K2 Cortex

[GoldenBC]

K2 dropped their Cortex boot today. A low volume alpine boot with no buckles, and Doblé Boa. The 140 flex boot has tech toe fittings. No walk mode is present. It has a solid presence and is different to any boot they’ve produced before. It’s definitely a looker, despite the boa tumours out the side. There’s no doubt it’s a quality made boot upon initial inspection.

I’ve got myself a pair of 125w to test out so I’ll update this Friday after skiing.



Initial impression is we’ve got a very low volume ankle, tight throat, narrow ankle, aggressive heel cup, low instep, and wider and taller forefoot, squared off toe box. The fit is less natural than a Hawx ultra, rc4 lv, or Mach 1 lv in that some parts are very tight (ankle) and some are very roomy (medial side of arch). But it is growing on me. Time will tell.

A flat boot board at 2.5 degrees with 15 degrees forward lean is fantastic for me.

The 125 flex feels very soft indoors. But nice and springy without feeling like you’ll pop your Achilles. The increased forward lean probably adds to the perceived softness.

Doblé Boa. It’s different. Initial impression from everyone is it is not the best. Too fiddly. Not enough independent control ( can’t tighten forefoot without crushing instep, can’t tighten ankle without crushing calf). But the aggressive ankle allows you to tighten less than you think you need. You don’t get that pressure pulling you back, but you also have decent hold. A forefoot shim allows for a snug forefoot without crushing your instep. The more the boot is perfectly dialed in, the more boa works. I guess they don’t compensate as well as buckles. I also worry about upper cables cutting through the plastic cuff but that’s speculation.

But then the flex of the boot is really nice. I feel like it has something to do with the boa but can’t put a finger on it.

Boot construction is top notch. A huge improvement over their other boots. Heavy, thick pu feels damp and solid. The construction is simple. One plastic for the majority of the boot save for a soft plastic over the foot to make it easy to put on. This is slightly impeded by all the boa, but not a game ender. Zipfit go in easy but not as easy as with boa.

Alpine and GW soles are included.

Power strap is elastic with a cam. It’s not very centered but that’s and easy fix.

Review coming later. Initial impression was hesistant and trending to more stoked.

[sierra_cement]

Did the shop get any of these monstrosities from Salomon as well?

I wonder if I need to stock up on extras of my 4 buckle boot that currently fits me well and zipfits go easily in and out of. As it seems like manufacturers are intent on pushing the BOA, and buckle versions may go the way of the dodo.

My problems with BOA are:
- it seems like it's trying to salvage an ill fitting, too large boot. I spend a ton of time with my bootfitter to get the fit around my ankle and instep (where the shin curves into the foot) form fitting and without any empty space. Once that portion of the fit is right, my forefoot is actually pretty loose, for all day comfort and warm toes. I don't need nor want the "wrapping" sensation around the forefoot that the BOA marketing materials claim.

- buckles 1 (toe) and 4 (top of cuff) are pretty loose, whereas buckle 3 (lower cuff) is very tight, and buckle 2 (instep) is moderate. Seems like BOA just tightens everywhere uniformly and can't support differential pressure at different points like my buckle setup.

- Once my fit is dialed I just leave the buckles at their correct (for me) settings and never have to fiddle with them again. With the BOA can you ever get back to the exact same setting every day without a lot of fiddling, tightening, and loosening back and forth?


As @GoldenBC previously said in the "BOA love hate" thread:

"Literally, tight ankle, wide forefoot, wide toes box, couple mm extra length. That is the million dollar boot. I don’t care how it closes."

Word.

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[GoldenBC]

You make valid points. The nice thing about the Cortex is that is has a very tight throat so that tight fit around the curve of your ankle could be there for you. The boa isn’t needed for that fit.

I don’t believe boa makes up for a large fitting boot at all. I think it works best if you barely need to change the shape of the boot.

This flash review isn’t necessarily shitting on boa. I don’t think it’s necessary and I think the money spent on boa would be best spent elsewhere in development, BUT, as I get the fit dialed for me, there seems to be something unique happening that I’m curious to explore further. But yes, everyone’s initial impression of double boa is negative so far. That doesn’t necessarily mean I will not prefer it in the end.

[gaijin]

Hmm. Highly interested in the tech toe, no walk mode. Was super interested in BOA, but the more I think about it, the more I lose interest.

Part of micro adjusting my buckles is making up for a liner that is packing out through the season, or two, or three.

So while buckle two might change a few turns, buckle one might not. Same with buckles three and four— they micro adjust at different rates.

Sounds like I’m going to be constantly adjusting BOA without ever knowing which (number/setting) I’m at.

I’m a 50/50 buyer right now. Will have to try it on, which is not a valid test.

I have well over 150 days on my RS with second custom liners. I know exactly what my buckles mean. It’s hard to predict that much intuitive reaction from a cable.

