Hoji Free touring boot

[altacoup]

The 102/103.5 last is a hilarious number. Sure, the widest part at the metatarsal heads may be that wide but every other dimension of this boot is low volume, like, lower than any freeride touring boot I've tried on. It's a good design, give room in the one place that needs it and cinch up the rest of the boot tight. Unfortunately, we are all used to a 102 last being in a high volume boot. Most people I know upsized in the Hoji this year.

I'm pretty pumped to try a pair on. I bashed on the hoji solely based off last numbers. I ski plug Doberman's normally and thought that the stated last of the hoji made it a joke of a boot. Tried it on and it fit well. Made me wonder why last measurements even exist. My scarpa freedom rs are a stated 101, I believe, and have more punches than plug Dobermans. Excited to try a norrower stiffer version, that doesn't have speed toe. Waiting to mount some ravens with shifts as I want to know if bsl will be similar to my scarpa.


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[reckless toboggan]

The 102/103.5 last is a hilarious number. Sure, the widest part at the metatarsal heads may be that wide but every other dimension of this boot is low volume, like, lower than any freeride touring boot I've tried on. It's a good design, give room in the one place that needs it and cinch up the rest of the boot tight. Unfortunately, we are all used to a 102 last being in a high volume boot. Most people I know upsized in the Hoji this year.

Agreed. Heel, instep, and ankle/lower leg up to the boot cuff fit are aces. The wider forefoot at the metatarsals keeps good circulation in the toes. Works great for skiing from the centre/lateral/neutral techniques.

Hopefully they've actually fixed the on-off flex.

But the final no-go for me is that I still want the walk feature and the upper cuff closure as separate functions. Butt, whatever, it's not my boot to design.

[XXX-er]

From Dynafit re Hoji Free

The boot is compatible with alpine ski bindings, in accordance with DIN ISO 9523 and therefore especially versatile.

In contrast to the Hoji Pro Tour, the Hoji Free is also compatible with alpine ski bindings with its
forward lean and modified heel.

I had a small argument with a bud who sells Dynafit, I'm telling him the incompatablitly is stupid and he is saying they are selling lots of them and its not so big a deal

but then he relates that yeah he could have sold that one customer a Hoji becuz it fit and he loved the boot

but it didn't fit the skis & binding he sold him last year !

[hafjell]

Made me wonder why last measurements even exist.

It took me a while to figure this out. I've made a bad decision before because I convinced myself that last width would mean, eventually, the boot would fit like a glove. Thank the Lord for patient bootfitters who can compensate for their dumb customers.

[altacoup]

Anyone get a bsl on a 26.5 yet?


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[Spyderjon]

Tried on a 27/27.5 yesterday at the UK annual trade show. I'm currently in 27/27.5 Mercurys/Vulcans (with no fitting work at all) and the Hoji Free's felt spot on. Initially felt as though there was more volume/height but then I remembered that I'd stupidly forgotten to take my footbeds/canting shims with me which would have taken some volume out. I've taken the plunge and ordered a pair.

Anyone get a bsl on a 26.5 yet?

The 27/27.5 is 308mm (as also published in the 19/20 Dynafit Winter Hardgoods workbook) and they go up/down in 10mm increments. Smallest size is 25/25.5 and largest is 29/29.5. Published weight for the 27/27.5 is 1550g.

[altacoup]

How does fit compare to Hoji pro tour? That boot fits me really well. But so does Salomon MTN lab. Can buy mtn lab now, wondering if I should wait for Hoji free and continue to suffer in my freedom rs.


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[kootenayskier]

Tried on a 27/27.5 yesterday at the UK annual trade show. I'm currently in 27/27.5 Mercurys/Vulcans (with no fitting work at all) and the Hoji Free's felt spot on. Initially felt as though there was more volume/height but then I remembered that I'd stupidly forgotten to take my footbeds/canting shims with me which would have taken some volume out. I've taken the plunge and ordered a pair.


The 27/27.5 is 308mm (as also published in the 19/20 Dynafit Winter Hardgoods workbook) and they go up/down in 10mm increments. Smallest size is 25/25.5 and largest is 29/29.5. Published weight for the 27/27.5 is 1550g.

