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Dalbello Kyra 95 ID - Women's Review

A great choice for an intermediate-to-advanced skier
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Dalbello Kyra 95 ID - Women's Review (Dalbello Kyra 95 ID)
Dalbello Kyra 95 ID
Credit: Dalbello
Price:  $500 List
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Manufacturer:   Dalbello
By Jessica Haist ⋅ Review Editor  ⋅  Feb 28, 2017
78
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort - 30% 9.0
  • Performance - 40% 7.0
  • Features - 10% 8.0
  • Durability - 10% 7.0
  • Warmth - 10% 8.0

Our Verdict

The Dalbello Kyra 95 ID is a very accessible boot for many types of skiers. Our advanced-to-expert level testers had a lot of fun skiing this easy-going boot and our intermediate level skiers thought this boot helped them take their skiing to the next level. The Kyra can be customized to perfectly fit many women with its fully moldable Intuition liner, adjustable flex, and tweakable ramp angle.
REASONS TO BUY
Comfortable
Customizable features
Intuition liner
REASONS TO AVOID
Some heel lift
Tight toe box for 102 last
Kyra updated the 95 ID since testing.

We think the Kyra is a super comfortable and warm boot. It provides a smooth and accessible ride that is great for the intermediate skier transitioning into more advanced terrain, and at $499 they also have a very accessible price, which is what wins them the Best Buy Award.

Our Analysis and Test Results

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.

Performance Comparison


dalbello kyra 95 id for women - we wanted to test these boot on all kinds of terrain, including...
We wanted to test these boot on all kinds of terrain, including groomed runs, steeps, bumps, and powder, and we did! Here McKenzie Long enjoys powder in the Sierra.
Credit: Jessica Haist

Comfort and Fit


dalbello kyra 95 id for women - the dalbello kyra 95 id was one of the easiest boots to put on. the...
The Dalbello Kyra 95 ID was one of the easiest boots to put on. The Intuition liner wraps our feet up and hugs our forefeet and ankles.
Credit: Jessica Haist
The Kyra 95 ID is one of the easiest boots to put on due to the cabrio construction. Once they're on, we don't want to take them off. The Intuition liner wraps the foot and hugs the forefoot and ankle to keep the foot securely in place. The liner is heat-moldable and can be shaped to the wearer's foot. The Intuition liners also have soft, velvety fur inside, the Head Dream also have soft micro fleece liners. With a last width of 102 mm, our tester with a wide forefoot said that these boots were made for her feet.


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.

Downhill Ski Performance


dalbello kyra 95 id for women - we think the dalbello kyra 95 ids are fun and easy to ski. they feel...
We think the Dalbello Kyra 95 IDs are fun and easy to ski. They feel relatively soft for a 95 flex, but we still found them pretty responsive and easy to turn.
Credit: Jessica Haist
The Dalbello Kyra 95 IDs are fun and easy to ski. They feel relatively soft for a 95 flex, especially when dialed down to their soft setting, but we still found them pretty responsive and easy to turn. When we turned up the flex setting to hard we definitely noticed an increase in responsiveness, especially on steep off-piste runs. Dalbello's unique three-buckle, three-piece cabrio construction uses the tongue to evenly transfer progressive flex to control skis during turns. It has a soft, smooth ride that won't fling you into the backseat.

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.


Features


dalbello kyra 95 id for women - our favorite feature of the kyra 95 id is the high quality intuition...
Our favorite feature of the Kyra 95 ID is the high quality Intuition liners. They are heat moldable and known for their warmth.
Credit: Jessica Haist
Our favorite feature of the Kyra is the high-quality Intuition liner. This liner is fully moldable and known for being warm. Dalbello has also included many features to make this boot customizable, including hard and soft flex settings, micro-adjustable buckles, and a ramp angle adjustment. We like the over-sized buckles that provide extra leverage to crank the boots tight and they are easy to use while wearing gloves. The Head Dream 100 - Women's have an extra long lever for the same purpose. We recommend seeing a professional boot fitter for more detailed adjustments like heat-molding and the tweaking of angles.


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.

dalbello kyra 95 id for women - the dalbello kyra 95 id has lots of features, including a walk mode...
The Dalbello Kyra 95 ID has lots of features, including a walk mode, the hard and soft flex settings, micro adjustable buckles and ramp angle adjustment.
Credit: Jessica Haist

Durability


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.


Warmth


dalbello kyra 95 id for women - the dalbello kyra 95 id has extra space punched into its shell in...
The Dalbello Kyra 95 ID has extra space punched into its shell in the heel, ankle, fifth metatarsal and navicular bone area for better circulation and warmth.
Credit: Luke Lydiard
The Kyra 95 IDs were among the warmest boots in our review. The relaxed fit and higher volume of this boot helped to keep our circulation going on cold days to keep our feet toasty. We love the Intuition liners with the soft fur lining that keeps feet cozy. The Head Dream 100 and the Salomon XPro 100 were also very warm. When the buckles are cranked down, we did notice that our feet went a little numb and were not as warm. If you are experiencing numbness, consider visiting a boot fitter to get the boots custom molded, which may eliminate pressure points and increase circulation.


Best Application


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.

Value


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.

Conclusion


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.

dalbello kyra 95 id for women - don't forget to put your boots into ski mode for the way down! these...
Don't forget to put your boots into ski mode for the way down! These boots have a walk mode, though we didn't notice much additional ankle mobility when in it.
Credit: Mike Phillips

Jessica Haist