Speaking of blue, one of our veteran testers had an infamous blue heeler whose whole attitude could be summed up in three words: more, now
Boo! Did that 140 flex indicator scare you? Don’t let it. It's probably exactly where you want to be stiffness-wise in this high-powered category. According to our testers, the boot is a mere half-click stiffer than Lange’s former test champ, the RS 130. So why go for the RS 140 at fifty extra bucks? The lace-up liner.
For those who weren't spawned of race programs or haven't been sucked into the masters racing maelstrom (a lot like an expensive powerboat habit), the lace-up liner is the shiznit for true World Cup plug-style race boots. The liner goes on the foot and is laced up outside the shell. Then foot and liner slide into the shell. It makes for a painted-on fit and feel.
Why do this? In true plug boots it’s because that's about the only way to get them on without the thin liners crumpling down into the stiff shells. In the RS 140? Well, because it's awesome. Testers liked the way the supple faux leather wrapped the foot and lower leg like a fitted sock. They appreciated how the inner boot tension was tuned by something as elegantly simple as laces—no Boa, no speed lace gizmo. Just snug it, tie it and go (well, cram into the liner first and then go).
If the concept is simple, the liner's construction is decidedly not. It replaces the standard cork flow-pack (chipped cork in an oozable oil, contained within the general ankle pocket area and notoriously slow to mold) with Lange’s anatomically pre-molded anatomical ankle pads and an ingenious perforated construction over the top of the foot to create better initial fit with ongoing auto molding.
The rest of the tester-acclaimed RS 140 package mirrors the award-winning RS 130—minus the 10 flex index points. The mono-injected polyether shell is well-sculpted to match anatomical contours, but the material itself is geared toward race-room style shell mods. Whether it be punches, grinds or boot sole planing for cant, the boot is engineered to be worked on to wring maximum performance. Not that most skiers would need much shell work in this 97mm width—it topped the category for out-of-box comfort.
We haven't much mentioned the RS 140's performance scores—we just assumed that since it's a half-step away and slightly better than its closest sibling RS 130 (which hasn't changed in about four years and hasn't left our frontside test podium) that you already knew about those qualities. But for those unfamiliar with the Lange family blue boot line dominance, testers thought the RS 140 was one of the very best we tried—everywhere on the hill, even though its forte is smooth, firm surfaces.
It was tested in a field of other great boots and was firmly in the top three there (the other two were the Head Raptor 130 RS and the Tecnica R9.8 130). Its solid sole construction and rigid boot board are really what make it piste centric. It’s transmissive to a fault and sometimes that means harsh feedback from choppy surfaces. For skiers seeking close-to RS 140 or 130 performance but with better off-trail management skills, see the RX 130 LV we tested in the All-Mountain Traditionalist category.
This isn't an exact copy of the boots you see Ted Ligety blistering World Cup GS courses in but they're close enough that you will get a feel for what it's like to ski like him. Perhaps that's a stretch, but there is something about this boot that instantly elevates one's skiing to another level. Testers were so unanimously fired up about the Raptor that the really hard part was figuring out how to pare down the positive comments into a review too small to do the boot justice. The Raptor 130 RS garnered more Best-of-Test accolades than any other model in our test.
Already accomplished skiers who spend enough time on firm smooth surfaces driving a properly matched carving stick (read: narrow waisted and stiff) will immediately appreciate the power and sensitivity of the Raptor design and architecture. Its solid sole, rigid bootboard, four-buckle overlap polyurethane construction and firm liner all combine for one purpose: transmit skier movements to ski immediately, the delay seemingly measured in nano-seconds. Good technical skiers will love this about the Raptor's personality—aspiring piste pros will love how this boot improves their skiing (when they get it right) but will find the 130 RS a bit unforgiving of mistakes.
The chain of command works both ways with a hard driver like the Raptor. It will send messages upward from the snow surface too, bucking those ill-prepared for the terrain changes that come at higher speeds. The softer 115 RS version of the big daddy we tested would be a good option for lighter and less aggressive skiers looking for the same narrow fit and similar feel on snow.
