Review: Dynafit Blacklight 2.0 Ski Touring Boots

Dynafit Blacklight 2.0 Boot Specs

• Size skied: 28.0
• Sizes available: 25-30.5 (men’s) | 23-27.5 (women’s)
• Stated Weight: 1140g
• Stated Flex: not stated (it’s stiff)
• Binding Compatibility: tech only
• Forward Lean: 12° - 15° + Release for Walking
• Walk mode ROM: 70 degrees
• Stated last width: 101mm

Fit:

I tested the Blacklight 2.0 in a size 28.0, which has been my go-to for Dynafit boot since time immemorial. It’s the same BSL as the 28.5 (a short 307mm). For reference, I ski a 27.5 boot in most other brands, for both alpine and touring models.

The stated 101mm last feels decently generous, but the boot is not particularly high-volume and I found it to have a very snug ankle pocket. Forefoot room and instep height are generous due to the tongueless design (there’s no hard plastic over the instep, just a stretchy gaiter and a cam ratchet buckle). I tend to have issues with sixth toe pressure and big toe height, and the toebox here feels tall and wide enough to not cause any issues. The lower “scafo” of the boot is nearly identical to that of the Ridge and Ridge Pro boots.

I skied the boot with the stock Dynafitter 5.0 liner, which I was very impressed with, as well as the new ZipFit Espresso liner. I didn’t feel the need to swap out the stock liner, but definitely found the ZipFit to improve ankle fit and add some stiffness.

Compared to some recent boots I’ve tested, it feels significantly wider than the La Sportiva Kilo and Kilo XTR, especially in the forefoot, nearly identical to the Ridge Pro, and very similar to the Zero G Tour Pro in the forefoot, but with a noticeably lower cuff height than all of them.

Features: 

For a boot type that should be as simple as possible and skip out on features, the two-buckle Blacklight 2.0 actually has quite a few things to talk about. First and foremost is the integration of the HOJI Lock walk mode mechanism. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say it’s the single greatest thing Dynafit has designed since the original TLT bindings in the 80s. 

The HOJI Lock system has seen various iterations since it was introduced in the first gen Hoji boot, but the basic principle has remained the same: it’s a one-lever mechanism that locks the cuff and upper buckle in one move, with an internal plastic mechanism that provides unparalleled lateral stiffness and zero play in downhill mode. It’s really impressive. Here’s a basic look at how it works. 

Both the cuff and lower shell are made with carbon-reinforced Grilamid plastic–a good choice for this kind of boot to save weight and not skip on stiffness. Grilamid, especially with carbon inside, is known to be much less damp than Pebax or PU plastic (used in heavier boots), and that’s definitely the case here too.

Over the instep, a ratchet buckle really locks your heel into the pocket, though I wish the strap actually was a few clicks longer to enable a bit more instep room. There’s a spot for an additional removable velcro powerstrap near the top of the cuff (which can easily be replaced by something more substantial like a Booster strap–highly recommended!), and adjustable forward lean by way of a wedge spoiler that attaches to the liner.

To be honest, I’m sick of brands doing forward lean adjustment by way of a spoiler–it’s not a real forward lean adjustment if you’re only taking up space behind your calf! Besides, if you switch liners, the whole system goes out the window. 

The boot is only compatible with pin bindings, but the toe and heel lugs are big enough for automatic crampons.

Uphill Performance: 

For most skiers, the whole point of slimming down to a two-buckle touring boot is to improve uphill performance. These boots typically come with less weight, a much better range of motion (ROM) in walk mode, and generally more streamlined features to enable better efficiency for the touring part of ski touring. That’s definitely the case with the Blacklight 2.0.

