We review the Best Ski Boots for the new 2026 winter season, covering the best piste, all mountain and freeride ski boots.
Host Iain Martin was joined by The Ski Podcast’s equipment expert Al Morgan and Frazer Shand, Operations Manager at Profeet.
This special episode has been made possible by the Profeet Ski Boot Lab, based in south-west London. Profeet offer expert ski boot fitting, custom insoles and ski boot modifications.
SHOW NOTES
Watch our ‘Best Skis of 2026’ video
Ski Boot definitions and terms…
Shell (4:00)
Last (4:30)
Mondopoint (5:45)
Flex (7:15)
Liner (8:45)
BOA (10:15)
Powerstrap (12:30)
Walk mode and Grip Walk (13:30)
Sustainability (16:30)
Function, Fit and Footbeds (18:15)
Find out about the fitting process at the Profeet Ski Boot Lab (18:45)
Profeet start with a biomechanical analysis and foot scan (19:45)
Custom insoles (23:00)
Customisation (24:00)
Visiting the Dalbello factory (34:00)
Get your free tickets to the London Snow Show (55:45)
Profeet will be exhibiting at the London Snow Show (56:30)
THE BEST SKI BOOTS OF 2026
Piste and All-Mountain Ski Boots
K2 Cortex Zonal 120 BOA(26:30)
£625
SIZES (MP): 24.5 - 28.5
VOLUME: Low
LAST (mm): 96 – 98
WEIGHT (per boot): 2,179g (26.5MP)
These are incredible boots, delivering a ton of support and superb hold, in a flex that will work far better for most skiers. K2 has offered single BOA on higher-volume boots previously, but the Cortex is the slimmest profile they’ve integrated this into, and this time you get the benefit of the dial and cable system on the shell and cuff, on the Zonal models.
Non-Zonal Cortex models have BOA only over the foot. The softer material over the instep makes it a tad easier to get into the boot, and aids shell wrapping, when you dial in the snugness. The heel has a slimmer internal profile than their other boots, and the lace-up liner adds to the excellent hold you get.
You also get a cam power strap, which is not that common on 120 flex boots, and I much prefer this strap to a Velcro option. There are two bolts on the spine, and you can remove the top one if you want a more forgiving flex profile. They offer the Cortex range right up to the £725, all-singing, all-dancing 140 flex model, which is the only one with pin inserts in the toe.
Dalbello Veloce Space 120 Dual(32:00)
£580
SIZES (MP): 24.5 - 30.5
VOLUME: Medium
LAST (mm): 101
FLEX: 120
WEIGHT (per boot): 2,050g (27.5MP)
This is the first season Dalbello has offered BOA on their boots, and they’ve added Dual and Single BOA models to their range, in this new Veloce Space line. Dual BOA is available on the 105, 120 and 130 flex models.
The shell and cuff on the 120 are made of PU. They inject differing hardnesses of plastic, to take advantage of the phenomenal wrap you get with the BOA system. It also makes the boots easier to get on. The mouldable liner is beautifully comfortable, and the Adaptive Tongue construction, integrating memory foam, is so nice for the shins, also helping with instep comfort. The pre-shaped Ankle Sense zones enhance the heel hold.
The 120 is also available in a single BOA (£540), with regular cuff buckle closure, like the 110, 100, 95 and 85. These single BOA versions get a lever you can release on the spine, allowing an easier walking motion.
Head Kalibre 110 MV BOA 2(36:00)
£510
SIZES (MP): 25.0 - 30.5
VOLUME: Medium
LAST (mm): 100
WEIGHT (per boot): No stated weights
This is Head’s Dual BOA offering and is totally new. The Kalibre boots have a clean aesthetic. They inject different hardnesses or plastic into the shell, to take advantage of the superb wrap of the BOA H+i1 system.
Kaliber, like many BOA offerings, is a medium volume fit, with 100mm last. They have a new liner for this range too, called Synapse. They weave in Graphene for tech-level temperature regulation.
The 110 has a Velcro power strap, although £600 130 flex has a claw strap. The Kaliber line features a greater range of flexes in single BOA and four clip versions, but the BOA2 models are pretty awesome. This is the only 110 flex dual BOA model we know of for this season.
Freeride Ski Boots
Rossignol Alltrack 130 Elite LV LT GW (40:30)
£625
SIZES (MP): 24.0 – 29.5
WALK MODE: Y, no stated ROM
VOLUME: Low
LAST (mm): 98
FLEX: 130
WEIGHT (per boot): 1,825g (no stated size)
The Alltrack line has been redesigned for this season. They’ve added BOA to shell of the 102mm HV models, but we tested the narrow-last Elite LT model, which has tech inserts in the toe and heel.