The Raptor 130 RS is the narrowest lasted boot we tested at 96mm (measured on reference size 26.5). Surprisingly, although it received consistently tight fit tension marks by our test team—a good thing for a boot in this category—there was no whining about any extreme discomfort or crush fit zones. But this is a boot that will require a bootfitter's skills to get the shell away from bony parts that protrude on the foot. That's just the cost of doing business in this category for all those save the few with unblemished and very narrow feet.
The flex feel of the Raptor is even and firm—it's all of a legit 130 flex even in its non-pinned, out-of-box 120 setting, which is where most of skiers will leave it. The boot's "rear support tuning" spine can be drilled and bolted creating two-step stiffer settings—a great option for taller, heavier skiers who routinely crush other boots.
The off-the-shelf stance settings are right where the majority of our testers wanted them. The fore-aft angle was just forward enough without the rear Velcro spoiler installed (it now comes loose in the box where it belongs, not on the liner as it had previously) and its side-to-side set up gave testers access to inside and outside edges with plenty of power. No complaints means no problems, we think.
It's the ski boot world’s open dirty little secret: there's a recognized trend toward wimpification in ski boots. We hear it all the time: “This is definitely not a 130 flex.” No way that’s a 98mm width.”
Well friends, welcome to your flex index and last width re-education session at Camp Scorpion. It's stiff, it's tight, and the Scorpion DRS 130 is designed and built to do two things: 1) ski faster and stronger on harder surfaces than you probably like. 2) Remind you that you're not quite as good a skier as you thought. Now this isn't to say that the Scorpion isn’t capable of raising one's skiing to a higher level—it is—but it requires a full-throttle attitude and a ski to match.
Testers cited the Scorpion as the burliest of our frontside batch. It feels thick underfoot. The offset binding rail that aligns the foot along the inside edge positively hammers the ski into whatever diamond plate it's driven over. This is a boot that pins the speed meter. It taps a ski’s performance reserves and forces it to mind the driver’s commands. A mismatch between Scorpion and a too-soft ski is immediately evident, as tip and tail begin to flap in protest. Own a ski that you thought was too long or too stiff? Perfect. Yank it out of the closet and dust it off.
We've tested the Scorpion before. This version is much easier to tug on and off. The new, softer, bi-injected, overlapping plastic at the boot throat takes the tears out of the chore. And yet, a few of our pastiest testers still cried a bit.
But the real story is the improved liner. It makes for a whole new Scorpion experience. It’s firm but comfortable and better matches the anatomic curves of the foot. It works in concert with the shell's Contour 4 shaping that bumps out the plastic at typical bony spots like the navicular and “6th toe” area alongside the pinky toe. Testers noted that the flex feel, though stout as could be, was evenly distributed and cushioned enough to keep shin happy.
That doesn’t mean this is an easy-going all-mountain driver. The rigid transmission remains geared mainly for smooth surfaces. This boot requires a specific skier (a good one) and a specific venue (hard and fast pistes), but it generates awesome dynamics when both come together.
The fit is a little shorter than average and a bit tighter in the forefoot than others in the category. But there is welcome room over the top of the foot and through the instep—a nice greeting for those high arched boney feet that often find frontsiders like this a squeeze there.
Like some sort of Bizarro World ski boot, the Redster is now a paler shade of white. But what’s really important is that it’s better than its crimson predecessor. Our test team loved the white Redster as much for what this version lost as they did for what it didn't.
What the new Redster shed was its previously bi-polar fit personality. It’s now much more even-keeled; snug in the heel and ankle but not tortuously tight, with just the right amount of openness in the forefoot. It also sports an updated, fuller bodied liner with a more contained fit up front.
What the Redster absolutely did not lose in this new rendition is its edge-to-edge agility and solid command when railing at speed. The chipped-up carbon fiber that is embedded in the plastic at the heel and rear spine helps stiffen the shell and powerfully connect the foot and leg with the ski.
