BOA The History
Founded in 2001 in the Rocky Mountains by Gary Hammerslag, a snowboarder, surfer, entrepreneur and true pioneer. BOA Technology emerged from a simple idea: to create a better, more efficient way to tighten and adjust snowboard boots, as they say, ‘necessity is the mother of all invention’. They have revolutionised the outdoor gear market with their innovative lacing system going on to replace traditional laces or buckles with the BOA dial mechanism.
The BOA technology is designed to not only provide a customisable fit but also enhance performance across various activities, from skiing, snowboarding and mountain biking to hiking, Golf and pretty much anything that requires footwear. As BOA has gained traction, it has expanded its collaborations with numerous brands in the sports, outdoor and lifestyle sectors. By focusing on continuous innovation and refining its technology, the brand is certainly here to stay.
BOA, can it be trusted?
At the heart of the brand’s commitment lies the Performance Fit Lab, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to rigorous product testing and innovation. Here, BOA engineers and scientists are rather mean, enjoying nothing better than beating seven bells out of their products to make sure they do not cave in. Think of the usual SAS or Navy Seal trials, from freezing temperatures to constant pounding and submerging in water and mud, but all this cruelty ensures that each product can withstand the toughest environments.
This cruelty extends to 350 sadistic field testers who are actively putting BOA gear through punishing conditions, from muddy trails to waist-deep powder to make sure each product exceeds durability expectations. This meticulous approach to testing is how BOA continually enhances its technology, allowing outdoor enthusiasts to perform at their best.
If this does not put your mind at rest, the lifetime guarantee ensures that customers can trust in the durability of their products. If any part of the BOA lacing system fails, it will be replaced free of charge; many shops stock a first aid kit of spare parts but BOA can also send out the parts in a jiffy. When asked, many of the stockists of these BOA first aid kits, find the kits sit on the shelf collecting dust, so it seems that the system is pretty robust.
BOA in Ski Boots
So Skiing has finally caught up with its younger brother snowboarding, and it appears that BOA technology on ski boots may just be a game changer. The new range of ski boots has been meticulously designed to enhance performance on the slopes. BOA ski products have over 40,000 hours of annual testing conducted by 892 field testers. With 150 different tests contributing to more than 18,000 hours of development, that is pretty rigorous!
With a focus on power transfer, these boots allegedly improve the connection between boot and ski by up to 6%, allowing for more efficient energy transfer during every turn. This innovation ensures skiers can navigate varied terrain with enhanced responsiveness. Additionally, this range of ski boots improves stability and control during turns by up to 10%, providing skiers with the confidence they need to tackle challenging runs. A plethora of ski brands have signed up to the BOA technology; as such the list of boots available with the technology are Atomic, Dalbello, Fischer, Head Ski, K2 Ski, La Sportiva, Leki, Nordica, Salomon, Scarpa, Scott and Tecnica.
BOA on K2 Mindbender Ski boots
We love the evolution of ski equipment, so Charlotte and I were excited to try the new ski boots from the K2 Mindbender BOA range. I tried the men’s K2 Mindbender 130 BOA ski boot and Charlotte went for the lady’s K2 Mindbender 115 BOA. Both boots included Grip-Walk rubber soles for better grip when standing and walking, Powerlock-spyne which can be released when touring uphill or walking and both included Integrated tech fittings at the toe and heal to allow the boots to be used in regular alpine bindings or on touring pin bindings. Altogether a very versatile boot designed to enjoy the whole mountain.
The Mindbender boots have 2 BOA systems, one on the boot inner, which hugs the whole foot well before tightening the outer shell, a little like some snowboarding boots. The 2nd BOA system is on the lower section of the outer shell. The upper shell still relies on 2 buckles and one power strap at the top. The boots are pretty easy to put on and fast to adjust and dial in your preferred fit.
Once up the mountain, it is pretty easy to bend down and adjust and achieve a snug fit that keeps your foot secure while you ski. A lot less fumbling and tweaking involved than the traditional four-buckle boots over the day as your feet swell and shrink.
From the first piste of the day, releasing the boots for lunch or dialling them up before heading back out in the afternoon to ski touring or apres ski; just a simple twist or release of a dial until maximum comfort and precision is achieved. This ease of adjustment makes for a much easier life, fast adaptability and ski boots you can happily spend the whole day in, allowing you to concentrate on what is most important, Apres ski… sorry typo! I mean skiing.
Ski touring was particularly comfortable once the BOA was loosened off, the Powerlock-Spyne released and the buckles and power strap were relaxed. It was like going uphill in your most comfortable slippers, and with a few tweaks at the top of the mountain, the boots were ready for the descent.
Charlotte is fairly new to the world of ski touring, so to ski tour in her own boots that she trusts and being able to tweak the fit quickly whilst on the move gave her a huge amount of confidence and head space to just concentrate on the ski touring. A perfect example being when a storm came in whilst we were ski touring up the mountain, we could change our equipment ready for the descent in a matter of minutes.
Once the boot was dialled in and hugging our feet, they performed particularly well carving on the pistes, through the bumps, in powder as well as through the choppy uneven conditions; we found the boots performed everywhere as we would have hoped.
The Power Transfer, or in layman’s terms the process of the initial movement of your leg and foot and how that movement transcends through all the equipment to your ski and ultimately steers your ski, is outstanding; very little is lost through this process, with boots that translate through to the ski with very little lost in translation. One BOA dial tightens the boot evenly across its local area, so you do not get hotspots where one buckle is too tight and crushes the foot.
Concerning Charlotte’s experience, the BOA system made a big difference. She often experiences a little pain over the bridge of the foot, but the BOA system spreads the pressure equally over the whole bridge so no more pain here.
Having suffered an Anterior Cruciate ligament injury, a long day of skiing can become quite uncomfortable; so the BOA system along with the Grip-Walk feature and Walk Mode make for a much more comfortable experience and are altogether easier on the knees. Just a quick click of the BOA and the ‘Powerlock Spyne’ into Walk Mode and the boots become more pliable, perfect when walking through town or sitting for lunch, even the typical ‘stairs-down-to-toilets’ found at most mountain restaurants become walk in the park.
BOA What is next?
Never one to sit still for long, word on the grapevine is that the brand has just released the next evolution in ski boots with outer shells that use dual BOA systems on the outside for ultimate performance and comfort throughout the boot; we can not wait to put this new dual BOA system to the test. If only all my clothing had BOA systems on them, my trousers could certainly do with it when I have eaten too much Tartiflette!
For more information or to buy the boots visit BOA.
