Tecnica Cochise 105 - Women's Review

These feature-loaded ski boots have warm cushy liners and a flexible walk mode. They could be a good choice for an advanced skier who wants to hike to big lines or duck under the resort boundary for the occasional side-country run.

Performance Comparison

Comfort and Fit

The Cochise has a cushy micro-fleece liner and ample room for athletic calves around the cuff, but thats where the comfort of this boot ends. The Tecnica Cochise 105's are the hardest boot to get on. Its rigid lower shell is unforgiving and hard to slide a foot into. After getting the boot on, we were surprised to learn that it is meant to have a low volume fit and only a 98 mm last. We found the boot to be spacious in the forefoot and fit more like a 100 mm or wider last. Most of the testers think there is too much room in the ankle area, enabling heels to lift up when trying to turn skis.

Downhill Ski Performance

Due to the excessively roomy fit, these boots feel very sloppy in the front and we can feel our feet moving inside the boot when initiating turns, causing a delay in that signal sent to the skis. This problem could potentially be remedied by a custom footbed and good boot fitter. Additionally, the Cochise 105's don't feel very forgiving. Our testers find them stiff in the wrong way and think the stance is too upright to stay on top of rockered skis. This could be partly because of the power strap/buckle combination. The added buckle-like synch can make the shin area super tight, and therefore make leaning in to the boots difficult. The Tecnica Cochise do not seem to absorb the shock from bumps in heavy powder, instead they just give shin-bang and throw the skier around. Overall, we were disappointed in how this high-end boot performs.

Features

This boot comes loaded with features, including the typical heat-moldable liners and big, easy to use micro-adjustable buckles. We were impressed with the walk mode on the Cochise 105, being much more flexible than the Dalbello Kyra or the Rossignol Alltrack Pro 110 - Women's, the only other boots with a walk mode in this review. This boot is meant to easily transition to side-country terrain, and the comfortable walk mode will help with this transition, as will the ability to change the soles to tech binding compatible soles. Though, we were disappointed when we discovered we needed to order these soles separately. Unfortunately, we would not want to hike very far wearing the Tecnica Cochise 105's because, compared to an alpine touring specific boot, they are very heavy, weighing in at 8lbs, 7oz.

The Cochise has a special power strap/buckle combination that allows you to really cinch down the tops of these boots and transition to walk mode easily without undoing the power strap. Instead you can just flip the buckle open. Unfortunately, our testers did not like this feature because it is difficult to gauge how tight the strap will end up once the buckle is cinched down, and we would often buckle it too tight, causing shin-bang.

Durability

The Cochise 105's seem very durable. They held up to our testing well and don't seem to have any major scratches or dings. The soles are still perfect. They don't have any parts that look like they will break easily.

Warmth

This boot is surprisingly warm for its advertised last width. Because we found it so roomy for a 98 mm last, it doesn't restrict circulation. The Cochise has a thick and cushy liner that keeps toes warm and blood flowing. The Cochise also comes with a pre-cut slit to install aftermarket boot warmers.

Best Application

Tecnica's Cochise 105s could be a good choice for someone who likes to hike from the resort to ski the big lines or occasionally ski out of bounds. The walk mode is excellent, and if this boot fits you they are likely to perform better than a traditional lightweight alpine touring boot for skiing aggressive side country lines. Ideally, this heavy boot should be used mostly in-bounds and make only occasional forays into the backcounty. It is not a dedicated backcountry boot.

Value

This boot is relatively versatile and comes loaded with features. With a special poured plastic shell, each boot is a little bit different than the other, so you will get your own unique pair — they all look slightly different. We think that the Technica Cochise is decent value at $550 MSRP, but that the Best Buy winning Dalbello Kyra 95 ID are a better buy for a lighter more comfortable boot that also is intended for some side-country usage.

Conclusion

The feature loaded Tecnica Cochise 105's strive to be a great side-country boot, but fall short. We found these boots too roomy in the ankle and heel area, and did not like the power strap/buckle combination because it caused the boot to feel too stiff. These problems resulted in poor performance because our feet moved around inside the boot resulting in a lack of control. A professional boot fitter and a custom foot bed could potentially solve these problems. If someone is looking for an aggressive side-country boot that has tech-compatible soles, and have the right foot shape, the Cochise could work.

Other Versions and Accessories

The women's Cochise also comes in a 90 flex model that does not include the power strap/buckle combination.