Powder Review: Lange Shadow 130 MV Boot
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In a Nutshell
Lange’s new Shadow line of boots offers a noticeably different and exciting take on inbounds performance.
Size Skied: 27.5
Weight:
Stated Flex: 130
Binding Compatibility: GripWalk
Forward Lean: 12-16°
Stated last width (26.5): 100 mm
The Lange Shadow 130 MV is available now.
Intro
For a boot with such an unassuming silhouette, Lange’s new Shadow has a lot going on. No, there’s no BOA knob protruding out from the clog, instead, there’s a whole new take on the cuff/clog interface. Lange is using two new design technologies, which they call “Suspension Blade” and “Dual Pivot” in an effort to make what they call the most confident and stable boot ever. And their claims don’t stop there, they also say that the Shadow takes “half the energy to drive.”
We think that the new technologies present in the Shadow are interesting and valuable enough that they deserve a whole article explaining what they are, and how they work. So, if you want to dive deep into the what and why of this boot, head over there for the nerdery.
In contrast, this review is focused on the “how.” Separate from what’s going on with those features, how does this boot ski? How does it feel different from traditional overlap boots, and how will that affect your skiing style in this boot?
Features
Again, we’re diving deep into the Suspension Blade and Dual Pivot tech in our other piece, but here’s a quick overview: Suspension Blade refers to a structural member that connects the upper cuff and the clog. Instead of the cuff rivets we’re used to seeing on most alpine overlap boots, the Suspension Blade locks the two parts together more securely, and uses elastomers to control the amount of play in the system.
The Dual Pivot system is the most obvious visual cue that this boot is different. Instead of the one pivot at the malleolus (the lump on your ankle where your leg bones meet your foot bones), the Shadow has two pivots, one in the traditional place, and another further down, closer to the heel, also tuned with elastomers. Lange says this allows you to put more energy into the ski with less effort.
The Shadow also features an asymmetrical, heavily engineered liner. This liner is meant to have as few seams as possible, and is very robust. The tongue especially is made from a very dense PU foam, and feels substantial and powerful against my shins.
Finally, the Shadow uses Lange’s “dual injection” tech, where they can actually mix different plastics, while injection molding each component, to tune their flex characteristics. Usually this would have to be done by mixing and matching a clog with one material to a cuff of another, or varying the thickness of the parts, so Lange’s method allows for more tunability.
Fit
As always, when in doubt, listen to the bootfitter who is actually looking at your feet, and the boot you’re trying to wear. That said, Lange says the Shadow fits very similarly to their current RS / RX shells, with some slight tweaks that allow for more space above the instep, and better heel retention.
I have a high to medium volume foot, and I wore the Shadow in a 27.5, Medium Volume last. It’s definitely not the roomiest “MV” boot I’ve worn, in terms of width, but it did have nice height for my very tall insteps, and I never had any issues with heel lift. Both the shell and the liner of the Shadow are very customizable, and it’s available in a Low Volume, 97 mm last as well, so a good bootfitter should be able to dial in your fit.
Downhill Performance
Ok! We finally made it to the important part. Lange uses a lot of high-zoot words to describe the Shadow. It’s revolutionary, exciting, game-changing, it’ll let you ski like a pro, rail every turn, stomp every drop, and it’ll even make you breakfast in the morning. Sure, I’m exaggerating, but Lange makes some big claims around the Shadow. And, I, skeptic that I am, am somewhat inclined to agree with them. This thing is really different.
Sure, the hype this year is all about BOA. But, most folks, with average feet, and boots that fit well, probably won’t notice the difference between identical BOA and buckle boots, as much as they’d notice the difference jumping to the Shadow. It delivers a markedly different ski experience than any alpine boot I’ve been in.
Initially, flexing into the boot, it feels quite stiff, stiffer than most of the 130 flex boots I’ve been on this year. I skied it back to back with the excellent Fischer RC4 BOA, and the K2 Mindbender BOA, and the initial flex on the Shadow felt stiffer than either. But, I know what a boot that’s “too stiff for me” feels like, and this was a different sensation. A “too stiff” boot doesn’t let you get deep enough into the flex to bend a ski and drive it. Whereas, with the Shadow, I felt like I didn’t need to get as far into the flex to have as much, or more control as I’m used to having.
The best analogy I can think of is the difference between power steering and manual steering in a car. At slow to medium speeds it takes less energy and input to move skis around with the Shadow than with any other inbounds boot I’ve used. At high speeds, I notice the difference less, but I still feel a little more locked in, and secure in my edge control with the Shadow than I’m used to.
