lange xt3 tour pro review

[DEEP DIVE] Lange XT3 Tour Pro Review

Featured Image: Florian Monot

What’s that charging up the skin track not even wearing spandex? It sure looks like a Lange World Cup boot, but is it? For the 2021-22 season, Lange is taking its rich downhill history into the backcountry with its new XT3 Tour Pro boot, blue-and-orange color scheme included—a literal representation of the brand bringing its race heritage to the backcountry. Lange has long demonstrated its dominance in the world of downhill skiing, but the brand is just getting started in the touring category.

Not to get confused with last year’s XT3, which the brand considers an alpine boot with touring capabilities, the XT3 Tour Pro is Lange’s inaugural true touring boot. While it’s a category many thought Lange wouldn’t enter, according to Lange’s Alpine Category Manager, Matt Farness, this season is the perfect opportunity for the brand to stand out. 

“When we talk about true touring boots, where products are really differentiated or segmented in the industry by weight, we felt like we had a really unique opportunity to make a big impact in this market by delivering a level of downhill capability and performance that is really unmatched,” says Farness. 

Lange designed the XT3 Tour boot to walk uphill with the best of them but, more importantly, stand alone when it comes to the downhill experience. To get the power, elasticity and progressive forward flex of an alpine boot at an ultra-lightweight, the brand utilized tried-and-proven technologies from its XT3 series—namely, the Dual Core technology and Active Power V-Lock walk mechanism. By injecting the shell mold of the XT3 Tour with two different hardnesses of a lightweight, nylon-based Grilamid plastic, Lange is able to achieve the same characteristics of its alpine boots with a much lighter final product.

“Out here in the West, most people are not touring on an 80-millimeter-waist, ultralight ski like they do in Europe and in other places,” notes Farness. “More often than not, they’re on an alpine ski with a tech binding. In order to power up a ski of that size, you have to have a strong, powerful boot, otherwise, you’re just along for the ride.”

At just 1,520 grams/boot, the XT3 Tour Pro also offers first-of-its-kind features, including a rockered boot board, which mimics the heel-toe touring motion and gives you more push on steeper ascents; a full-length Vibram touring sole that works with any 9523-compatible touring bindings, such as MNC and Dynafit tech bindings; and a moldable EVA-foam, touring-specific liner with a single-piece toe box construction for added warmth and comfort. 

Positioning the XT3 Tour Pro as the ultimate free-touring offering, backcountry skiers will be able to seize every spine-riding, pillow-popping opportunity in the 2021-22 season with peace of mind knowing they are in complete control of both the up- and downhill. Think of this as less of a Spearhead Traverse boot and more of a South Face of Mount Superior boot—one that puts you in the driver’s seat.

Last: 99 mm

Weight: 1520 g/boot.

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Lange XT3 Tour Pro Ski Boot 2022 – 2023 | Review

The xt3 tour pro is a perfect illustration of lange’s famous downhill performance, packaged up in a lightweight touring boot..

Why we chose the Lange XT3 Tour: Powerful, close fitting, solid walk mode

Sizes: 24 – 29.5 ROM: 51 degrees Flex: 130 Shell Material: Grilamid Weight (per boot): 1,646g (26.5) Price: £450

The new XT3 Tour from Lange has packaged all the necessities of a ski boot for the regular customer, into a lightweight touring boot that provides an unrivalled flex pattern, and Lange’s famous fit, for long days on the hill.

With ski touring becoming even more popular since the lockdowns of ski resorts all over the world (you remember those), Lange have targeted this boot at the people who are looking to continue skiing completely new areas of the mountain away from the piste markers. 

Built for the advanced/expert skier, this boot comes with a flex of 130. This is leaning to the top end flex rating for men’s ski boots, and will give an ideal ride for aggressive or heavier riders. Co ming in at 99mm last, the boot sits almost directly in the middle of the width range.

The customisable grilamid shell will allow the boot to be tailored to varying foot types by your local ski boot specialist. For less isolated pains and general comfort, the Thermo-Moldable liner can also be moulded to the foot straight out of the box for a more intuitive fit that will offer high levels of insulation at a reduced weight. 

By using lightweight plastics with friction free hinges, Lange have optimised the uphill performance in this boot when bootpacking or skinning. They’ve also used their Dual Core Technology and Active Power V-Lock to ensure maximum power transmission and precision into the ski on the downhill.

Lange’s new patented V-Lock technology provides an added 11 degrees in range of movement, when in hike mode, to make your strides more efficient and save more of your energy on the uphill (so you’ll have more of it to spend on blasting turns on the way down).

As hike and ride becomes ever more popular, Lange have delivered an extremely versatile boot for skiers looking to prioritise comfort. The XT3 Tour Pro, it’s worth saying, would be more appropriate for the more advanced riders that may already have the experience and can maximise performance.

With a friction free hinge whilst touring and an easy entry shell construction for those cold mornings, this boot is guaranteed to provide maximum comfort on even the longest days. What’s more, it will do so without sacrificing the downhill performance that can sometimes happen when developing touring boots in today’s market.

