Fischer Speedmax Boot – worth the hype?

The Fischer Speedmax is new for this season, but with a price tag of just over $1000, we wanted to give you an idea what new features it has, what the effect will be on your skiing, and whether it really is worth those extra dollars.

The first thing you notice when you see these boots is how impressive they look. Even to those unswayed by design, these sure do look like fast boots. The carbon weave can be seen all through the sole, integrated heel piece and the ankle cuff. It is a pared down, simple boot; as Fischer says, it is “reduced to what matters”. The main benefits of this are obvious – less material equals less weight, and the highest quality carbon fibre equals more stiffness.

When you look a little further, the cuff design is also considerably different to designs on other boots. The strong single velcro strap is 1 ½” wide giving strong connection and no need for a loop – they really have cut the materials down at every possible place they could. The cuff itself is pure carbon fibre, creating an extremely stiff side support, ensuring none of the energy is lost on transfer to the ski and precise edging control.

The Super Skate Xcelerator sole has proven popular on the RCS Carbonlite boot, the split design of heel and forefoot also reducing weight and providing great connection with the Xcelerator binding. The carbon fibre sole is virtually unbendable with engineered flex in the toe to aid in hill climbing, again ensuring consistent energy transfer across your whole foot.

The inside of the boot is shoe-style so may not be as warm as those designs with more of a boot, but again, the emphasis here is on saving weight, and reducing bulk. With all that energy you’re going to be generating, we don’t think getting cold feet is going to be too much of a problem around here!

So – that covers the new design features, but what does that mean for your skiing? Sure, the Fischer sponsored athletes are on board, and with the current (as of 28 January 2016) top man and woman skiers over distance in Fischer boots, the results speak for themselves.

According to ‘real skiers’, comments from Nordic Review: “in my short fit and feel test I can report that the boots offers an incredibly stiff and very stable fit”, and from Nordic Ski Racer: “The biggest surprise is that with all that performance, these boots are also quite comfortable. I raced on prototypes of these boots last season, and they are by far my favorite piece of XC gear that I have ever used.”

For our own Bob Putnam, they “wrap your feet and are snug on your forefoot, are VERY light and, considering how little material there is, they really are comfortable. They are responsive to slight ankle movements, and the ability to articulate your ankle will allow you to really finesse your edging with this cuff and separate sole design.”

So there you have it. If you want the best, these are it. They really go to show how true the old adage is that ‘less is more’.