BOA Fit: The new technology for ski boots

Have you got the hang of it yet? There's a new innovation on the ski boot market: the BOA® Fit System. Instead of buckles, the boot is tightened with a rope via a twist lock. This makes it easier and much more precise to adjust the ski boot. Here you can find out how the technology works and what advantages it has.

 

How the BOA® system works

With conventional ski boots, it was usual to close and adjust the boot with two to four buckles, depending on the model. Instead, the new BOA® system replaces the buckles in the lower part of the boot, i.e. on the foot, with a twist lock connected to a thin rope. Like a snake, this rope runs through low-friction guides. When you turn the wheel, the shoe encloses the foot evenly via the rope and thus adapts better to your individual foot shape.

The tension of the rope can be adjusted in both directions in millimetre increments using the H+i1 twist lock specially developed for alpine use. This gives you significantly more adjustment options than with conventional ski boot buckles. If you want to take your boots off, you can simply pull the wheel up slightly using the quick release and the tension is released completely with just one movement.

Development with ski brands and athletes

More than 50,000 hours went into the development, design and testing of the BOA® Fit System H+i1 for ski boots. BOA worked closely with the world's leading ski brands and professional alpine and freeride athletes. World champion and double Olympic champion Benjamin Raich was also involved in the development process.

The BOA ski boot project was a great opportunity for me to contribute my experience and work closely with the BOA® team with the aim of taking fit and ski performance to the next level for future generations of athletes.

Benni Raich

The BOA® system is already used by some of the best-known ski boot brands for their models, for example Fischer, K2, Salomon and Atomic.

Better fit for even better performance

A scientific study by the BOA® Performance Fit Lab tested the benefits of the new system. The results are based on feedback from top athletes after almost a thousand hours on the snow and were also published in Frontier in Sports.

The precise and millimeter-accurate adjustability reduces maximum pressure on the back of the foot by 13 percent. The improved fit and optimized heel hold not only make the boot more comfortable to wear. It also increases power transmission during swing initiation by ten percent. Ultimately, this also means more control over the ski and therefore more safety.

Another important aspect in the tests was robustness and durability. The material has to withstand even the most extreme alpine conditions. The rope consists of a core with 19 stainless steel strands, which is surrounded by another 90 stainless steel strands. This gives it a tensile strength of more than 250 kilograms. With its bayonet and cartridge system, the twist lock also offers maximum impact protection.

BOA offers a lifetime guarantee for its own products. If something does break, BOA will provide the necessary spare parts and repair information free of charge.

Technology from the USA

The company behind the technology, BOA Technology, Inc. is based in Steamboat, Colorado, in the heart of the American Rocky Mountains. Founder Gary Hammerslag developed the first BOA® system back in 2001 for a completely new type of snowboard boot lacing. The brand now has more than 250 registered patents and over 200 million Fit Systems sold.

BOA® technology is not only found in ski and snowboard boots. The twist system is also available for ski and cycling helmets, gloves and cycling shoes.

Photos: Fischer Sports GmbH, SportFits