As a fan of the Mercury’s fit, that’s very positive. I assume the liner is the usual Dynafit junk that I’ll want to swap out with Intuitions?

[Spyderjon]

As a fan of the Mercury’s fit, that’s very positive. I assume the liner is the usual Dynafit junk that I’ll want to swap out with Intuitions?

Nope, the liner is a Sidas which looked pretty decent.

[auvgeek]

Holding my breath on these. Can't wait to see if they live up to the hype. The "free touring boot" market has changed considerably since the Vulcan. At 1550g, it seems like the only way this boot will sell is if it delivers on the promise of a progressive flex pattern. Otherwise, might as well get the 0G Tour Pro or the Hawx XTD 130.

I did try on the current Hoji tour (my buddy's pair), and it seems to fit my foot very well with stock liners molded to other feet and no shell work. That's huge for me as I've needed about a million punches in all my touring boots. But I just can't tell a progressive flex of a rockered sole at room temp.

[XXX-er]

Nope, the liner is a Sidas which looked pretty decent.

I've had a Sidas liner that wasn't bad

Sidas certainly didnt suck dead goats like the Palau products

somebody at Palau must have quit paying off Dyanfit

[Va Ki Bo]

+ Stated last 101mm and lower volume toe area (comparing to the Hoji Pro),
+ ISO 9523 sole
+ Stiffer fiber loaded Grilamid cuff,
+ Wider power strap,
+ New Sidas liner.

[LeeLau]

and Carbonio TLT8 boot too fyi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuN027fPOtk

[LeeLau]

https://www.powder.com/gear-locker/d...A6RkG92UAID.01

"It also comes stock with a customizable Sidas liner—a big move for Dynafit whose liners were typically tossed out for Intuitions in years past."

[JRainey]

Ooooo...what’s the BSL on that?^

283mm

Sorry for the delay.

TLT8s are good boots. I've got over 10 days of touring on them and they're nice. Last lightweight boot I had was the TLT5, and I feel like these are a little softer (no tongue) but the flex quality is better, deeper flex possible.

Fit: Low volume. My alpine boots are 25, upsized to 26 for Zero G to get more room, and these fit well in a 27.5. I will punch for width if I don't have to send them back.

Liner: Thin. Really cool hard material at the cuff. Too thin for my liking, but works well for what it is. I also skied with Zero G liner, which was more my style with maybe 10-15% less ROM. Zero G liner is relatively low volume as well, I couldn't use a thicker liner in the boot.

Edit: Just watch the BSC video and the liner looks different. More substantial, maybe I had the PDG liner. Going to ISPO tomorrow so I'll report.

Rachet buckles: Not too bad actually, they make getting the buckles on and off a breeze, and the top strap goes internal so there is no flapping.

Ultralock: Updated double mechanism. Seems slightly complicated, but it functioned fine for me.

Skiing: In soft conditions they are just fun. I skied them with Hoji skis, and they drove them fine. That is an easy pivoting ski though. Small airs and pillows weren't a problem. One morning on lifts, cut up pow was fine, but moguls were a bit much, especially with a big ski. Too soft.

I'll do a video review soonish.

[TripleT]

^Thanks for the report. Curious to hear more

[reckless toboggan]

We've been here before.

We abandoned putting ratchet straps on ski boots because they ice-up, jam, loose bite on the ladder, and fatigue/break.

Snowboard bindings use oversized burly ratchets, and there is a lot more flex inherent in the snowboard boot/binding/strap interface, which can serve to de-ice the oversized ratchets.

[DerekPersson]

I wouldn’t put too much stock in any touring boot width. Pretty much all Dynafit and Scarpa boots have been 102 or 103 for the last decade, with some being narrower, some being wider, and all fitting fairly different.

Strong 4 month bump. But, this is 100% true. I tried on 6 different AT boots today back to back. Have to say I can't wait to see how the new Hoji Free feels based on how the Hoji Pro Tour felt. I've never owned an AT boot before and have been skiing on 98mm Nordica Patron Pro's the last 6 seasons, Krypton Pros 3 years before that. But the Hoji's felt SOLID. They say 103.5 last or what not, but they felt every bit as snug, if not more snug than everything else I tried on. Other boots I tried on: Lupo Factory, XT Pro LV, Alltrack130, Ranger Free 130, MTN Lab...all of which stated between 97 and 99mm lasts, yet the 103.5 Hojis felt more snug, can't wait to try the 102 Free's.

