Fischer

Transalp Vacuum TS Alpine Touring Boot

Touring-specific boots are a big deal nowadays, and while they're markedly better than they were five or six years ago, the improvement doesn't show many signs of slowing down. Fischer's Transalp Vacuum TS Alpine Touring Boot takes tech boots to the next level with its heat-moldable shell, which allows you to dial in a personalized fit that even grinding, punching, and padding won't give you. Simply heat the shell up, just like you would a liner, stick it on, buckle it up, and let it cool—the Vacu-Plast material will expand and then contract to the shape of your foot, improving fit, performance, and comfort. Coupled with the moldable lace-up liner (the TS uses a Thermotour liner with Ultralon foam, which makes it cushier but a few ounces heavier than the TS Lite). This gives the Transalp a level of unprecedented customization, so you can kiss hotspots, slop, and pain goodbye for good.

Of course, all the fit technology in the world won't make a good boot all on its lonesome, so Fischer made sure the rest of the Transalp was on point, too. The shell is designed to complement the position of your feet (Fischer calls its ergonomic design features V-Position and On-Center Position), for increased control and comfort, and it has a ski/walk lever that offers a killer 53 degrees of fore-aft rotation for easy skinning and bootpacking. Three X-Lite aluminum buckles pull your foot into the shell without pinching, and a 40mm Touring power strap beefs up the relatively mild 115 flex (Fischer doesn't actually assign flexes to their boots, so 115 has become the accepted estimate), so the boots don't get overwhelmed if you're driving wider skis. An adjustable rear spoiler lets you play with the Transalp's 13-degree forward lean, and a grippy Vibram sole makes ice walking, rock scrambling, and parking lot detours a little bit less sketchy.