The 10 best ski boots of 2020

Welcome to a special Buyer’s Guide feature from FREESKIER. Here’s a close-up look at the best ski boots of 2020. Can’t get enough gear? Click here to explore the entire 2020 Buyer’s Guide.

Dalbello Lupo Pro HD

Buy Now – $950

Last: 98 mm

Flex: 130

Weight: 1,990 g/boot

Dalbello’s Lupo boot has been a fan favorite for freeskiers—from big-mountain chargers to park greasers—for years. The three-piece design’s damp feel, great fit and shock absorption earn top marks from aggressive riders. The Lupo Pro HD comes with tech inserts and a strong ski-walk mode interface—the tongue is removed for touring, which offers an incredible range of motion and hike-ability—but when replaced for the downhill, it has top-notch stiffness and power transmission. No sacrifices here. The Lupo HD Pro is made for the 100-day-per-year skiers who seek a versatile boot that’ll allow them to tour, even if it’s not their main focus, bootpack and shred the resort.

HEAD Nexo LYT 130 RS

Buy Now – $825

Last: 100 mm @ 26.5

Flex: 130/120

Weight: 1,615 g/boot

HEAD’s Nexo LYT 130 RS is a performance-driven boot that’s stiff and responsive, but incredibly lightweight thanks to the use of Graphene material, which, according to HEAD, is 300 times stronger than steel, but only as thick as a single atom. The Nexo LYT utilizes a unique liner-fitting process in which paraffin material—which holds its shape regardless of temperature—is injected into the ankle pockets to fill in any gaps between your ankle and boot. This provides an anatomically correct and incredibly comfortable fit that won’t deform over the course of a season.

Full Tilt Tom Wallisch Pro

Buy Now – $750

Last: 98 mm

Flex: 90

Weight: 2,050 g/boot

Todd Walnuts. The Pretzel Man. The King of Afterbang. Whatever you want to call him, Tom Wallisch remains one of the most influential skiers in the game, and his pro model boot should be on the radar of any park enthusiast. The three-piece design offers a responsive flex as well as an impressive foot hold and lateral stiffness, while the 90 flex rating provides a bit of give to ward off shin bang when you’re landing something big. A few subtle TW-approved design elements—a reminder to “Send It” on the lateral wall, for example—ensure that everyone will know who your favorite skier is this winter.

Salomon S/PRO 120

Buy Now – $800

Last: 100 mm

Flex: 120

Weight: 1,750 g/boot @ 26.5

Salomon’s S/PRO replaces the X/PRO line, the brand’s best-selling boot collection, for 2019-20, and boasts a brand new build in the 100-millimeter-last category. The boot has an instep construction that gives slightly more room overhead, allowing for less crunch, and a cuff designed to provide better response and a smoother feel on the snow. The S/PRO’s Core-Frame build—a laterally running reinforcement under the midfoot that provides stiffness without added weight—ensures you have significant power transmission in a package that won’t tire you out. Salomon’s pre-shaped liner is ultra-warm and seamless, which translates to a smoother, comfier feel for your dogs.

Nordica Promachine 115W

Buy Now – $750

Last: 98 mm

Flex: 115

Weight: 1,860 g/boot

Part of Nordica’s top-of-the-line Promachine series, the 115W is a narrow boot with a stiff flex for female chargers seeking premium performance and comfort. The boot is built utilizing three different plastics: a rigid kind in the spine and sole that promotes energy transmission; a slightly softer plastic that wraps around the foot for a cozy, anatomically sound fit; and the softest type, used in the flaps to promote easy entry and exit from the boot. A cork liner with PrimaLoft is also fully moldable and incredibly warm, giving you the ultimate package of power, comfort and toastiness.

Fischer Ranger One 130

Buy Now – $750

Last: 100 mm

Flex: 130

Weight: 1,850 g/boot

The Ranger One 130 is the new sibling of the Ranger Free 130, which has been highly lauded since its release last year. It comes in a slightly wider last, with a bit more weight and lower price point, making it an ideal entry level boot for skiers looking to break into touring. The Ranger One’s lower shell and last are both customizable (the last can be increased by up to three millimeters), ensuring you have the ideal fit and can handle a full-fledged day skiing from bell to bell.

Tecnica Mach 1 LV Pro W

Buy Now – $840

Last: 98 mm

Flex: 120

Weight: 1,600 g/boot @ 24.5

Tecnica’s Mach 1 series provides boot fit options for everyone, coming in lasts of low, medium and high volumes. The LV Pro W sports a low volume, 98 millimeter last, catering to those who prefer a tighter, performance-oriented fit. The boot also has a more anatomically correct last, liner and shell than previous iterations. Tecnica’s Custom Adaptive Shape (C.A.S.) system provides a great out-of-box fit and its integrated “dimples” promote easy heating, customization and shape retention when worked on by your local bootfitter. Mach 1? Ha! These babies will allow you to go Mach 10 wherever your heart desires at your go-to ski area.

Scarpa Maestrale XT

Buy Now – $899

Last: 101 mm @ 27.0

Flex: 130+

Weight: 1,490 g/boot @ 27.0

The Maestrale XT is SCARPA’s gift to the dedicated Maestrale fanatics who have been seeking a stiffer version of the brand’s bestselling boot. SCARPA claims a 130-plus flex at 1,490 grams per boot—equating to Hulk-like power in an Ant-Man weight class. A dual-injection overlap cuff gives skiers a tight fit on the lower leg and top-notch energy transmission akin to a true alpine boot, while also providing easy entry and exit. The Speedlock XT ski-walk mechanism, new on the XT, gives 56 degrees of fore and aft motion while providing a tight lock in ski mode that pairs with an integrated Booster Strap for out-of-this-world leg and foot retention when rocketing down past your skin track.

Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130

Buy Now – $950

Last: 98 mm

Flex: 130

Weight: 1,430 g/boot @ 26.5

Freeskiers who split time between the chairlift and skin track have loved the Hawx Ultra XTD 130’s combination of incredible stiffness and unbelievably light weight since it dropped in 2017. The Hawx is updated for 2019-20 with a thicker, warmer, more supportive liner, minimalist buckles that shed weight and the addition of GripWalk soles to make navigating rocky, slippery terrain—or beer-soaked bar floors—a breeze. The boot’s mix of weight savings and stiffness comes from Atomic’s ProLite construction, which focuses on a slim boot foundation with reinforcement material put in areas that need extra support.

Dynafit Hoji Free

Buy Now – $899

Last: 102 mm

Flex: 130

Weight: 1,550 g/boot

The Hoji Free builds off of Eric Hjorleifson’s pro model Hoji Pro Tour, adding a toe-bail and stiffer flex, while narrowing the last. With the added toe bail, the boot is now compatible with the popular Armada/Atomic/Salomon Shift bindings, for those seeking an everyday boot for touring and resort skiing. The boot’s new, customizable liner, built by Sidas, strategically and firmly cradles your foot for a secure fit, ensuring comfy uphills and stiff, powerful downhills. The patented Hoji Lock System returns with this boot, which integrates the cuff and shell into one mechanism for smooth transitions without the need to fiddle with your pant cuffs. Pants. Down. Always.