Atomic is taking a chance that no other boot brand was willing to do: it is coming out with an all-new rear-entry boot collection. The Savor collection might start with a boot, but it is actually an entire equipment system. This thread, however, will be focusing on the boot, and we will talk about the ski and what the Savor system is designed to do in another thread.
Atomic is looking to address two areas with the Savor collection: never-evers/beginners and aging skiers. This is not a modern SX92...Atomic was adamant not to build an expert rear entry. Per one of their head designers, it is not building a boot for the Scot Schmidts and Glen Plakes of the world; there are already boots for them. These are for the people starting out and aging skiers. Atomic's catalog has a three-column chart on the marketing direction for these boots: Before Skiing, While Skiing, and After Skiing. All three columns have bullet points, but there is a common theme in all three, which is the word "Easy."
Will this boot be for the members of Pugski.com? Probably not, but it will be for the people searching the internet for various sking topics like "beginning skiers" or "how to get my ski boots on and off" and coming across this thread. If the Savor makes skiing accessible for more people, we are all for it.
Atomic Press Release: HERE
First impression: I had a chance to try on an early-production of the Savor at Atomic's headquarters in Ogden, UT, and I emphasize, "early production." The boot did not have a production liner in it. Even so, the fit was uniform around the foot, almost snug in the heel. It was easy (there is that word again) to get on and off and easy to buckle. I look forward to skiing the boot at Copper and will be reporting later in this thread.