Review: 2011 Salomon Quest 12 AT Boot

[Phall]

Skier:
Age: 23
Height: 6’
Weight: 210 Lbs
Skiing since: I can remember, 18 years or so.
Skier type: I hate trying to write what type of skier I am, so lets say expert, cause that can cover a wide range.
Location: Alta, UT 1/31/10
Skis: Moment Bibby Pro 186
Weather: Snow.
Every Day boots: 09 Salomon Impact 10, 26.5, slight forefoot modifications, Full Tilt (Intuition) Pro Liners, medial pads, A-Line foot beds.
Touring Boot: Scarpa Denali XT, 26.5, Intuition liners, A-Lines, Modified Dalbello Black tongues.

Boot under Review: 2011 Salomon Quest 12 AT Boot, Salomon’s 120 flex, 3 Buckle answer to the Black Diamond Factor, a damn good competitor. 308 BSL.



Initial Opinion:

Shell/Exterior

When I saw these for the first time, I was very impressed with how they looked. I first noticed the 3 buckle design, with a very large buckle on the upper foot, as well as very large booster strap. The boots reminded me of an altered SPK, by appearance, but as soon as I got a closer look, I realized this was not the case. With a very distinct, and burly looking walk mode switch and mechanism, an amazing looking DIN sole, with plenty of traction, as well as rubber traction under the arch of the foot as well, a nice touch for walking on rocky ridgelines, etc.



Left walk mode activated, right ski mode



Walk Mode Activated



Another feature that was nice was the adjustment of the plastic cuff on the front of the boot. It has a higher or lower setting, so you can have more or less plastic on the front of the boot. I did not play around with this as I only got a very short time to play with this boot, but looks like it could be useful.


First (lower) line says +20, Upper says + 30

The replaceable soles are very easy to change out, 2 screws in the toe piece, 3 in the heel, and 4 in the heel of the AT/Dynafit compatible sole.

Liner

The liner was sort of a hybrid of a couple of different Salomon liners from this season. It features My Customfit Pro moldable liner, as well as the new technology from this year, Biovent, which actually works to help evacuate moisture from the boot; basically a turbofan meets capaliene for your feet, with no batteries. Another nice feature of the liner is the quick laces starting at the forefoot/ankle area up the front, allowing you to tighten the liner around your calf, similar to the BD Factor, only using a different system, which, unfortunately, looks much more flimsy than the BOA on the Factor. However, Salomon has been using this lace system on some of their SPK’s, their snowboard boots, and some trail shoes, so if my memory serves, you will be able to get replacements if anything were to happen.




Some background on my hooves:

I have been in Salomon boots for 7 years, and their size 26.5 boots for 4.5 years. With minor modifications in the forefoot (1st and 5th Met punches, nothing too major) I have found these boots to treat me very well for my 50-day seasons. I had been on the X Wave 9 for 4 years, had it riveted to a 10 flex, and enjoyed that boot, but it was flexed out. I got Impact 10’s this year and put intuition liners in, had the first and fifth met punched, and added medial pads on the liners, and have been incredibly happy, as have my feet.

On the feet:



Putting on this boot for the first time, I was a little nervous, as I did not know how the last compared to the Impact, nor the volume. As soon as I got my foot inside, I knew I could be happy in this boot for every day with slight modifications, which I will discuss in a second. Initially, the toe box felt amazingly roomy, and did not notice any initial pressure points in the boots.

Standing inside of Goldminer’s, I felt as though the boots were noticeably softer than my Impact’s, but as soon as I stepped outside and let them adjust to the cold weather, they were stiffer. Felt like a fairly true 120, compared to my 110 Impact’s.

Using the walk mode only to walk around the lodge, it felt quite nice, stiffer than my Scarpa’s in walk mode, but felt as though it would be fine for any length skin.

Skiing:

These boots are awesome. Hands down my choice over the Factor as 1. They fit my feet, and 2. They are softer than the factor. I have found that a 110 flex boot is plenty, this 120 was noticeably stiffer, but allowed me to drive my skis better, and felt as though it would not be overbearing as a touring boot. The response was nice, and the lace up liner did not provide any comfort issue, and felt as though it actually held my calf better than my intuitions. The skiing was great, all around stiff alpine boot great, not to mention the Alta 4 inches we had received the night before.