Maybe I don’t want uniform closure throughout a traditional two-buckle zone.

Hmmm.

Curious to see how many (double) boas I see on FWT this season. Pretty hard to tell from camera angles, though. Gonna be pure speculation until athletes start touting them on their Instas.

[SnowMachine]

An answer in search of a question. I was fine with BOA down low (if the boot held together as well as the BOA, but I want buckles up top.

I'm most intrigued by the new Armada boot right now.

[beeeom]

Apparently a local shop has some of these puppies. Definitely gonna go fiddle and try them on! I desperately need a burly boot with tech fittings as my kryptons are just not cutting it. I essentially want want Raptors with tech fittings. To me, Boa seems annoying, but I like how it made the lower Fischer shell conform to my foot, so there is probably something there. But I'll take any closure system so long as the boot ticks the other boxes.

[bamboocoreONLY]

But I'll take any closure system so long as the boot ticks the other boxes.

This is the right attitude. Cracks me up how polarizing BOA is for some, it's literally just an alternative tightening mechanism that doesn't need to be read into that much as it is. Yeah it affects how a shell is wrapped, but in the end there's a million boots out there and some will work for some, and some will work for the rest like it always has been.

This boot is more about being a heavy weight hard charging freeride boot, where the fit is something that previously was only found in a race boot with a ton of work done, than it is about being double BOA.

[PeachesNCream]

My biggest gripe with boa is it’s another reason to hike the price up. I mean damn, these new boots coming out are $1000 after tax.


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[carlh]

How is the instep height compared to a hawx ultra?

[aragon]

can someone explain tech fittings with no walk mode? short tours? inbounds mini-golf? I understand I am old and falling behind what is current and cool, but I don't understand how a tech boot without walk mode is a thing...?

[TAFKALVS]

K2 Cortex

can someone explain tech fittings with no walk mode? short tours? inbounds mini-golf? I understand I am old and falling behind what is current and cool, but I don't understand how a tech boot without walk mode is a thing...?

CAST or other hybrid tech up and alpine down bindings. Short skins for extremo dudes who need POWER.

[jacob_dbu]

Did the shop get any of these monstrosities from Salomon as well?

I wonder if I need to stock up on extras of my 4 buckle boot that currently fits me well and zipfits go easily in and out of. As it seems like manufacturers are intent on pushing the BOA, and buckle versions may go the way of the dodo.

My problems with BOA are:
- it seems like it's trying to salvage an ill fitting, too large boot. I spend a ton of time with my bootfitter to get the fit around my ankle and instep (where the shin curves into the foot) form fitting and without any empty space. Once that portion of the fit is right, my forefoot is actually pretty loose, for all day comfort and warm toes. I don't need nor want the "wrapping" sensation around the forefoot that the BOA marketing materials claim.

- buckles 1 (toe) and 4 (top of cuff) are pretty loose, whereas buckle 3 (lower cuff) is very tight, and buckle 2 (instep) is moderate. Seems like BOA just tightens everywhere uniformly and can't support differential pressure at different points like my buckle setup.

- Once my fit is dialed I just leave the buckles at their correct (for me) settings and never have to fiddle with them again. With the BOA can you ever get back to the exact same setting every day without a lot of fiddling, tightening, and loosening back and forth?

Talk to me about how you get that interface between leg and foot tight. You have the right idea, but I've always struggled to get that area just right.

[sierra_cement]

Talk to me about how you get that interface between leg and foot tight. You have the right idea, but I've always struggled to get that area just right.

It used to be a matter of selecting the correct boot with a correctly sized (for me) "throat", and then maybe punching the navicular and inside ankle if those areas were painful. But now these days it seems like all the manufacturers are making even their LV boots higher volume than before in an effort to chase the comfort initial store fit. So I've had to inject more cork into my zipfits to get the fit and heel hold that I'm used to.

For context, I had to move from my 2017 salomon XMax boots to a pair of new salomon SPro Alpha boots after the old boots cracked. The new boots required me to inject 2 full tubes of goop into my zipfits to get the correct fit.

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[beeeom]

can someone explain tech fittings with no walk mode? short tours? inbounds mini-golf? I understand I am old and falling behind what is current and cool, but I don't understand how a tech boot without walk mode is a thing...?

I'm 6'2, 200lbs, with a heavy-ass pack on casted 189 Stock Billy Goats. It's a pretty outrageous set up, but there isn't a boot (aside from installing tech fittings on a race boot) that can handle my thunder. I'm definitely not your average customer, but if someone is going to make a sick burly freeride boot, I see no reason whatsoever not to include tech fittings on the toe.

And believe it or not, you can put one foot in front of the other on a skin track without walk mode

[GoldenBC]

How is the instep height compared to a hawx ultra?

Much lower. Tom says it heat molds well. I’d assume the throat will limit how much that can change.