Salomon X Pro 120

35 comments on “Salomon X Pro 120”

1. Hi Jonathan,

   I’ll start with the obvious like everyone else, great site with easily the most informative reviews online. Regarding the boot, Salomon has come up with the most budget friendly customizable boot on the market. I actually tried on a pair at my local ski shop and was blown away by the heel hold, they just seemed to vacuum my feet to the bottom of the boot, unfortunately the boot fitter of the shop recommended the Lange sx 100 so I went with that and have had mixed results so far. When I saw that you started reviewing skis on the X pro 120 I was hoping you would write a review on them so I can make a decision on whether or not to just forgo the monetary loss and get a pair of X pros, thanks again for the excellent review.

   • Thanks for the kind words, Moby. I am pretty shocked by how much I’ve come to like the X Pro 120, given how good I think the Redster Pro and Patron Pro are. And yes, the heel hold I have in the boot is literally best ever for me. But now, the comparison I am most curious about is how this boot would stack up against a size 26.5 Lange RX LV. I’ve only skied a ~100mm last RX, and I would choose a 25.5 X Pro 120 every time over it. But the low-volume RX? Not sure.

2. Jonathan-
   Great review and very timely. I’m actually out here right now at Park City, and was deciding between the X pro 120 and the lange xt 120. Blown away so far by everything the x pro 120 has to offer and am thinking about going salomon. just had the 3 questions.

   1. Hiking capability you touched on briefly above. I’m guessing the xt 120 w/ hike mode is still better, but when hiking in x pro did you just unbuckle or stay buckled and if you can compare the x pro and lange xt that would be great as far as hiking.

   2. The x pro 120 i’m looking at is mostly black with blue and yellow highlights. maybe from last year? is it the same exact boot with no changes?

   3. Have low hanging massive calves, super flat feet, 6th toe on left and right foot. Thinking of going intuition liner. Do you recommend Luxury Liner or Powerwrap, what are differences and which is best.?

   Thanks again blistergear…everything I consider and purchase has been driven by your work on this website!

   • Thanks, Mikey.

     1) I’ve never skied the XT, mostly because I have had zero interest in walk mode boots for the past 3-4 years. Rightly or wrongly, I have not been convinced that they will ski as well as riveted boots. My attitude changed a bit with Paul Forward’s review of the Salomon BC 120, and I have just started to spend time in the K2 Pinnacle 130. We shall see.

     I have recently been hiking Kachina Peak nearly every day, and often multiple times a day. If I’m just spinning West Basin laps (10 minute hike), I won’t unbuckle or loosen anything. I’d say for the longer, steeper, Kachina hike, I sometimes won’t bother to unbuckle, but there is no question that I get more range of motion when I just open up the top 2 buckles.

     2) I’ll try to confirm, but I believe the differences are cosmetic only.

     3) I haven’t used the Luxury Liner, and haven’t been in a Powerwrap for years. I personally like thinner, low-volume liners that let me go with a very small shell. As I mentioned, I have been very pleased with the stock liner, and have not been tempted to switch it out. But if I was going to switch it out … I personally would go ZipFit.

3. Can you do the custom shell heatmold at home with good results? And can you bake the liner with heated ricebags as an Intuition? Great review as always!

   • And one more thing, comparing Fishers vacuum technic and Salomons custom shell, which do you think would yield the best results for a performance fit?

     • I bought the 2013/2014 Fischer Vacuum Hybrid 12+ and after being moulded using the Vacuum process found them to be very comfortable with no obvious pressure points. However, in use I did find them to be a very soft boot and very, very cold. Skiing in France the temperatures weren’t particularly low but my toes were absolutely freezing. I had to stop every hour and go inside where my toes would quickly warm up again. I could have purchased heated insoles to try and cure the issue but the total price was then starting to look a bit silly. The shop actually gave me a full refund as they had run out of other suitable size 26 boots for the season. The X-Pro 12 is a boot I’m likely to try next – did you find any issues with cold feet when using the Salomons?

       • Hey, Robin – I’ve heard a number of people claim that Fischers are cold boots. And while this is highly subjective territory, I haven’t had an issue with the X Pro 120s.

