The 2023 Lange RX 130. What's new about it this year? "Nothing," said one tester, "and that's why it's awesome." This is a perennial comment about the Lange boot test entries--they don't change much from year to year, and for a reason, testers say--there's nothing to change. The medium width RX remains a test team favorite and topped the All-Mountain Traditional category this year (so did the RX LV in the narrow group) not despite being unchanged but because it's unchanged.
The RX 130 remains one of the models that each year testers try to leave with at the end of the test period. It also receives the most, "I could ski this boot every day" comments. The fit is universal (or at least suits the vast majority of folks) and the stance is the definition of neutral in all directions, testers say. While the entry and exit is as easy as it gets for a 130-flex performance model and the liner material drapes against the foot in a supple sort of caress, the RX receives inputs from the skier and translates them directly to the ski for powerful and accurate direction changes and a highly stable ride at mach speeds over undulating terrain. Testers claim that the boot should not ski as well as it does for how comfortable it is, but that is its magic. More than one tester wondered on their test forms why they spend so much time squeezing themselves into narrower race boots when this would likely perform just as well, straight off the rack.
Testers continue to praise the RX's traditional shell wall thickness, comprised of Dual Core polyether plastic in the shell and the cuff, for a predictably stable and strong feel underfoot without making performance trades for the gain of a few extra marketing ounces. They like the simplicity of a four-buckle overlap design and a well-crafted liner that both matches the human foot and leg but also links to the interior shape of the shell for a positive transfer of energy through the boot, without any slipping or shearing internally. Testers are mostly catching on to GripWalk soles, though a few mentioned that it might rob a smidge of throttle response (but they said is probably worth that trade for the convenience and comfort of stride on hard surfaces).
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