A 70-degree ROM is a big claim, especially for boots that also claim to be stiff enough for solid downhill performance. I have no way to accurately measure if that number is accurate on this boot, but I can tell you that it walks with the best of them. That’s not just because of the massive ROM (that articulates extremely far both forwards and backwards, enabling comfortably long strides), but because there’s almost no resistance anywhere in the travel. Plenty of stiff touring boots like the Tecnica Zero G claim huge ROM numbers, but the effective ROM is compromised due to stiff liners, too much plastic overlapping and bending inside the boot cuff, or other factors like how the walk mode lever locks in. 

When bootpacking, the shorter sole length (compared to an alpine or crossover boot) feels very natural, and the Pomoca/Vibram sole offers plenty of grip on snow and rock.

Even with an aftermarket liner like the ZipFit Espresso, the Blacklight 2.0 walks about as good as I have ever felt a ski boot walk. It’s extremely light, has almost zero resistance when cycling through its ROM, and makes long tours and big vert days that much easier. 

Downhill Performance: 

What good is a walking boot if it doesn’t actually ski well? A few years ago, I got pretty interested in pushing the limits of two-buckle boots, pairing them with bigger and heavier skis and going for long walks in the Tetons. As I’ve said a few times elsewhere, my all-time favorite was the first-generation La Sportiva Skorpius CR, and I’ve used that as a benchmark for touring boots ever since. The new Blacklight 2.0 blows that boot out of the water, both uphill and downhill.

Simply put, the Blacklight 2.0 is the stiffest two-buckle touring boot I’ve ever skied. I actually broke the walk mode lever off my Zero G Tour Pros in December, and have spent every touring day of the season since in the Blacklight 2.0, pairing it with skis from the 95mm underfoot Blackcrows Camox Freebird to 122mm underfoot Blackcrows Noctas. I wasn’t surprised that they’d ski well with the smaller skis, but I’m currently obsessed with how well they can drive a genuinely massive (albeit soft-flexing) ski like the Nocta. 

They ski differently to a 4-buckle boot like the Zero G, mainly in that they are much less damp. The flex pattern on the Blacklight doesn’t have the damp, long-travel feeling of a bigger boot. Instead, it’s like riding a short-travel mountain bike that’s got extremely capable geometry. The Blacklight’s fore/aft flex supports you, but it doesn’t quite take the edge off like a bigger, heavier boot. Laterally, however, the locked-in feeling of the HOJI Lock system provides instantaneous response when initiating a turn and powering through.

I mostly skied pow in these, but have taken them on a few steeper, more technical lines so far to test their mettle in firm snow. Unsurprisingly, this is where they shine the brightest. Having a stiff boot when committing to a consequential slow-speed turn is really, really nice. There’s no sketchy slop in the boot, making precise hop turns or skidded turns on stiffer mountaineering skis a breeze.

The one place where they do lack a bit of performance, however, is pushing through deep variable snow. Unfortunately, we’ve had an irregularly high amount of conditions like this in the Tetons this year, where one turn is cold pow, another has firm crusty snow, and in the next, you’ll hit grabby upside-down wind effect. A stiff, damp boot will smooth out those variations much more readily, but the Blacklight’s precision and immediate power transfer means that you’ll also feel much more feedback from the snow. Skiing these conditions is never easy, but there’s better boot options for that. 

What does the Dynafit Blacklight 2.0’s ideal skier look like? 

I think deciphering Dynafit’s Euro marketing-speak actually points to the ideal skier for these boots. A boot designed for “ambitious speed tours” is a boot meant for folks that care just as much about the down as they do about the up. This boot is going to make high-level recreational backcountry skiers, ski mountaineers, and mountain guides very happy. It’s my favorite two-buckle boot I’ve found yet, and might just replace the Zero G as my everyday backcountry boot.

If your skis days consist of lots of walking (5k+ foot vert days) to get to technical terrain, pow skiing, and might include a fair amount of scrambling or technical climbing, this is going to be an excellent choice. Its wider forefoot (but narrow heel pocket) should accommodate a variety of foot shapes, and the flawless walk mode, huge range of motion, and stiff flex make it a perfect companion for skiers looking to push deeper in the mountains under their own power.