The season鈥檚 backcountry boots demand to be pushed to the limit
Scott Celeste III ($750)
The latest edition of the women鈥檚 Celeste is roomier in the lower portion of the shell and in the cuff, making it a tester favorite. Scott kept the smooth forward flex from its previous design, so the Celeste performs more like a ski-mountaineering boot than a four-buckle powerhouse. With 60 degrees of motion, it climbed just as well. 2.7 lbs
Salomon S/Lab MTN ($975)
Updated with Salomon鈥檚 Custom Shell HD technology, the new S/Lab MTN is heat moldable, so it accommodates a greater variety of feet than its narrow predecessor the MTN Lab. That made it popular with our testers, who felt that鈥攚ith its Pebax cuff and stability-boosting carbon spine鈥攊t skied like a boot with twice the buckles. 3.5 lbs
Dynafit Hoji Pro Tour ($799)
Pro skier and Dynafit athlete Eric 鈥淗oji鈥 Hjorleifson set out to blend the brawn of a four-buckle alpine boot with the uphill ergo颅nomics of a skimo design. He succeeded. The result has a 120 flex rating and an easily activated walk mode. Simply flip a lever to free the power strap and top buckle. 3.2 lbs
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Scarpa Alien RS ($870)
To all but our skimo-racing testers, the no-buckle concept was a bit twilight zone. But the Alien RS鈥檚 Boa Speed Lock system quickly won over the doubters with how easy it makes switching from ski to climb mode (where testers enjoyed an astonishing 72-degree range of motion). At fewer than four pounds per pair, the Alien further surprised with its impressive downhill power and ability to drive bigger skis. 1.9 lbs
Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro ($1,080)
The significantly updated Zero G Tour Pro dropped 1.5 pounds per pair and added ten degrees of range for climbing (bringing it to 54 overall), all while maintaining a serious 130 flex rating. How鈥檇 Tecnica do it? With a carbon-injected cuff and lightweight but sturdy Grilamid shell, that鈥檚 how. 2.9 lbs
Roxa R3W 105 Ti ($750)
Outfitted with a cushy Intuition liner and women-specific cuff, the R3W starts out as an easy-fitting, easy-skiing touring boot. But with a turn of a screw, the flex ramps up to 130, transforming it into a burly performance boot capable of high-speed descents. 3.1 lbs