I, as many other skiing fans out there, had a tight budget and needed a pair of boots that would please me on tour and serve as a moderate resort boot as well. These are not the stiffest boots on the market (the Factor might fit your high pain threshold a little better), but I had no complaints while in the backcountry on the methods. In fact, they were quite comfy and the range of flexibility makes steep climbing bliss. As for the resorts, they did much better than any rental/friends boot and were only noticeably soft when I was pushing them in my fat skis. Now just to make myself clear I bought these with 75% touring in mind and the rest in the resort when I could catch a lift in between shifts. I demoed Garmonts but found they pinched the top of my foot. Overall, this boot has treated me very well in the back country and although it wont be the most impressive skiing you have ever done, they are more than reliable on groomers.

I skied these all last season and I'm just now getting around to writing about them. Loves... the funny smell when you first get them, (sort of like a barn with hay), the BOA system, (I've never had a boot fit as well), they're sized accurately, the swappable AT/Alpine soles, the fantastic ski/walk mechanism, (a solid confidence building click when going to ski mode), the adjustable forward lean, (I tried all 3 positions and the most upright worked best for my skiing style, your results may vary), again, the BOA system, the natural walk mode, a beautiful liner, (although the Factor's liner is burlier), the boot is cosmetically low key and, best for last, the BD customer service department. You have a problem, those guys are right on it. Not so loves... the AT sole could be more durable, mine got pretty chewed up. A lot of people have reported hassles with the BOA liner or cold feet or the durability of the walk/ski switch, I experienced none of these issues. I did remove the Velcro strap and replace it with a Scarpa "booster" strap, the great people at BD walked me through the swap. Not as easy as one would expect. I also ran a pair of Factors this season; I cooked the liners on them and found they packed out too quickly afterwards, so I avoided this step with the Method's liners and was much happier with the results. In addition, at the risk of insulting my manhood, I found the Factor's to be too much boot for me. I always ended up reaching for the Method's. A little lighter, just that much less stiffness. I've heard there's no changes to either boot for the '09-'10 season so feel free to buy now. Cheers.

I've gone through Garmonts and Scarpas, and had pretty much resigned myself to pain in the backcountry. So, when I tried the Methods, I fell in love with them. Each person's feet are different, so your experience my vary, but I liked 'em a lot.

Sadly, I'm looking for a stiffer boot, so I'm on to the Factor. I'm 5'8", 150lb, and ski aggressively and was really able to push these around. So be aware.

Also be aware about a strange thing about these: they smell like hay when they're new. Weird.

i was skeptical that BD could build a better boot than the competition. all the rave is not just hype. these boots wrap snugly and evenly around my foot.My foot is firmly seated in the heel pockets like a good pair of mountianeering boots. Lots of nice touchs to make fitting easy. On the downside they look sort of cheap (china),they should drop the price 100 bucks.But I think they are supperior performers to anything garmont has on the market. These boots roll skis up on edge effortlessly. Deffinately worth a try.

Yeah so there a little tight in the toes, but only when i crank down the straps. When touring all the buckles are open and the blood is flowin'. Little narrow, fits like a LANG, but was the easist on the shins of all the boots tried on, and that was all of them. Its got loads of features and the BOA straps are FANDABLOUIS!

Great boot to ski, both on and off piste. Nice and rigid, easily steer my Zealots in all conditions. Work well in both Fritschi bindings and Dynafit. With a little adjustment, the forward lean is good and aggressive. On the down side, the buckles have not stood up well to the wear and tear I've put them through catskiing and ski mountaineering so far. The outsoles are very soft (should have gone with Vibram), and the toeboxes are quite tight. Overall, I'm glad I bought these boots but I'm looking forward to seeing some improvements for next season's boots.
Miles.

When I first tried these on they felt like butter & so I could ignore the cheap looking finish on these boots. After about 40 days on them between backcountry & resort they became the bane of my feet. They needed to be punched out & remolded & the canting adjustment allan screw& washer replaced. They just Felt like butter when I first bought them but became the bane of my feet after about 40 days split between back country and resort skiing.
Had them punched out & remolded & they were better but never as good as the first 10-15 days. Also the cant screw & washer fell out.
Then the screw fell out again & the cuff lost any hold on my shin.
The Boa system was nice for touring as I could secure my foot in & then loosen the rest of the boot & avoid heel slippage. But the plastic guys that hold the Boa wire to the tongue of the liner actually broke within the first week of use. Not a deal breaker, nor did it affect performance, but for over $600 I expect better.
I could not find another replacement piece for the missing cant adjuster ( something I never even touched) so the store took them back & I bought apair of Scarpa Skkokums instead. Have yet to try them still.

Like others initially my toes were so cold it was hard to believe. I remoulded them with thicker toe moulds and presto, warm feet!
I have now skied in my Methods about 50 days, and find they'll do anything I'd expect from an alpine boot, and tour like a dream.
They make my Garmont Endorphins look like toys.
$ buckle tourers definately rule.

I ended up getting a pair of these after the touring latch broke on a pair of Tecnica Agent AT boots I had recently bought. This was possibly the best accident that ever happened to me considering I ended up with much better boots! To start,the methods are incredibly comfortable, I never had them heat molded at a shop because they simple molded to my foot on my first day out. They are fantastically water-proof, even on the soggiest of days my feet have remained dry while the rest of me hasn't. the only thing i might recommend is getting the alternate soles that are DIN standard, so you can use them on non-touring bindings if you have a multi-ski quiver. I havent tried them, but i assume that the BD Factors are even better on top of being stiffer.

The toe box is quite small. I feel I have a normal to small forefoot and these boots are tight up front. The heel is also very tight, but in a nice snug way. Don't downsize in these. I usually find most boots have extra room and have to go down a size. Not true in the Black Diamonds. I tried both the Methods and Factors and they both fit the same.

I think the construction seems very good. Some comments noted the construction seems 2nd rate and I don't agree. They look as nice as any other ski boot.

I had the same problem as the first review with these boots. My toes freeze in them after just one or 2 runs because they are too tight on the top of my foot. I strongly dislike these boots with a passion. I'm goin to exchange them for sure.

Very,very nice boots. Extremly comfortable. I have it thanks to backcountry. I'm fan of BD product, Method didn't disappoint me. Backcountry.com forever.

I like the soft/flex options for the walking. You can crank them down for the downhill portion. I also had trouble w/ them being too tight over the top of my foot--it improved as I adjusted the boot. It took me a couple of days but I'm quite pleased at this point.

Two weeks after I spent four days in the Method boots, I am just beginning to get the feeling back in the tips of my big toes. My toes froze big time in these boots. Plus, the inner fabric of the liner came free from the underlying foam and it ate my heel raw. The boot stiffness was nice though.

I received the boots and had them thermo molded for my feet. Skied them 2 days at the resorts and ended up with ice cold tingly toes. The boot was putting a lot of pressure on the top of my feet, cutting of circulation. There was no way to correct that. Backcountry.com swapped the boot out for the Garmont Radium. They fit like house shoes compared to the BD boots. I have not skied them yet and will write a review on the Garmont as soon as I do.