All Images: Courtesy of K2
New for the 2025/26 season K2 is coming out with a new family of ski boots named the Cortex Collection—sliding perfectly into K2’s catalog as a low-volume true alpine ski boot. This is a style of boot that K2 has not offered in a few years—the closest cousin in K2’s boot line-up being the Mindbender Collection, which is a low-volume hybrid boot that is perfect for the skier who wants to spend time in the backcountry and the resort.
The Cortex, on the other hand, is truly designed for alpine skiers. The main difference here is that the Mindbender line features a walk mode and the Cortex line features a fixed spine. This fixed spine lends to improved downhill performance and a better feeling of flex.
The K2 Cortex Line will also be K2’s first boot to feature a dual BOA closure system. For the past few years, we have seen a BOA dial used to secure the lower shell of a traditional 4-buckle boot. However, for 25/26 a BOA dial has been added to the cuff, replacing what would normally be the upper two buckles. This newly added BOA fit system pulls equal force through two independent anchor points, located where you would find buckle anchors. This allows users to twist a BOA and apply equal force to the two anchor points, effectively producing a more consistent and snug wrap around the calf than traditional buckles.
Last month we took the Cortex 140 Zonal Boa boot out on snow to see how K2’s newly designed boot and its dual BOA system performed. Check out our thoughts in the video below:
