Lange XT 130 LV review

[AKgeoSkier]

Got these a couple days ago, only 2 days on them, so more to come later, but here are initial impressions.

About me:
Boot size: 26.5
Other Boots: Black Diamond Quadrant 27.5, Tecnica Agent 120 9.0
Street shoe size: 9.5/10
Skiing style: Faster, neutral positioning, cliff hucking, etc...
Skis tested with: 184 Moment Bibby's, 188 Armada Bubba's
Home mountain: Alyeska, AK

So, got the boots and immediately switched out to intuition liners. All the local shop had was scarpa replacements, and they seemed fine in the store, so got them molded, ready to rock. Took them out that afternoon with the Bibby's for some left overs from a 25 inch day, and was decidedly unimpressed with the boot. If you haven't seen these, the walk mode only locks you from going backseat, and relies on the cuff/lower boot interface to provide forward stiffness. With the softer and thin scarpa liners, it was taking a good 10 degrees of forward movement to lock up the chassis and get the 130 feel, so it wasn't really inspirng confidence. So, frustrated, I ran home, and slapped a pair of intuition power wraps in them from my Quadrants, did a quick flex test and boom back on the hill. The difference was unbelievable. The flex on these can only be described as 'round'. No sharp flex points, or harsh pressure curve, just nice progressive stiffness on the toungue. It's a bit more of an upright positioning without the spoilers.

So happy with the performance I slapped them on the softer Bubba's for the next day's riding and was quite pleased again. with the softer ski, center mount and upright position of the XT's it made for a pretty good combo, really able to stay neutral and get more faceshots.

Haven't taken them backcountry yet, but they are surprisingly light for a beefy boot. They will probably force my Tecnica's into retirement, as they have every bit as much beef, and being able to go into walk mode is pretty nice, especially when riding the sled. Overall great boot, highly recommended, just make sure to put good thick, stiff liners in to get the most out of them.

[Canada Guy]

Interesting, what made you swap out the stock liners without trying them? I am assuming they are identical to the ones in the RX 130. I hated those liners at first until I yanked the spoilers and then it was all good. The stock liners are definitely not very warm, is that the reason?

[AKgeoSkier]

I really just like the fit of Intuitions... and they just didn't quite jive with my feet as well. Intuitions seem to do better with my feet and also make the flex a bit more progressive and less bang. Personal preference thing.

[XavierD]

Liner is different from RX 130 I believe.

[AKgeoSkier]

Yeah, I think it was a lighter weight version.... had cheesy lace up closure thing...

[YoEddy]

The liner is definitely not the same as in the RS/RX 130. Frankly, it's a POS liner that Lange could have done better on.

[SunshineTom]

I tried these on at SkiAK and was completely shocked that the cuff doesn't lock in ski mode. I have never seen anything like it in an AT boot before, there is a good 10-15mm of free play in the cuff before you feel any resistance moving forward. WTF? I have Titans, Tornado pros and had spirit 3's and all there cuffs lock in ski mode, forward and back. The Lange in ski mode have a stop for the rear movement, but never actually lock the cuff, it continues to float and flex free forward. A complete fail on Lange's part in my opinion, because I loved the fit and was holding off on buying RX130's for these. These flex nothing like an RX130 or any other AT boot I've been in.

[ace..]

I tried these on at SkiAK and was completely shocked that the cuff doesn't lock in ski mode. I have never seen anything like it in an AT boot before, there is a good 10-15mm of free play in the cuff before you feel any resistance moving forward. WTF? I have Titans, Tornado pros and had spirit 3's and all there cuffs lock in ski mode, forward and back. The Lange in ski mode have a stop for the rear movement, but never actually lock the cuff, it continues to float and flex free forward. A complete fail on Lange's part in my opinion, because I loved the fit and was holding off on buying RX130's for these. These flex nothing like an RX130 or any other AT boot I've been in.

