#SALOMON XWAVE 8 SKI BOOTS REVIEW PRO#
#SALOMON XWAVE 8 SKI BOOTS REVIEW SERIES#

So we’ll be weighing in here on how the QST Pro 130 performs at the resort and in the backcountry, and we’ll be making comparisons to some other similar boots. So the QST boots are more inbounds-oriented, do-everything boots than Salomon’s more touring-specific MTN Lab and MTN Explore. That all puts the QST solidly into “crossover” territory - boots that are light enough and walk well enough for longer tours, yet are also compatible with alpine bindings and are powerful enough to ski inbounds. So what does that sort of all-round excellence look like?Īccording to Salomon, the recipe includes a swappable DIN-compatible soles and tech soles, a 40° walk mode, a stated weight of 1650 grams, and a unique hybrid tongue design. The tagline for the QST Pro 130 is simple: “Excel in all playgrounds.” We covered the QST Pro 130 in our 16/17 Buyer’s Guide and we had three different reviewers in this boot this past season to further home in on the particularities of the Pro 130.

#SALOMON XWAVE 8 SKI BOOTS REVIEW SERIES#

Test Locations: Craigieburn Valley Ski Area, Porters Ski Area, NZ Cameron Pass, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Arapahoe Basin, COįor the 16/17 season, Salomon’s new QST series of boots replaced their popular “Quest” line of boots, and the QST series comes back unchanged for 17/18. Total Weight with tech sole blocks: 1662 & 1665.Total Weight with alpine sole blocks: 1620 & 1623 g.Liners (with spoilers, no footbeds): 273 & 274 g.Shells with tech soles, no liners: 1389 & 1391 g.Shells with alpine soles, no liners: 1347 & 1349 g.Stated Weight per Boot (size 26.5): 1650 g Making your ski boot adjustments at home may end up being a waste of time once you arrive at the mountain and have to start over again on a colder, stiffer boot.Stated Last: 100-106 mm (heat moldable shells)īinding Compatibility with the alpine sole blocks: alpine bindingsīinding Compatibility with the tech sole blocks: It is best to make your adjustments at or near the mountain because the boot will adjust a certain way in warm temperatures and a different way in the cold mountain air. It shouldn't cut off blood circulation, but your foot shouldn't be able to move around either. Once you have adjusted your boots to properly fit your legs and the way you ski, you need to make sure the fit is not too tight. You want the forward lean angle of the boot to match your leg angle when in a skiing stance. Always remember to set the dial back to ski when you hit the slopes again. The dial along the back of the upper cuff of the boot labeled 'Walk/Ski' loosens the boots so you can walk more easily when taking breaks from the mountain. Set the 'Walk/Ski' dial to ski when you are locked onto your skis.

If the boot feels a little too narrow then you should loosen the 3D buckle by rotating it counterclockwise. If your foot moves from side to side in the closed boot then you should tighten the 3D buckle by rotating it clockwise. One of the buckles on Salomon Evolution ski boots is called a 3D buckle, but this is only an industry term that means the second buckle from the bottom can make the instep of the boot wider or more narrow. Once you have made the previous adjustments to your boots you will find it necessary to adjust all of the buckles in order to allow the most secure fit.Īdjust the 3D buckle to narrow or widen the instep.

Each individual buckle is threaded allowing the skier to loosen or tighten them by turning them counterclockwise or clockwise respectively. Each buckle on the boot is possible to adjust by simply rotating the buckle when it is undone. It is best to stand in your boots in the skiing stance you use most often while you adjust the forward lean until it reaches a comfortable angle.Īdjust the tightness of the boot's buckles. You will usually want the forward cant of the boot at a middle angle unless you are a racer and then you want it all the way forward. The end of the Allen wrench inserts into the forward lean adjustment or canting bolt and you turn the wrench either way to adjust the cant of the shin of the boot forward or upright. Also, adjust the flex softer for powder and stiffer for hard packed snow.Īdjust the forward lean of the ski boot with the Allen wrench at the side of the boot at ankle height. You want a stiff flex on warm days because your boot will be soft and a soft flex on cold days when your boot will already be stiff from the weather. This adjustment is a simple dial or slide lever that softens the flex in one direction and stiffens the flex in the other direction according to the labels around the flex adjustment. The flex adjustment is on the side of the boot right where the outside of your ankle would be. Change the flex adjustment according to the weather on the mountain.

Salomon xwave 8 ski boots review