Out of thirteen total tests performed by our team on the Rossignol Pure Elite 120, sixty-percent of the scores given were perfect 5.0's. With a final score average of 4.85, which put it at the top of the All-Mountain Traditional category and matched one other boot (sister brand Lange's XT3 Free 115 W) for the highest score awarded in the entire women's test. This is not a new boot (it was a gold medalist last year and the year before) but it its fresh liner revision breathed new life into both its fit and performance for our crew.
The Pure Elite 120 entered the women's performance scene several years ago in a slightly longer and generally roomier iteration with more sedate cosmetics and a notably furry liner--it was an instant hit with testers, though many of their comments came with the advice to ignore the fur, it's legit! One tester recalled the Pure Elite's formative years and put its present status into succinct perspective: This boot has been a big hitter for several years and this year is no different--it lives up to its reputation.
The current ruby-red redesign marks an evolution of performance efficiency--the new, men's Hi-Speed lower mold shape (the women's retained the Pure naming scheme) was a completely revised, closer, shorter and more anatomically matched shell than previous models and gone became the comments of too roomy for a narrow. Also gone was the shag rug liner interior which tended to look like a labradoodle in need of a bath after a season or two. The new liner was like something out of a fashion makeover show--it went and got some work done, plus new color and a Brazilian, and came back looking sleek and slippery and testers loved it (entry and exit was improved, too).
This year the liner makeover continued because Rossignol's boot design team just couldn't let it be. Testers had remarked, over the past two years, that the liner tongue felt a little disconnected from the shin at the boot top, allowing for a sort of spilling-forward feel that some testers also described as a short-feeling cuff. Let's be clear that this was a subtle fit issue and a very minor demerit. However, Rossi apparently agreed and for this year found a way to revise the tongue's attachment point to bring it into closer contact along the whole lower leg. Testers noticed the change right away and gave it two thumbs up for a better, taller feel and a more immediate response to flexing movements.
Testers still feel a need to remind people not to judge the book by the cover with regard to the Pure Elite 120 cosmetics. Yes, there's much lipstick love and they mention wishing more brands had fun with their colors the way Rossignol has with their women's line over the past few years, but they repeatedly comment that the boot's powerfully quick character would shine through no matter what the hue. This boot remains one that our strongest skiing testers can't overpower and yet it remains accessible to less aggressive skiers and reacts predictably at low cruising speeds and mach schnell, all the same. They do appreciate the little accessory touches, like the rooster emblem on the dual-pull Velcro power strap and matching red GripWalk soles, but they mainly like the fact that the Pure Elite 120 fits and skis even better than it looks.
Kudos
Caveats