Progressive Flex Meets Cabrio Comfort: Dahu 02X & 02AM Ski Boots Review

As I walked through Vail Village, a familiar pair of boots caught my eye. The liftie was carrying his empty cabrio shells in one hand, his skis over his shoulder, and on his feet were Dahu’s instantly recognizable Cambium Boots. The rubber-soled, lace-up liners can be worn outside of their shells like a regular snow boot. It’s one of the defining features of Dahu’s three-piece Cabrio design.

I probably wouldn’t have noticed that liftie was wearing Dahus, except that I was at Vail that morning to test the brand’s latest boots: the 02X and the 02AM. I reviewed the original Dahu Écorce 01X for GearJunkie in 2023.

They were very comfortable. They were warm. The unique step-in, step-out Cambium boot liner was cool. However, they lacked the power and stability of the more traditional overlap and cabrio designs I’m used to.

Now, Dahu is a somewhat polarizing brand in the ski boot world. Some people who ride them love them, swear by them, and will never change. Then there are purists who claim that Dahu’s boots don’t even qualify as “real” ski boots because of the highly unique design.

So when Dahu reached out about its latest boot releases that addressed feedback from the Écorce 01X, I was intrigued. The boots have a new tongue, a redesigned buckle system, all-new liners, and are available in both low-volume and high-volume lasts. One of the new boots, the 02AM, also uses a PU plastic shell instead of the Grilamid used in Dahu’s other boots.

I was curious to test how the design had evolved with version two.

In short: The Dahu 02AM ($945) and 02X ($995) are three-piece cabrio ski boots with a removable liner that doubles as a snow boot. They are comfort-forward and very warm. The new models have a host of upgrades to the buckle systems, tongues, and Cambium boot liners. The 02AM uses a PU plastic shell instead of Grilamid, which offers different performance capabilities. A new forward lean modifier also improves edge control.

Check out our guide to the Best Ski Boots.

Dahu 02X & 02A

M Series Ski Boots Review

Editor’s note: My testing of both the 02X and 02AM boots was limited to one day, with early-season conditions and limited terrain options.

What’s New?

Dahu made several upgrades to its boot design between the 01 and 02 series. One of the biggest upgrades was to the tongue design. Where the original tongue had cutouts in the plastic to reduce weight, the new tongues do not. Dahu also widened the tongues on the new boots. Those upgrades create greater stability and, ideally, allow skiers to transfer more power through the boot.

The buckles also got a materials upgrade. Dahu’s previous buckles on the 01 series were made from aluminum. The buckles on the 02 series are made from magnesium. Magnesium has a better weight-to-strength ratio, thus making the buckles both stronger and lighter.

Also new to Dahu’s boot lineup is the option to choose between a low-volume (LV) and mid-volume (MV) last.

All-New Liners

For the 02X and 02AM, Dahu also revamped its liners (aka the Cambium boot). Now it uses completely synthetic materials, where the old boots had Italian newbuck leather elements. Dahu also added Ultralon EVA foam, made the liners seamless, and added a new lacing system that makes it easier to get a truly snug fit.

While designing the news liners, Dahu said it drew on cues from running and lightweight hiking shoes to make the boots more functional and less cumbersome.

The liners still have a waterproof membrane, are insulated with 200 g of PrimaLoft, and are heat-moldable to custom-fit your foot.

Unlike my first test, we didn’t even fuss with testing the Cambium boot liners this time. We just put the ski boots on in the Vail Village store and walked our skis up to Gondola 1.

In the Field

I ripped around Vail in the new Dahu boots with the brand’s head of marketing and master bootfitter Dano Bruno. He described how the brand had approached designing its latest boots and explained how it had integrated critical feedback.

He anticipated that my experience riding the new Dahu boots would be completely different from my first test back in 2023. In some regards, he was right.

Dahu 02X (Grilamid Plastic Shell)

When I got on snow in the 02X, the first thing I noticed was how comfortable they felt. I own a pair of SureFoot Liners. They are orthopedically shaped to fit my feet. The Dahu boots were every bit as comfortable, and I hadn’t even heat-molded the demos I was testing. The fit wasn’t as precise as those custom-made SureFoot liners, but the off-the-shelf comfort was equivalent.