Touring: 8/10 Performance: 8/10 Comfort: 8/10

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LANGE XT3 TOUR BOOTS

Published by al morgan on 22nd october 2021 22nd october 2021.

Lange has a new range of ski touring boots for winter 21/22, and SkiKitInfo’s been thoroughly testing the XT3 Tour Pro to give you and in-depth test and review.

Here’s the full video, so you can see just what we think of this new tour offering from Lange.

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VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Maybe you prefer words to watching us talk, so here’s the transcript from the video.

If you want to jump to a specific part of the video, the timestamps are given at the bottom of this page. If you click the timestamp, it will take you to YouTube at the relevant part of the video.

This is Lange’s XT3 Tour Pro pro boot, part of the new XT3 Tour family for winter 21/ 22. We’re going to talk about this, the Sport model and the standard XT3 Tour in this video.

I want to say a massive thank you to Hemel Snow Centre ,. Without that facility, that indoor snow slope just outside London, we would not have been able to finish our testing for this season given the tough winter that we’ve all had due to the Covid pandemic.

And if you like these videos, hit the like button to let other ski fans on YouTube know about them and it massively helps the channel. Huge thank you if you click that like button. Those who’ve subscribed awesome welcome to the ski kit info family and if you haven’t subscribed click the link below , hit the bell to get notified each time we upload new content.

XT3 Tour Range

So, the XT3 Tour range is all new for winner 21/22, builds on the success of the XT3 boot and they’re really impressive. I’ve skied these quite a bit now and there’s lots of benefits to it. There are some things I would change in it, which we will talk about later on, but overall for something that is around one and a half kilos for a boot, that skis this well and has such mobility in the cuff, it’s pretty awesome.

The benefits for this boot are numerous. It’s relatively light, it’s quoted weight for this is 1,520 grams. This boot actually weighs at 1,552 grams – 1,554 grams, so averaging around about that 1,550 – 1,555g weight , so it’s not too heavy but it isn’t the lightest boot out there. They didn’t want to create the lightest boot, is my understanding, they still wanted that Lange performance and Lange feel and they’ve delivered on that promise.

It uses their Dual Core injection, they call it Dual Core Light, so we’ve got Grilamid around the clog on this, the XT3 Tour Pro, as well as on the next model down, the 110 flex XT3 Tour Sport. Now, Grilamid is good because it’s thermostable; it doesn’t get super soft in the spring and then super stiff in the winter, as a pure polyurethane boot can do. The XT3 Tour Sport, that boots only a few grams heavier than this because it shares that construction. Like this boot, you’ve got the polypropylene cuff. And then they’ve got the base model, the XT3 Tour. Softer flex, 100 versus the 110 for the Sport and the 130 for the Pro, and that standard xt3 tour boot also has a slightly different construction; you’ve got PU for the clog rather than Grilamid.

The Dual Core injection, where they can put different densities of plastic into the mould at the same time, gives them awesome rebound and feel. For me, the benefit in Dual Core, and it’s noticeable straight away, is actually their progressive flex when you’re skiing them; it’s not just the flex and stop nature that you can get with two piece construction boots sometimes. You get a really progressive flex, so it’s easy to flex at first and then the pressure ramps up and it gets stiffer as you come forward in the flex of that boot, when you’re skiing, which gives you a fantastic sensation driving everything from big relatively stiff free ride skis like this through to softer lightweight models like these.

It is a bit more locked in the spine because we’ve got this walk mode. It is a metal system so it really does hold you in well when you’re skiing. You get quite a lot of rebound out the front of the cuff but you do get some rebound out the back. Sometimes with touring boots, where you’ve got a huge aluminium lever, the spines feel quite locked and most of the rebound comes out the front of the boot. Not so with this; you get that smoother flex which is really really nice for skiing.

Standard four buckle configuration at the front. You can see here we’ve got the buckle on the inside of the boot here and that means that the buckle doesn’t open as easily when you’re hiking in snow and it can catch and open these. You can actually swap them around so you’ve got both buckles on the outside of the boot if you want that regular Alpine setup, but it’s only the front one that changes.

If you do it swap the left and right buckles around so that you have the ramp on the correct placement.

Shape & fit

Really nice fit. Even though there’s no huge navicular punch in this boot you don’t get pressure there. It’s really noticeable for me with ski boots, I’ve got a really sharp bone that sticks out of my foot in the navicular area. I prefer boots typically that have this kind of expansion here; never had an issue with this boot.

I also get pressure over the top of my foot in some boots, not an issue in this at all. It’s not a tall boot, it doesn’t have loads of room, it’s a 99mm last.

Classic Lange feel in the heel, so you’ve got good heel hold. If you have a really wide heel this boot’s not really going to work for you but if you like that heel hold, if you’re a performance skier, then having that snug fit around the back of the foot is a massive benefit.