Verdict:

Having a boot like this or the Factor makes a ton of sense, as it performs so well as a traditional Alpine boot, and would kill it on a set of Dynafits, or any other touring set up for that matter. I have wanted to go Dynafit, and this seems like the perfect option, as the Factor, the ZZeus, and the Scarpa’s do not really fit my foot that well. Needless to say I was fairly excited with the out of the box comfort and fit of these boots, as most of the time I have to modify something to make my foot happy.
Overall, I was thoroughly stoked on this boot, and am seriously considering this as a boot upgrade for next season.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

weight???

[skiingsamurai]

whats the last on these things?

im interested, its been a long time since ive been in a solly boot, and my kryp pros arnt doing the trick anymore

[Phall]

knew i forgot something, but lighter than the Impacts, for sure, no weight as i did not have scale, so i am unsure, noticeably lighter than the impacts, heavier than my denali xt's.

[pfluffenmeister]

sexy.

but what he said VVV

whats the last on these things?

98-100mm? (fingers crossed)

[mntlion]

1) I'm not sure of the last but....

if the impacts (100) fit him with a few, minor punches, then this must be 100-101ish. From all other info this is NOT the falcon (98) shape

[Phall]

I believe they are right around 100, The extra roomy toe box(see more roomy than my intuitions molded with a toe cap) may have led me to have some mistaken feelings for how wide they are. I can easily see them being 99 or 100. Not a Falcon based boot, I feel these are more SPK/Impact combined influence, as it felt similar to a shogun when I put it on my foot. Hard to tell as I only put my foot in a shogun for 10 minutes, and 4 runs in these boots. If your foot is a Salomon Impact shape, this boot will be the tits for a stiff AT option.

[bfly]

I tried one on while at Larry's in Boulder and he said the last is a 102.

[robnow]

Comor in Whistler just got a few pairs in, for sale. The guy I talked to has his own test pair and is loving them, hes claiming 100mm last.

[squirrelmurphy]

My 26.5 sally feet have foot-boners. WANT.

[mntlion]

Comor in Whistler just got a few pairs in, for sale. The guy I talked to has his own test pair and is loving them, hes claiming 100mm last.

what sizes? down to a 25 shell?

[LivinCO]

I tried one on while at Larry's in Boulder and he said the last is a 102.

Does Larry have these in stock? I'm thinking he doesn't but if you/anyone said he had a 26.5 for sale, I'd drive there and camp out by the door.

[Skidog]

Good write up Phall...

[inthemtns]

Great info. It looks like a sick boot!

[Oslo T. Norway]

101 "last"

[salida]

Weight: 210 Lbs

Someone hops on the scale before RJs not after.

[Skidog]

Someone hops on the scale before RJs not after.

BWHAHAHAHAHAHA...he said yer fat.....


nice one.

[DropCliffsNotBombs]

I've been skiing the Salomon Quest for the last couple of weeks. I like the design but they are heavy with the stock liner. I also felt that are sized big and have a pretty high volume last. The boot board is flat, which is good for standing more upright and the softer flex is nicer since I'm not a heavy guy.
Now, where are their new AT bindings? Hmmm?

[LivinCO]

I've been skiing the Salomon Quest for the last couple of weeks.

So where does one "formerly in the industry, but not anymore" go to acquire this boot asap?

[El Chupacabra]

What's the heel pocket shaped like?

You mentioned there is an AT/ Dynafit sole as well -- is that confirmed for production? (esp. interested in the Dynafit/tech fitting inserts)

[DropCliffsNotBombs]

So where does one "formerly in the industry, but not anymore" go to acquire this boot asap?

I got mine from Salomon for testing. They only came in my size. Sorry.
The heel pocket seems snug, like most Salomons. The upper (single) buckle is HUGE! It takes the place of the usual two upper cuff buckles. They also have a massive (booster-like) power strap!

[El Chupacabra]

They also have a massive (booster-like) power strap!

Is it stretchy/elastic like the Booster strap?

[Skidog]

What's the heel pocket shaped like?

You mentioned there is an AT/ Dynafit sole as well -- is that confirmed for production? (esp. interested in the Dynafit/tech fitting inserts)

This is confirmed and these boots are available already in YURP...

[wren]

Thanks for the review, these things sound excellent. I am extremely excited about this boot. Will definitely have to pop into Comor and take a look. My 03' pro models are in need of replacement quite soon.

[Skidog]

The only issues i could see with this boot and its direct competitors is that it only has a walk mode and 1 lean mode. Most of its competition have 2 ski modes for lean.

And I hear the price point is slightly higher than the competition, but that has yet to be confirmed. Would be a huge mistake to go higher than its direct competition, not many people think of sallie when they think of touring, this would hurt their sales if they are pricing themselves out of the market.

just my $.02.