Dynafit

Hoji Free Alpine Touring Ski Boot - 2023

the ONE

I've been on these for the past two seasons. I use them for everything: in bounds, touring, jumps, pillows. These boots are the ONE solution. The tour/walk range combined with downhill performance is unmatched. I use these in both pin and alpine bindings. I'm going to grab a 2nd set to keep the dream alive!

Agree with Don?t Buy Above

Size Bought:

27

Weight:

190

These boots look great out of the box, and I wanted so bad for them to work. And the fit around my foot was great. BUT, they have a unique design…they taper significantly from the foot to the ankle. And there just wasn’t enough room around my ankle. The boots were actually painful to pull into and painful to stand in…no way I could imagine skiing in them. There also was uncomfortable pressure on the inside of my ankle just standing in the shell without the liner. And I feel like I have ankles more on the skinny side. Another but, though. Everyone is built differently, and they might work for you. They really are nice boots, and I liked the walking mechanism better than any touring boot I’ve tried.

Better than average

I'm 5'11" 170# and a ski instructor. I've skied these boots for nearly three seasons mostly in the backcountry with about 10 days in bounds. This boot tours very well. I noticed right away that I had more energy and I was willing to go further compared to the boots I had previously. The Sidas liner that comes in them is garbage in my opinion. I tried skiing it for a while without satisfaction. I switched to an Intuition which saves weight, improves fit, improves skiing, and the Intuition is warmer. I really like how easy it is to switch from tour to ski mode but the integration of the strap makes it really hard to add a booster strap which I think would improve the flex pattern. Overall it's a nice boot especially once you swap the liners.

great in all conditions

these are great fro nordic skiing and ski touring in alaska where the possiblity of blowing snow and high wind is very high. these full featured goggles keep snow and other debris out of your eyes when vision is crucial. the s1-s2 lenes are great for adjusting to changing light conditions and helps keep you on your toes in the backcountry.

Don?t Buy

Size Bought:

29.5

Height:

6' 3"

Weight:

195

This boot is so nice to look at and very well made -buckles work perfect and the release is smooth. That said they are the most uncomfortable boots I have ever owned. They feel great stand in and hanging around. Then once you put them to use it?s all down hill. Left ankle rub not to a blister but an uncomfortable pressure Right top of foot super uncomfortable like it?s squeezing my foot overall not comfortable Left top of foot uncomfortable like it?s squeezing my foot on top. No blisters - once I put the boots on it?s good then about 30min in it?s like hell - then I overcome it mentally and deal for the day - then when I see the trail head it?s like hell again. Take the boot off and all is good - happy feet with no pain or problems post tour. It?s like a pain ghost in the boot - my foot is totally cool in my alpine Lange boots. Happy as a can be. I had them heat fitted at the alpiner in CB - that made zero difference. I have 6 tours on them and 6 days at the resort same results touring or alpine. The liner is thin so that may be the issue - not sure. Bottom line save yourself and don?t buy them the return policy did not give me the time need to work out if adjustments would help or if was a bad design. I can confirm it?s a bad design. They will be on eBay soon.

Nice and snug fit. Incredible comfort and range of motion uphill. Ideal stiffness and forward lean for the downhill. The liner is a bit thin but is comfy.

Soft boots

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

26.5

Height:

5' 9"

Weight:

180

These boots are not a hard charging boot. I ski 70-80 days a year and have about 10 days in these boots. I've skied them on groomers, crud and pow. I think they'll work fine for touring and skiing pow but would not recommend them as a do-it-all boot. The biggest problem is they have lateral flex. When trying to lay down hard carving turns I could feel the boot flex to the sides and was worried about breaking my ankle. This might be less of an issue on skis narrower underfoot but over 110 it's an problem. The liner is also flimsy and cheap. I had to swap the liner for an intuition that kept my ankles from banging the shell which relieved some of the other pressure points. The intuition liner also helped firm up the lateral flex in the boot but not enough to stop it entirely. Within a week of use, one of the pieces broke on the power strap. I had to rig something up for the boot to continue functioning as expected.

Believe the hype

Familiarity:

I've put it through the wringer

Size Bought:

26.5

Height:

5' 10"

Weight:

172

Past boots in recent years include: Lange Freeride Pro, Dalbello Lupo 130c, Fischer Ranger 13. I grew up racing and competing moguls in New Hampshire, but have lived in WY and CO skiing 80%+ backcountry since 2004. I love pillows, technical airs, deep pow, and aesthetic couloirs. I still bang out a few resort laps in here and there too, so it's worth having a tongue for standard alpine binders. The video posted with this review just shows off my style, not this boot. The Hoji Pro is by far the best boot I've ever had. Somehow it's both the stiffest and lightest I've experienced. The walk mode is pure magic. I was warned of a backseat stance (usually fixable with shims/spoilers) and a short cuff concerned me. Neither of these are any issue for me. I feel solid and nimble even skiing resort hardpack. Pure stoke for this boot!

After an initial adjustment period to a more upright and balanced stance, with the right ski combination (stiff, full rocker aka Renegade ) ripping around on anything (except actual icy chutes, even icy bumps are handleable) has ben fantastic. Overall this boot has been fantastic and well worth the effort to dial in the fit. Pro Tip: If you are having medial malleolus pain (inside ankle) or other ankle pain, check the boot fitter you are working with knows the trick to open up the lower shell around that area. Applying expert use of a heat gun, it takes 5-15 minutes.