If you ski a 98 or a 99mm last boot normally and you like that snug fit these are going to work really well. There’s quite a few touring-style freeride boots out there that claim to be 98 and 99mm but can actually feel quite wide in the forefoot. This doesn’t, it feels bang on for its last.

Nice hold around the toes but enough room to wiggle and this is a 26 and a half; I take a 26 and a half (mondo-point) classically, this is great sizing.

Tour Light liner

The new liner their EVA Tour Light liner is superb. It’s actually got a pretty stiff tongue in it so plenty of support in there. Yes it’s drawstring closure so it keeps nice and snug around your leg when you’re touring which is great and the velcro closure is a nice touch and does help just keep it locked around your ankle and lower leg when you’re touring.

You’ve also got this flex zone in the back so when you’re in tour mode you’ve got plenty flex backwards. You get a fantastic thermo-formable fit. You can see you’ve got nice shaping in the toe box, it’s not too tapered but at the same time it’s not a really square toe box, but the hold around the heel is really positive. At first it feels really snug but it molds really really nicely. It’s not so aggressive on the Achilles, which is great, you’ve got enough padding so that, when you are touring and you’re in tour mode in this boot, your heel on either side is not getting chewed to bits which can happen on some liners.

It definitely benefits from being moulded.

This XT3 Tour Pro retails around $950, around €720, £640. So you are spending a bit on the boot. It is certainly worth investing the time and effort at your local ski shop with their professional fitters to get this boot to work the best that it can for you. Don’t try and skimp, go online, order it and fit at home in the oven; it may all go horribly wrong. And don’t think that cheap is better value. Go to your local ski shop, don’t underestimate the value of the expert advice they’ve got for you.

This is a brilliant boot but it might not actually work for your body shape for your foot shape and your skiing so go along and talk to them and make sure you get in the right product.

The XT3 Tour Sport, the 110 flex model, is a little bit less; it’s $800, €620, £550. Similar weight at around five grams heavier or so than the XT3 Tour Pro.

And then you’ve got the base model, the XT3 Tour. Softer flex at 100 slightly different construction. The price for that is €520, £460. Currently no price available for North America for that so do just check online if you’re interested in that model.

Touring-norm sole

This comes with an ISO 9523 rockered full rubber touring norm sole. 303mm sole length; this is a 26 and a half.

It has Dynafit certified inserts; they even come with a little orange plastic on. so you can use it in pin bindings and you can use it in multi-norm bindings. It is a touring norm sole, so you can’t use this in regular downhill bindings and really you shouldn’t be using it in Grip Walk bindings.

If you’re unsure about boot binding compatibility check out the info we’ve got about that on SkiKitInfo.com .

Really easy walk-mode switch, metal on metal lock, and then we can open it up in the back and that releases so we go into tour mode. It’s easier to show you this in hand when I’ve just got the shell.

Buckles when touring

The buckles at the top, they have a little keeper; this is one of the flaws with this boot. It would be much better if they had little wire bails on here so you could lock it wherever you wanted. Sometimes with these, when you’re touring, it can just pop out. It’s not a massive issue but it would be better if they had little wire gatekeepers on there.

The buckles lock forward on the cuff, which is a nice touch in tour mode, because it holds it open, and then you’ve got your standard Velcro power strap you can adjust.

Cuff range of motion

In tour mode you’ve got 53 degrees range of motion in the cuff, so you can get a really wide stride, a nice broad stride, when you’re touring and I found skinning in this really easy. It’s not the lightest boot, we know that, but in terms of the versatility across different products it’s pretty awesome. Really easy to flick this even through your ski pants; nice easy boot to skin in. To be honest some people obsess about the range of motion in the cuff. You can get 60 degrees, pretty much standard in touring boots; you can go more than 60 degrees.

A lot of people don’t have that much movement in their ankle and can’t stride that long when they’re skinning so just be realistic about what you’re looking for in the boot.

For what you get in skiing performance in these I’m more than happy with 53 degrees range of motion in the cuff. Some boots can have a quoted kind of 45 or 50 degrees in the cuff and actually they don’t move that much. Once you get the liner in there, you have them set up in tour mode, they don’t move that much This has a really free motion in the cuff so it does tour really well.

Stylish design

Really nice damn here to keep the moisture out; benefit when you’re touring and trudging through deeper snow and actually it looks really good. Sometimes it seems a bit of an afterthought on boots but Lange have designed it to look really neat, really stylish.

It’s a really good looking boot. It has that classic blue Lange heritage feel as well

Now, the Sport and the standard XT3 Tour don’t have this look, they’re in different colours. This is the standout model. Full rockered sole, walking in it’s really easy.

Insulated boot board

The boot board inside, which unfortunately I can’t remove to show you, but they talk about it having a rockered profile to give you that more natural walking motion.

So this is a boot board out of a standard downhill boot and actually they’re not perfectly flat; they do have a curve in them, and the boot board in this doesn’t feel too dissimilar so there’s not a real noticeable difference in that. Now that standard boot board is quite hard, quite cold plastic, it doesn’t give you loads of insulation.

