This is part 2 where we look at what Madshus, Rossignol, Salomon – and an exciting newcomer, Spine – have to offer to discerning users.
Part 1 where we looked into Alpina, Atomic and Fischer could be found here
Once again, briefly on definitions: “best” means racing boots, those used by the world’s elite skiers to compete & win. In 2019 those are invariably carbon-fiber soled – and, naturally, with carbon cuffs for ankle support.
Madshus, Norway
The brand from Biri was long known for the relative warmth of its top-line racing boots – which is entirely expected given the company roots & location.
Rossignol, France
The company from Saint-Jean de Moirans was a bit late to jump on the carbon-sole train, but doing a great job of catching up and, with upcoming model, perhaps of taking the lead, we shall see:
Salomon, France
The company is only making its own cross country skis for a decade or so – but they have been making boots for over 40 years! The bootmakers from Annecy are obviously utilizing both the experience and the know-how from other Salomon departments. Their boots in particular are often praised for both comfort and durability.
Spine, Russia
The manufacturer from the Volga river is anything but a newcomer in the ski boots game. In fact, the folks from Yaroslavl grew into the world biggest boots producer by volume, working on OEM basis with almost all brands mentioned in our review. In 2017 Spine took a big decision to expand into racing boots – and as of this winter starting to offer Ultimate, its first true racing product, to athletes and skiing masses alike.
In conclusion:
Modern racing boots are true marriage of high-tech and extremely individual skills – that’s working with carbon fiber for you, no conveyor belt there. They are produced in small quantities – we estimate the total worldwide production not exceeding 50000 pairs per year. Until and unless there is a significantly higher demand, they would remain extremely expensive – even compared to similarly complicated carbon-layer running shoes like Nike Vaporfly or Hoka Carbon