Note that we had tested the Ranger Pro 13 Vacuum last year, utilizing a set group of custom testers who underwent the Vacuum process. This year we tested the boot straight off the rack. Results and tester commentary was almost exactly the same as before with the exception of comments made about how forward-leaning the Ranger Pro 13 is out of the box. This is a stance element that can be changed with Vacuum molding, so long as the most upright position is selected by the skier and technician at the time of molding. With that said, the review body that follows is adapted from last year's. The tester comments below are from this year's test.
For the technical all-mountain charger who doesn't need no stinking cuff release, the new Ranger Pro 13 Vacuum is just the ticket. Narrow and stiff, just like it's racy half-brother RC4 130, but with a more off-piste skill set accessed via a shock absorbing bootboard and gripperized, replaceable toe and heel plates. The new liner's Ultralon padding in the ankle, heel and instep area make for a fuller contact feel and better containment for higher shock skiing applications as well. And yeah, our test team thought it looked a lot cooler than its race-bred bro. The Ranger Pro 13 is a super reactive, precise off-piste machine with enough nut to handle rowdy chop or warp speed groomers to the bottom, according to testers who liked the strength of the boot especially after it had fully cured after 24 hours.
It's a Vacuum boot, so figure the fit and the stance are both variable and dependent on the wearer and the process. Our test team made efforts to set up their stance for their particular sets of alignment needs (stance angles are set for how upright or forward a skier desires the boot, stance width is set to a skier's desired specs and knee positioning side-to-side is similarly skier-dependent) and each of them agreed the alignment result after Vacuum molding was dialed. The amount of pre-padding for bony prominences or external padding on the shell to increase a tightening effect as well as the amount of air bladder pressure during molding are all variables that can affect the final fit of the Vacuum product. The majority of our test team said the fit was a home run, though one testers wished his had gotten tighter still. Note that Vacuum boots can be remolded several times—good for re-fitting, and good for hand-me-downs as well.
Testers note that getting the upper cuff adjusted properly prior to Vacuum molding is one of the keys to being fully balanced post-Vac. The cuff adjustment mechanism here is wide ranging and solid since it employs the race boot style "plus sign" shaped inserts medially and laterally. It takes some time to get them installed but it's a one-time affair. Our testers note that downsizing is not necessary (or desirable) as the toe length does not change much from its shorter-than-average fit after Vacuuming, though post-Vac heat stretch spot-mods can always be performed easily on Vacuum boots. Though the proper interface of the toe radius and the binding toepiece should never be fouled-up.
Kudos
Caveats