Hello and welcome to my Salomon Dialogue Focus Boa review (now known as the Dialogue Dual Boa).
In this review I will take a look at the Dialogue Boa as all-mountain snowboard boots.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Dialogue Boa a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other all-mountain boots.
Overall Rating
Boots: Salomon Dialogue Focus Boa
Price: $389 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Medium
Flex Feel: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 87.0/100
Compared to other All-Mountain Boots
Out of the 31 all-mountain boots that I rated:
Overview of the Dialogue Boa’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Dialogue Boa's specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain |
Price: | $389 - BUYING OPTIONS |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Weight: | Normal |
Lacing System: | Double Boa |
Who are the Dialogue Boa Most Suited to?
The Dialogue Boa is a great option for anyone look for a boot with enough power and response but also a fair amount of forgiveness. A good middle ground for riding both semi-aggressive and riding playful.
All of the above and a need for heel hold and a like for the Boa lacing system makes the ideal candidate for this boot.
Not ideal for beginners, but fine for anyone from low intermediate and up. Not suited to wide feet (but they do come in a "Dialogue Focus Boa Wide" which may be a good fit if you have wide feet).
Best matched with 4/10 to 6/10 flexing boards, IMO.
The Dialogue Boa in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Dialogue Boa are capable of.
Demo Info
Boots: Salomon Dialogue Focus Boa 2019
Size: 10 (US Men's Sizing)
Date: February 10, 2020
Conditions: Sunny first thing, with some clouds later. But good visibility all day.
Quite cold. Not much wind, but what wind there was, was cold.
Hard packed on groomer with the occasional icy patch, but only in the shade and not many spots.
Off groomer a little crunchy in places but fine in other spots.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Board Demoed With: Rossignol One LF 2018
Bindings Demoed With: Burton Malavita 2017
Outersole Length: 31.8cm (mondo 28.0cm)
Difference between Mondo & Outersole: 3.8cm*
*the low profile score has been modified to reflect the fact that the 2020 and beyond models of the Dialogue Dual Boa are lower profile (3cm difference between mondo to outersole)
Backstay Height: 27.3cm
Weight: 1180 grams*
* Average of a sample of boots I weighed was 1006 grams, so a bit heavier than the average, but not overly heavy. Heaviest were 1320 grams and lightest were 740 grams.
Flex
They feel like a solid medium. Not stiffer than medium, but firm enough.
Fit
Width: Salomon boots are known for being quite narrow and the Dialogue Boas are certainly narrower than normal. But I'd say just on the narrower side of medium - nothing crazy narrow. They were a good fit on my feet and I have regular width feet. If you have wide feet though, you should look at the "Dialogue Focus Boa Wide" instead.
True to Size?: Typically Salomon boots are true to size for me. But the Dialogue Boa I tried was borderline running 1/2 size large. i.e. I felt like I could ride the 9.5 when I would usually ride a 10. That said, the 10 was fine, and it was a good size for demoing, but I think if I owned them the 10 might pack out too much and the 9.5 would perhaps be the better fit. Again, not usually the case with Salomon I have found, but felt that way with these.
High or Low Arch: Pretty much medium, like most boots out there, but if I had to say, they are maybe just a touch on the side of high for the arch. So, if you have high arches, they might be worth checking out. I don't have high arches, so I couldn't say for sure, but it felt like there's was just that little bit more room on top of the foot vs the average boot.
Responsiveness
Good balance of response at high speeds and agility at slower speeds. They give you a good bit of power for bombing and holding a deep carve (without being epic, but still really good) but also are forgiving enough and help with when you want a surfier ride or just casually riding too.
Heel Hold
There's some heel lift there, but that's the case with 99.9% of boots, I find. But it's pretty minimal and all the heel hold I would want. Didn't notice that lift while riding, only when really trying to lift the heels.
Adjustability
The Dialogue Focus Boa are double boas, so there is one adjusting the upper part of the outer boot and one adjusting the lower part. But they aren't totally independent. A couple of wires are shared between both boas, which gives you great pull for the ankle, but does mean that you can't adjust the lower and upper sections completely independently.
