The Era of Truly Comfortable Ski Boots Has Arrived
Salomon’s new high performance S/Pro Supra Dual Boa model borrows cable-and-dial lacing from snowboard boots.
Salomon’s new S/Pro Supra Dual Boa boots
Photographer: David Chow for Bloomberg Businessweek
The ease and convenience of snowboard boots have long tempted even the most devoted skier to switch to a single plank. There’s no hard shell to wrench open, no buckles to crank down or straps to Velcro tightly around the ankles. Instead, the rider effortlessly slips their feet into soft boots, then “dials in” the perfect fit by turning upper and lower knobs that cinch a zig-zagging cable routed within the boot shell.
This cable-and-dial lacing apparatus was developed in 2001, but it’s taken more than two decades—and 18,000-plus hours of development—to integrate the Boa Fit System into alpine ski boots, which withstand far greater forces than their snowboard-bound cousins. (The name refers to the way the cable lacing wraps around the boot, like a boa constrictor.)