IF THE SHOE FITS...

...and this one does, thanks to an innovative new system

THERE’S a new sound on the slopes this season. It’s the sound of skiers ‘dialling it in’ — adjusting their boots with a dial and cable system that’s already disrupting, and could revolutionise, the ski boot market.

The BOA Fit System was created in the US in 2001 and has been used on snowboard boots ever since. It’s also used in activities like cycling, golf, trail running and, in work scenarios, by military personnel and firefighters.

But it’s only now — after almost a decade of vigorous feasibility studies and development — that the BOA system has been introduced to ski boots.

As any ardent skier knows, boots are the most important piece of kit in your winter sports armory and switching can be challenging.

So it was with a mix of trepidation and excitement that I agreed to test a pair of K2 Mindbender boots (below). They are designed for advanced-to-expert skiers who want a powerful boot for off-piste and ski touring days.

The boots should be comfortable when I’m skinning or hiking uphill

(pictured above) and offer precision and power when I ski back down both on and off piste.

Apart from anything else, the Mindbenders are beautiful-looking boots but that’s hardly their most important feature. Two current leaders in the Freeride World Tour are competing in them, rid- ing some of toughest and most technical terrain on the planet with excellent results.

I opt to test them in two resorts, firstly in Sport Gastein in Austria’s Salzburgerland — not far from the BOA headquarters in Mondsee — then in Val Cenis in France’s Haute Maurienne region.

They’re virtually an instant hit. The Mindbenders have a BOA dial to tighten the boot’s inner lining and a main dial which allows me to make micro-adjustments at the front of the boot. While traditional buckles have been replaced by a dial at the front of the boot, there are still two buckles near the ankle.

The system effectively wraps my foot in the boot rather than putting downward pressure on the upper foot as buckles do.

My first observation is that even on day one, they are easy to get on, instantly comfortable and easier to adjust on the slopes than buckles. I can also easily turn the dials while sitting on chair lifts — I don’t even have to take my ski gloves off.

All boots take time to get used to and need to be tweaked. I decide to keep the fit loose then microadjust with small turns of the dial, which works a treat.

I’ve been skiing with a customised liner and foot bed for many years and the good news is that the K2 Mindbender’s lining can also be fully customised — although I’m not convinced I’ll need to bother.

Ski touring at Bonneval near Val Cenis in the Haute Maurienne region of France, I couldn’t be happier with the boots. I’ve struggled with lightweight touring boots in the past but these offer the best of both worlds.

There is plenty of debate among expert skiers about whether the BOA system will really take over from buckles — so far, at least four major boot manufacturers have adopted the system and others are testing it. Some wonder if the dials will break but the cable system has been strengthened and vigorously tested. There’s also a lifetime guarantee on parts. One ex-World Cup champion who does believe in the system is Austrian Benji Raich, who acts as an Alpine ambassador for the brand. If it’s good enough for Benji, it’s good enough for me.

K2 Mindbender boots cost €750, see boafit.com and K2snow.com