I purchased these boots based on a discussion with a friend of mine that took place while he and I were out for a roller ski in mid-September 2016. He was using these boots for the first time and he found them to his liking. At the time, I was in need of new skateski boots for rollerskiing, so rather than buy another pair of on-snow boots, I opted to take a chance on these dedicated rollerski boots. I have since put about 150 kilometers on them, and I have been very pleased with them. They are without doubt the stiffest soled boot I've ever skied in, either on pavement or on snow. The fit is narrow, with the boot fitting snugly over fairly thin socks. (My socks of choice are the FIT thin sock or the Smartwool thin sock, both designed for Nordic skiing.) When I first stepped on to the rollerskis in these boots, I felt like the tops of my feet and ankles were 'naked,' but after only ten or fifteen minutes, I got used to the different feel that these provide. They provide me excellent stability and great push-off, whether I'm rolling on pavement with my trusty Marwes or on off-road trails using my Aero V2s. A potential negative about this boot is that the inner toe box is rather low, so a person who "scrunches up" his or her toes while skiing would probably not like this boot. Likewise, a person with "hammertoes" or Morton's toe syndrome would probably find them uncomfortable.
As for the insole, I immediately removed the flimsy insole that the boots come with, just as I do for all of my boots, and I put in the custom insoles that I used in my former boots. Caveat: if you still use very ramped insoles or high-sided orthotics, then you might not like the fit of these boots, because they don't have much room.
My friend pointed out that the stiffness of the sole might lead some users to feel they do not have enough foot-to-ground sensitivity or "feel," although he allowed as how many of the high-end boots tend to result in that.
While rolling one day, I suddenly became aware of the sensation of air wafting through the ventilation of the boot - what a pleasant switch from using boots designed for cold temperatures! Another nice feature about these boots is the ability to adjust the canting of the cuff, although I have not yet tweaked them in that regard. The ratcheting instep strap provides an added level of snugness as desired, although when skiing, I notice a pressure point on the outside of one foot where the buckle attaches to the boot. (Likewise, I used to feel that in the Solomon Pilot boots I used to use.) That pressure point, along with the low inside height of the toe box, are what led me to rate these as 4 stars instead of 5.
The lacing system is a nice bonus, it allows me to really "dial in" the fit every time. Also nice about this boot, as my friend Mike pointed out, is that there are no zippers to get corroded and worn out from rollerskiing on crushed limestone trails, as a number of us do around here. Seems the limestone dust leads to premature zipper death.
Anyway, my friend likes the boots so much that he has decided to try them this winter on snow with overboots. I too plan to try using them as a winter on-snow boot.
