Our test team has had an ongoing love affair (mostly) with the Lange RX boots of the past, both in narrow and medium widths, so they are a critical bunch as it relates to a successor model like the Shadow 115 W LV. This doesn't mean they're closed-minded but, shall we say, discerning in their approach to testing it and judicious in their praise.
Sometimes it's best to let a tester speak her mind without interruption: Wowee! Lange has really showed up to the table with some cool, new tech here. I will say that these are a touch more generous in feeling than the Lange fits of old. Not a bad thing, not a super thing, just worth noting. The foot slides in easily and you're encased by a comfortably firm liner. The tongue really is the best feeling on the shin. Firm and fair and makes me confident I’ll be okay pushing forward into the bumps! Those who have suffered shin bang from stiff tongues are going to flock to this boot the way I crash headfirst into a cheese plate. You really can’t compare this boot to the old RX, but if you must, I think the liner really is where this boot shines. However, the new Dual Pivot system really stands out as something to ski harder with and experience the subtle change in leverage. I’m not exactly sure of its engineering, but you're given a consistent feeling of being able to pressure and release the boot smoothly. It makes the slightly less-aggressive skier really feel like they're on top of driving and controlling the boot.
This tester's comments mirror what most of the other testers said about the Shadow 115 W LV.
All agreed that the fit, while essentially perfect in shape match to the foot, instep and leg, was just a bit off the low volume target. Where in the past some testers might have complained about a too tight LV fit, this version has over-corrected slightly, they said. The favorite Lange rep story line to explain this has been that it's just so comfortable with our new Auxetic liner technology that it seems a little loose, but it's not--it's just really comfortable. We find this amusing, but testers weren't fooled--it is comfortable for sure, but it's also roomy for a narrow. The Auxetic liner tech is admittedly cool, hexagonal micro perforations in the liner's exterior fabric allow for more stretch and comformation around bony points without having to overly soften the liner construction--like a Spiderman suit for your feet! Testers loved poking at it and stretching it to watch the little cuts spread, and it does work as billed, they said.
Remember, we said our women's test team was discerning and judicious with praise? They hammered the Shadow 115 W LV's fit score for it's generosity to a 4.40--kinda harsh--but still gave it perfect 5's for the remaining four categories.
It skied even better than RX boots of old, they said, actually sounding like Lange reps when they discussed how they generated more power with less effort, or felt the boot was more responsive to movements with less-tight buckling. Testers said the marketing party line about the boot's extra, lower points of leverage and less-impinged flex properties was borne-out on the hill as legitimate. So, while the adage that you know when a rep's lying because his or her lips are moving may still be earned--the story about how well the Shadow boot drives a ski with reduced input seems to be non-fiction.
POST-TEST UPDATE: Lange informed us that based on widespread feedback of a too-roomy fit in the Shadow boots (both men's and women's in LV and MV models), they've made a running change to the production liners to address that. We like to think we were helpful in getting the message across and are excited to try the new versions this season.
Kudos
Caveats