2026 Ski Boots Round-Up
The ski boot landscape is about to get a serious upgrade. Looking ahead to 2025-2026 ski boots, we’re seeing some of the most meaningful innovations in boot design since shifting to plastic. The headline feature? BOA dials are taking over, with more boots than ever featuring a dual-dial setup—one for the lower shell and another for the upper cuff, giving skiers unprecedented fine-tuning ability.
But it’s not just about fancy closure systems. Completely reimagined shell molds are delivering better out-of-box fit, while the renewed interest in three-piece designs has brought fresh energy to the category. The result? Boots across every category are flexing more smoothly and progressively than ever before, easier to use, and feel more locked in where you need, and less pressure points where you don’t. Whether you’re a hardcore charger or casual cruiser, next season is as good of a time as ever to upgrade your boot quiver.
We won’t dive in too deep on why dual BOA is everywhere here, but check out our deep dive on dual BOA to learn more about all the benefits.
Armada
This is a new brand to see at the top of this list: Armada. That’s right, the freeski brand is diving into the boot game. While other folks are going BOA or doubling down on low-volume performance, Armada looks to create something pretty unique. The initial line of boots is the AR ONE MV. This is a medium-volume (100mm last) boot with a three-buckle, three-piece cabrio design. The boot designers wanted to take their favorite features of overlap boots for power transmission, with the progressive and smooth flex of a cabrio style. They also wanted to focus on heel hold, which is clear when looking at some of the smaller details.
The major feature to call out here is the slingshot instep buckle. By giving the buckle two attachments instead of one, Armada is able to increase the torque that one buckle pulls on, giving you more bang for the buck(le) and better heel retention.
You also get an adjustable forward lean (13, 15, or 17 degrees), their “Natty Flex” plastic injection to create smooth progressive flexes, and a high-end liner that’s anatomically molded. The liner also features this unique, tacky PU tape along the ankle pocket that gets slighty tacky when wet, allowing the liner to grip onto the shell, rather than shearing around inside.
Flex Options:
130, 120, 110, 100, and 90. The 110 and 130 feature the same higher end liner, making the 110 ideal for ligher weight riders or freestyle skiers who like a softer flex. Armada is calling this unisex, with certain flexes running down to a 24.5.
Atomic
Clearly Atomic has joined the dual BOA team this year in addition to their other BOA options, but they’re also maintaining innovation in the buckle realm, too. Meet the new Redster TX and Remedy boots. These are sort of a riff off their old Redster CS boots. The idea is to make a high performance freeride boot, with race-inspired freatures that increase performance, while having some special features specifically designed for freeskiing.
The butter boot—ahem, the Remedy 130—is a 96mm last with thick plastic walls, which feels very race-like. On the other hand, they’ve given it GripWalk soles for ease of walking, along with shock absorbing spoliers and boot boards to help dampen the boot for landings and skiing through rough snow fast. This boot is identical to the new Redster TX 130, with those shock absorbing features and GripWalk. They also share the same Competition Elite liner. Essentially, this boot is for hard charging skiers who like the idea of a modified race boot in performance, but are freeride skiing most of the time and could use a boot tuned for those conditions.
The Redster TX 110 has the same fit and design as these other boots, running down to a true 21.5.
On the dual BOA side, Atomic is just adding it to the downhill, low volume Hawx Ultra. No hybrid touring XTD models are getting it. Just like other dual BOA boots, it offers better upper shell wrapping and a more progressive flex.
Flex options:
For men: Hawx Ultra Dual BOA 130 and 100. Remedy 130, along with a new Redster TX 130, 120, and 110.
For women: No new dual BOA for women, Redster TX 110 down to a 21.5.
Dalbello
Coming soon!
Fischer
Fischer still owns the integrated ZipFit space, and continues to hold that crown. When you do the math, it’s one of the better bang for the bucks in skiing (if you’re ready to jump to custom liners). You know us, we’re big fans of ZipFit here at the shop.
