The new Evolution Shell is a big deal for full tilt.
It represents the first real development of the original Flexon Design in 30 years.
A temporary solution was found with the influence shell.
At the time many expected K2 to bring the boot back but for a few years nothing happened.
That was until in 2006 K2 purchased Line Skis and Jason Levinthal was introduced to the K2 family.
So in his own words this is how Full Tilt came to be.
I immediately jumped at the opportunity.
This was key as I now knew how I could market it.
Eric called the boots 3 piece and I said “wait this is a 3 piece?
What is everything else?”
“Overlap” he said.
Suddenly I realized we were something different and this meant we would not have to be competing with overlap.
Its amazing to think Seth is using pretty much the exact same Boots and Bindings today.
His skis have changed a little.
After speaking to Eric I traveled to Breckenridge to speak to Seth Morrison.
With the Boot finalized I basically decorated them.
Luckily though the development did not stop when he left.
The progressive flex is all thanks to the tongue and it’s ridged design.
In an overlap boot the cuff is usually bolted or riveted to the shell to help stiffen the flex.
When you flex an overlap boot the lower shell will bulge slightly as the cuff compresses the shell.
These boots are quite easy to spot and a lot of people asked me about them while testing.
These teeth sit on top of one of the ridges so as to not restrict the tongue from flexing.
On the Descendant the buckle has been moved onto the cuff instead.
The reason for the change was to give the new boots even better heel hold.
By moving the buckle onto the cuff they were also able to achieve a consistent pressure.
Another area the original design has been improved upon is the forward lean adjustment.
On the Descendant the forward lean is taken care of using an external backbone.
My heel was lifting, they felt tight all over and my shins were hurting after one day.
At that point I put the boots aside and got on with testing a few other pairs I had.
When I came back to them I gave them one more try and then set about fitting them.
The one best piece of advice I can give you is get the liners molded correctly.
With the liners cooked I added my footbeds and put my foot in with a toe cap.
After molding the boots again they were like different boots.
My heel was locked in and I began to understand what everyone loves about the boots.
I wear a size 26 boot which will usually have a BSL of around 305-308mm.
To get to the park from the Peak on whistler you have to traverse round a fairly narrow ridge.
I used to think people complained to much about shin pain.
Another area the boots have absolutely shone is in impact reduction.
Out of the park I have not found any real problems.
One slight issue I have found is the foot buckle does have a tendency to open quite easily.
The liner once properly fitted has been great.
The boot I choose to compare to the Descendant will probably be very familiar to a lot of you.
The SPK form Salomon was for many years the go to park boot for people with wider feet.
The biggest reason I still wear them is simply their exceptional fit.
Now having said that, I also love that they are an incredible park boot.
The more upright stance as well as the shock absorbing are incredible features.
In my opinion the Descendant is that SPK replacement.
I did a few runs with one on each foot and found there were a lot of similarities.
Buttering and landing backseat was actually far more effective and more comfortable in the Descendant.
The main difference really was the feel of the flex.
Trying both side by side really did show how effective and comfortable the flex is on the Descendant.
It does also make me wonder who actually skis the 4 tongue.
But apart from that honestly there is no competition.
If you like the way the SPK fits and skis you will love the Descendant.
Overall
This has been quite an eye opening test for me.
I never really believed all the hype but in this case it is actually for the most part justified.
There are a few little areas which could perhaps be improved.
The toe buckle I do see being an issue.
The hard part is stiffening without loosing the natural flex.
Just imagine a 200lbs downhiller stood in the Olympic start gate in a pair of Full Tilts.
One area which might be quite interesting in the future is the new Backbone.
A 3 piece touring boot in my opinion could be pretty awesome.
So perhaps now the old “just get full tilts” is actually good advice.
Well we want to hear those views, add them all to the review system.
Here are a few of my reviews of other products I was testing alongside the Descendants.
Black Label Project Vintage Hoodie
You may not have heard of BLP yet but you will.
They are a small UK company making some very high quality gear, check them out.
To keep up to date with what I’m testing follow me on Instagram@tompietrowski
