Lange Shadow 130 LV

Model Year
2023-2024
Category
All-Mountain Traditional
Last Width
97
Flex Index
130
Price (MSRP)
$1000.00USD

Our testers have heaped praise onto Lange over the past several years for not changing things unnecessarily on the RX all-mountain boot line, so now that the new Shadow boots have arrived, testers were keen to give them a thorough go-through to see if they passed the don't-screw-it-all-up test. More specifically, they wanted to see if Lange's gamble on a performance-oriented shell redesign paid off.

One tester called the Shadow line's structural re-imagining the anti-BOA for its focus on performance-centric engineering, leaving this year's big, fit-related story to the spooler. Indeed, the Shadow's four-point cuff-to-lower Dual Pivot attachment design and gliding rear spine Suspension Blade are major driveline changes to a platform that has always prided itself on how well it skis. The story that accompanies this tech is interesting: the four points of connection are made lower on the shell to better match the natural hinge point of the ankle joint, and the lower anchors are not rigidly fixed but restrained with small elastomer bushings intended to reduce plastic shape distortion during flexion. The upper and lower mounts work in concert like a rocker-arm, leveraging a mechanical fore-aft advantage against the ski. The tongue-in-groove-style Suspension Blade attaches the lower to upper in a gliding rear spine fashion with a goal of reducing more bending plastic distortion and loss of energy. This sort of active rear spine redesign has been accomplished elsewhere previously (K2 & Tecnica) but not with a gliding track. The nutshell from the Lange marketing department: does more with less effort.

Testers unanimously reported that the story line was not a fiction. They said the boot functioned exactly as billed, with a noticeably smooth and progressive flex feel that seemed shorter in travel and firmer in quality than predecessor RX boots. They said that the smaller "throw" of the forward flex range didn't feel abrupt, just more effective at generating pressure to the front of the ski with less input effort. They also claimed that the boot was quicker and more solid on edge than RX. Testers gave the Shadow 130 LV's Quickness and Steering score a perfect 5.

That Lange succeeded in building a very different wheel that rolled even better than the last one wasn't a big surprise for our testers who have seen positive change after positive change from the brand in recent years, but those had been relatively minor changes. This is a big move in terms of the boot's structural foundation and a risk that seems to have paid off.

The big surprise in the Shadow boots (LV, MV, men's, women's--all) has been that these performance gains happen in concert with the most comfortable narrow and medium width boots Lange has ever made, according to testers, across the board. Many testers thought this 130 LV was too comfortable, meaning roomier than it should be, but while testers may have given it some demerit for missing the narrow fit target, they consistently mentioned that the extra space didn't seem to affect how the boot skied--it just didn't feel as tight as they thought it should. The cushioned, well-draped liner material hugs the foot exceptionally well, but with a bit of stretch at wide and bony points enabled by so-called Auxetic hexagonal perforations in the liner's exterior material. Testers said that the tongue's fit and feel was perfect against the shin and enhanced the shell's new flex properties nicely and they all appreciated the liner's new asymmetrical, no-seams toebox.

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.

Gender 
Men's
Sizes (MP) 
24.5-31.5
Hike Mode 
No
Construction 
Overlap
Boot width profile 
Narrow
Also in this Collection 
120, 110
Cantology Compatible 
No
Total Avg Score 
4.77
Shell/Cuff/Tongue Plastic 
polyurethane/polyurethane
Anatomical Fit and Initial Feel 
4.78
Dynamic Balance 
4.89
Edge Power & Fore-Aft Support 
4.67
Quickness, Steering & Feel 
5.00
Convenience, Warmth & Features 
4.50
Tech Compatible 
No

Kudos

  • “Dual Pivot has a smooth progression to the flex and lateral control. Ease of entry is stellar and there are no hot zones to speak of.” -- Jack Rafferty
  • “Really comfortable for how well it skied.” -- Stacy Crumpler
  • “This is an amazing replacement to the RX line! The low volume (LV) Shadow should not ski as strongly as it does for the level of comfort and convenience if offers. The ease on and off of this boot is extremely good and the seamless liner feel is top of class. The tightness is there (almost) but without pinch points it's deceptively snug. It skis as well as, or better than, anything on the market (that probably feels less comfortable), so there's no reason to suffer anymore.” -- Mark Elling
  • “Perfect narrow--holy s*** this thing fits good. The best fitting and skiing boot ever made. And second place is not even close.” -- Kevin Gabriel
  • “This is the best all-around boot that I have ever had on my feet. Fantastic quickness edge to edge--allows for very rapid edge change. This boot has the perfect fore aft and lateral set up for me and fits like a glove whether static or moving. Lange has reinvented the wheel without ignoring the great skiability that Lange is known for.” -- Jim Schaffner
  • “Finally a boot that lives up to the marketing department's words and promises! ” -- Greg Hoffmann
  • “Feels fantastic out of the box.” -- Dallas Goldsmith
  • “I feel like this boot didn't require a lot of forward tongue pressure to get what I want from the ski and when I'm in terrain I find that it absorbs shock without over-flexing. ” -- Charlie Bradley
  • “Kinda narrow shape. Cuff volume accepts a larger leg. Toebox is designed to not offend. Dual Pivot uses leverage to engage the ski--interesting and logical. There is a spontaneity in the response of this boot that separates it from the pack. The quick engagement of the edge is colored by a dynamic feel for the ski. With a minimal amount of fit work, these would be a boot I could choose for my every day driver--the fit is good and the responsiveness is top rate.” -- Bob Gleason

Caveats

  • “Fits a little loose for an LV.” -- Jack Rafferty
  • “I went back to this on the last day of testing and found that the fit had opened up a bit. Hard to call it low volume. ” -- Charlie Bradley

This boot available at...

Princeton, MA
Golden, CO
Warren, VT
Long Lake, MN
Westborough, MA

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