Even though these are 98mm last, low-volume boots, they have more room inside than some other LV boots in this category. They look sensational, have heat-mouldable liners and an innovative ski-walk mode, inspired by the work done developing the Vizion easy (rear) entry boots.
Flip the ski-walk mode lever up, and the rear of the boot can tilt back, with the liner attached to the rear of the cuff with a loop to hold it in place, in order that you can easily slide in. Fasten the buckles, flex forward and the walk mode locks into the ski position, ready for the descent. To tour, flip the rear lever up, loosen the cuff buckles and power strap, and off you go.
This boot skied beautifully, and I just love the way the Dual Core shells flex.
Armada AR One 130 (43:00)
£580
SIZES (MP): 24.5 - 29.5
WALK MODE: N
VOLUME: Medium
LAST (mm): 100
FLEX: 130
WEIGHT (per boot):100g (26.5MP)
The AR One is Armada’s first ever ski boot and it’s a very impressive hybrid cabrio design blending Alpine and freeski design. Designed by Armada, it’s built in partnership with their sister company, Atomic.
It’s a medium volume unisex boot, with a 100mm last in a size 26.5MP, in 5 flexes. The 120 and 130 are only available from 24.5MP and up, whilst the 90, 100 and 110 go down to 23.5MP.
The heat mouldable shell and liner, along with excellent out-of-the-box shaping, ensures a very comfy, and customisable, fit. A tool free volume adjuster lets you create space for pressured calves, and most parts are user replaceable, improving sustainability. The top three flexes are pure PU shell, cuff and tongue, for a smooth ride. The rubber boot board does a fab job of smoothing landings and judders. The buckle setup is very different, especially the instep buckle and cable Y-configuration, securely holding you in the heel pocket.
The 130 and 110 share the Team liner, whilst the others have the Pro Liner, which lacks the repositionable tongue, which allows you to adjust volume and fit over the foot. The elasticate claw power-strap on these two flexes is a superb, but the others only get a Velcro strap. Toe pin inserts on the 130 allows use with hybrid bindings like the Shift, Duke PT and the new ATK Hy.
This is a fabulous downhill ski boot, with excellent lateral response, impressive power, it’s smooth with great damping and superb heel hold.
Scarpa 4 Quattro GT Woman (45:45)
£580
SIZES (MP): 22.5 – 27.0
WALK MODE: Y, 61° ROM
VOLUME: Medium
LAST (mm): 101
FLEX: 90 / 110
WEIGHT (per boot): 1,510g (25.0MP)
The 4-Quattro range has been an incredible success, especially the XT model which has been a benchmark freeride touring boot in recent seasons. Scarpa’s dropped the XT for this winter, but they’ve updated the SL, they still have the 4-Quattro Pro, which Nikolai Schirmer uses and helped develop, and they’ve added in a new GT model in a woman’s and man’s version.
The GT has a roomier fit, has a new 4Pro Flex GT Intuition liner, and is the warmest 4-Quattro model. You get a Velcro power strap, rather than a claw version seen on the others, and it’s made using Desmopan plastic for the shell and cuff, rather than Pebax Renew, although all Quattro models have a Pebax tongue. The Desmopan CQ MBC uses bio-circular TPU, enhancing the sustainability, and reducing the CO2 footprint. You don’t get the Carbon Core construction of the SL or Pro, but the GT skis better.
They’re an easier flex for lighter or less aggressive riders, and the fact these are such great value is a bonus.
PROFEET’S CHOICE
Technica Mach1 LV 130, £550 (48:30)
Updated for this season with a fully redesigned shell and liner, offering a touch more instep depth but still an excellent low volume fit. From a boot fitter point of view, they are also a pleasure to work on with design features allowing for easier customisation of the shell.
Feedback (51:00)
I enjoy all feedback about the show, so if you enjoyed this episode, or if you have any questions about skis we didn’t cover, then please let us know by leaving a comment at Instagram or Facebook – we are @theskipodcast – or by dropping me an email [email protected].
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Adam Matthews on Instagram enjoyed our ‘Best Skis’ episode: “Great podcast. Been looking forward to this since last year’s episode”
Rick on YouTube loved Al’s choice of the Volkl V.Werks 100: “I rode this a lot last winter, so much that I crashed and busted my knee. But seriously, it´s an absolutely amazing ski.”
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