The most important addition? The Redster’s Memory Fit shell, which after a 12-minute cook-and-cool job conforms around the skier’s feet. We tested this and it works well, generally opening up the fit slightly where needed while maintaining containment elsewhere. Our custom test team noted that with the Redster's improved fit and out-of-box skiability, there wasn't much call to implement the Memory Fit custom molding protocol. But it is a nice feature to have when required.
Fit issues were few but there was one up front. Our testers either loved the Redster's signature roomier-than-others forefoot and toebox for giving their wider feet some breathing room, or lamented the relaxed fit and wanted added fit compression up front to hug their more slender feet.
Our test team unanimously agreed that with the beefy rear spoiler installed behind the liner, the stance was a bit more forward-leaning than they preferred. Thinning the spoiler via grinding or removing it entirely are options for achieving a less-aggressive stance and is a recommended protocol for skiers with wider calves as well.
One tester called it a “chameleon” for how many different foot types and skiing styles the X Max 110 W accommodates. Other testers echoed that sentiment reflecting on the boot's calf adjustment feature and the 360 Custom Shell’s ability to shape around the skier's foot and lower leg shaft when heated.
Our lighter weight testers with low volume feet and average to slender calves most liked the 110 W’s snow handling capabilities. “Lively, responsive, snappy, light” were terms we found amidst the top-notch agility scores and comments the boot received. And while our bigger, taller women appreciated the calf adjustment feature that opens up the fit at boot top, a few felt the flex a little under-gunned and not quite up to its 110 labeling.
Some testers noted that the fit runs long and wide in the toebox—similar to the men's X Max. That opens up a fit option for skiers with wide feet who normally have difficulty finding a happy home of their own in the narrow frontside category. It offers others a chance to drop down a size into a snugger overall fit without suffering toenail wrath.
Some testers with alignment issues were disappointed that the Oversized Pivot attachment points of upper to lower cuffs were not jumbo cuff adjusters (sorry!), but our 360 Custom Shell tests have shown that the cuff will indeed shift angle a bit during molding to better match the skier's lower leg shaft and improve balance.
Raptors are birds of prey characterized by sharp vision and powerful talons and beaks. So we have to say Head nailed it when they named this boot. Take it in a ski race course and you’ll discover how easily it devours the competition. It performs on snow at the highest levels and attracts skiers who are willing to put up with a few inconveniences here and there in exchange for trench slicing skills.
It is fully in its element here in the technical frontside category where no compromises are made for wimpy skiers, cushioning considerations, walking soles or switchy bar modes. This category asks for stripped-down performance with acceptable fit and comfort levels geared toward solid skiers. The Raptor 110 W delivers all of that in spades.
Our testers with a more technical skiing background—coaches, upper level instructors, gals with racing experience—furtively plotted over who would get to steal the boot from our test center. Those with low volume feet and slender legs particularly felt Mr. Right Forever fell from the shelves.
The Raptor W has the shortest length of any boot in this category and fit tight pretty much everywhere. Some testers were able to go up a full shell size to gain necessary toe room without losing much in the way of a snug heel and ankle pocket. (That's a hint, folks; if you're between sizes but don't want a loose heel in that longer size this is a good option to consider.)
Who didn't find love with the Raptor W? Our bigger-calf contingent was pretty much pinched across the board. Not only was the fit constrained—even though the cuff does ride a bit low, allowing for some meat on the bone there—but the biggest calf muscle girls felt over-flexed and were left wanting more support. They found their calves driving the lower leg shaft too forward. Average- to slim-legged women had no such complaints.
It’s certainly not an easy slide-on-and-off model but the vast majority of testers who liked this boot didn't care one bit. And be aware it might also require a session with a bootfitter to get relief at typical bony spots but many boots in this category require a similar commitment.
The all new women's Redster Pro 110 brings three things to the table this year that our women's test team gave big props to.
1. It means what it says about being a 110 flex—and then some. Where many boots collapse when redlined on the hill, the carbon fiber-reinforced Redster remained solid forward, even when pushed by the most aggressive and tallest women on our test team. One said it had “pit-bull power.”