This technology is a complete joke in my opinion. I have the tracker 130's from atomic and they work on the same principal... a joke of a ski boot, and I mean a complete fucking joke. They threw the flex rating right out the window and decided to just call it a 130 for whatever god damn reason that is. I wouldn't be so pissed if they called it what it is. A overpriced over inflated rental boot with a shit walk mode and a flex of 90 at best... I'm 170lbs and I flex the boot so easily the lower deforms like no other. Completely dissapointed. Cannot believe lange decided to follow atomics lead on this.
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[Stowelen]

This is very disappointing. Gonna try it on , but doesn't sound good.

[lynchdogger]

Bumping this to see if there are any more folks that have skied this boot and have opinions? Thanks.

[Stowelen]

Haven't skied it, but tried one on in the shop. Liner was probably the worst I've seen. Shell fit seem the same as my RX 130, but liner didn't seem to fit the boot well at all. Way too much room in the cuff. Shop owner got em from Lange to
try. Hope they were pre-production, or else your probably gonna need a different liner. YMMV

[Pegleg]

Bump for any more info... I tried on the RX 120 yesterday and it felt pretty good, and was thinking that maybe it'd be worth waiting for the version with a walk mode. But after reading the above, I'm not so sure. My goal is to get into a more alpine-capable boot after a few years in AT boots (Garmont Endorphins), so if the walk mode really compromises the alpine performance then it'd kinda defeat the purpose for me.

[MC Slayer]

Re-bumping this thread because I'm potentially interested in getting this boot this year as well. I tried this boot on the other day and I actually didn't notice any of the play mentioned so far. For what I'm looking for, boots like the quest, tracker, factor, and now the XT seem to do just fine for me; I definitely prefer downhill performance first, with the ability to tour coming in second, as I don't do long tours when I'm skinning. Think berthoud or Loveland pass.

Anyway, anyone that happens to have some more info on this boot would be greatly appreciated.

[MC Slayer]

I'll also add that I'm thinking about getting the quest X-max as well, if anyone happens to have some good info about both boots.

[Pegleg]

Just pulled the trigger on XT130s (not the LV version, but my understanding is that they're the same shell with slightly thinner liners). After trying them on for a long time and comparing to other boots (Technica Cochise Pro, Salomon Quest Max 120, Garmont (forgot the model), they fit my feet perfectly. Hard to tell what the flex is like because they're so soft inside, but I'm told they stiffen up significantly in the cold. Walk mode seems so-so; not a ton of fore-aft movement available, but better than an alpine boot for sure. Wish they had a tech sole option.

I'll update once I get a few days on them, hopefully in the next month.

[Skicut]

I just got this boot and am dissappointed. My previous boots were older Banshee Pros, which I liked but they were too narrow in the forefoot. I was going to buy the Dalbello KR2's but made a last minute change because I wanted a touring feature and was really impressed with the fit changes Lange made. I expected it to have everything I liked about the Banshees with the fit issues corrected. I was wrong...one heel is already slopping around (a typical problem for my tiny ass heals) and the boot just feels dead. There is some loose play until the cuff flexes into the lower last, and then the boot has zero rebound. It just sort of stops dead. The walk feature barely adds any usable mobility. I do like the new stance and light weight, but otherwise I think Lange needs to go back to the drawing board. Saving up for KR2's now.

[Driver]

Interesting - did you think about the RX 130 instead? I ski an older generation Rossi/Lange 130 and i'm wondering if your boot was dead feeling due to the fact that its a semi-touring shell (i've personally never skied a touring boot i've liked, but maybe i'll get used to the noodle feel some day). I worry that the KR2s will be too soft, but haven't skied 'em. I am planning on trying to get some out soon as they look to have a lot of attractive features, not the least of which is the 'included' intuition liner.

[Pegleg]

Update: Got a half season on my Lange XT130s now and I LOVE them. Huge, huge improvement over my old Garmont Endorphins. They ski like alpine boots. After a few years of being used to sloppy, soft AT boots, suddenly I can control my skis again. I observed a bit of cuff slop in the shop (less than others described, though; maybe Lange tweaked the design?), but not enough for me to notice it while skiing.