4. Amen, I have the X-Max 130’s, molding process worked great, and they fit my foot type like a dream.
   Not too stiff, and I’m only 169 lbs, and old.

5. Dear Jonathan
   I currently have some Rossignol Sensor 120 that just have too much flex for me and I am having 6th toe pain after having them pushed out three times. I am considering the Salomon X Pro 120 do you think it will be stiff enough or do you think I should try the 130? I am 240 pounds. Thank you,

   • Hi, Jake – apologies for the late reply. Did you pull the trigger? I wouldn’t be afraid of the 130 at your size, but keep in mind that you can bump up the stiffness of the 120 to a reported 130. So you’ve got options.

6. hi Jonathan : Excellant review ! I would like you opinion of the downsize you might suggest for my rather long and narrow feet. Street size is 12.5 Left/12.75 Right and an A width and forefoot has a bunions so a little wider. The recommended size is a 29.5 Mondo and I’m wondering if I could go down to a 28.5 or 29 Mondo in X Pro. An LV is probably the best at 29.5 ( Lange XT LV 130 or X Max 120 ) but you have me interested in the method you used to get a tighter fitting boot. My big issue is ankle slop and too roomy a boot.

   Thanks

   • Hi, Vince – for your narrow feet, it seems that you maybe ought to try out the X-Max 130. It’s built on a narrower last to begin with. And keep in mind that a 29.0 and a 29.5 are no different. See our Boot Fitting 101 article on that point. So you’d have to drop down to a 28.5 to go 1 size smaller, and the narrower your foot is, the more likely you might have to drop 2 sizes. Above all, I hope you can find a really excellent boot fitter to help you with the decision.

7. I purchased a pair of Apex boots this past season , and have been pleased with them . I bought them mainly to have easier entry into the boot . I’d like a little more lateral stiffness than my Apex boots , and am fascinated with your superb review of the Salomon X Max 120 , and would appreciate your view of the ease of entry . The older I get ( I’ll be 90 in October ) , the more difficult it is to get a ski boot on . Thanks

   • Thank you, Bob. Given that I’m often skiing in downsized, race-oriented boots, I’m a little worried that my perspective might be a bit skewed on this topic. But I would say that it’s easier to get in and out of my 25.5 X-Pro 120s than my size 26 Nordica Patron Pros and 26 Atomic Redster Pros. So if you didn’t need to downsize the X-Pro 120s, I think it could work for you, and it would be worth trying them on. If you do, let me know what you think.

8. According to Solomon, the flex adjuster on the 2013-2014 XPro 120 will lower the flex to 110, rather than raise it to 130. Was I misinformed?

   • This is exactly my question. I’d love to get an answer to it. But it’s been over 5 years since you asked the question.

9. Jonathan,

   a few questions on Solomon 2014 X Pro 120’s
   Ski Atomic Crimson 3 yrs old a shorter but 164 87 UF Kinda All Mountain (not by Outwest Standards) and shorter set for Minnesota Cordoroy Flat Lander Sking

   My new set from end of March are Volkls Twin Tip 184 Kinks with new Markers Griffons 2015 (I know a park but love cause gets through crud and yes rockered both ends!

   If I go out to Big Sky I use for Pow ill rent the big boys from the shop to test out new skiis

   my Solomon I have now are packed out (I ski 3-6 days a week in Minnesota and 2 times in Montana I need a better boot cause 4 yrs to long even thou my solomons are good… except packed out part

   a number of issues 100% disabled Marine Corps Veteran Type 1 diabetic with nerve damage and … so my voots have to be GOOD or Near perfect (why I like my current solomons and have had for a little longer.. with that… I am vetting now and looking to purchase a new pair before the snow flies and… I need a stifferer boot for outwest and actually here (I ski Spirit Mountain and Lutsen combined 12-15 times a yrs also. I am 51 yrs 190-200 lbs 5-9 9.5 (10 tenny arch fallen a bit getting older feet getting longer lol) I ski fast hard and yes love steep steep (vetical a must….) Crud gets beat of me the last year maybe 2 boots are plain simple packed out and last yrs the Powder Runs/Back Country really really sucks ass!