2. This is a performance frontside boot that tall women with average to larger calves will like—and without sacrificing cuff height leverage. Testers said the upper boot flared to match the calf well while maintaining enough height for hard-charging skiing and women with longer, bigger legs.
3. Memory Fit shell opens up a myriad of fit options.
Memory Fit is Atomic’s low temperature molding shell plastic. It takes five minutes for a boot tech to heat it in a convection oven. Then the liner goes in and the entire boot goes on the skier’s foot. The plastic sets in two minutes and then there is a five-minute cool down period.
The Memory Fit process worked well for our custom testers. One said she initially found the heel and ankle areas a bit too-snug but the fit was Cinderella slipper-like after the molding process. Most enjoyed the boot right out of the box so while there molding process isn’t mandatory, it is a nice option for those needing to open up the fit slightly.
Like the men's version, the women's Redster has a characteristically snug heel and ankle fit mated with a roomy forefoot and toebox—just the combination many women are seeking in a performance boot that will see all-day-long duty. The heat-moldable liner has a slightly different lay-up than the men’s with a full wrap of warmth-retaining Thinsulate insulation.
Our testers did not like how the shell's throat tended to bite their insteps during entry. It wasn’t close to a slam dunk on and off. But they liked driving it so much they largely made a note of the nip, buckled up and moved on to lay fat, deep trenches. Cause that’s what the Redster does.
Wow! The tightest of the tight with a power band to match, testers said. This was the narrowest and most true race boot of the Technical Frontside bunch, and as such came with a set of fit challenges to be expected of a real gate crushing machine. It's stiff and snug throughout, with a race-typical thin liner designed not for creature comfort but for maximum transmission of energy and movement from body to boards. Testers cried a bit for their bony prominences and virtually all mentioned needing to send this one to the bootfitters bench for the usual plug-boot prep grinds and stretches in order to begin approaching all day tolerances.
Given that the Technical Frontside category is not a race boot group but rather a tuned-down, "gentlemen's class" piste pounding sort, the X Lab 130 was a little raw compared to the other 97 and 98mm entries there that seemed downright cozy off the rack by comparison. But on the other hand, this baby skis like a weapon. Set up slightly upright and out (bowlegged), aggressive moves forward and to the inside produced early and strong edge engagement without compare. Power was on demand and unlimited, testers said, but tapping it required a strong, skilled pilot willing to commit.
It’s a bit like finding Joan Jett at a debutante ball. The ZR 130 doesn’t quite look the part but it seemed quite comfortable at the Technical Frontside party. Sure it's a little different both cosmetically and in construction—and even its fit profile is quirky—but its dancing skills were quite polished.
Zay is not a household name but it is not brand new either. We gave it a twirl in its infancy last year and we found the still-fledgling design better mannered after another year of seasoning. Testers unanimously approved the all-new liner that vastly improved fit and eliminated many of the hot spots that blared through last year.
The new liner also helped improve the ZR 130's entry and exit scores. It's still tricky, but no longer prohibitively so, especially in a category where on-and-off ease is not a primary concern. Testers were intrigued by the unique cosmetic draping. It’s a micro-thin, bonded laminate that’s neither paint nor pigment and is integrated into every nook and cranny of the shell (think bus wrap).
After looking at the boot, like all our testers you are probably wondering, “Where the heck are the buckles?” Well, Zay eschews the time-honored method for securing the foot in favor of a proprietary, radial cable closure that simultaneously secures the foot in the lower and governs flex. The cables loop the forefoot of the lower shell then route through the sole, out the spine and into a spine-mounted cuff lever assembly.
Cable tension is adjusted through twin thumb nuts on the lever and flipping the lever upward locks the fit. The cable tension also restrains the cuff’s forward travel during flexion. Flexing the boot actually increases cable tension, helping to maintain a more circular shape over the top of the foot as the upper cuff contacts the lower, preventing the boot from collapsing over the top of the foot.