The boot board in these is an expanded foam so it does give you more insulation underfoot; great for those days where you’re trudging through snow or hiking a lot.

Interesting they’ve put an ISO 9523 sole on it. Look , who is the sister company of Lange , don’t make any multi-norm bindings. They make Grip Walk downhill bindings, so you can use a flat soled downhill boot or a curved grip walk boot but they’re not for ISO 9523 boots. So really, you either need to go with a frame touring binding or a pin binding.

Now, Look offer pin bindings; they’re essentially rebranded Dynafit bindings.

If you want to step in the binding in a typical Alpine feel then you might need to look at something like the Duke PT or the Salomon/ Atomic/Armada Shift. Both of these have pins in the toe for touring but the way that they’re designed means you step into them like a regular downhill binding for ski mode, and they work with Grip Walk, with ISO 5355 boots, with the older style Walk-to-Ride boots and with ISO 9523 alpine touring boots.

There are some downhill bindings that don’t have a tour mode that are multi-norm so you can use it in those as well. It would be even more compatible with a greater range of products if they put a Grip Walk sole on it.

No Grip Walk

Now, they’ve got Grip Walk soles on some of their other freeride touring boots. This does give you better traction, if you are going to be hiking for those lines you’re going to be doing a little bit of ski mountaineering, then you do get better grip on this and you do get a better walking sensation than with a Grip Walk sole. But it doesn’t work with as many bindings.

Swapping buckles

Swapping this buckle at the front. It comes in the box with two different size Allen keys because, even though there’s one Allen bolt there – one Allen bolt there, they have different sized heads; not sure why you’d do that. It seems to over complicate something that is really quite simple and they’re a total faff to change.

The nuts on the inside aren’t captivated so you have to get your hand in there to hold them. Yeah, it’s more complicated than you might expect. You’ve got to swap the buckles between the boots to get them the right way around but, to be honest, you’re not going to be doing it loads. I just don’t understand why they’ve used different size Allen heads on the bolts; sort it out.

Summary of Lange XT3 Tour range

This boot is brilliant in many ways: it skis fantastically well, it’s light enough for a good amount of touring, really easy to use walk mode. Liner; loads of support, loads of grip, moulds well. It’s not a heat mouldable shell; I don’t think you lose out. A professional fitter in a shop will be able to get this to work for you, if your foot shape is right for the boot and just needs some tweaking; not a problem. The general shape out the box is brilliant. We tested this boot with the Salomon QST 99 .

It’s a pretty beefy ski, it’s got the Shift on it and this drives it without issue. It’s laterally stiff enough, you’ve got great rebound and power through the cuff. It skis like a 130 downhill boot. The beauty is you can use it on a ski like this and then you could use it on lighter-weight touring product.

This is more your kind of all-mountain touring product.

This is dedicated touring so it’s a lighter ski. Yes you could argue that this boot is too stiff and would overpower them, really you’d be looking at a lighter weight boot; maybe something around 1,200 grams – a kilo. But this has got really strong construction, it’s quite a powerful ski and this boot can perform really well on that without over flexing it.

As a usable, versatile, freeride boot that allows you to go touring, so free-touring,this is awesome. And that’s Lange’s XT3 Tour range of boots for winter 21/22.

Thanks for watching, I hope you liked the video. Click the like if you do, share it if you want to let other people see it and we’ll see you in the next review sometime soon. Have a great time skiing and we look forward to seeing the mountains sometime soon.

Want to see more kit tests and reviews then subscribe to the  SkiKitInfo.com YouTube channel  for industry leading gear test videos, or check out  What’s New for 21/22?  for more gear reviews from SkiKitInfo.com.

Want to see more of what Lange has to offer, you can visit their site at  Lange-Boots.com .

Independent, honest, unbiased reviews & tests

All of the info, reviews and testing by SkiKitInfo.com is independent and unbiased, to give you a full and honest appraisal of the products. Brands don’t pay us to review their kit or have any say in how the review turns out. We’re all passionate ski experts and want you to have the best information available.

Here are the timestamps for the Lange XT3 Tour range review, in case you want to jump to a specific part of the video. If you click the timestamp, it will take you to YouTube at the relevant part of the video.

00:00 – Intro 00:54 – XT3 Tour range overview 01:36 – Weight versus performance 02:04 – Construction 03:00 – Dual Core 03:26 – Flex characteristic of XT3 Tour boots 04:14 – Buckle configuration options 04:47 – Fit around foot & heel 06:02 – Liner 07:07 – XT3 Tour Pro pricing 07:54 – XT3 Tour Sports price & weight 08:13 – XT3 Tour price & weight 08:27 – Sole specs & ski binding compatibility 09:11 – Walk/tour mode function 10:30 – Range of motion (ROM) 11:10 – Boot aesthetic 11:45 – Boot board 12:27 – Downsides 15:06 – Summary 15:35 – Ski suitability

Quoted Prices

*Prices quoted here can be a mixture of recommended retail price from the brand and prices that you can currently get the kit for from retailers in that territory. The prices may therefore be less or more than you can find in-store / online and are only intended to give you a guide as to what you may expect to pay.