   Let me know what options I have with this perticular boot! Email me ASAP POOSIBLR so I can make the desesion

   thank a ton and before I get it a WELL WELL WRITTEN REVIEW OUT F**** STANDING

   Dean J

   • Hi, Dean – apologies for the late reply, I missed your comment. I also apologize that I’m afraid I don’t have anything particularly useful to add to my review to try to help you. I can say that I still really like this boot, and was saying to myself all over again yesterday (and to the crew I was skiing with) that I still find the X-Pro 120 to offer a remarkable blend of comfort and performance — for my feet, anyway.

     So if you can get to a shop and try them on, I’d certainly encourage you to do so.

10. Im skiing the 2015 x pro 130 and I’m finding the replaceable heel has some movement. I have tightened it a few times but still finding movement. Did you experience the same issue?

    • No, no movement at all. Just checked. And I’ve been skiing these the past two weeks, and now must have over 100 days in them. But I haven’t swapped out the soles, either.

11. Picked up a pair of Pro 120’s. (Black/blue). I measure 27, got 26.5’s. The 27’s were comfy in the store, so no bueno! These 26.5 liners feel pretty short. I’m crossing my fingers that I get the needed toe room. Now, Orange county has zero master boot fitters. Sport Chalet has the official Salomon ovens, but speaking with them I’m left with the impression ‘I’ need to know the ‘how to’.
    Sounds straight forward: Remove boot boards, heat shells, replace boards, insert liners, (Unheated liners should ‘push’ out the shell a bit more evenly, to start with?) insert feet, tighten buckles medium tight. (No leaning forward, or putting blocks or wedges under the heels or toes thus keeping the shell from flexing out or bulging unnecessarily, correct?) Allow to cool.
    Next, heat liners, insert foot-beds, thin socks, toe caps, insert feet. Tighten buckles medium tight. Allow to cool. All the time standing straight, feet about shoulder width apart.
    The cooling will have to be the longer 20 to 30 mins, as no snow or ice water to stand in.. LOL
    So, after the heating/cooling shell fitting, your 2 size under liners actually squished enough WITH the foot beds AND toes caps, against the now cold shells to work out? (Aside from the instep adjustment later)
    And now for a lame-o question: How did you get your boot boards out? Mine are really stuck in there, and being foam’ish, I’m afraid they might snap or crack? Are they pliable? Certainly not like the hard plastic ‘rattle’ boards that fall out every time you remove the liners..
    All that, OR, I wait til it snows, then a 2/3 hr drive up to Big Bear/Snow Summit, and lose some morning run time hitting up Goldsmiths Board House to have it done. Or Mammoth and Footloose Sports, at 5 hrs and lost chair time..
    Is the fitting process that critical? Or you think I should be able to make it work with S/Chalet’s gear and my ‘helpful’ assistance ?
    Either way, I know it will all work out in the end, and I do appreciate all the work you and everyone else at Blister go thru to make life a bit more forgiving for the rest of us…

12. I have skied in these boots 9 times just purchased 3 weeks ago. I really really like the boot, however they are cold to my toes. I have had Salomon racing boots for years and was an instructor in Vail recently for 3 years. I cannot understand why my feet get cold in these boots anytime its under 25 degrees. I have new ski socks and I use the adhesive heat strips which I should not need unless its bitter cold. Is anybody else having the issue of cold feet in this boot?

    • Hi, Bill – I’ve got over 100 days in these boots and am still using the stock liners. While these things are highly subjective, I can’t say that I’ve found these to be cold.

13. Howdy Y’all,

    I’ve found Blister (reviews and comments) to be a great source for solid info on gear and wanted to say thanks and pass on some of my experiences….

    I grew up in BC skiing for years as a kid/ young adult, but hadn’t skied in about 15 years until this year, so I was very unsure about what to buy for skis/ boots etc…. I’m 40s, 6′ 155/160 lbs, formerly advanced/ expert skier with fast aggressive approach. Not a huge hucker.

    Could I still even ski? Did I still like to go fast? Would my knees give out? What’s the story with all this new-fangled ski tech?

    Well, thanks to Blister I ended up getting the right gear and sooooo stoked to be back!!!!