Let’s Break up this text with a Video
Comfort
I felt a tiny bit of calf bite initially, but that quickly went away, and otherwise are all round very comfortable. No pressure points and no cramping. Felt like I could ride these all day from the moment I put them on.
Shock Absorption
They absorb shock from flat landings and from chatter really well. As good as my test boots (Vans Aura) which I find to be really good for absorbing shock too.
Board Feel
Really decent board feel. A natural feeling boot. The sole is relatively flexy and a relatively low tread depth probably helps there.
Traction
Not the grippiest looking sole and not the deepest in terms of tread depth, but overall felt like a good quality sole. Didn't walk in anything too treacherous but just based on sole inspection seems pretty good.
Reduced Footprint
I was on the 2019 model and they are quite bulky, being 3.8cm longer on the outer sole vs the mondo. I can't confirm it, but the 2020 model is supposed to have a much more reduced footprint.
Entry/Exit
The liner has a typical pully lace harness for the liner, but the way it locks is unique to Salomon (of the boots I've tried). There's a little locking mechanism that's kind of like a switch. Hard to explain in words, but easy to use in real life.
Getting my foot in was a bit of an effort but once in it felt very comfortable, but a little tricky to get in (which I've found with a couple of Salomon boots).
Once you're in it's pretty straight forward though, with that lace harness for the liner and then the 2 boas on the outer boot. Not ultra fast, but faster than traditional lace - and only subtly slower than speed lace, really.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
CARVING | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
HEEL HOLD | 4.0 | 12/15 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 4.0 | 12/15 |
TRACTION | 3.5 | 7/10 |
REDUCED FOOTPRINT | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 87.0/100 |
The Dialogue Boa strikes a great balance as being a comfortable, responsive yet forgiving boot, with good shock absorption and a nice feel.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Dialogue Boa, are ready to buy or want to research current prices and sizing availability, check out the links below.
If you want to see how the Dialogue Boa compared to other all-mountain boots, or want to check out some other options, check out the link below.
Hi Nate,
I am a little confused.
My feet are exactly 27cm long and yours are 27.5cm.
Right now I have the Salomon Dialogue 2020 in two sizes at home and I have to decide between both.
The one pair is in US10 and the other one is one US9.5.
In this review you Said that the 10 fit well, but 9.5 would have been better. My feet are 0.5cm shorter, therefore they should definitely fit me too.
But when wearing the 9.5 my feet are getting a bit numb after a while. My feet are narrow and therefore I might even have a bit too much play in the US10s.
It feels like the pressure comes from the top of the shoes, they are getting squished a little too much from there.
Do you think I should nevertheless go with the US9.5 because of the snug fit? (A little too snug from above).
Or should I go with the US10 and risk a too large shoe?
I currently own these boots in US11 and I noticed it way too late, that US11 is simply too Lage for me (the guidance in my local store was shitty)
Hi Hendrik
Thanks for your message.
Feet are weird. Sometimes the exact same length foot is somehow tighter at the end! Not sure how it works, but there could also be some measurement differences. I measure my left foot at 27.3cm and right foot 27cm, to be precise.
If you’re toes are under pressure at the end of the boot, and there’s still pressure with bent kness – and particularly if you’re having to curl your toes up a bit, then it’s likely that they’re too small. Boots do pack out over time, so it’s really a matter of being able to guess if they will pack enough to make them comfortable. If they’re really making your toes go numb and there’s a lot of pressure there, then they may be too small. Have you tried heat molding them? If not, then that can certainly help – and if it’s the toes that are getting the most pressure, then it’s worth trying to heat mold with a toe cap in place, that can give more space for the toes.
Hope this helps
Thanks, it helped!
Should I now go with the 155W or 156 Capita DOA?
The Salomon Dialogue 9.5US is 30,7cm long.
Hi Hendrik
With the 9.5s, in that boot length, if it was me, I would go for the 156, rather than 155W.
