Gear reviews | Dynafit Hoji Limited Edition ski touring boot

We have been using the shoe since last spring. How has it performed so far?

The shoe

Buckles

From top to bottom, the shoe has a "powerstrap" with a kind of clamp fastener instead of Velcro, followed by a buckle with a cable pull, which is also connected to the strap and the walking mechanism and "binds" the upper parts together. There is a ratchet buckle in the instep area slightly below the ankle and finally another "normal" buckle on the forefoot.

The shell

The shell is made of Grilamid on the Pro model (the carbon look shaft material is made of Grilamid with fiberglass, according to the manufacturer) and Pebax on the PX model. The PX model is slightly softer and slightly heavier than the Pro model. The Pro model was tested here in the Limited Edition (= pre-release model in a different color). The boot has a 55° shaft rotation. The camber angle is 11° in downhill mode and cannot be adjusted.

Speed Nose

Like other current Dynafit boots, the boot has a so-called "Speed Nose". This means that the usual bridge at the tip of the shoe is missing. The pivot point in walking mode is slightly further back with the Speed Nose than in shoes with a bar, which according to Dynafit ensures a more natural walking feel (the natural pivot point for human feet is on the ball of the foot, not the tip of the toes). Thanks to the Speed Nose, the shoe is significantly shorter than shoes of the same size with a normal nose. The test model in size 27.5 has a sole length of 301mm. If you switch to Speed Nose boots with an otherwise identical setup, you should check whether the binding can be adjusted accordingly.

The boot can clearly only be used with pin bindings and the Speed Nose is not compatible with normal stirrup crampons thanks to the missing bar. To get around this problem, you can

a) purchase a special adapter from Dynafit

b) buy Dynafit/Salewa's own ultralight crampons, which are attached to the sole of the boot with a metal clip

c) use basket crampons.

If you want to speculate, you can try this Instagram post regarding future nose shape - perhaps there is hope for a future return of the bar.

The walking mechanism

The so-called 'Hoji-Lock' is the heart of the boot: When the lever at the back of the boot is flipped from ascent to descent, the cable tightens and the powerstrap and upper buckle are tightened. The plastic parts of the shaft are pulled onto the lower shell and snap into place. In the heel area, a solid plastic latch moves downwards and engages in a metal part, preventing play to the rear. If you open the lever for the ascent, the process runs in the other direction accordingly.

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Fit and inner boot

The boot has a specified last width of 102.5mm, so it's quite wide - both at the front and back. Due to an overleg problem, I take all my ski boots to a boot fitter before I use them and have them shaped in the ball of the foot area. Grilamid is easy to shape, so that wasn't a problem with the Hoji boot. The instep volume is relatively low and the boot fitter widened this area a little for me, which is not normally necessary for my feet.

The ankle area is prone to pressure points due to the shape of the shell. On hard crossings on the ascent, when the ski doesn't stay completely with the base side in the snow, but rather edge use is required, the shell presses into my ankle, in each case on the loaded foot.

The inner boot on the pre-production model tested is quite minimal. From this season, the shoes will probably be supplied with Intuition liners as standard, which should have a positive effect on minor fit problems (including the pressure points in the ankle area). Rumor has it that the instep volume has also been slightly improved.

Climbing and handling

The walking mechanism is actually very quick and easy to use, even with gloves on in the dark of night without a headlamp. If you don't want to bend down, you can also flip the lever with a ski pole. The powerstrap is connected to the walking mechanism via the cable pull and therefore loosens automatically when you turn it over - one less hand movement. The upper buckle also loosens via the cable pull and does not necessarily have to be opened, although I usually do this anyway, as I find the open buckle more comfortable when walking.

In terms of freedom of movement on the ascent, I have nothing left to be desired. In this respect and also in terms of weight, the Hoji Pro is in a similar range to the (slightly lighter) Scarpa Maestrale, for example. Compared to explicitly ascent-oriented shoes, the freedom of movement to the rear in particular is somewhat more restricted.

I had no difficulty whatsoever getting into or out of the shoe, even in cold temperatures. The various parts have to overlap in the right order, which sometimes leads to minimal fiddling when putting them on.

Downhill

There are downhill-oriented ski touring boots that also work reasonably well on the ascent, and uphill-oriented ski touring boots that also work reasonably well on the descent. For me personally, the Hoji Pro belongs in the second category. I get on well with them even in difficult snow conditions, but there is definitely room for improvement. The flex is somewhere in the middle for this ski boot category: Not a rubber boot, but also not a hard 'freeride' or freeride touring boot. The flex behavior is pleasantly progressive for a touring boot and the boot offers more resistance the more pressure you apply. On hard hits combined with forward pressure, I occasionally felt like I was at the limit, but the ride is pleasant and the progressive flex is well done (just generally a little too soft for my taste).

The rear stability should also be emphasized positively - in contrast to some other boots, the Hoji Pro has almost no rearward play even after quite extensive use.

Signs of wear

After around 40 days of varied use, the shoes have no problems worth mentioning.

For playing in mud, grass and stones, a white outfit is a bold color choice and shoes are part of the outfit. It's not so much the natural elements of the late-spring-actually-is-long-summer tours that have left their mark on the Hoji Pro, but above all the rather pronounced black plastic "nut" on the inner ankle, which likes to hit the opposite shoe, especially with somewhat rough-footed behavior. In contrast to the pre-release model tested, the normal series models are not white, making this purely visual "problem" superfluous.

Conclusion

Ski touring boot in the mass-market "good for ascents, solid enough for descents of all kinds but suboptimal for mogul slope straight lines" market segment. Pleasant flex behavior, very good handling of walking mechanism and switching between ascent/descent. Fit is a little strange - be sure to try them on before buying.

As was repeatedly reported during the boot launch, the Hoji Pro is a joint product of Hoji and Fritz Barthel, the forefather of Dynafit bindings. The two like to play with CNC milling machines together. As mentioned, Fritz Barthel's focus was on ease of use: to switch the perfect touring boot from ascent to descent mode, you shouldn't have to bend down or tug at your trouser leg, and with the Hoji Boot, you don't have to.

Hoji, on the other hand, could already be seen a few years ago with self-made walking mechanism modifications on his Vulcan and obviously Dynafit has now finally given him the opportunity to implement his ideas in this regard as standard.

The social media stalker knows: When asked why the Hoji boot does not belong to the go-go-gemma-voi-gas freeride segment, but rather to the all-round ski touring-for-all market segment, Hoji replied: "This is what they gave us to play with".

We hope that the Hoji Boot is just the first step in Hoji's official product development career at Dynafit and that he will be given much more freedom to play with boots and bindings in the future. Perhaps at some point in the walk-go-gemma-voi gas segment.

Advantages & disadvantages

+ Good handling, very easy to switch from walk to ski mode and vice versa

+ Innovative walk mode

+ Progressive flex

- Somewhat strange fit

Details

RRP €650.-

Master Step Inserts
Speed Nose
Hoji Lock
Ultra-Lock Strap
Safety Lock Buckles
55° Cuff Rotation
Weight 1450g
Formula Pomoca Climb Sole
Custom Plus liners

Here is the link to the Dynafit website with more information. Here you can buy the shoe from our partner store Bergzeit.de.

This product was provided to PowderGuide by the manufacturer free of charge for testing. You can find out how we test here.