    I tried these boots based on this review, and tried the next size, and then the next size smaller again based on the boot fitting 101 article. I ended up doing the same as Jonathan and sizing down 2 sizes to 26.5 (heat molded of course) My feet are 278/ 274mm long and about 101-102mm or so wide, with high arch, normal instep, very low volume calf and foot. I have about the same shell fit mentioned as well, about <1 cm in one side and about 5 mm in the other, and that sounded crazy when I read it, but it works for me. I ended up having to get the big toes punched in both boots but they now fit and ski incredibly well; best boots I've ever had by such a large margin I can't even think of the superlative to do it justice.

    I got the Zip Fit Garas, but noticed a huge difference in forward lean compared to the originals (much less) and honestly, the original liners are great, but the toe box of the Zip fits are really great, very comfy. Haven't quite got those dialed yet but see the potential, but might just go back to the originals because the fit is very good and forward lean is perfect for me.

    I also got a pair of 184 4frnt Devastators that I love, and a pair of 190 Moment Blister Pros that I…… well, again the words escape me. It's just the best ski I've ever been on, period. Just so much fun, ski super hero stuff, and as everyone says, very versatile. I had it in boot deep pow to literally ice and it was great in everything but the hardest snow/ ice. Happy I went with the 190 also as I was considering the 184, but damn man, I used to ski 210s' ferchrissakes!!!

    So I still like to go fast, only now it seems better somehow with all this great new gear. Skiing pow is like a new sensation with all that float, and the rocker feeling, surfy controlled speed…..nice!

    All of my purchases were done after spending hours reading the reviews and comments here, so thanks and keep up the good work chaps, and I hope others have the same success as I have had!!!!! Happy Skiing!!!!

14. Hello Jonathan,
    I read your review and think that these are the boots for me. :)
    However, I’m having troubles finding the x pro 120 at local shops, could you please tell me if you have any experience in the Salomon Quest 120 and what are the major differences between them?
    I usually ski on both piste and off piste, have a pair of Line SickDay 95 and want a boot that can cope well with both activities.

    Could you please advise? I would highly appreciate.

15. Hi Jonathan,

    after reading your great review I was excited about this shoe, went to a local dealer and bought a pair of them. Now I want to do the boot fitting process, but have some worries about those foam boot boards. They seem to be stuck in the shell and I am not able to remove them without force. Do you have any advice how to remove them?

    all the best!

16. I just stumbled upon this great review, and wanted to add my $.02. Two years ago, I bought new boots: Lange XT 100. They ski very nicely: I particularly like that they have smooth, continuous control — it’s not an off/on switch. Also, I like the more upright stance. But they’ve never fit right (i.e., comfortably) for me. Often, after a day of skiing, I have pain in my left inner ankle, right big toe, etc. And last season I pulled a muscle in my rib cage trying to get them off! This is after several return trips to my local ski store to have the boots worked on. Also, I rarely use the hike mode, for two reasons: (a) I don’t do much hike-to skiing; (b) when I’m walking, I hardly notice any difference when the switch is “in the mode”.

    So, I’ve been intrigued by the custom-fit process for the Salomons, and now hearing from Jonathon how well they ski, I’m thinking I might go for the X-Pro 100s. I don’t think I need to go stiffer: 5’9″, 148#, non-racer.

    Comments welcome…

17. Very good review. I will be moving from an older Salomon X Wave 10 boot to either the XPRO 120 or XMAX 120. I am close to 60 now and I used to ski a lot in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s but due to family obligations and having a daughter not so much. Things change as you get older. I was always buying high performance and race boots before buying my Salomons. I did some ski racing in college and but I wanted a good all mountain boot and I fell in love with my X Wave 10 boots and it was the most comfortable boot I ever tried on. It was an excellent all mountain boot and perfect for my skiing style. For me I am very brand loyal and think Salomon’s are the best boot manufacture out there. They also like to take care of their customers if there are any problems. So that is another reason I like Salomon. My boot size is a 26.5 and I have a wide foot, in between a D and an E. So I am thinking the XPRO 120 might be the best replacement but I will still try on the XMAX 120. I like that these boots can be baked and molded for even a better custom fit. Since I ski a lot less I keep my boots for a very long time. I just rent demo skis now and travel with my ski boots if I go on a ski trip so boots are very important to me.