As I slashed into my first few turns, I could feel the Grilamid plastic shell flexing beneath me. It had a smooth (if slightly springy) progression, like most cabrio three-piece boots. It wasn’t the most damp-feeling boot in the world, but I wasn’t feeling every bump and death cookie under my skis either.

Because of Colorado’s low-tide winter, all we had to ski was hardpack groomers with manmade snow. As I gained speed, I leaned forward, putting weight into my downhill shin and inside edge. The 02X would progress into the carve, but somewhere between halfway and three-quarters of the way through, I’d slip out into a slarve. I couldn’t consistently get the skis to really lock into an aggressive edge, something I noted in my 2023 review.

Another thing I noticed in 2023, which Dahu did not change, is the forward lean of its boots. With 14 degrees of forward lean, these boots feel more upright than I’m used to (although Dahu now offers a neat forward-lean modifier that we’ll get to in a minute). By no means is 14 degrees of forward lean outside of the “normal” range, so some skiers might not even notice this. To me, though, my ski stance in Dahus is more erect than typical.

Dahu 02AM (Polyurethane Plastic Shell)

Immediately when I started skiing the 02AM, I felt like I was in a more familiar boot. From the first few turns, I could feel my skis locking into their edges and driving through fully carved turns. This boot had the same 120 stiffness and progressive flex as the 02X, but there was noticeably more power. As I drove my shin into the tongue, I didn’t experience that same tendency to start slarving that I felt from the 02X.

That is likely the result of three factors. First, the 02AM uses a polyurethane (PU) plastic shell. While Grilamid plastic — aka polyamide (PA) — is lighter, there’s a reason why most boots are made from PU. Of the plastics used to make ski boots, it’s generally considered to have the best performance attributes for downhill skiing. That’s why Grilamid is more commonly used in touring boots than in alpine boots like Dahu’s.

The PU construction had a more progressive flex pattern, allowing me to drive the skis harder and deeper into each turn. It felt similar to other three-piece cabrio boots I’ve tried, like the Dalbello Cabrio. This PU plastic was also more damp than the 02X, making each turn feel smoother.

Second, I think the redesigned boot tongues provided more stability (especially with the PU construction of the 02AM). If you look at the tongue in my review of the Écorce 01X, you’ll see the cutouts and how it’s narrower than the tongues on Dahu’s 02 series boots. The new tongue looks and feels like almost any other cabrio’s.

Forward Lean Kit

The third factor that I think contributed to the more familiar feeling of the 02X was the forward-lean adjuster that Dahu installed between runs. This small accessory is $25 and easily fits into the back of the boot, adding two extra degrees of forward lean. That might not seem like much, but it translated to noticeably better edge control.

I’ve seen forward lean modifiers before. K2 offers its Revolver Forward Lean Insert. Other brands have race plugs, booster straps, and spoilers that add forward lean. But Dahu’s design is unique. It’s a small plug that easily installs on the rear of any of the brand’s boots.

The Dahu 02X & 02AM: Who Are They For?

For people who want to ski all day long, value comfort and warmth, and who like the idea of having two boots in one, Dahu’s 02X and 02AM make sense. Bruno repeatedly told me that people who have struggled to find boots that fit well or can’t seem to find a comfortable model should give Dahu a try. For $40, you can demo a pair at any Dahu store. The brand now has locations across Colorado in Snowmass, Telluride, and Vail.

I could also see people who have to wear ski boots all day, every day, seeing the benefits of Dahu’s 02X and 02AM. Mountain ops, or lifties like the one I saw carrying Dahu shells and walking through the village in his Cambium boots, could benefit from these comfort-forward boots. If I were still a ski instructor, I’d consider a pair of the 02AMs for my work boots (though I’d probably still keep a more traditional overlap boot for my daily driver).

I don’t see ski racers, freestyle pros, and other hardcore downhill skiers retiring their full shell traditional alpine ski boots in favor of Dahus any time soon. But Dahu definitely fills a niche that those other boots don’t.

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