The Rossignol flagship, narrow women's All-Mountain model has created a bit of a niche in the last several years among our crew--testers have come to expect a graphically stunning boot (be it luxuriant fur, sophisticated accents or flashy wall colors) that also happens to shock with how strongly it skis. The Pure Elite 120 has been a boot skied by the best athletes on the hill but also committed intermediates that are looking for a step-up without hampering their fun with the status quo. Add the fire engine red coloration and let's include confident to the mix of adjectives that describe the current Pure Elite 120 skier--you better either ski as good as this boot looks or think you ski as good as this boot looks when you click into your bindings.
Our testers were very impressed with the Pure Elite 120 last year and that didn't change at this year's test, nor should it have, as the boot returned to the test unchanged as well. Last year testers were immediately drawn to the vibrant red cosmetic (we said then, like hummingbirds to a feeder) and after skiing it made it the object not just of their affection but also of their attempted thievery. When testers were thwarted in their larcenous plans at the end of our test period a few of them went out and bought the boot for themselves--know that this act is borderline heresy for ski industry veteran insiders who can usually finagle an angle on equipment freebies or at the very least steep discounts--and we think that paints a very clear picture of the allure of this boot. Voting with one's dollars may be more telling than giving high scores.
All that hype aside, this is just a ski boot after all, and that's one of the things that testers like--for all its flash, it still fits right, stands right and skis right. Testers gave its stance angles a perfect score and a near-perfect 4.83 for Edge Power as well as its Convenience, Warmth & Features score. Our thick-legged testers say that while it's a properly snug narrow, there's enough flare at the boot top to caress (rather than crush) the calf. This is one of those boots that testers wait to test until they're going out on a photo shoot or a three-run backside mission with some hard chargers--they know it won't let them down or bring them to tears and they can just enjoy the ski experience. And isn't that what any good skier wants--a tear-free epic day, all around the mountain?
Testers remain split on the split power strap, with some finding the dual pulley Velcro useful in its varied placement options and others calling it silly, gimmicky, stupid and fiddly. They all do like the little rooster logo on it, though. Other features are refreshingly spare for our team: single cuff adjustment, single tongue pull loop, GripWalk soles (white!). Steal one if you can, testers suggest, but they assure that it's worth the money if you have to pay for it.
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