Bootfitter's Notes: Salomon X Max 110 Women's Ski Boot

For many years, Salomon has strived to make comfortable boots that ski well. They also try to provide boots the user can wear all day without requiring a lot of boot fitting to get into them.

This year Salomon has introduced a new boot for aggressive women skiers.  Salomon X Max 110 W is a generous 98 mm forefoot ski boot; I’m inclined to put the X Max 110 on the roomier end of the 98 mm boot spectrum, but it still features some nice heel hold.

In fact, the last three fits I’ve had with ladies all had good things to say about the X Max 110 W against some very stiff competition with the other boots they tried on. The heel pocket fits well and offers nice hold, without any nasty biting or pinching, and the toe box is definitely roomy and comfortable.

So is this it, the perfect boot that you can rip around in all day and not have to unbuckle on the chairlift? It's not quite that easy - as in all ski boots, it will depend on your foot.  If you’ve got a medium width foot and are advanced to expert skier this boot could have a great shape for you, and will ski well also.

As mentioned, the X Max fits a touch roomier than other boots in the 98 mm width category, so it’s practically a Godsend for those who want a close fitting shell but just can’t seem to make other narrow boots work.

The instep is also a touch higher than other boots in the category, however, the heel hold is good.  Once molded the boot fits precisely around the foot, eliminating a lot of fit issues out of the box.

The Salomon Custom Shell plastic the boot is made out of gets heated in a convection oven; the shell then gets molded to the foot. This generally solves any boot fit issues save the random punch here or there for those with the large the bony prominences, bunions and the like.

Salomon’s Custom Shell plastic is noticeably lighter than polyurethane boots, and the 110 plastic is stiff enough to hold up to aggressive ladies. The on snow report is quite good, that the X Max 110 is lively and responsive with great snow feel.

If you are advanced or expert skier and have had difficulty fitting into other narrow fitting options the Salomon X Max 110 may be precisely what you’re after.