Teton Tested: Does Salomon’s MTN Lab Boot Live Up To The Hype?

Salomon's MTN Lab boot is available now from evo.com, although the sellout risk is high, and for good reason. Ryan Dunfee photo.

Salomon is the first brand in a few years not named Scarpa or Dynafit to make a touring boot that is at the tip of the tongue of every current or prospective backcountry skier, having heard much hype that the MTN Lab boot was the latest, greatest, and perhaps even best quiver-killing backcountry boot that could drive big skis and assist, stoutly, in some serious charging. 

The fairly innocuous-looking blue and black plastic shoe has been hotly anticipated thanks to its reputed uber-stiff 120 flex, narrow 98 mm last, and competitive weight. At 1,600 grams per boot for my 27.5 shell, it basically splits the middle on an 80-gram weight difference between Scarpa’s Maestrale RS and Dynafit’s Vulcan.

Critically, it also totes an extra, unsung accolade–simplicity. With just two buckles, a power strap, and a foolproof ski/walk level, transitions are remarkably stress-free. And while gear nerds may spout on about plastics and buckle material and blah blah blah, one thing that has not been discussed as widely when it comes to Salomon’s flagship entry into the freeride touring market is just how easy this boot is to deal with and ski in.

Construction

The MTN Lab in walk mode at full forward bend. Jon Grinney photo.

The main, lower part of the boot is built from Grilamid+ plastic, which is a nylon plastic that’s thin and light, but still relatively stiff, and usually ends up raising the price of the boots it’s used in. Some slight it and complain that it doesn’t flex as naturally as the polyurethane used in most alpine boots, but the “+” is supposedly an additive that gives the material a better, more natural flex. The MTN Lab’s cuff is made up of Pebax, a more traditional plastic used in touring boots, which is light but not quite as stiff. To make up for that, the cuff of the boot comes built up with a carbon fiber spine, which is damn stiff.

As was mentioned previously, the MTN Lab is a two-buckle design, with one buckle over the instep of the forefoot and a second, oversized buckle on the cuff with good touring features, namely a small extra buckle clasp that gave you extended range of motion while touring, and a buckle that flips over to lock in place while fully extended, keeping the touring motion uninhibited from friction. A stiff powerstrap doesn’t have the give of a proper Booster strap, but will be damn sure to keep your calf from squiggling around.

A very non-descript ski/walk mode lever flips side to side to open you into walk mode, and sits flush with the boot when in ski mode, at which point there is absolutely negligible play going forward or back. Properly-built tech fittings are ready for most all pin bindings, although those using Dynafit’s Beast bindings will need to install the heel bar that comes with the Beats before using.

A nice, aggressive, rockered sole comes with some solid rubber courtesy of the folks at Chevron, and a waterproof cloth membrane sits over the forefoot, which I found never to let any water in but which would let out some heat: great in the spring, a little disconcerting while touring for hours on end in an impenetrable Mantana cold.

My only two gripes are that the forefoot buckle is fairly flush with the boot and hard to grab at with thick gloves, and that the oversize pivot bearing, which undoubtedly add strength, lose the ability to cant the boot side to side for bow-legged or knocked-kneed buyers.

Fit

Compared to many touring boots that tend to offer a wider last aimed at providing all-day comfort while walking around the mountains, the MTB Lab is comparably narrow, rocking just a 98 mm last. I was skeptical I would even fit in these boots since the one pair of 99 mm-lasted Full Tilts I tried years ago crushed my feet into a painful knot. But with Salomon’s in-house thermomoldable liner, the fit is tight in the heel and starts opening up as you go forward in the boot, providing quite a bit more space in the toebox than the last might suggest.

The liner itself deserves mention, as it’s the first one not made by Intuition I haven’t replaced as soon as possible with an Intuition. It is super comfortable, and actually breathes pretty well. It’s stiff, with a softer layer of fabric on the cuff that allows it to hinge more easily while you’re walking. It’s got shoelaces­–still not sure who uses those–but thankfully, a grab tab that makes sliding them on much easier.

If this is the first Salomon boot you’re looking at, keep in mind they tend to run a little larger than the mondo size number would suggest.

A quick follow-up note: after this review was posted, I grew to find that the 13.5º of forward lean was not enough for me personally, as I need to be jammed over the front of my skis a little more authoritatively lest I fall into my lifelong habit of skiing from the backseat. I jammed in a pair of spoilers from my Lange RX 130's, which pushed the MTN Lab's forward lean up to 15.5º, and am now much happier with how they ski. 

Uphill Performance

The 47º range of motion offered by the MTB Lab is not the biggest range out there, but plenty for us. Jon Grinney photo.

With a 47º range of motion, the MTN Labs have quite a lot of room to flex around while you’re walking, although admittedly less than the 60º offered by boots like the Vulcan. As long as I put the calf buckle in the most extended mode and let out the power strap enough, it felt like plenty of stride. The snug fit in the heel has resulted in exactly zero blisters of any kind, no matter how long the walk, and with relatively few buckles, it was nice not to have to deal with them catching on ski poles or sticks.

While they walk fine, the real highlight is the lack of transition time at the top. Flip the ski mode buckle over and lean forward until you hear a solid “click!”, snap your two buckles down with their smooth initiation, cinch the power strap, and you’re off. Less fiddling equals less time fiddling with expensive gear that’s supposed to work well, which keeps you relaxed–part of the reason we’re all out here in the first place.

Downhill Performance

With a very stiff and responsive feel, the MTB Labs transferred enough power for hip-to-the-ground GS turns in powder–the first I've experienced in a touring boot. Beau Fredlund photo.

As an avid backseat skier, I tend to get a feel for a boot’s flex more sideways and to the rear, and, while having never skied a Vulcan or the new Scarpa Freedom 130, I can say very confidently that this is the stiffest touring boot I have spent any time in. I was stout enough for me to handle a giant pair of 189 Dynafit Hokkaidos–at least when the snow was descent and I wasn’t totally hacking it. When skiing a much smaller DPS Wailer 112, whose tiny 17-meter turning radius threatened to high-side me onto my back, I was instead able to enjoy enough power transfer to lay down turns almost to my hip, giving me the first sensation I’ve ever had of GS gate racing in powder.

Despite this being TGR and all, I am ashamed to say I didn’t really get any hucking in on this boot. No sizable cliffs were launched from, no pillow lines destroyed. But the MTN Lab is a stiff boot–Salomon says a 120 flex–and it has given me a lot to lean into with my 160 pounds when I need it, and almost no rearward flex.

The Bottom Line

Simple, stiff, and functional, the MTN Lab deserves the hype. Beau Fredlund photo.

While Salomon have matched their competition when it comes to light weight and stiffness–those end goals that have remained mutually exclusive until lately–the real selling point of the MTB Lab is their simplicity. With the need for just two buckles and a power strap to deliver serious downhill performance, and a ski/walk lever that literally cannot get iced up, transitions are a quick affair. It walks just fine, and delivers a stiff, responsive ride on the way down that could justify it as your only boot if that’s what you’re looking for.

While the $800 price tag puts it at the higher end of the touring boot price lineup, 20 days of use has only barely chipped away at the boot’s features, and I have to give Salomon some serious kudos for putting together a very exciting boot that earns our nod with its combination of uncomplicated function and pure performance.

The Salomon MTB Lab is available today at evo.com, who also happen to be having a very radical Cyber Monday sale. Check 'em out!

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stash member Ryan Dunfee

Former Managing Editor at Teton Gravity Research, current Senior Contributor, current professional hippy at the Sierra Club, and avid weekend recreationalist.