New Dynafit ZZero 4-Buckle Women’s Boots — Nice!

Back from EU last night. Did one of those epic 24 hour travel stints that ended with driving slick snowy Colorado roads over “The Hill” at 1:00 in the morning. Night drives as adventure travel? Let’s just say that ice driving over Vail Pass is as real as bird watching in the Galapagos, only with significantly more demand on the adrenals.

We’ve got more trip reports to file, and tons of interesting gear tidbits; not only from Dynafit, but coming from others as well so stay tuned. Today, more Dynafit for your perusal.

I’m going to do that dastardly male deed and write a first-look for a women’s product. As redemption, I promise we’ll get Lisa in these new Dynafit boots and have a real WildSnow test take. Meanwhile:

Yep, the new Dynafit ZZero Women’s (“W”) 4-buckle is a stunning looking shoe. And from my experience with the Zzero men’s 4-buckle, I can say they’ll give a performance/weight ratio that has to be experienced to be believed. Make no mistake, this is a beefy boot. The shell is the stiffer Polyurethane of the Zzero4U (the red Dynafit boots available starting last season), hence, the boot is stiff even without a carbon stringer — and the price will be slightly less stratospheric. What makes these women’s boots ? For starters, the ZZeroW lower shell is based on the Zzero last. According to Dynafit, boots such as their Zzero 4C saw excellent sales as a unisex boot in 2007 due to this last’s anatomically shaped fit, which combines a deep heel pocket, performance retention in the instep, lock down power from the tongue stiffener (atop the tongue, holds the foot down tightly onto the footbed without pressure on the foot-top bones) and a toe box that’s said to be much more comfortable for many foot shapes. (Though WildSnow still recommends boot fitting by a professional if you want the most from a Ferrari shoe such as this.) But beyond “unisex,” in terms of women’s fit the ZZeroW cuff and spoiler area is shaped to better accommodate women’s lower calf muscles. I know gals that really have a problem with this. It’s frequently a tougher fit issue than simply molding a liner to compensate, so good!

Feature and spec list from Dynafit:

– ZzeroW 4-buckles available with thermo liner only.

– Sizes 23 through 27 (whole size thermo custom fit liners easily mold to half sizes).

– Dynafit USA says: “The idea with this shoe is to respond to women from Jackson to Denver, Carhart to Prana, who all want a boot that’s as “burly as the men’s.”

– Upper Shell Cuff and rear spoiler are designed with feedback from women; with a woman specific calf shape in mind. Along with that, the thermo liner has a lower scalloped out area to match shell/cuff design.

– Dynafit Quick-Step-In inserts in the toe. These can not be over emphasized. Especially for guys who might be teaching a female companion how to get into their Dynafit bindings on that first tour! Nothing like success with Dynafit for success on that first ski date? (Indeed, why do you think Lisa and I are still married?)

– New patented “Touring” buckle teeth are incut and designed to keep even loose “flopper” buckles in place — said by Dynafit to be an industry first. (This feature also said by Dynafit to obviate geeks like Lou who remove the lower buckles from a perfectly engineered boot, ostensibly because they’re “always flopping around and getting caught on stuff.”) More, an extended touring catch on the upper two buckles allows dramatic articulation in tour mode while still keeping the cuff closed.

– Yep, color is an easier on the eyes sage green.

And guys, about those lower buckles, will next year’s be snowmobile running board compatible (grin)?