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Hey everybody happy new year and welcome to the first episode of GEAR:30 for 2025. And speaking of firsts, today, for the first time in company history, Armada is releasing a ski boot: the AR ONE. It’s a project that’s been in development for five years, and this release comes with a number of questions, like: why do a boot? And why now? What sort of boot is the AR ONE, how is it different from what’s out there, and … who’s it for?
To get answers to all of these questions and more, I spoke with Matt Rihm, Armada’s VP of Product, and Bransford Briggs, Armada’s Ski Boot Product Manager. This is a conversation that will, at a minimum, help you better understand the spectrum ranging from cabrio boots to overlap boots, it’ll probably get you to see why Armada was interested in producing a hybrid cabrio boot, and it might help you get clearer on what type of ski boot makes the most sense for you.
RELATED LINKS:
CARV: getcarv.com (use code BLISTER32)
Blister Rec Shop: Boot Mechanics
GEAR:30 Ep #327 w/ Boot Mechanics
BLISTER+: Get Yourself Covered
Blister Summit 2025
TOPICS & TIMES:
Boot Mechanics (1:20)
Carv (2:11)
The New Armada AR ONE (6:37)
A “Hybrid Cabrio” Boot (12:40)
Matt’s Background (14:50)
Bransford’s Background (15:34)
Development of the Boot (18:10)
Heel Hold (21:26)
Liner (24:09)
Fit (25:30)
Instep & the 2nd Buckle (28:33)
Redneck Engineering (31:56)
Plastic (34:28)
Fine-Tuning Flex (39:00)
Range of AR ONE Models (44:51)
Who’s It For? (49:12)
Where to Find Them (52:05)
CHECK OUT OUR OTHER PODCASTS (click each to learn more):
The pictures show a pin insert on the toe but not on the heel – seems a little odd. No mention of a touring mode either – did again with pin inserts on the toe piece. Is this just an image render mistake? A little confused here…?
I continued listening and had this question answered regarding the tech insert on the toe only. Kind of – still no mention of touring mode but I guess the solution here is the cabrio tongue removal / buckle release. Still a little unresolved.
Hi, James – not a mistake. The “130” edition of the AR ONE has tech inserts, but no walk mode. (A few other companies have offered boots like this over the past several years.) Think of it as an option for the (rather niche) category of skiers that still want to have all of the capability of a dedicated alpine boot, and none of the downsides of boots with walk modes. So especially for ski areas that offer easy access to backcountry lines (with easy skins back to the road or ski area), it’s a cool option. Or for athletes filming in the backcountry that want to hit stuff in a full-blown, uncompromising alpine boot … they might be happy to forego a walk mode.
Really interested to see what the shell weight is for a 26.5
We’ll have that info up shortly.
Thanks Jonathan, that all lines up.
On a separate note – I’m heading to Japan in a few weeks (live in New Zealand) so I’m going to lock in Blister+ I’ve convinced a couple of my crew to do the same. Is it a case of sign up and it’s instantly good to go, or is there a waiting period for it to roll through? Essentially, can I lock in just before we depart so in max the 1 year membership?
Cheers, James
Wow, you’re sure picking a good time to head to Japan. Holy cow.
And BLISTER+ coverage starts as soon as you sign up and receive your confirmation email. So we typically advise people to sign up a day or two before a trip, or a day or two before they’re going to go do any of the activities covered by BLISTER+.
if the 110 has all the features of the 130 why is it $225 cheaper than the 130?
I can offer at least a couple partial answers here: first the 110 doesn’t have the tech inserts that the 130 has, and those aren’t inexpensive. Second, Matt and Bransford address in our conversation the arguably-strange-but-certainly-true realities (that every boot maker would acknowledge) that there are market pricing expectations & differences when it comes to 130 boots vs. 110 boots.
Most boot lines include lower quality liners in the softer flex models. Not sure if this is the case here.
That’s definitely true sometimes, but in this case, Armada says that the 130 and 110 both come with their “Team Liner.” The 110 also has “replaceable *critical* hardware,” whereas the 130 has “fully replaceable hardware” (which Matt also mentioned in our conversation).
This was kind of weird when I listened to the pod. I thought I heard the 130 and the 110 have the top of the line liner and elastic booster strap-style power strap. Whereas the 120 has a different (lower quality?) liner and a simple velcro power strap? And looking at Armada’s website, it’s confirmed that the 120 will cost $125 more than the 110 (https://www.armadaskis.com/en-us/shop/boots/ar-one.html). So seems silly for anyone buying the 120 that they’re going to be paying more and getting less.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Any expectation to have a LV version in the future?
Great interview. I bet it turns out to be functionally a great boot both in fit and performance … hopefully also deliver power to the edge and have some weight and dampening properties that complement the progressive nature of the boots design.
I still don’t understand what’s ‘hybrid’ about it, it looks exactly like every other cabrio.
1. The cuff spine is screwed to shell (like an overlap boot would be) and the tongue offers support as well. Both are used to tune/affect the flex of the boot.
2. Unlike other cabrio boot shells, which are open over the forefoot, the forefoot portion of the Armada shell has an overlap, which leads to a better fit.
Thanks nerd, crazy that no one has tried this in the last 40 years. As a cabrio die hard super psyched on this boot. You work for Atomic? We’re you involved in this boot?
Sounds like you might wanna listen to the episode, Mike. :)