Testers weren't sure what to make of the new Shadow 115 W MV's marketing story--it sounded pretty good, the whole do-more-with-less thing--but being the skeptics that they are, they put the thing on and went outside and sent it down the hill. Unanimously, their test feedback was of one voice in that the Shadow skied better than the well-loved RX boots, and yes, with less effort invested into every turn.
The boot's a sleeper, they said, explaining that it shouldn't ski as strongly for how comfortably it fits and for how little effort they had to put into tipping the ski on edge. First, the on-snow performance. Testers were surprised at its quickness and reaction time, given that the sheer comfort level had lulled them into the assumption that comfort stemmed from space and excess room sapped transmission--but not so, they said. Similarly, the quadruple cuff anchor points, made low on the shell and with an elastomer-dampened hinge seemed to engage the ski in lateral moves in a more direct way but without feeling rigid. Testers all made mention that the flex feel of the Shadow was one of its best qualities, and felt that there probably was something to the so-called Suspension Blade's gliding and non-rigid connection from cuff to lower shell. All of that stuff combined to ski well, and yes, without as much energy expenditure--they didn't really want to buy into it, but after skiing it, they bought it.
The fit is sneakily comfortable, they said, matching the typical wide and bony spots of the foot with a masterful touch. They said that the overall fit was on the roomy side of the medium width group, but not by a lot. They repeatedly mentioned how comfortably the liner seemed to address their contours, but without feeling overly soft and prone to pack-out. The new liner's Auxetic technology may be responsible for these positive comments--its hexagonal micro-etching in the exterior layer of the liner allows for additional, targeted stretch around areas of extra width or prominence. Testers bought that too.
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.
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