We had expected Rossignol to submit the Pure 80 in the wide-last group of the All-Mountain Traditional category but a lack of availability meant that we had to test the 70-flex version of it. This isn't a problem for our test team, who might be used to seeing women's boots in the 100-110 flex on average, as they know that a large part of boot testing is understanding the target audience for a given model. However, this doesn't give a boot a pass on how it fits, stands, flexes and performs on descent--it just might require a ratchet-down on testers' expectations as it's not a boot designed for high level skiers. With all that said, the Pure 70 was a sleeper in every sense of the word. It won the category and received four perfect scores, out of five, for Anatomical Fit, Dynamic Balance, Quickness and Convenience.
Our test team said that the Pure 70 was not a bucket, fit wise, and managed to contour around good anatomical shapes, if pretty darned roomy. They commented that the hold on the ankles and heel were enough to render a sense of control even when the room elsewhere was open and airy. The calf fit was slightly more snug due to a slightly taller fit than expected for the category, but the slightly tall and slightly upright cuff set-up worked well to buttress the better-than-70 fore-aft support while skiing in all-mountain conditions. They didn't mention anything about the new shell shape revisions or hinge-point change in the new Pure line, specifically, but they said that it flexed better and skied better than the soft flex wide rides from Rossi in the past.
Testers liked the fact that the 102mm Pure does come in a stiffer 80 flex which would work well for women looking for a little more flex support, and they noted that there is a heated version of the boot though their warmth scores were good as it was. They didn't know if anyone needed the comfort of the 60-flex given the level of fit luxury they found in the test model, and at a list price of $350 the Pure 70 was already the best deal of the boot test by far.
Kudos