And that’s on bigger, meaner skis than I’d generally reach for. I skied the Shadow with the Dynastar M-Pro 108, in the 192 cm length. It’s the most “aggressive” ski we reviewed this year, it’s got a high speed limit and does not want to noodle around, making chill turns at low speeds. But, it felt notably easier to control and manage with the Shadow than with either of the boots I mentioned above.
On the flip side, on easier skis like the Armada ARV 116 JJ, I felt like I initially was overpowering the ski, overturning, and then overcorrecting. It took a minute to adjust to how little input was required to drive skis with the Shadow. Once I did though, it they felt precise and easy to control.
Does it really halve the amount of energy I exert like Lange claims? Maybe? That’s some murky science for sure. But it definitely requires less input to make the same turns than any other 130 flex boot I’ve tried.
I have limited flexibility in my ankles, leaning forward into an athletic stance always means I have to lift my heels more than average folks, and I’m hyper aware of too-soft ski boots, I have to be very careful not to overflex them since it really hurts my ankles. But, in the Shadow I felt like I didn’t have to dip as far into my hips and ankles to drive the boot. It’s a really unique and powerful sensation.
And it manages to do that without making me feel like I need to be 100% on my game all the time. The performance benefits are apparent even when you’re not skiing full throttle. I skied the Shadow with a spectrum of skis, from aggressive, game-on chargers, to more laid back, playful options, in a spectrum of terrain, from soft chop to firm groomers to slush. And in every situation, I felt like they were more powerful and responsive than I’m used to.
What compromises does the Lange Shadow make?
Ok, that’s all sunshine and daisies, the Shadow feels really different and cool. What’s the catch? Well, initially, I worried that the added stiffness and power would beat me up. In my experience with both bikes and skis, a more “powerful” setup rewards you when you’re on your game, going fast, driving hard, and pushing. But, if you try to use a more relaxed, mellow style, you can be left exhausted and beat up. With high-performance gear, there’s usually not enough compliance at the lower end of their range. Driving an Formula 1 car to the grocery store would be stressful and exhausting.
And there’s a little bit of that sensation with the Shadow. Or, it feels like that might be the case initially. The Shadow makes it easy to overpower skis. During my first few runs in the Shadow I’d initiate a turn like I usually do, and find my skis bouncing out of a carve with more aggression, or overflexing through their tips and tails as I made the turn. I felt like I got a little “bucked” several times initially. But, I quickly got used to how the Shadow skis, and then got along with them really well. There’s a bit of a learning curve with these boots. They do more than I expect, with less input. Give yourself time to get used to them, don’t make a flash judgment based on a run or two.
I was initially worried that if I got backseat, or off balance at all, the Shadow would take me for a ride. That wasn’t the case. I’m inclined to guess that’s a product of the elastomers, they give you a bit of wiggle room before you hit the powerful wall of the shell’s flex, so I didn’t feel like those too far back moments were as violent as I’d expect given the stiffness of the cuff. The Shadow is more forgiving than I expected it to be. It’s not as forgiving as softer, more traditional feeling boots, but it’s close enough that I think most skiers will be able to make it work.
On that note, I’ve long harped on the idea that the quality of a boot’s flex is just as important as the quantity. The stated stiffness is just one part of the equation. For my skiing style, and my body type, the flex curve of these boots (stiff, but a touch linear, as opposed to softer off the top with a more progressive ramp up) works really well, But that might not be the case for everyone.
What does the Lange Shadow’s ideal skier look like?
While skiing the Shadow, a mantra from highschool physics kept coming to mind: “Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only be translated from one form to another, and this translation is never 100% efficient.”
Skiing is the act of translating the potential energy of gravity from your body, through your boots, bindings, and skis, into the snow. The new Lange Shadow feels like it translates this energy more efficiently than most other ski boots. Every little shift and twitch you make is translated into the ski.
That means you can put less effort into driving your ski. However, if you put too much effort, or effort in the wrong direction into that process, the Lange Shadow won’t quite let you get away with it like some other boots will.
All that said, I can see several types of skiers getting along really well with the Shadow. Folks who like their turns to feel energetic, but don’t want to put as much energy into them will love this boot. It’s really fun to bounce between carves on groomers in the Shadow. And if you’re a reasonably competent skier who sometimes feels like they get easily exhausted and have to work hard to turn their skis in variable conditions, the Shadow might make a lot of sense as well.
The Shadow is the rare product that actually changed how I view the performance envelope of its class. It does truly feel different, in a positive way.