On hill the ZR 130 displayed the goods. Testers said the shell’s unique polyurethane "cast molding" process creates a light, lively feeling boot that is both laterally and torsionally stout—all this with a long, progressive flex that tethers back into the cable system. It's certainly different but it all added up to snappy, stable, high-performance skiability at any speed.
The ZR’s fit, not surprisingly, is also a bit unconventional. Testers said it was very snug at the lower rear (ankles, heel) and up through the lower leg shaft but fit very wide and tall at the toebox with a wider-than-category-average forefoot fit. For the right foot shape this could be a home-run, but many testers felt it was too loosey-goosey up front.
The Bold goes, well, boldly forward for Roxa in the piste-oriented frontside group—it's a strong trenching machine with a lot of backbone and edge bite wrapped in a cushy and open-fitting Intuition liner.
This one offered the most relaxed and squishy liner feel of any boot tested in the technical frontside category—certainly more room in the toebox and forefoot than expected for a 99mm last (their fit scores would call it a "medium"). Yet testers were shocked at the power delivery the Bold brought to bear on the firmest of snow surfaces—the lateral stance set-up is a little aggressive to the inside edge, but acceptably so for an on-piste performance boot. Testers called the fore-aft angles upright but not unworkable.
Quickness scores suffered a bit due to the supple bulk of the liner that sapped some immediacy of movement, but warmth and creature comfort marks were elevated for the same reason. Medium and long radius turns at high speeds beckoned testers—no governor on the throttle with this one, folks.
Testers said it wasn't the easiest boot to get on and off, but that's not so uncommon in the stiff frontside family, and testers managed just fine.
Granted, this is the little brother to the Dobermann GP 130, but that didn't stop testers from calling this Dobie the best yet in a series of recent leaps forward for the race-bred, narrow Nordica family. The new shell shape extends from the top of the line down to the softest 90 flex. It has a shapelier lower that hugs the foot's contours closely. Testers called the 110 one of the snuggest of the narrow class—a great option for lower volume feet and, in this case, lighter weight or less aggressive skiers.
While the letters "GP" are an homage to Nordica Grand Prix lineage they might also stand for Great Price. Testers called the 110 "a ringer," "a sand-bagger" and "a sleeper," thus awarding it the blue ribbon for power-to-price ratio amongst our Soft Value entries at the test. They cited a solid and lively feel underfoot with a smooth and progressive flex feel against the leg. Since our test team thought the 110 skied as strongly as most of the other boots in the frontside category, we can only wonder as to the power band available in the 120- and 130-flex versions.
While the new toebox shape offers a most welcome increase in up-front toe room, the rest of the boot still fits as closely as one would expect from a Dobermann. It tapers quite a bit at the navicular on the medial side and styloid process on the lateral side. Fortunately, those are two of the easiest locations to grind or punch if needed (which will be the case for many feet, testers forecast).
Some testers took to calling it the Little Blue Pill—apt, since the RS140 has done it again and again and again without taking a break. Topping the podium, we mean. The boot makes it ridiculously easy to ski blindingly fast, carve pure arcs across any rock hard surface and crank-off short radius turns at an auto-burst speed. Testers unanimously said the boot was up to any task, no matter what pitch or snow surface they encountered.
They put its power, stability, quickness, and balance scores at the very top of the charts. One tester called it, "Smooth and sensitive yet blindingly powerful.” Several other testers echoed that sentiment declaring it “F1 quick with horsepower to match,” all the while providing daily driver accessibility.
The shell is unchanged from past versions but the lace-up liner has been modified with a slightly thicker and denser foam and flow cork lay-up. That creates a more contained fit, filling in the gaps between shell and foot without creating excess bulk. The RS 140's front-end still resides on the relaxed side of the narrow category fit spectrum; testers noted a fair amount of toe room and forefoot freedom, especially given how shrink-wrapped the fit felt elsewhere (midfoot, ankles, heel and lower leg shaft). The comfort and toe wiggle room belies the power and precision of the RS's on-snow game.