Always ensure you do adequate research when buying ski equipment to ensure you’re getting the best service and advice from the retailer, combined with a price that works for your budget.  Don’t always assume that cheaper means better value.

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Lange XT3 Tour Pro Boot

In Stock & Ships Today

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You’ve earned it. The new Lange XT3 Tour is the perfect companion for missions where you truly earn your turns. You woke up while the roosters were still fast asleep, tucked cozily into their flannel sheets. You were the first to the trailhead, braving the icy roads before they were plowed. You broke trail, dealing with brutally cold temperatures and howling wind. The reward for your early morning sacrifice is an unadulterated ski line begging for you to drop in. During moments like these, you want a boot that will allow you to receive maximal returns and the Lange XT3 is that boot. The Dual Core Sandwich construction, which features a soft plastic wrapped by harder plastic, delivers a uniquely damp and energetic feel on the descent while the 53° range of motion will make the ascent fly by. For the times you find yourself on an icy booter, the ISO 9523 Vibram sole will provide reliable traction, so you can trudge on with confidence. Built for performance on the down without being too punishing on the up, the new Lange XT3 Tour is the perfect companion for your next adventure.

• 53° range of motion.
• Dual-Core Sandwich construction for a damp, energetic ride.
• Active Power V-Lock makes for an extremely solid ski interface.
• Touring Performance Boot Board is rockered to help with a natural stride.
• Eva Lightweight Touring Liner.
• Dual Density Vibram Sole is ISO 9523.

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2021-2022 Lange XT3 130

Boot: 2021-2022 Lange XT3 130 LV

Stated Flex: 130

Available Sizes: 24.5–29.5

Stated Last (size 26.5): 97 mm

Stated Range of Motion: 53°

Stated Forward Lean: 12°

Stated Ramp Angle: 4°

Size Tested: 26.5

Stated Boot Sole Length: 303 mm

Blister’s Measured Weight (size 26.5):

• Shells, no Liners: 1407 & 1410 g
• Liners, no Footbeds: 368 & 368 g
• Shells + Liners = 1775 & 1778 g
• Stock Insoles: 19 & 19 g

Buckles: 4 micro-adjustable

Powerstrap: 40 mm velcro

Shell Material:

• Cuff: Lyftran Polypropelene
• Shoe / Clog: Polyurethane

Soles: GripWalk w/ rubberized arch pad (Alpine Soles available for purchase)

Binding Compatibility: GripWalk-compatible bindings; tech / pin bindings

Tech Fittings: Dynafit Certified

[ Note : our review was conducted on the 20/21 XT3 130, which was not changed for 21/22, apart from colors.]

Since the first Lange XT alpine-touring boot was released back in 2012 , they’ve been a reference point in the category of “freeride” boots designed to provide alpine-boot-like performance with added range of motion for walking and skinning uphill.

Since then, Lange’s XT lineup has undergone many changes, and to get the whole story, you should definitely listen to our Blister Podcast conversation with Lange’s Global Brand Director, Thor Verdonk . Thor goes over everything from the birth of the original XT, the various iterations since then, and the boot we’re talking about today: the new 20/21 Lange XT3.

But the quick gist is that the XT3 range of boots is supposed to not only walk better than the previous XT Free boots, but also ski better while weighing less. It’s rare that we see a boot both walk and ski better than its predecessor, so let’s take a closer look at the XT3 130 to see how Lange is aiming to accomplish all of that.

2020-2021 Lange XT3 Lineup

The XT3 lineup will consist of 8 boots in total, covering a wide range of flex ratings and last widths. Many models (such as the XT3 130) are available in both a 97 mm and 100 mm last, but apart from the last width, the different-lasted versions of each boot are identical. Here’s a quick breakdown of the line:

Men’s (size 24.5–29.5)

• XT3 140 Pro Model (97 mm last; PU Shell; Lyftran PP Cuff)
• XT3 130 (97 & 100 mm last; PU Shell; Lyftran PP Cuff)
• XT3 120 (97 & 100 mm last; PU Shell; Lyftran PP Cuff)
• XT3 100 (100 mm last; Lyftran PP Shell; Polyolefin Cuff)

Women’s (size 23.5–27.5):

• XT3 110 W (97 & 100 mm last; PU Shell; Lyftran PP Cuff)
• XT3 90 W (97 & 100 mm last; PU Shell; Lyftran PP Cuff)
• XT3 80 W (97 & 100 mm last; Lyftran PP Shell; Polyolefin Cuff)

Youth (size 23.5–27.5):

• XT3 80 SC (100 mm last; Polyolefin Shell; Polyolefin Cuff)

At an average weight of ~1776 grams per boot for a size 26.5, the XT3 130 falls around the middle of the pack when compared to other “freeride touring” boots. On one end, there are very lightweight boots like the Scarpa Maestrale RS & Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro , and on the other end, there are much heavier “50/50” or “crossover” boots like the Dalbello Lupo Pro HD and Tecnica Cochise 130 .

