Dynafit Radical Pro vs. Ridge Pro Touring Boot

Words by Matt Coté

In the everlasting search for a boot that both tours and skis well, we’ve come a long way. And much of that is thanks to Eric Hjorleifson. The first videos of him sending mind-melting pillow stacks back in 2012 using Frankensteined Dynafit boots set off a frenzy in the Canadian freeride community—we needed those boots too! 

So he brought them to us. First as the Dynafit Vulcan and Mercury—possibly the single biggest leap in touring-boot skiability ever—then the Hoji Pro Tour, the Hoji Free (in both 130 and 110 flex), then a refined Radical using the same tech.

But now the hottest new alpine dancing shoe is the Ridge Pro.

I’m late to the party, but here’s why that’s interesting: I’ve been a devout Dynafit user for as long as Hoji’s been designing that company’s freeride boots, but I paused last year when the Ridge came out and wondered, Have they built too complicated of a machine, here?

Well, Dynafit sent me a pair to compare to my current boot, the still very relevant Radical Pro, to find out.

The Radical Pro

At this point the Radical replaces the outgone Hoji Free 130 and 110, and solves many of their problems. Chief of which is that, for most people, the 130 was a feelingless brick wall with no feedback. I myself switched to the 110 for this reason, and was much happier—though it was a bit too soft (I’m 5’7’’ and 150 lbs, but have always skied 130 flex boots).

Next, the Hoji Free series only fit low, narrow feet and Dynafit was cutting itself off from most of the market, so they gave the Radical a more generous fit and more forgiving plastic for a 120 flex. Then they gave it a more supportive tongue, and they tuned the Hoji Lock walk mode to open the boot wider, and be easier to close than the Hoji Free.

The Ridge Pro

The Good

First, this is technically an ultralight boot, so in some respects comparing it to the Radical is apples to oranges. However, because Hoji has his name on it, everyone expects this thing to ski like a hot damn. And, yep, it does. Though it has the same flex rating as the Radical at 120, it’s more responsive and has more rebound, all without that brick-wall feeling. It’s the best flexing touring boot I’ve ever felt.

Depending on what size you land in, some people find the cuff height a bit short, and the boot does lack a spoiler (the little wedge at the back of the calf), presumably to save on weight. Dynafit provides a Velcro-on forward-lean wedge for the liner, but it’s not quite the same thing. A spoiler helps the boot from rocking against skinny shins without adding more forward lean. For that reason, I think, some people find the Radical doesn’t ski well in hard snow. 

I’m not one of them. It works great for me in all conditions and skis better than any past Hoji-built boot I’ve used. But, I sized up from my usual 25 to a 26 for what felt like a taller boot. Even sized up, the Ridge fits my low, narrow foot like a dream. It also feels exactly as upright as past Hjorleifson boots, which I personally love, but is not everybody’s cup of tea.

Next is the now well-covered floating tongue with the instep dial borrowed from old rear-entry boots (shocker, that’s where that idea comes from), which also works like a charm to hold down my instep evenly without pressure points, and without the lower shell distorting from a tight ratchet strap. That ratchet strap has been moved up to the calf on the Ridge, and does a shockingly good job of holding my foot in place. Even without the cable dial wound up, I’m held solidly in the heel pocket. I was worried I’d miss the toe buckle that the Ridge lacks, but so far I don’t.

I don’t love Velcro power straps (and swapped mine out on the Radical), but on the Ridge it is at least indexed so you can easily set it while in walk mode, and then it’s tight in ski mode. This works, and the Velcro keeps the boot light compared to a cam strap—it’s what we call a tradeoff.

The Hoji Lock also finally opens up enough I no longer have to loosen the power strap or non-existent top buckle to get full range of motion in walk mode. One flip, and there’s an insane amount of range. Plus the leverage ratio is improved so it’s turbo easy to close again, which is part and parcel with the Hoji Lock no longer eating the back of your liners.

The Ridge Pro is 150 grams lighter than the Radical Pro, and feels incredibly nimble. It has a shorter bootsole that’s more efficient for walking and touring, however, that’s cancelled out in my case because I sized up. That landed me at the exact same 287mm as my size 25 Radical.

Lastly, the Ridge has 70 degrees of range of motion thanks to the floating tongue (also well-covered at this point) and the wider-opening Hoji Lock. The Radical only has 60 degrees (more than most boots), but there’s a caveat to follow.

The Bad

My first complaint is nitpicky: I find forward range of motion more important than rearward range of motion when skinning on anything other than flats. For me, it’s especially important when trail breaking. While the Ridge has more range of motion than the Radical, it’s biased backward. I’ve found the cable dial in the tongue hinders its forward flexion when trail breaking, and creates a fair bit more friction compared to the cleaner tongue on the Radical. This is going to sound crazy, but for that reason, I actually think the Radical walks better. As Forecast senior writer Kevin Hjertass noted in his review, range of motion is less important than low friction (me and him will see y’all in the back alley to duke this one out.)

Next, the cable dial is slow and fiddly. As a result, my transitions are actually slower. To boot (pun intended), the Hoji Lock alone will not get you striding. The calf ratchet is so good at holding you in that you can’t stride unless you open it. So it’s now two steps (pun intended again) to get into walk mode as opposed to one. Also, while that Hoji Lock is now easy peasy to close, the calf ratchet is at least as tough as the old Hoji Lock.

This will be moot to anyone using an overlap boot, which are notoriously tough to open, but getting the liner in and out of the Ridge is also super hard. The cable mechanism doesn’t let the tongue slide out of the way. I worry about bending and breaking my footbeds, or how much more difficult liner insertion would be in a winter-camping scenario with cold shells.

One big consideration is the Ridge isn’t compatible with anything other than pure pin bindings. This might be a non-issue for most, but I use hybrid touring bindings for slackcountry, so this either deletes that option for me, or creates the need for a set of hybrid touring boots in my quiver, too.

And now for the elephant in the room. At this point we know that the cables on the Ridge eventually break. Whether this is a dealbreaker for you is up to you. Even buckles eventually fail and need replacing, so this isn’t unique to this boot. Replacement parts are widely available and you can change the whole cable dial mechanism relatively quickly and easily if you have a spare. But, shops have also found that with a bit more time they can just replace the cable itself. This means if you learn how to do that, you could stock a spare cable in your repair kit and it would weigh basically nothing and take up virtually no space. (I’ve heard rumours that some crafty shops have even sourced higher-gauge cable for more durability.)

Conclusion

If you need hybrid or GripWalk compatibility, get the Radical. There’s no choice.

If you want the lighter, more nimble of the two boots, get the Ridge. It’s a clear winner.

If you’re like me, and both boots can work for you (with some fitting), it’s actually a tough call. There’s a good case for each, but here’s what’s important: Nobody needs to run out and replace their Radical—it is still one of the best boots on the market, and some of its well-refined and proven features remain better than the Ridge’s.

Ultimately, barring the first two criteria above, what it should come down to is which boot fits you better. The weight and performance differences, in my opinion, are actually fairly marginal. You’ll do great in either one, as long as it’s snug and comfy.