After perusing the latest edition of what Freeskier calls an Annual Gear Guide, I could write a week’s worth of posts on the complete lack of real product reviews in the ski world. I’ll try not to wear the hater hat for too long, but let’s face it, there are shit products out there. But of course you would never know this if you relied on the sole surviving print mag our fledgling corner of skiing has left. Each ski gets a stoke factor (which means literally nothing), and the only products that get a more thorough look are pro setups. The LAST thing that matters in a gear guide are pro setups. They’re paid to ride this shit, hell I’d ride any damn thing if you paid me to do it. I’d rather hear what Joey the pizza guy in Truckee is riding, cuz his ass paid real hard earned cash for his setup. That means something.
ANYWAY…on to our review:
I rode the entirety of last season on a fresh pair of SPK Kaos model boots. For clarification, the Kaos is joined by the Kreation, and the Pro in the SPK familia. To the best of my knowledge the Kaos and Pro are similar when it comes to the stuff that matters (liner quality), but the Pro gets a pretty cool leather-ish wrap around the shell to eliminate some of that robocop aesthetic.
The boot takes a baby step away from the race heritage boots that are still king in the ski world. The four buckle system has been reduced to two rather wide buckles and an extra wide power strap holds down your calf and shin area. The reduced hardware definitely provides for a lighter than usual ski boot, which is a huge step forward right there. The flex has been stiffened slightly, and I found it to work in most conditions. I had the opportunity to experience a six foot dump at Squaw Valley, and I probably could have used a stiffer boot, but to be honest the SPK did its job for the most part. The liner cinches with a drawstring, and I had no problems with it staying tight throughout the day. The drawstring tab did come dislodged every now and again, but I didn’t find it overly troubling to tuck it back in. The calf section of the cuff has a smooth spot so your heel can slide in a touch easier. I’m not going to say that this boot has solved the ankle-breaking problem of jamming yourself into a cold pair of boots, but I’ll take whatever help I can get. As far as fit goes, they are pretty true to size, but the guy at my local shop had me get one size smaller than what I’d normally ride. This was a genius bit of advice, because the SPK has a ton of padding that inevitably packs a bit. By April I still hadn’t reached that last notch on the buckle, so I’ll pass that advice on to you.
Aesthetically we’re looking at my favorite boot design to date. I am biased towards a non-spaceboot feel, so the smoother plastic and lack of weirdo neon shell wins major points in this review. The toned down look also helps with ease of use, as the two buckles are wide enough to provide support, but require less micro-adjusting to get that perfect fit.
To break up this SPK love-fest I must say that my riding buddy had a much less pleasant experience with the cheaper SPK version- the Kreation. The liner was thin and was tearing dude’s feet up by mid-season. They’ll save you a few bucks, but its not worth it if you’re running to the shop for another pair by February.