Salomon

X Pro 130 Ski Boot

Fighting gravity to earn your turns is fun, but it's also fun to embrace the first fundamental force and center-punch big lines and mach down open faces, which is what the Salomon X Pro 130 Men's Ski Boot was made for. It's a charger, but not in the "pain equals performance" tradition of plug boots and race rockets; the X Pro is made with Salomon's 360° Custom Shell, which uses a heat-moldable shell material to help you nail a snug, highly responsive fit without squeezing your toes to death or crushing your ankle bones.

The shell is made of bi-material polyurethane, and features fully customizable panels around the ankle, shin, instep, and upper foot, so you can dial in a fit that conforms to your weird ankle bones and fat feet without punching or grinding. It's also easy to mold the My Custom Fit 3D Race liner, so you can enjoy a fully personalized fit that improves your downhill performance while helping to keep your feet locked down and comfortable on short hikes to above-the-lift stashes. Even when the X Pro is molded to your feet, Salomon's Articulated Sensifit design employs flexible panels around the instep and shin, so you can slide the boot on and off without gritting your teeth and hoping you don't accidentally peel all the skin off your ankle joint.

Crushing the comfort aspect of a boot is undoubtedly a good thing, but prioritizing it over performance isn't really the right call. There are no such worries with the X Pro, which uses Salomon's Oversized Pivot—the pivot is the spot where the shell and cuff are joined—to keep the boot laterally stiff, which is key when you're trying to roll wide skis edge to edge. The wide power strap and adjustable Flex Boost screw let you tighten up the flex when the gnar is getting more serious, and the micro-adjustable buckles cinch your foot down into the bootboard for killer control with zero slop.