Okay thanks. I think I’ll go with the Asymulator in 154 then.
It has exactly the same waist width as the 156 DOA.
It costs 20 bucks more than the DOA, but I think the sidecut makes it worth it, right?
Hi Hendrik
Yeah, I would personally go Asymulator over the DOA – and the 154 Asymulator is also a little wider at the inserts versus the 156 DOA (only subtly, but 154 Asymulator around 262mm at inserts and 156 DOA more like 260mm), so don’t think there’s be any issues width-wise.
Okay perfect, I have ordered the Asymulator 🙂
But now I am overthinking my Jones Flagship 162W.
My Salomon Malamutes US9.5 with 30.6cm length are my matching shoes.
(My Asymulator is for park and casual riding and my slush slasher is for trees.)
The Flagship is for fast riding/charging and I try to learn deep carves with it.
Therefore too much overhang would be bad I think.
Will the 162W be okay or way too wide?
The 161 might be too narrow for deep carves or would it be okay?
Would the 164 be an option? (177lbs and 9’5)
Also I am thinking about switching my Union Atlas L to M or I might switch to Flux XF M. What do you think? (I could send pictures of the board and boot fitting of the Atlas M and L with the Malamute and Flagship).
Sorry for the amount of questions. Changing bootsize makes me question my whole setup 😀
Hi Hendrik
Definitely valid to question setup after boot size changed that much.
If it was me personally I would go to 161 with 9.5s. I think you would be fine on that, even on deep carves. That said, if you felt comfortable and liked riding the 162W, it’s not necessarily wrong now. It’s ultimately your foot size that determines if a board is too wide (boot size is more about whether it’s too narrow). Sure a little extra boot length might make a marginal leverage difference, but most of that leverage is coming from your feet – so changing your boots to a smaller size won’t make a massive and probably not even noticeable difference on the 162W than before.
But if you feel like it could be easier to turn or quicker edge-to-edge, then there might be reason to go to 161. I would say 161 for your specs. 164 isn’t what I’d call out of the question, if you wanted to go longer though.
Yeah I would probably move to the M for bindings, with your new boot size. I think it will be a better fit. I really like the Flux XF, so that wouldn’t be a bad move. I like the Atlas too, so both are good options. I think the XF has just that touch more in terms of response and driving a board a little harder, so it’s got that going for it with something like the Flagship. You sacrifice in terms of shock absorption though. Check out my reviews on both for more details to see what you think might suit you better. But yeah I think I would move to an M, particularly if you move to the 161 Flagship. If the boot fits fine in the L still and you stick with the 162W, then there’s more of an argument to stay in the L.
“If the boot fits fine in the L still and you stick with the 162W, then there’s more of an argument to stay in the L”
How do you mean that? Would it be better to stay with the L for a bigger footprint? I tend to stick with the 162W, but changing to M bindings. Will that have negative effects compare to the L binding?
Is there a way to revoke besides recommending your side to my friends? You have helped me multiple times now. I really appreciate that! Thanks 🙂
Hi Hendrik
The only thing with going with the L on a wider board, is that it gives you more leverage on the edges. I know I just said that the leverage comes predominantly from your feet – and it does – but having your bindings baseplate reaching closer to the edges can help to transfer that leverage more efficiently.
Also saw your email with the photos and the boots seem to fit fine in the Ls, but hard to tell without feeling them. On a regular width board, I would say go M for sure, hands down. With 10s or 9.5s and even with 10.5s, which I sometimes end up in, I prefer Union M for boot fit. But I never ride them on a wide board, so for board fit the Ms are good. For board fit, the L looks better in those pictures for sure, so there’s going to be a trade off. I would say go L, if you feel like the fit is tight/snug enough. If it doesn’t feel that much looser or feels similar to the M, then I would go L for sure, because it is a better fit on the board. But if the M does fit the boots significantly better, then I would go M. Boot to bindings first if there’s a big difference, then take binding width to board width into account, if the bindings to board fit is better.
You can contribute to the site here – but I am always happy to help regardless.