The XT3 130 falls between the two, whereas the slightly heavier Lange XT Free 130 was a bit closer to the heavier end of the spectrum. So the XT3 130 isn’t some super light boot, but it does now look more competitive in terms of weight vs. options like the Atomic Hawx Ultra / Prime XTD 130, Scarpa Maestrale XT , etc.

And it’s worth noting that, while the plastics used in the XT3 are different vs. the XT Free (see below), Lange says one of the biggest areas where they saved weight was actually in the XT3’s boot board, which is now reportedly 60% lighter — and also warmer and more shock absorbing.

Weight Comparisons

For reference, below are a number of our measured weights for some other notable boots (keep in mind the size differences). Our measured weights show the size of boot, then the weight of each boot + the weight of each liner, then the total weight for shells + liners, listed in grams:

Scarpa Maestrale RS (24.5 / 25.0): 1053 & 1057 + 244 & 245 = 1297 & 1302 g Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro (26.5): 1099 & 1100 + 210 & 211 = 1309 & 1311 g Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130 , 19/20 (26.5): 1130 & 1132 + 276 & 282 = 1406 & 1414 Salomon MTN Explore (26.5): 1126 & 1135 + 281 & 281 = 1407 & 1416 g Scarpa Maestrale XT (26.5 / 27.0): 1258 & 1258 + 247 & 252 = 1505 & 1510 g Head Kore 1 (26.5): 1132 & 1136 + 392 & 393 = 1524 & 1527 g Salomon S/Lab MTN (26.5): 1257 & 1246 + 288 & 303 = 1545 & 1549 g Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130, 20/21 (26.5): 1147 & 1150 + 403 & 404 = 1550 & 1554 Fischer Ranger Free 130 (26.5): 1204 & 1204 + 348 & 351 = 1552 & 1555 g Roxa R3 130 T.I. (27.5): 1319 & 1320 + 263 & 263 = 1582 & 1583 g Atomic Hawx Prime XTD 130 (26.5): 1242 & 1249 + 408 & 410 = 1650 & 1659 g Salomon QST Pro TR 130 (26.5): 1389 & 1391 + 273 & 274 = 1662 & 1665 g K2 Mindbender 130 (26.5): 1428 & 1427 + 346 & 348 = 1774 & 1775 g Lange XT3 130 LV (26.5): 1407 & 1410 + 368 & 368 = 1775 & 1778 g Nordica Strider Pro 130 DYN (27.5): 1445 & 1440 + 363 & 373 = 1808 & 1813 Lange XT Free 130 LV (27.5): 1472 & 1473 + 376 & 376 = 1848 & 1849 g Dalbello Lupo Pro HD w/o Tongues (26.5): 1589 & 1596 + 266 & 267 = 1855 & 1863 g Full Tilt Ascendant (27.5): 1613 & 1615 & + 3018 & 311 = 1921 & 1962 g Tecnica Cochise 130 DYN (25.5): 1493 & 1496 + 440 & 441 = 1933 & 1937 g Dalbello Lupo Pro HD w/ Tongues (26.5): 1747 & 1754 + 266 & 267 = 2013 & 2021 g

The XT3 boots still use Lange’s “Dual Core Light” construction, which essentially means that the boots feature plastics of different durometers. The softer plastic is sandwiched between harder plastics in an effort to make the boots easier to get on, while also increasing rebound when the boots are flexed.

One of the big differences between the new XT3 130 and the previous XT Free 130 is that Lange says the XT3 130 uses a polyurethane (PU) shell and a polypropylene (PP) cuff, whereas Lange says the XT Free 130 used a Grilamid shell and a “polyolefin” cuff.

For more on boot plastics, we highly recommend listening to our GEAR:30 podcast on boot plastics and reading the accompanying show notes.

The XT3 130 features Lange’s “Dual 3D Liner Full – Ultralon” liner, which is 100% heat-moldable and reportedly uses 3 different types of high-density foams throughout the liner. This liner is very similar to the liner in the XT Free 130.

The liner in the XT3 130 is thicker, heavier, and overall more substantial than the liners in the Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro and the 18/19–19/20 Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130, and seems fairly similar to the Mimic liner in the 20/21 Atomic Hawx XTD boots .

Walk Mechanism

The XT3 features what Lange calls their “Active Power V-Lock 3.0” walk mechanism. This is very similar to the walk mechanism in the previous XT and XT Free boots, but Lange has tweaked it to open up 2° more of rearward range of motion (aka, “ROM”) and 11° in the front, creating a total stated range of motion of 53° (vs. the XT Free’s 40°).

As we’ve noted in the past, we don’t pay too much attention to small differences in stated ROM since the usable ROM can feel different between boots with identical stated ROM. But looking at the XT3 vs. XT Free, a 13° difference in ROM is definitely worth noting.

