REASONS TO BUY
Look cool
Lightweight
REASONS TO AVOID
Very soft
Poor performance
Hard to prevent heel lift
Buckle/cable system hard to use
Full Tilt Soul Sister Review
Full Tilt Soul Sister
Credit: Full Tilt
RELATED: Best Ski Boots for Women
Our Verdict
We were excited when we took these boots out of their cool pizza box package. With Seth Morrison behind a product like Full Tilt, how could we go wrong? These ski boots look flashy and unique — but we were let down by the performance. The three-piece design with a flexile tongue and strange cable buckling system left us feeling confused and asking if we were missing something. These boots are easy to get on and off, but difficult to buckle. We could not get our heel locked down enough, and felt like we were skiing out of control in these soft cushiony slippers. We recommend either the Dalbello Kyra 95 ID or the Lange RX 110 - Women's over these boots.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Full Tilt bought the patent for the legendary Raichie Flexon boots in 2006 and have been producing and tweaking the design ever since. These boots were famous in the 80s for their NASA roots and unique, diffused flex. After skiing the other high performance women's specific boots in this review, we feel the Full Tilt Soul Sisters fall short in the performance department, and mostly feel like steezy slippers — not a high performance woman's boot at all.
Performance Comparison
Jessica Haist shredding a groomer in the Full Tilt Soul Sister boots on the 4FRNT Madonna skis.
Credit: Luke Lydiard
Comfort and Fit
The Soul Sisters are very easy to put on and take off because of their 3-piece design and cushy wrap-around Intuition liners. These boots are comfortable because they have a relatively relaxed fit. We are surprised that they are a 9 9mm last because they feel quite roomy. We had trouble buckling the boot tight enough to lock in our heel and had a lot of heel lift when walking and skiing. The Salomon X-Pro 100 - Women's boots have greater performance and comfort.
We could never quite figure out the Soul Sister's buckle system or make it tight enough to lock down our heels.
Credit: McKenzie Long
Downhill Ski Performance
We think these Sisters are sluggish and lacking in the performance department. Full Tilt uses a different flex rating system than other downhill ski boots. The stiffness of the boot is dependent upon the stiffness of the tongue, and they rate them on a 1 to 10 scale. The Soul Sister comes with a 6 out of 10 stiffness tongue. We found this very soft and often felt like we were over flexing them and our skis were washing out. Because of the baggy fit and heel lift we were experiencing, we would say a little prayer every time we turned because we weren't sure it would work or not. We would be curious to try these boots with a stiffer tongue to see if they performed better, but we aren't that optimistic. We think this boot could be good for someone who is transitioning from an alpine touring boot, and is used to a soft, comfortable boot.
We know that Full Tilt's boots are popular with the jibbers who spend most of their time in the park. They are known for their soft and forgiving flex for people catching big air and dropping big cliffs. If you're a lady who's into that — maybe these boots are perfect. For girls who want to rip up the groomers, ski the steeps and powder, we would recommend the Lange RX-110 - Women's.
The Soul Sister did not inspire confidence, especially when skiing steep off-piste terrain, and we said a little prayer every time we went to turn.
Credit: Luke Lydiard
Features
At first glance, these boots seem to be loaded with features, but with a second look, most of the "features" are just gimmick and flash. We found the unique cable buckle system very confusing and hard to use. It was very difficult to thread the cables through the cable slot. These buckles are extremely difficult to adjust with gloves on as they have a small metal latch that needs to be pushed when loosening the cables. We are still not sure what purpose the leather patch that is attached to the top two buckles serves. There is no walk mode on this boot, but you can undo all the buckles and the boot moves quite freely. The best feature of these boots is the warm, cushy, thermo-moldable Intuition liners.
These buckles are extremely difficult to adjust with gloves on since they have a small metal latch that needs to be pushed when loosening the cables.
Credit: Jessica Haist
Durability
The shell of these boots seems as durable as any other. We worry about the durability of the cables over time as they seem more flimsy than traditional buckles. We also think the tongue seems less durable, especially if you are taking it on and off to switch out with other tongues. Full Tilt has a whole section for replacement parts on its website, including tongues and cables, which could help extend the overall life of your boots.
Warmth
The Soul Sisters are a warm boot. This is partially because of the roomy fit and partially because of the warm Intuition liners.
Best Applications
We think this boot could be good for someone transitioning out of an alpine touring boot because they are comfortable and easy to put on. If you have shins that are sensitive to shin bang, or you expect to be hucking your meat around in the park, these may work for you as well.
If you have trouble with shin bang, or ride a lot of park the Soul Sisters might be your thing.
Credit: Luke Lydiard
Value
At $700, the Soul Sisters are getting towards a higher price point for ski boots. We think that the Dalbello Kyra ID 95 boots that retail for $500 are a much better value than the Sisters. They have almost the same Intuition liner, and are a far more responsive ski boot.
Conclusion
If you struggle with shin bang in your ski boots and want a soft, comfortable boot, the Soul Sister could be for you. We did not feel confident in these boots and were nervous on the steeps because the Soul Sisters lack responsiveness.
—
Jessica Haist
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