Lange has always been hesitant to build a bucket--meaning, a really wide boot--due to their performance-first ethos and heritage. They've got a reputation to uphold, after all! Similarly Lange was hesitant to jump on the BOA bandwagon, representing one of the last alpine brands to do so thus far. And yet, here we are with the Concept boot for men and women. It's a very wide-fitting 103mm last with a lower shell BOA closure, and our women's test team absolutely loved theirs!
The Concept 10.5 marks the the stiffest of three women's Concept models (it's a 105-flex) that sport the new 103mm "Comfort Last," and our test team says, yes, it is--comfortable. And big. They were amazed at the massive amount of room throughout the lower boot, especially in the toebox, and yet there was just enough hold on the ankles and heel to feel in control of their skis in spite of the amount of luxuriant air space around their feet. Yes, the BOA cable closure on the lower shell did an admirable job of reducing the gap between shell and foot but testers say the boot is certainly suited to the high-volume foot and instep.
One of the pitfalls of the BOA system incorporated into the overlap shell alpine boot can be a somewhat restricted entry. Testers say that is absolutely not the case with the Concept 10.5--the cabling spools out enough slack to not restrain the spread of the lower shell, and testers called out the internal grooves molded into the shell that help spread that open for unmatched ease of entry, which one tester described as effortless.
Skiing was classically Lange-level, which testers elaborated on, saying the stance angles were ideally neutral for performance skiing on-piste or off-, and the flex feel was solid and progressive, not abrupt. One tester thought the tongue padding was almost too thick but the general consensus was that the shin was happily held and more room in the cuff would come with some wear time and break-in. Quickness was not the top-scoring metric for the Concept 10.5 (Convenience, Warmth and Features was, at a perfect 10.0) but testers said it was quick enough for an all-terrain attack and reliably stable on edge.
Testers loved the look of the blended cuff colors and had no issues with the lighter weight Lyfran plastic utilized there. They appreciated the trickle-down technology of the Suspension Blade cuff-to-lower-boot connection bestowed up on the Concept by the Shadow line, but then again, testers were more impressed with the ease-of-entry, massive space for thick feet and high levels of creature comfort in a boot that could still crush the whole mountain.
Kudos
Caveats