This year, their boot line doesn’t have a tremendous overhaul of new gear, but it does have several new additions to their boot line. This year, we get a new RC4 Carbon Pro LV ZipFit BOA. The LV Zipfit model has been around, but new for this year is BOA on the lower cuff.
They also add some lower flex options to the lineup, with a new RC4 Carbon Pro LV 115 Zipfit BOA that runs down to a true 22.5. There’s also a new RC4 Free 120 MV BOA, that compliments the Lakers boot of this year, the RC4 Free Pro.
For men: 130+ RC4 LV with ZipFit and BOA, 120 and 130 RC4 Free Pro
For women: 115+ RC4 LV with ZipFit and BOA
Head
Head’s known for their World Cup Raptor series (you know, the Stormtrooper boot) and high performance race heritage. This year, they’re revamping lots of their recreational models, with new dual BOA and single BOA models in a couple different lines.
The big one is Kaliber. Kaliber is a medium volume, 100mm last all-mountain boot optimized for downhill performance. It uses a bi-injected construction to utilize stiffer plastic along the spine for better power transfer, and softer plastic over the forefoot for better comfort. The softer plastic around the BOA dials also allows for better wrapping, as the plastic can bend as the BOA dial pulls it tight. The liner is also notably high quality, with Graphene (a textbook Head material) woven into the liner to better regulate temperature.
Head also integrates BOA dials into their wider and high volume all-mountain boots in the Edge. These molds have been redesigned to work with the lower shell BOA, but still offer an anatomical higher volume fit. This boot is wicked easy to get on and off, and easier to use thanks to the BOA dial on the forefoot. All these boots are offered with just the single dial on the lower shell.
Flex options:
For men: Kaliber 130 MV BOA 2 and 110 BOA 2, with single dial 120 and 110. Edge HV BOA 130, 120, 110, and 100.
For women: Kaliber 105 W BOA 2, and 95 with a single dial. Edge W HV BOA 105, 95, and 85.
K2
K2 continues to create some of the best looking and highest performing boots out there. This year, they take a bit of a departure from their line of medium-volume boots with the new Cortex. The Cortex is a 97mm last, thickwalled, and fixed spine boot that’s designed for freeride and hard charging at the resort. It’s full of gas, with the goal of striking the balance between race boot and a recreational low-volume boot.
The new boot uses the dual BOA system to enhance fit and performance on both the lower shell over the forefoot and on the upper cuff. They also come with some high quality liners, and the 140 flex men’s boot comes with tech fittings in the toe, in case you care to explore some sidecountry.
We got to chat with Christie Burrow from K2 to learn more about the design of these boots, check out that interview to learn even more about how these boots tick.
Flex options:
For men: Cortex 140, 130, and 120 with both dual and single dial options in the 120, and a single dial on the 110.
For women: Cortex 125 and 105 with dual BOA options, with 105 and 95 in single BOA.
Lange
Coming soon!
Nordica
While everyone is jumping into BOA on upper and lower this season, Nordica is trying something a little different on one boot model. Single dial on the upper cuff. The way they see it, there’s skiers out there who untension their lower buckles at the bottom of a run to regain blood flow, while keeping the upper buckles tight. The upper dial offers skiers the chance to quickly untension their buckles when resting and quickly re-tension when they’re ready to ski. Rather than completely untensioning the BOA dial and having to re-dial. This speaks to how Nordica sees the upper dial as a huge performance upgrade compared to buckles, and acknowledges that the dials aren’t as easy to click in back and forth compared to buckles.
Of course, for skiers who aren’t as committed to their aggressive fit and aren’t finding themselves needing to untension and re-tension all the time, they’ve expanded their BOA models this year. There’s dual dial options across their Speedmachine line, with new lower dial options on the higher volume Sportmachine line. Promachine remains BOA-less.
