It looks like you are using an ad blocker. That's okay. Who doesn't? But without advertising revenue, we can't keep making this site awesome. Click the link below for instructions on disabling adblock.
It’s always difficult to truly review ski boots because the biggest factor is the fit, you should always go to a boot fitter. I’ve ridden these boots for around 3 weeks now and done very little work on them to preserve the integrity of this review. For reference, I’ve been in Full Tilt Hot Doggers for the past few seasons now and while the Dalbello KR2s are based off the same 3 piece boot design, there are some pretty noticeable differences in both how they fit and how they ski.
Fit:
I have a borderline 25/26 foot with a 98mm width but I ride the 25.5 in both boots. Although the BSL of the the Dalbello is marginally longer 297mm vs 293mm in a Full Tilt, there is less room for my toes in the Rampages. I molded the liners on both the Full Tilts and Dalbellos with toe caps and particularly on my slightly larger left foot, it’s touch and go in the Dalbellos whether they fit. The toe shape is more rounded, leading to slightly less internal length and I have quite an angled foot so that causes me some issues. To keep riding the Rampage I’d punch out the left big toe slightly.
The Dalbello also has better heel hold and fits tighter round the leg than the Full Tilt. The Intuition liner is also thinner. For me that translates to much better power transmission on butters especially, but the downside is they are less forgiving when I fuck up. I’ve had calf bang issues in the Rampage that I’ve never had in Full Tilts. Fitting a booster strap, which I also ride on the Full Tilt, did help alleviate this but not completely (and yes I have footbeds in them).
Performance:
The Rampage has a 100 flex which for me, being 135lbs riding mostly park with some jibby freeride, is pretty much perfect. The forward flex feels slightly softer than my Full Tilt Hot Dogger 6 tongues but they feel significantly stiffer laterally. Because of this and the closer leg fit, they definitely drive skis better than my Tilts. The downside is the aforementioned calf bang. I’m working on a couple of potential fixes and will update this review if I manage to get it sorted. In terms of day to day ‘real skiing’, I’d say these perform better than the Full Tilt. I love the combination of a medium forward flex with great lateral stability. For jibbing, I’d take the extra comfort of a Full Tilt over the increased driving performance of the Rampage.
They are also noticeably heavier than Full Tilts and more similar in weight to a traditional 2 piece boot. This makes 0 difference freeriding, if anything it improves things, but in the park I do notice the difference occasionally though it isn’t hugely significant.
Construction:
Top notch. Everything about this boot feels quality and that is more or less all that needs to be said. The buckle system blows Full Tilt away and there is next to no chance of anything breaking, unlike the full tilt cable ratchet system, which I may have replaced enough to afford a new pair of boots. The flex feels just as natural as in the Tilts too. The power strap isn’t great but no stock strap is, replace it with a booster and you’re golden. The liner is, as mentioned, a thinner intuition than the Full Tilt and it’s the best fitting liner I’ve used. It hasn’t packed out noticeably since the original molding and I’d expect them to last 2-3 seasons without much issue.
Bottom Line:
A high quality, close fitting boot with top level performance for a lighter skier. If you weigh more than say 150lbs, I'd look at a stiffer model in the line. With a little work these will likely become my go to boots for everyday skiing.
Comments