As far as fit, I ended up just using my old Intuition Powerwrap liners. The stock liners were OK, but the Intuition took them to the next level - my heel is locked and I can leave them buckled all day with great control without any pain. Fit feels damn near perfect for my narrow (aka Lange) foot.

Can't really comment on the walk mode other than to say that it feels fine walking around the parking lot. Haven't done a lot of skinning what with Colorado's shitty winter.

[Bandit Man]

Anyone else have some longer term observations on this boot?

I picked up the 120 version this past week. Haven't skied them yet, but living-room fit is good. Not sure I like the squishy feel of the non-locking upper cuff. Trying to determine if I should stick with these or exchange them for something else...

[XavierD]

Bandit_Man:
Toss them in your freezer for a while and let them cool down and see if you notice any issues.

Lange did address the slop issue from the models that were distributed last year.

FWIW I think this is a great option for those looking for a true side country boot. It still skis well, but makes short (30min-1hr) hikes or tours a little easier, and makes the slow, pretty much flat, road/traverse back to the resort/HW much faster and bearable.

[Bandit Man]

Bandit_Man:
FWIW I think this is a great option for those looking for a true side country boot. It still skis well, but makes short (30min-1hr) hikes or tours a little easier, and makes the slow, pretty much flat, road/traverse back to the resort/HW much faster and bearable.

That's me to a "T". I don't really tour, but hike and sidecountry a bit. Just want to make sure that by going with a little extra convenience for those times doesn't compromise my inbounds experience too much. Like the frreezer idea...in all my years of getting acquianted with new gear, I've never thought of that one!

[skiingsamurai]

gonna bump this old thread to ask some questions:
I tried on the RX130 last night and am quickly leaning toward becoming a lange convert. They felt soft in the shop (as usual) but flexed really evenly.
All of the reviews say these things leak like a sieve. Has anyone found this with the XTs?
Are the shells vastly different between the XT and RX? (other than the obvious addition of a walk mode)

Im strongly considering the RX's due to my falling out of love with AT/walk mode boots (slop and slipping into walk while skiing)
Is this walk mode going to be better or worse than my cochise's walk mode?

thanks

[lynchdogger]

gonna bump this old thread to ask some questions:
I tried on the RX130 last night and am quickly leaning toward becoming a lange convert. They felt soft in the shop (as usual) but flexed really evenly.
All of the reviews say these things leak like a sieve. Has anyone found this with the XTs?
Are the shells vastly different between the XT and RX? (other than the obvious addition of a walk mode)

Im strongly considering the RX's due to my falling out of love with AT/walk mode boots (slop and slipping into walk while skiing)
Is this walk mode going to be better or worse than my cochise's walk mode?

thanks

I own a pair of rx130's. Last year was first year and only used five days due to touring so much. Powerful boot and instant energy transfer. Win! No problems leaking but temps were cold.Walk mode? I may be wrong but are you confusing the rx with the xt? Xt has walk mode but not rx. I have no xperience with rx.
If you want a walk mode may want try the new scarpa freedom sl - heard good things. Not as stiff as rx but that is what it is.
Trying on a pair this weekend.
Love my rx for lift serve and will most likely be my every day boot this year unless the freedom blows me away. Will be at the hill more. I think I would want to ski them first before making switch.
FWIW, I spent 33 days last year in the scarpa mastralae rs and loved most days except the two when the walk mode caused issues but this was not a constant issue. Both were user error. Best touring boot I have owned.
I'm really no help at all. Hope you enjoyed my blog.

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[Bronco]

Has anyone checked out the 2015 Lange XT? Lange is saying its stiffer and has an improved liner.

[Beyond]

Have tried it on in a shop, ditto for last year's model, own the RS 130 for reference. This year's XT has same last and fit as 2014, so a fairly generous LV, but feels a bit stiffer, although still nothing like a 130 in a straight alpine, more like 115-120. The liner is improved; previous was a mess, soft, thin waste of time. This one feels more like a typical alpine, closer to the RX in tightness, not quite RS level. Supposedly the heel lock is improved also, but didn't really notice much in the store setting. If I owned these, I'd still slap an Intuition in them.