Flex options:
For men: Speedmachine 3 130 S BOA C (C for cuff BOA); Speedmachine 3 130 BOA DD and 120 BOA DD. Speedmachine 3 120, 110, and 100 BOA on just the lower shell. Sportmachine 3 130, 120, 110, and 100 with single lower shell BOA.
For women: Speedmachine 3 115 W BOA DD and 105 W BOA DD. Speedmachine 3 105, 95, and 85 BOA on just the lower shell. Sportmachine 3 105, 95, and 85 with single lower shell BOA.
Phaenom
After hitting the scene this season, Phaenom offers a new three-piece style boot to the market with a focus on freeride and freestyle skiing. Nothing changes for their line this year, but check out the details of these rad boots below.
All boots come in a 102mm last. That might sound roomy to some, but Phaenom focuses on a high-quality heel hold to keep you stable and supportive. The design is part cabrio/three-piece, and part overlap. That helps provide the precision of an overlap boot, with the progressive flex of a three-piece boot. It’s the best of both worlds.
There’s a hard-back alpine model (FS for freestyle) and hybrid style boot (FR for freeride) with tech fittings and a walk mode. Both feature the same fit, just a difference in the spine construction.
Phaenom also puts priority on sustainability. The boots are made with 30% recycled plastic (hence the black color), and other recycled materials in their buckles and liners.
Flex options:
A FS 100 and 120. The model with a walk mode, the FR, comes in a 130 and 110.
A note on the different models: Phaenom calls their boots unisex, with the lower flex offerings in a size run from 23.5-26.5. The stiffer flexes are offered in a 24.5-28.5.
Rossignol
Coming soon!
Salomon
We always look forward to what Salomon is offering on the boot side, and this year does not disappoint. Salomon is right there at the dual BOA game, with the new S/Pro Supra Dual BOA. This adds four new boots to the line, in addition to the single BOA and buckle options in Salomon’s mid-volume Supra line. This doesn’t change the mold, but does get an updated cuff to work with the BOA dial. One important difference from some other models, like the Atomic dual BOA, the two connection points get an independent “flap” to help the cuff close anatomically.
Expanding on their hybrid freeride boot collection, Salomon introduces a medium-volume alternative to the Shift Alpha with the Shift Supra. These boots have tech fittings and a walk mode for uphill travel, with a BOA closure system on the lower shell. But with two buckles up top and stiffer plastic, these boots are happy charging hard in the backcountry or the resort. The Supra offers a 100mm last, while the Alpha offers more low-volume 98mm.
Flex options:
For men: S/Pro Supra Dual BOA 130 and 120. The Shift series gets a Shift Supra 130, 120, and 100.
For women: S/Pro Supra Dual BOA W 115 and 105. On the hybrid side, a Shift Supra W 105 and 95.
Tecnica
Tecnica is going a different direction than dual BOA, instead focusing on their best-in-test Mach1 LV. Fan and critic favorite, the Mach1 has consistently delivered high performance, downhill performance in a low volume fit. This year, Tecnica has tweaked quite a bit with new molds and design.
The most notable new feature is the new T-Drive 2.0 design on the spine. T-Drive is intended to increase lateral power transmission by creating a better connection between the cuff and the shell of the boot. T-Drive 2.0 keeps that same fundamental intention but is more dynamic. The bar is separated from the spine, allowing the cuff to rotate without any deformation of the shell. It creates a more consistent flex throughout different temperatures and is ultimately more progressive. Tecnica also tweaked the mold, adding a few millimeters of space around the instep and ankle.
Tecnica also is adding a new addition to their Mach BOA collection with a new Mach BOA MV. This gives you a 100mm last rather than a 103mm.
We have select sizes and flexes in stock already! Check out the links below.
Flex options:
For men: A new Mach1 LV in a 130, 120, and 110. Mach BOA MV in a 120, 110, 100.
For women: A Mach1 W LV in a 115, 105, and 95. Mach BOA MV W in a 105 and 95.
