Gear Review | Dynafit Radical Pro

First impression

The Radical Pro is strongly reminiscent of the Hoji models from recent years. Like these, the bright green boot has the well-known "Hoji-Lock" system for locking the shaft, which switches from walking to skiing mode (or vice versa) with just one movement and also fixes (or releases) the powerstrap and buckle on the shaft. The boot is quite lightweight, although the plastic is reinforced with fibreglass rather than carbon, and is compatible with automatic crampons and all pin bindings.

Tester & test conditions

I am 183cm tall and weigh about 80kg. I ski a lot and am mainly on ski tours. My feet are relatively normal in shape, i.e. they don't have any particular problem areas and are 28cm long. I tested the boot in size 27.5, which is, as expected, extremely short in terms of length. Despite adjusting the inner shoe, it is just a little too short for me, especially when walking on flat passages. It would be necessary to bulge out the shell or to use a larger shell. The latter would be difficult, however, as the shoe is already a little too wide for me even in the size I tested. Of course, it depends on the individual shape of your feet. Extensive fitting and, if necessary, adjustment should be a matter of course with ski touring boots. Overall, I was fine with the boot for the test in the tight size, but for long-term use, adjustments to the shell would be necessary for my feet.

I tested the boots on numerous ski tours in late spring 2021, using them with both a Dynafit Radical 2.0 and a Fritschi Xenic. The skis used were a Downskis CountDown 104 and a CountDown 104L. Typical for spring, the boots were mainly used in firn, hard snow and slush, with summer snow being added towards June. All in all, I was able to test the Radical Pro in a wide variety of conditions, although I have to admit that I haven't had a really good powder day yet.

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I use different ski boots and have already tested a few for PowderGuide. In recent years, I've mostly used the Scott S1 Carbon or the La Sportiva Skorpius CR on ski tours.

Test report

The boot is quick to put on and take off, the Master Step Inserts are practical as usual and speed up or simplify entry into the toe piece of the binding. Thanks to the "Hoji-Lock" system, which allows the buckle and strap on the shaft to remain permanently closed, it sits well on the foot on the ascent even without a lacing system on the liner. The low weight and high shaft rotation have a positive effect on the ascent, the shaft also moves very easily and practically without resistance. As expected, the Radical Pro is therefore particularly comfortable with or without skis. In terms of walking comfort, the boot can at least keep up with many lighter boots designed purely for ascents.

When skiing downhill, the boot is not only sufficiently hard for me, but also has a fairly progressive flex that allows good control of the skis. While I couldn't really notice any difference in "good" snow, i.e. powder or firn, compared to much more downhill-orientated and noticeably heavier boots, it is a little more demanding in difficult snow. However, the boot is easily able to guarantee sufficient control over the skis here too. With a forward lean of only 11°, the shaft is very upright, which makes skiing downhill quite strenuous for me, especially in poor snow. I am aware that many current ski boots have a more upright shaft and that this is also favoured by many people, but I have never really got on with this and prefer boots with more of a forward lean.

Overall, I haven't had any problems with the boot so far. The Hoji-Lock system works well, even if it took some getting used to for me to set the buckles to "downhill hardness" when putting them on and then just switch to walking mode. The shell and sole still show practically no signs of wear and tear, and the liner is more likely to show signs of use, although here too the signs of wear are quite normal.

Conclusion

Until a few years ago, ski touring boots were all about the highest possible downhill performance, but today the focus is more on combining the latter with the lowest possible weight. This is where the Radical Pro really scores points, as its downhill performance is unrivalled in this weight class. It is also easy to use and very comfortable to walk on. Personally, the only thing that bothers me is the rather upright shaft on the descent.

Advantages & disadvantages

+ Light

+ Super balance of high downhill performance and excellent ascent characteristics

+ Pleasant flex

- Template not adjustable

Information on

RRP €600,-
Weight: 1400g (size 26.5)
Material: glass fibre reinforced Grilamid
Hoji-Lock
Buckle with fine adjustment
Safety lock buckles
Master Step Insert for 50% easier entry
Ultra Lock strap

Here is the link to the Dynafit website with further information.

The boot was provided to PowderGuide free of charge by the manufacturer for the duration of the test. Find out how we test them in our test statement.