Roxa RX Tour Boots

While Roxa may not be all that well known (yet), their RX Tour Boots are in the same weight category and direct competitors to the La Sportiva Skorpius CR Boots, Scarpa F1 LT Alpine Boots, Atomic Backland Carbon Boots and Dalbello Quantum Free 110 Boots. Their Cabrio Design uses a simple but effective shell, cuff and tongue design that provides 62° of rotation in walk mode which is more than enough for anyone.

Roxa saves weight on the RX Tour Boots by using just a single forefoot buckle and power strap along with a full Grilamid shell and cuff construction. Grilamid is a technical polymer that is not only lightweight but also durable and unaffected by cold temperatures.

An adjustable velcro powerstrap located at the top of the boot provides good leverage to tighten the cuff securely around any calf size and shape. The large aluminum buckle is easy to grasp with gloves on and folds back and out of the way while in walk mode so it can easily be tucked under your ski pants.

The external RX Quick carbon ski/walk mechanism is easy to use with a gloved hand and seamlessly switches the RX Tours from a rigid ski boot to a flexible touring machine. In walk mode, you get 62° of cuff rotation, while locked in ski mode the downhill performance is uncompromised. Although the ski/walk mechanism is external on the spine of the RX Tours it safely keeps snow at bay and ensures icing up is not an issue. A single vertical pull on the large carbon fibre handle is all it takes the effectively and efficiently switch from ski mode to walk mode or what Roxa calls ‘hike mode’. Push the same lever down and you are back in ski mode. 

On the fit side of things, the Roxa RX Tour Boots use an Ultralon 75 Tour Liner which is very light, yet soft and comfortable. The anatomic shape of the liner provides plenty of room in the toe box while securely holding your heel in a firm but comfortable heel pocket. A built-in flex zone at the rear of the liner helps provide a more natural movement while in walk mode by allowing the liner to stretch and flex without bunching. For a custom fit, the Ultralon Liner is completely thermo-moldable so there is no worry about any unique foot deformities or 6th toes that need to be accommodated for.

The Roxa RX Tours are the only boots that I know of that print all their specs on the boots themselves so you're sure to never forget their weight or range of motion.

Below you can see the RX Tour shell, Ultralon 75 Tour Liner and soft rubber boot board.

Tech inserts on the toe and heel of the boots are certified for Dynafit and Marker Kingpin bindings. The rockered toe lugs ensure a natural stride while walking and the aggressive Skywalk rubber soles provide good grip on icy boot packs and rocky summit ridges.

Grilamid cuff and shell with Skywalk Rubber Soles

• Cabrio – 2 Piece Tongue
• Standard Dynafit Certified Insert
• Skywalk Rubber Soles
• 2 Aluminum Buckles + Cable closure
• Ultralight tour/U75 Liner

The Roxa RX Tours are a very minimally designed alpine touring boot with only the essentials you need, hence the single buckle and powerstrap. The features are kept simple so they’re efficient to use and the chances of anything breaking are low, this also cuts down on the boot's overall weight which is never a bad thing. The forefoot buckle and power strap provide impressive foothold given that these are the only two adjustments to customize the shell's fit. Both are easy to use with the catch on the lower forefoot buckle being able to keep your buckle setting dialled even when in walk mode. This makes for very efficient transitions as the velcro strap doesn't need to be re-set throughout the day as you can simply open and close the powerstrap's buckle for transitions from walk mode to ski mode and back again.

The Ultralight tour/U75 Liners are super comfortable and soft. I did, however, find the Roxa RX Tour Boots fairly wide for my feet (even though they are built on a 99mm last) so it was nice to have the option to heat mould the liners so that I could customize the fit once I took up some of the additional internal space. The toe box is also very roomy so my toes always stayed warm and my foot was positioned fairly snug in the rear of the boot so heel lift was minimal and overall comfort good.

I did find the back of the liner behind my Achilles a little thin and although this wasn’t an issue while wearing the boots I could feel the lower shell protrude at this location while putting the boots on. This was likely a result of the shell design being quite low at the back and the fact that the boot flex allowed the upper cuff to rotate so far back so the flex zone on the liner where it is purposely thinner allows the shell to poke through more in this location. Again, not an issue at all while wearing the boots.

The two-piece tongue design is also a great feature for allowing a much easier entry into the boots, without this it would be more difficult to get into them so this was a smart little extra feature from Roxa.

While the skis/walk mechanism on the spine of the boots appears to be a little large than normal it sure made transitions easy. The large grip notch provided ample purchase even with gloves on so switching from ski to walk mode was much easier than most other alpine touring boots. Switching back over was also just as easy as it was a simple push down on this same ski/walk mechanism.

While the RX Tour Boots provide a nice progressive flex in ski mode I did find their 90 flex rating to be a little soft for my liking, although accurate. They were a lot of fun in soft deep snow but anything more challenging and their soft flex was noticeable. I would have preferred more stiffness to be able to ski more aggressively and confidently in challenging terrain and also to be able to drive a fatter ski more efficiently.

In walk mode, the 62° range of motion was nicely split to the back and front of the boot with the majority of the cuff rotation being accessible without having to undo the forefoot buckle or power strap. Simply pop the RX Tour Boots into walk mode and you are good to go, no need to undo any buckles which saves a lot of time at transitions over the course of the day. The pair of boots I was testing, however, did have a rough flex towards the very end of the front but seemed to work itself out over the course of the day, perhaps just some more breaking in is needed to be done.

Overall Roxa’s RX Tour Boots are a real bargain for the comfort and performance you get in such a lightweight alpine touring boot. They are ideal for those looking to go light and fast and are well suited for less aggressive skiers or those new to the sport who are looking for a boot that will provide comfortable performance.