Salomon Quest 14 (2012)

The Quest 14 was a tester fave and winner of the Most Improved award over last year's Quest 12, thanks to a firmer flex, better angles, and snugger fit. Q14 is tall and strong in the upper, wider than you expect in the lower, with a natural flex feel favored by testers for both ascending and descending. "Great all-terrain boot. The cuff release switch is my favorite of the test," said Brian Elling. Notes: thicker insulated bootboard makes lower fit slightly more snug than other Quest boots, Racing Spoiler offers substantial fore/aft support, Ride & Hike technology with longer Backbone release mechanism converts boot from alpine to hike/tour mode with a flip of a lever, stiffened forward pressure plate beefs up the flex feel and drives the ski.