Salomon has long been tops on my list of great ski boot manufacturers. Sporting a wide variety of ski boot options, there’s room enough for every skier in their lineup. While many boots are going more and more complex with walk modes and the whole nine yards, some are going simpler and the Salomon Shogun is just such a boot. With two burly buckles and a wide power strap, nothing has been this simple since my rear-entry boots of the 80s.
Salomon Shogun Ski Boots Features:
- World cup advanced shell technology
- Shock absorbing footboards
- Double dismantle canting
- My Custom Fit Race Sensitive liner
- 3D lower buckle allows custom placement
- 2 micro-adjust aluminum buckles
- Weight: 4200 grams (26.5)
- Flex Index: 100
- Last: 98mm
- MSRP: $625
Salomon Shogun Men’s Ski Boots Review
Sporting a simple, two-buckle design, the Salomon Shogun boots are aimed at “big mountain” riders. The industry gravitated from hot doggin’ to extreme skiing and then from freeride to freeskiing and now big mountain… it’s all the same thing. Let me translate for you… these boots are meant for skiers who ski hard, want a responsive boot yet still demand comfort and simplicity. Capesh? We do have really big mountains here in Utah, so I gave these boots a whirl at both Deer Valley Resort and Alta on a couple of deep days… here’s what I think.
First off… I’m really digging having only two buckles. They are burly buckles, mind you, so don’t think of them as two wimpy buckles. These things are big, wide and they provide even closure with no noticeable buckle gaps. Not once did I feel like I was “only skiing a two-buckle boot”, in fact, it had me wondering why we insist on four buckles. I was stoked to have ample toe wiggle room for warmth and feel while maintaining a locked-in heel and lower-leg.
The flex of these boots is pretty soft and I knew that going into it. I’m typically riding a 120 flex boot at a minimum, but I wanted to try a bit softer boot for tooling around with the kids and for overall comfort. Believe me, I’ve pushed my fair share of race boots around all day and while these do feel soft under certain circumstances, not once did I long for my uber-stiff race boots of yore.
My narrow and flat feet were quite at home in the 98mm last. I did have a little bit of a pressure point with my left foot that I’ll need to address by punching out the boot just a tad, but other than that, I had no problems as the liner quickly molded to my feet with no other fit issues. To enhance the fit and performance of these boots, I opted for Superfeet Red Hot insoles. I’ve had great luck with them in my Dynafit Titan’s and loved the support and comfort they provided in these boots.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have an all-groomer day to push these around. But fortunately, I was able to ski some epic days to test the soft snow capabilities of the Shogun’s. In soft snow, the flex pattern was just right as the smooth flex allowed me to progress smoothly from turn-to-turn. The only time I felt like I overflexed the boot was if I hit an unexpected dip in the terrain and flexed the boots with all my 170 lb frame could muster.
I was comfortable bombing the chunky, bumpy groomers at mach speed while the boots quietly absorbed the terrain. Lateral stiffness and overall edge-to-edge response was as expected with a consistent edge feel and smooth performance. The burly power strap adds to the smooth flex and acts almost like a third buckle.
Walking around in the Shogun’s isn’t bad, but a walk mode would be nice (however it adds complexity and price). I’m also a bit disappointed in the outsole of these boots. It’s entirely hard plastic from toe-to-heel. Other boots feature DIN-compatible Vibram® soles for improved grip and I’d like to see those on these boots.
The Good
- Simple two-buckle design
- Smooth, even flex
- Love the burly power strap
- Excellent fit right out of the box
- Shock-absorbing footboards soften hard impacts
- Excellent warmth
- Versatile boots that are great for cruising with kids and capable enough to drive big skis
The Bad
- A full rubber outsole would improve grip
- You can overflex these when pushed hard (I can forget about my World Cup dreams)
Bottom Line: Salomon Shogun Ski Boots
With just two buckles (and a burly power strap), the Salomon Shogun boots are smooth performers on soft snow, tight trees and cut-up crud. The overall comfort and feel of these boots is solid with only a few small gripes.
Buy Now: Find Salomon Ski Boots at Backcountry.com