Other than stated ROM numbers, it’s worth reiterating that the XT3’s walk mechanism is mostly internal, consisting of a plastic slider that locks / releases the connection between the cuff and shell, and also a small metal latch on the exterior. The walk mechanism is actuated by pulling up or down on a small toggle on the exterior of the cuff of the boot. In terms of how it works, the walk mechanism in the XT3 is extremely similar to the walk mechanisms in the previous XT boots.

Forward Lean / Ramp Angle

The XT3 boots have a stated forward lean of 12° and a stated ramp angle of 4°. The XT3’s forward lean is not adjustable via the walk mechanism like some other touring boots (e.g., the Atomic Hawx XTD, K2 Mindbender, & Tecnica Zero G series).

The XT3 boots use a pretty standard buckle layout for an overlap boot, with two buckles on the lower shell and two buckles on the cuff. All are micro-adjustable and there’s nothing really out of the ordinary with the buckles. They’re nice. Simple. Nothing weird here.

Power Strap

The XT3 130 features a 40mm-wide velcro power strap. This is pretty par for the course, though Lange has decided not to go with a cam-style power strap that we’ve seen on more and more boots (both alpine & touring) over the past couple of years.

All of the XT3 boots come standard with GripWalk soles, and Lange says that alpine soles will be available for purchase. The XT3’s GripWalk soles are very similar to the soles on the Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130, Roxa R3 130 T.I., Tecnica Cochise 130, Dalbello Lupo Pro HD, and the old XT Free 130.

The XT3 boots do not have full-rubber, rockered soles like the Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro and Scarpa Maestrale series, but the XT3 does have some added rubber under the arch of the boot which should help a bit when clambering over rocks, snowmobile running boards, etc.

I’ve talked a lot about how my feet tend to get along pretty well with many companies’ “LV” ski boots (i.e., around 97-98 mm last). So I can stick my foot into a size 26.5 Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro or Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130 , and go tour without pain. (The same is true for “LV” dedicated alpine boots like the Lange RX 130 LV , Atomic Hawx Ultra 130 , and HEAD Raptor 140 RS .) The Tecnica Mach 1 LV is a bit tighter / more intense on top of my “medial” tarsals (medial and intermediate cuneiform).

Point is — and I’ll do a more detailed fit comparison in the future — nothing jumps out at me about the XT3 130 LV being significantly wider or narrower than these other boots. This is not to say that there are no differences, it’s only to say that the differences — for my feet, at least — are relatively subtle.

Bottom Line (For Now)

While the Lange XT3 carries over several design features from the XT Free boots, the XT3 130 is a bit lighter, offers more range of motion, and according to Lange, still doesn’t give up any skiing performance. We’ve been spending time in the XT3 130 LV and Blister Members can now check out our Flash Review for our initial on-snow impressions. We’ll be logging many more days in this boot, so stay tuned for our full review.

36 comments on “2021-2022 Lange XT3 130”

What is the stance of the boot like? 30 years of being told to lean forward (and skis with fat, stiff tails) doesn’t seem to play well with the flatter ramp angle, let alone straighter cuff.

Modern Lange freeride boots are pretty upright. I have the second generation XT Free and it’s 12 degrees, but it comes with a pretty beefy liner-attached spoiler that’s advertised as bringing it to 16. The lean with spoiler feels similar to my “16 deg” Head Raptors or my old Nordica Doberman plugs (which were set up at 16-17) in that configuration, so I think that’s about right.

The first time I rode the XT Free 140 without the spoiler I was on Fischer 107Tis (a ski with a “stiff, fat tail”) and my mechanics were definitely off. I could drive the shovels just fine, but things like “low transitions” (ones where you keep your center close to the snow instead of rising between turns) were all messed up. An upright boot makes it harder to keep your under your center when your knees are deeply flexed like that. The same goes for presses (the racing kind that you execute before a roller or jump, not the freestyle kind).

w.r.t. plastics, polypropylene is a polyolefin, and as far as I can tell the existing 2nd gen XT Free does in fact have a polypropylene cuff (it’s listed as “polyolefin”). I don’t think that actually changed.

The move from grilamid to PU in the lower is surprising, though.

5 days in this boot, and I can say with no hesitation whatsoever, it skis like a RX or RS boot, no compromises on performance.

Stance seems to be the same as RX/RS, if anything I might add 1-2 degree wedge for added forward lean on steep slopes. 10/10

Have you skied the xt free (gen 2) to draw any comparisons. My guess is use of PU makes the suspension more like the RX but maybe less stiff for bigger skiers.

I ski a promachine 130 and on warm days it’s not stiff enough for me so like the idea of grilamid in the second generation compared to PU.

You know that they make a 140 version of this boot right?

A shame it is only made up to a 29.5!

As someone who needs a cuff alignment adjustment it looks like I will be going back to a dalbello lupo or trying the rossi alltrack elite instead of the xt3 when my xt free 130s need to be replaced

They removed the shaft canting adjustment?

Any thoughts on grilamid that is in the XT3 140? Wasn’t the move to PU done to make the boot have a better feel? Why does the top model still have grilamid?

