Bootfitter's Notes: Lange RS Ski Boots
Editor's Note: Bootfitter's Notes is a new series of posts the Start Haus will be sharing, in hopes of giving buyers extra insight into different ski boots, and how they fit. Whether you're an online shopper who doesn't have the ability to come into the Start Haus for a proper boot fitting, or your doing a little homework before coming in, these articles are here to help you.
The RS series from Lange are the blue boots that you see all over the slopes these days.
A lot of folks are going to assume that these are all race boots, but there are several versions, so don’t think that these are just for racers.
In fact, this fit category (97mm – 98mm last width) is our most popular among good recreational skiers as well as ski instructors. The RS series consists of several models in the 97mm width and a couple in 100mm width and a range of flexes from 110 to 140.
Among the 97-98mm boots on the market, the Lange tends to fit pretty snugly in the heel and the midfoot area but is not quite as tight across the forefoot or in the toebox as you might expect.
The toebox is also pretty tall for this boot style and they run a little longer inside that you would expect from any given boot sole length.
The Lange shell fits very closely on the medial* side of the midfoot and also in the navicular* area. This is a key control zone for any boot and is one of the reasons that the Lange boots, in general, ski so well.
The instep (roof height) of the RS series in general is about middle of the road for this fit category.
The most popular models for us are the RS 130 and the RS 110 SC (short cuff). Aside from the flex difference and cuff height, the shell shape on both of these models are the same.
The 130 uses a very firm liner while the 110 liner is slightly softer. We find that the RS 130 is among our best sellers to performance oriented male skiers while the 110 SC does double duty as a tweenager race boot and also as a high performance women’s model.
The most common modifications that we make on this boot are small punches for the navicular and occasional small punches for the 5th metatarsal*.
So what does this all mean? We find that generally, the Lange RS boots fit people with low to medium volume feet, with an average instep height and a narrow to medium ankle.
This category of boot, in general, is often not a great choice for skier with a high instep (top of the foot) but the Lange does have some material in the liner on the top of the foot that can be removed or modified to accommodate this to some extent.
Terms defined:
*Medial Side: Inside of the foot.
*Navicular: The bone, protruding on some people, below and forward of the ankle bone on the inside of the foot.
*5th Metattarsal: The "knuckle" of the pinky toe.