Lesson: Definitely do not put any stock in Last widths until they're on your feet.

[galibier_numero_un]

Take the liner into account as well.

It's helpful to bring one of your liners to use as a baseline, if you can fit them in the shells of interest.

... Thom

[mr_pretzel]

Take the liner into account as well.

It's helpful to bring one of your liners to use as a baseline, if you can fit them in the shells of interest.

... Thom

I was going to say that. You should be going by the shellfit, foam gets packed out...

[bw_wp_hedonism]

Hoji has an insta post with boots in Shifts. He actually tagged the Shifts in the comments. Thought that was interesting...

[DerekPersson]

Take the liner into account as well.

It's helpful to bring one of your liners to use as a baseline, if you can fit them in the shells of interest.

... Thom

Agreed...and shell fit was done in all these. I understand boots fit different for everyone, I'm just mentioning not to hold too much stock in a stated "last" number. For example, the XT Pro LV's (stated 97 mm) felt massive compared to the Hoji (stated 103.5mm)
I do feel even if you don't do a shell fit and just try on out of the box, you can still get a pretty good general idea how that boot will work for your feet despite not having "your" liner or grinds, etc.

At least for my feet, the new Hoji Free is looking to be $$$

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[DerekPersson]

Hoji has an insta post with boots in Shifts. He actually tagged the Shifts in the comments. Thought that was interesting...

Saw that too. Looked like Hoj wasn't the one in the Shift though...you can see a Hoji ski/dynafit toe on the right side of the pic.

[JRainey]

Saw that too. Looked like Hoj wasn't the one in the Shift though...you can see a Hoji ski/dynafit toe on the right side of the pic.

I don't think there's any reason Hoji wouldn't ski on some Shifts. Dynafit couldn't give two fucks if someone was skiing on the Beasts or Shifts. They only make "touring" bindings now.

The fit of the Hoji Free is, from what I understand about the process, a completely different starting point from the current hoji. Maybe it ends up similar or more snug. I know there's been a lot of fine-tuning of the boot that's been passed around this year.

I do think Dynafit has a fit philosophy that mostly shows up across the boot. Tighter heel, lower instep, bigger forefoot. I've liked the fit of all the dynafit boots I've tried in the last few years. The fit of the Zero G is plenty good though, and is too good of a boot not to use.

RE: What I say about TLT8 BSL, fit and sizing. That's not relevant anymore. Boots are getting a new mold.

[DerekPersson]

I don't think there's any reason Hoji wouldn't ski on some Shifts. Dynafit couldn't give two fucks if someone was skiing on the Beasts or Shifts. They only make "touring" bindings now.

The fit of the Hoji Free is, from what I understand about the process, a completely different starting point from the current hoji. Maybe it ends up similar or more snug. I know there's been a lot of fine-tuning of the boot that's been passed around this year.

I do think Dynafit has a fit philosophy that mostly shows up across the boot. Tighter heel, lower instep, bigger forefoot. I've liked the fit of all the dynafit boots I've tried in the last few years. The fit of the Zero G is plenty good though, and is too good of a boot not to use.

RE: What I say about TLT8 BSL, fit and sizing. That's not relevant anymore. Boots are getting a new mold.

Hmm...interesting. I've heard the Free is basically the same boot. Obviously a little different at the very front with the addition of the toe lug, slightly narrower last and maybe slightly lower toe box height, but the cuff/heel were essentially the same... this based on what I remember from the podcast Hoji did with (I think blister?).

I have not yet tried on a ZeroG and that boot looks pretty legit, but I'd likely run into the same problem with that Full AT sole only fitting into MNC alpine bindings that I just can't get myself to trust when truly charging. Likely going to have to get something with a GW sole.

Having just gotten them on my feet and seeing they have a GW sole next season, the Hawx Ultra XTD 130 is looking like my ticket at the moment.