Thanks to the successful Quest series, Salomon has long been an established name in the field of strongly downhill-oriented boots with a walking function. For the current season, the MNT Lab and the MNT Explore are the first two "real" ski touring boots. These already visually striking boots promise not only low weight and good ascent properties but also excellent downhill performance. We took a closer look at the "smaller" model, the MNT Explore.
To the tester
I am 183 cm tall and weigh around 75 kg, I am quite fit but certainly not a muscle man. I go on a lot of (quite long) ski tours, but I also enjoy skiing in the ski area. In recent years, I've mostly used different versions of the Scarpa Maestrale on ski tours, but I usually use full-tilt skis in the ski area. Although I value good ascent properties in ski touring boots, I don't want to miss out on good downhill performance, after all I usually carry quite wide skis up the mountain. My feet are 28 cm long, not too unusually shaped, neither particularly wide nor extremely narrow. As a rule, I don't have too many problems finding ski boots that fit, and the Scarpa Maestrale fits me best so far.
The MNT Explore has been used with a Downskis YW8 102 with ATK Free-Raider binding fitted and a Downskis CD107 with Firtschi Vipec on a good 15 days so far, 2 of which were spent freeriding in the ski area and the rest on tour.
First impression
The somewhat unusual design of the MNT Explore is noticeable at first glance. Only two buckles? And this is supposed to be one of the most downhill-ready shoes on the market? The shoe looks a little bulky, but when you lift it up you immediately notice that it is very light. When you put it on for the first time, you immediately notice how stiff the boot is, there really is no difference to many alpine boots. The lever for adjusting the walking mode is also unusual, as it is operated from right to left instead of from top to bottom. The MNT Lab comes with fully thermoformable liners and customizable insoles. The buckles and the powerstrap make a solid impression.
When you first try them on, you immediately notice that the shoes are cut a little wider than the Scarpa Maestrale, the Full Tilts or the Dynafit TLT6, which I normally use for touring and skiing. The shoe is not really loose, but there is more room, especially on the instep and in the heel area. The inner boot (incl. sole) is quickly adjusted, everything feels good in the living room, so I'm ready to go!
Test report
General
The boot is quite quick to put on, but it's a different story when taking it off, as you have to fiddle around quite a bit. You're not used to this with modern ski touring boots, but it's not a problem. The buckles, switch levers and power straps are easy to reach and easy to operate even when wearing gloves. Although there are only two buckles, they allow the shell to be closed well. In practice, I would have liked a little more heel hold on the descent, although this is of course due to the shape of my foot. Nevertheless, I wonder a little why Salomon didn't add an instep buckle...
In addition, the heel angle is relatively upright during the descent (roughly comparable to the Dynafit TLT6) and cannot be adjusted.
Ascent
As expected, the shoe works well on the ascent. The light weight is of course great and the high shaft rotation allows long strides and brisk walking. When walking without skis, the soles are grippy and the shoes are otherwise comfortable. Some details are also well thought out. The laterally movable lever for switching between walking and ski mode cannot be accidentally pressed into ski mode when walking or climbing, as is the case with some other boots, and the buckles on the shaft lock into a walking position.
Descent
While the MNT Explore fully meets my expectations on the ascent, it definitely exceeds them on the descent. The boot is not only stiff, but the flex is also really similar to an alpine boot. The boot doesn't deform when flexing forward and the walking mode doesn't have any noticeable play either, which further improves power transmission. In terms of downhill performance, the boot is really far ahead of the touring boots and also performs noticeably better in this area than some other models, which are much worse on the ascent. This means that even wide skis can be controlled reliably in all types of snow and the ski boot also cuts a fine figure on the piste. For some skiers or ski tourers, the MNT Explore (or its slightly harder and heavier brother, the MNT Lab) will probably prove to be the perfect choice for touring as well as freeriding in the ski area (however, the boot does not fit in alpine bindings due to the touring soles).
There's practically nothing left to be desired on the descent, only a few competitor models can keep up with the combination of light weight and high ascent and descent performance.
Conclusion
A great, downhill-oriented ski touring boot that also works great on the uphill and can also handle a day or two in the ski area. Definitely one of the top models for anyone who likes the fit and angle of presentation. If you want even more rigidity on the descent, you should take a look at the big brother (MNT Lab)...
Advantages & disadvantages
+Lightweight
+High shaft rotation & low resistance when walking
+Super downhill performance
-Only two buckles
-The heel angle cannot be adjusted
Details
RP 499.99
1450g
Flex Index 110
35mm Vecro-Strap
63° shaft rotation
Fully thermoformable 3D CF liner with 2 loops
Complete rubber sole according to the standard for ski touring boots
Low-tech inserts
Here is the link to the Salomon website with more information, here you can buy the boot from our partner store Bergzeit.de.
