The Dalbello Kyra is an accessible boot for intermediate to advanced skiers at an accessible price. We think it is warm, comfortable, and fun to ski, and it has enough adjustment features to tailor-fit many women. It has even, predictable, progressive flex that turns shaped skis with ease. In the adventure/freeride category, this model has a walk mode to facilitate access to side-country and hike-to terrain.
Dalbello prides itself on its unique and functional three-piece Cabrio design and cites this design as the reason for the great performance and comfort of these boots. With its shell, cuff, and tongue, the Kyra's components encapsulate warm Intuition liners, and the tongue creates good power transfer from the boot to ski without distorting or bulging the lower shell. We think that Dalbello has perfected this three-piece design for functional high performing boots.
Although other testers said their forefeet went numb after wearing the boots buckled up for a few runs, similar to the Head Dream 100, when using the feature that reduces their volume. The Kyras have a little extra space built into the areas where most expert skier ladies may experience pressure points — Dalbello calls this design Contour 4 Technology. These four areas are the ankle, heel, fifth metatarsal, and the navicular (top of foot) bones. The intent of this space it to avoid having to have your boot shells punched out when working with boot fitters.
Though not as easily customized as the Salomon X Pro 100 - Women's, the Kyra 95 IDs are highly adjustable and can be modified for most medium-to-wide foot types. It has a wider last than the other boots in this review of 102mm. The Tecnica Mach 1 and the Lange RX 110 both accommodate women with narrower feet by coming in a medium and low volume version. These boots are “for women only” and have a low cuff height and special cuff geometry for those of us with especially muscular or shorter legs. Some testers felt a bit of heel lift when skiing this boot, but this could be fixed by adjusting the ramp angle or with other tricks done by a professional boot fitter. Others felt their heel stayed firmly in the heel pocket.
The Kyras are not as snappy and responsive as the high-performance Lange RX 110 - Women's, but they are a great boot for intermediate-to-advanced level skiers. We think that the Kyra is an ideal boot for an intermediate level skier who is looking to up their performance level but doesn't need or want a super stiff boot.
Though this boot has a walk mode, we did not find it to be very effective. When we flipped the tab to hike we noticed minimal increase in our ankle mobility. Dalbello's women-specific boots are made with lightweight materials to make these boots easier to walk around in, so even though they don't have the best walk mode, they are one of the lighter boots in the review, the lightest being the Atomic Hawx Ultra 110.
We wore these comfortable boots a lot, and consequently noticed some scratches and dings, but all were superficial. We noticed boots with dark or black shell materials like the Mach 1 and Salomon XPro's showed noticeable dings much less than boots with light/white shells like the Kira and the Dream. We worry that the three-buckle system with a wire instep buckle will be less durable in the long run and more difficult to replace. Scoring a relatively high score of 8 out of 10, the Kyra 95 ranked right up there with the rest of our fleet.
This is a great boot for an intermediate level skier who wants to start pushing their abilities in more advanced terrain, this boot will advance with you. It also makes a great all-day boot for someone with medium to wide feet.
The Dalbello Kyra 95 ID wins our Best Buy Award because they are an excellent price ($500) for the performance delivered. Made from high-quality materials, including an Intuition brand liner, this boot provides a lot of bang for your buck. These boots will advance along with your abilities and postpone the need to buy a more aggressive boot. Just crank up the flex setting to hard and you're on your way.
One of the most comfortable and warm boots we tested, the Dalbello Kyra 95 is fun and easy to ski. It wins our Best Buy Award because it is loaded with high-quality materials and adjustment features. This boot is a comfortable, well-performing, all-day cruiser for an advanced skier and a boot that will help intermediate skiers take their skiing to the next level without being too much to handle in the flex department. Dalbello's cabrio design gives these boots a smooth progressive flex that keeps you cruising on the steeps and groomers.
