Since the creation of the plastic ski boot, no single brand and design has proven as enduring as the four-buckle overlap Lange race boot. Of course there has been considerable evolution over 50 years, but the essentials have remained much the same: get the stance angles correct (4o ramp angle, 12o forward lean) and cut out all frills. Today’s incarnation is the RS 130, the “true 130,” the blue boot that represents the gold standard in race performance.
But this isn’t granddad’s blue boot, or even your older brother’s. It’s the product of a 5-port, bi-material injection that creates utterly integrated soft and hard zones. It hasn’t lost one iota of its fast-twitch reflexes – in fact, the rebound in its PE cuff is faster than ever – yet it’s as easy to don and doff as a fedora.
The RS 130 is a burly boot whether you opt for the narrow 97mm last or the medium (which Lange calls Wide) 100mm geometry. You don’t have to be a racer to appreciate these shells, but it helps. If you’re a real beast – and you better be wearing a bib – you can try deflecting the World Cup RP 140 or 150; if you’re lighter or just need softer flexing footwear without altering anything else, the RS 120 and RS 100 provide a 97mm shell you don’t have to train year round to be able to flex.