Light: boots

Over the past decade, ski touring boots have undergone a quiet revolution. Once defined by compromise—between uphill efficiency and downhill performance, weight and durability, comfort and precision—modern boots now offer ideal performance across the board.

Aesthetic design has also taken on greater importance, with clean lines, bold colors, and details designed to catch the eye. This year’s Light category test examines the latest models on the market, ranging from extremely minimalist configurations like the Atomic Backland Carbon UL to more descent-oriented options such as the Fischer Transalp.
Manufacturers are facing growing pressure: today’s skier demands boots that can adapt to wider feet, longer tours, and increasingly ambitious technical goals. It’s not just a matter of weight — what really counts is how the boot behaves on snow, how it fits on real feet, and how it adapts to changing terrain conditions.
With one crucial detail: the modern skier doesn’t want complications, and the models launched in the past two years have eliminated what was once the most obvious problem for the average user — difficult entry and a very selective fit. Now, even the more hesitant skiers can find user-friendly models, while for the most demanding ones, the category benchmarks in terms of performance remain unchanged.