18. Hey, thanks for the great review!

    Today I tried an X Pro 110, without baking, and had a lot of pain starting from pressure on the instep, after one run the whole feet hurt like hell…

    Do you think baking the shell and liner can fix that or will it mostly only help with-wise? The with is an issue too, I have pretty wide feet…

    • Thanks, Alex. And baking them should definitely help – it’s the huge benefit of a heat-moldable shell like this. And to be honest, the fact that they hurt before baking is probably a good sign — chances are good that you will get a precise, custom fit. Go bake ’em.

19. I bought these boots and after 1 day skiing I am very impressed. My boot fitter prefers the old approach of heating a particular area and blowing it out so it took 2 sessions and 6 hours to get them fitted. When I first got to the mountain ( Mt Hotham – Aussie ) the left boot had pressure on my toes but after a couple of hours the inner boot obviously moulded to my feet and the now fit like a glove even though it got to 8C. Usually at that temp my feet get really hot and expand and my old boots would squeeze my feet and eventually I ended up with dislocated toes. So I am a really happy boy.

    The upright stand takes a bit of getting used to and my knees and quads sure took a hammering but I expect it will take a few more days to get the balance right.

    My current ski are K2 Axis X Pro 182cm but it was a demo day so I got to try 6 2017 ski’s, the Volkl RTM84 was by far the one for me, mind you I should have tried the 86 and will before I buy. With the K2’s I struggled to get my balance but on the RTM I had know issues, I found the Solomon X-Pro 120 and RTM a almost perfect combination. Only reason I would try the RTM 86 is that they have Titanium edges and we have allot of ice downunder.

20. Jonathan, what is your opinion about finding the right boot stiffness? I’ve heard and read endless conflicting opinions about whether a boot can be too stiff and you should dial it back based on your weight, vs. the stiffer = better school that just says buy the stiffest boot that doesn’t hurt.

    I’m 5′-11″ 160 lbs, intermediate/advanced, mostly frontside carving and trying to get faster, but venturing into off-piste as well. I bought my Xpro 120s last year and went through almost the exact process described above: 25.5 shell for a performance fit around wide, high instep feet, heat molded and then vacuum fitted with the Fischer machine at what I believe is the best bootfitting shop in the Bay Area, Helm of Sun Valley in Sunnyvale. Smartwood Ph.D socks. The first few minutes on the mountain they were so tight I had to take them off, but they broke in as they warmed up, and over the next several days they were perfectly comfortable, with no movement, no shin bang, no tightening up the buckles throughout the day, and no need to take them off. In short, they nailed it. So fit is not an issue.

    I used my new boots to demo several skis, and had a great time, but I could never really weight the tips. So it got me wondering, after that whole process, should I have bought the 110, and should I think about having my 120s softened up?

21. Hi Jonathan…I just purchased a pair of Salomon X Pro 120 boots and had them heat custom fitted to my feet at the store…I skied in them for the first time today and considering I had been in a pair of relatively cheap 8 year old rental boots they felt amazing and skied amazingly…my only issue is that the custom heat fitting (even though he used pads to add extra space) still did not allow for enough room for my bunion on the medial side of my left foot’s big toe…any suggestions? Can you reheat these boots and try to get more room a second time? Does that area now require being “punched out” by a boot tech? Thanks for any advice! Cameron Ellsworth

22. Hi
    am using these for specifically, alpine carving, following boards , nidecker 158, 170, 177 cm s and a Burton factory prime 168……I used to use Rossignol, and also have ups and Burton hard shell boots. Both the latter packed out, and pretty quickly. The Rossignols went pretty quickly, The Burtons packed maybe to 30 % and stayed the same for last 20 years…..Rossis went after less than a year, particularly the rear (Right for as I am reg. footed not goofy) The Solomon 120s feel pretty stiff, I will if possible on this forum, update , as I plan on using them. I have them set at “sport”, as the other feels too stiff unless I was back to running gates…..More later