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Dual BOA Ski Boots Are Here, Like It Or Not

Originally posted on Powder | By Max Ritter | Last updated Jan 15, 2025 6:47 AM ET

Love it or hate it, BOA is here to stay in ski boots. In fact, a handful of brands are getting rid of buckles entirely on some of the boots with the introduction of the new Dual BOA® Fit System. Yep, you read that right: two BOA dials. Don’t worry, buckle purists, you’ll still be able to find plenty of buckle-only boots in your favorite brands’ lineups.

The system was first developed and seen on alpine racing boots, to enable the highest level racers to securely and comfortably tighten their boots–and have enough clearance so they can roll their skis over to extreme edge angles when carving turns. All ski boots deform when flexing, and BOA was designed in part to help boots keep their shape (and thus flex) more consistent, particularly for skiers pushing the limits of the sport on icy World Cup race tracks. It’s no surprise that tech has trickled down to consumer-level boots, where the added benefit of a more consistent fit and even pressure across your forefoot (and now shin) adds comfort. Well guess what, now you have the option of eschewing buckles altogether and wrapping your foot with two BOAs.

What's New With the Dual BOA® Fit System

BOA’s new system adds a second BOA dial on the boots cuff to close the top of the boot more evenly around your foot. K2 refers to the system as Zonal BOA, but it's the same tech across each brand that has integrated it into boots. So far, from the boots I’ve seen, it seems that brands are integrating the new tech slightly differently, with somewhat different dial positions and cable attachment points. The new setup works very much the same as the one we’ve seen on boots already, with the same large dial pulling a cable tight, evenly spreading pressure across your shin or instep.

View the 6 images of this gallery on the original article

However, the major difference with the new upper BOA is the ability to unclip the upper cable anchor point to allow the cuff to open so you can get your foot into the boot.

K2 Snow says: "The innovation process for the new BOA® Dual-dial Configuration included over six years of development and 50,000+ hours of design, engineering, and rigorous durability and performance testing with elite athletes. The new H+i1 dual pull featured on the cuff is engineered to streamline adjustment speed while ensuring a uniform and precision fit around the lower leg. K2’s toe seal design and patented Fast Fit Instep are engineered to optimize the the BOA® Fit System, wrapping the forefoot rather than applying downward pressure for exceptional power transfer and edge-to-edge control, while also easing the entry and exit of the boots."

First Impressions of the Dual BOA® Fit System

I’ve been able to spend a few days with Dual BOA boots so far, including Salomon’s new medium-volume S/Pro Supra 120, K2’s new FWT athlete-designed low-volume Cortex boot, and the low-volume Atomic Hawx Ultra 130 S boot. My first impression is that the tech doesn’t change how the boot skis much, but it does make dialing in the fit (hah, get it?) quite a bit easier. The super-simple micro adjustability offered by BOA is unmatched. Love it or hate it, it does what it's designed to do (improve fit) pretty well, doesn't mess with the boot's skiability at all, and offers a much more adjustable fit.

Getting into and out of the boot takes a little getting used to, as the cuff and instep don’t open quite as far as I’ve come to expect from stiff, high-performance boots.

Another point of note is the huge range of last (boot width) adjustment offered by BOA. This mostly comes from the existing BOA tech in the lower half of the boot, but it's only amplified by the addition of the second BOA up top. For example, Salomon's S/Pro Supra Dual BOA Boots feature a massive adjustment range with a 100-106mm last.