nitpick: I got a bit of forefoot lift once I had the lower BOA tight enough over the instep. Otherwise, everything was snug, with zero heel lift.

Shop Now: 2027 Salomon S/Pro Supra Dual BOA 130 Ski Boots

2027 Tecnica Zero G Decoy Pro Ski Boots

This is a seriously useful boot for someone like me who wants the range of motion of a full touring boot but still needs real downhill performance from a hybrid style boot. It finds a genuinely good balance between the two.

I still wouldn't choose to ski it in the resort unless I had to. If I were traveling with a pair of alpine skis and a pair of touring skis, I wouldn't bring only the Decoy to cover both. I'd bring it alongside a pair of alpine boots. There's a good amount of stiffness on tap, but they're so light that a heavier alpine setup would overpower the boot more than I'm willing to allow. I plan on using these a lot more this coming season with a few minor tweaks, starting with a full foot shim.

Shop Now: 2027 Tecnica Zero G Decoy Pro Ski Boots