(This post sponsored by our publishing partner Cripple Creek Backcountry.)

Lou (left) and boot co-developer Fritz Barthel recently met at WildSnow world HQ for a serious boot discussion. The concept of always keeping your pants down was heavily parsed.

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Flip a single easy lever to transition your ski boots between uphill and downhill? I never considered that a deal breaker, but after skiing a prototype of the Dynafit Hoji Pro Tour last winter, I’m reconsidering.

Skimo racers have for decades sought the ideal of “leaving pants down,” as fiddling with clothing and boot adjustments during transitions will lose a race. In ski touring, “pants down always” has not been as big a deal (at least while skiing). But take my word, once you try a system that eliminates silly hacking with your pant cuffs, buckles and power straps, you won’t want anything else. That is, if it works — and keeps working.

Hoji PX amd Pro Tour, full line due to retail in fall of 2018. Left to right: 1) HOJI PX Women – 1400 grams, 22.5 – 27.5 – Pebax 2) HOJI PX – 1530 grams, 25 – 30.5 – Pebax 3) HOJI PRO Tour Women – 1320 grams – 22.5 -27.7 – Grilamid 4) HOJI PRO Tour – 1450 grams – 25 – 30.5 – Grilamid

Enter Dynafit’s new Hoji PX and Pro Tour boot models. Four years in development, due to retail 2018-2019, design philosophy here is a boot that not only allows you to keep your pants down, but skis powerfully — and tours. Sure, all of that is grail stuff that’s been tried by various brands, sometimes with success, but how many times combined in the same boot? Barring unforeseen manufacturing challenges and that sort of thing, I think Dynafit might have it nailed. We’ll get more certain on that this winter, when a limited run of the boots will be seeded out for testing and feedback. Let’s do a first-look.