Our test team gets excited when a 120-flex, narrow last, newcomer shows up in the Frontside category and most of our testers had not been exposed to the Kastle K120P LV, so this was an all-new experience all around. The were drawn to the aqua cosmetic and the stripped-down, old-school race vibe aura that surrounded the boot--at least that what they said. Our team is made up of some very strong skiers--ex-racers, coaches, instructors and shop folks--and they also said they were humbled by the K120P LV.
It's a bear to get on, they admitted, with thick polyurethane shell walls and a low-slung boot throat that thwarted their attempts at casual entry. They needed to get serious and make some noises to get this on--but that's kinda what you'd expect in a room where elite athletes are getting ready to go out and do battle on snow, right? They said the fit is seriously tight in the lower shell. One tester said her heel was clamped in a vice. All agreed that the instep, ankle and heel were all very tight fit zones. Our fit impressions scores run from a 1 (World Cup race boot tight) to a 5 (rental boot loose) and testers will score an "ideal" narrow boot (96-98mm) at a 2. The K120P LV's instep and ankle got rated a 1.75--along with most of the rest of the lower shell--and the heel was scored at 1.5, so yeah it's a tight one, for sure.
Testers said the liner was dense and edgy in places and was in need of a good heat molding to define what were liner issues and which were shell contact problems--they said the fit was very snug and a bit aggressive on bony prominences. Gaining an all-day comfort fit would require a bootfitter's help for all but the most slender and knob-free of feet, testers said. The cuff was upright and stiff and produced a massive amount of leverage to the ski for those who had the oomph to get into the tongue and bend this baby to their will. Narrow heels on a slender foot attached to a ripping skier who is not afraid of a little experimenting would serve as a perfect match for the K120P LV, the test team concurred.
Kudos
Caveats