SkiTech review: Tecnica Diablo Magma HiPerFit ski boot
Tecnica Diablo Magma HiPerFit
If there is a perfect ski boot, it may well be the Tecnica Diablo Magma HiPerFit. We evaluated a range of boots from Nordica, Lange, Head, and Dalbello, but this Tecnica boot took top prize from each of the four reviewers that evaluated it. This boot gets my vote as the best ski boot of 2007, though it had stiff competition, especially from Lange. (It's perhaps not surprising that I liked it so much since I have actually been evaluating it off and on for nearly two years.)
Arguably, there is no more important ski technology than the boot. To drill the bumps or come out flying through the powder, you have to wear a boot that responds to your every move. If you haven't skied for years then you won't appreciate just how responsive a boot can be. In the case of the Tecnica Diablo Magma HiPerFit, I began to think it was reading my thoughts, though it sometimes erred on the side of flexibility.
Indeed, the thing that really sets this ski boot apart is its flexibility. I don't just mean it flexes a little. I'm talking about insane flexibility.
I've never seen a boot give (in a good way) like this Tecnica boot. We skied it with its out-of-the-box settings, but one of the other areas in which it shines is its adaptability. Bow-legged? (Admit it.) You can adjust the boot to compensate. Want a stiffer ride? Easily adjusted.
Upping the flex of the Diablo Magma
Tecnica accomplishes this by combining both hard and soft plastics with three different zones of hardness within the boot. Unlike its boots geared toward intermediates and beginners, the Diablo Magma HiPerFit uses more hard than soft plastic to deliver more power and resilience. Even so, it's surprisingly easy to get into and out of the boot (which is often not the case with front-entry boots).
Tecnica's Diablo Magma also helps you ski the crud comfortably with an anti-vibration system that includes bi-injected rubber inserts to filter and absorb shock waves. This technology means decreased vibration and increased comfort (and performance).
If I sound like I'm gushing, it's because I am. As noted, we reviewed a range of other boots. Rather than make you read about them, however, we opted to focus on the best performing boot of the lot. If you happen to come to Utah to ski, let's make sure you get to try out this solid boot. You'll never go back to whatever it is you normally wear.
Matt Asay brings a decade of in-the-trenches open-source business and legal experience to The Open Road, with an emphasis on emerging open-source business strategies and opportunities. Matt is vice president of business development at Alfresco, a company that develops open-source software for content management. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