Probably because Grilamid has higher stiffness/weight ratio than even the highest grades of polyurethane, and because the 130 is already at the limit of what can be done with PU alone? I suspect that the only way they could go higher without increasing weight (and going to a thicker mold) was to change materials. What’s interesting is that the lower is apparently PU/Grilamid, which implies that they were able to co-inject or overmold the two plastics. That would be impressive IMO, as Nylon-12 (a.k.a. Grilamid) is pretty tricky stuff even on its own.

The existing 2nd-gen 140 (all-grilamid lower, polyolefin cuff) isn’t a bad-feeling boot. It doesn’t have suspension like my Raptor 140s or the Nordica WC plugs I rode before that, but it’s nicer than any other touring boot I’ve tried.

I notice on the Lange website they show an orange cam style power strap on the xt3 pro model. Any word on that being available as a separate part?

Hi Jonathan,

1. What about ROM going up. Is there noticeable difference when you compare with current generation XT2? There is no forward angle and 11deg will be nice. 2. Walk / Ski is it more easy to switch from ski to walk ?

Thanks Ivan

The cheapest version seem to come stock with Alpine sole blocks. Really cool to see that they offer the LV version at all price points/ flexes.

What did I miss w.r.t. plastics? The bullets in the review above state “XT3 140 Pro Model (97 mm last; PU Shell; Lyftran PP Cuff)”. I’m interested in these boots specifically because they DON’T use Grilamid, which to me skis like a dead stick. I’d prefer the 1240, but if I have to go with a 130 to avoid Grilamid then so be it, but someone please confirm!!

When we first posted this First Look, Lange said the XT3 140 was going to use a dual-core lower shell with a mix of PU and Grilamid, hence the comments above. But then this summer, Lange told us that they had decided to just do a PU lower shell for the 140 because they wouldn’t be able to recycle a mixed-plastic shell of PU / Grilamid and the improved skiing performance of full-PU offset any weight savings of Grilamid, so we updated the specs here.

So, for the production versions available this season, Neither the XT3 140 nor the XT3 130 use Grilamid — both of them feature Lange’s “dual-core” Polyurethane lower shell and a Polypropylene upper cuff.

Thank you! I was checking out the Lange website and they still state the Grilamid/PU mix, but I’m going to believe your answer because I like it a lot better :)

Bummer – Lange corp confirms the 140 uses Grilamid.

Strange… I’ll double check with our contact there, but he had specifically told us that the production version of the 140 was not going to use Grilamid. I would bet that their customer service staff just wan’t updated on the change (since the boot was supposed to use some Grilamid when they announced the line), but I’ll double check and get back to you.

Just talked to Lange’s NA Marketing Director and he re-confirmed that the 140 does not use Grilamid. While I obviously don’t have a way to test that, I trust him, and I suspect the update just hasn’t been effectively communicated throughout the brand.

Luke – Great info and thanks for the follow-up!

So is the only difference between the 140 and 130 the strap then? If they both use the same plastic there’s really no difference?

140 has the race liner

Hi Severin, As per the Lange website : XT3 140 liner is Dual 3D Liner RACE, and the XT3 130 has Dual 3D Liner FULL. I would think the liner and the cam lock strap explain the $50 price difference?

I’m looking at buying this boot, but I’m a bit worried about durability. I saw a photo and review that made it seem like this boot was made out of play doh. Has anyone noticed anything? This boot costs a fair bit and I need it to last awhile.

Can you step into a pin tech binding and an alpine binding with the rubber sole or do you have to remove the rubber sole to use in an alpine binding? Planning to use as a resort boot but have the ability to switch to my touring skis and do some side country touring at the resort. Wouldn’t want the hassle of having to put the sole on/off. I already have touring only boots.

To make my life easier the last couple of years I have switched all my bindings over to grip walk compatible Now I have only one set of skis that are not , there race skis used for coaching and ski demonstration and the few days I use them I just change the toe from grip walk over to alpine in order to be safe . I spent about a month in this boot last year lots of walking and skiing the 130 100 last no signs of wear , added a booster strap , heat molded for better fit , stance and Alinement felt real good out of box for me and were surprisingly easy to ski , after years in a three pice shell 10 plus , the difference I noticed was there harder to get on and off , comfort nothing beats a good fit three pice with a wrap liner for long days in your boots , performance was spot on both carving groomers and side country at big sky , have not skinned with them yet but will this season , i would highly recommend this boot !

Walk to Ride: A Walk to Ride Boot has low-tech inserts (i.e. pin bindings such as a Dynafit) to accommodate tech touring bindings and can also fit into specifically certified alpine bindings. Walk to Ride Boots can only fit safely into Walk to Ride (WTR) or Multi-Norm Certified (MNC) bindings. So look for the WTR or MNC Stamp. A few examples are Salomon’s STH2, Tracker, and Warden bindings.: https://www.powder.com/stories/an-explanation-of-boot-and-binding-compatibility/

I can say these are amazing boots. The XT3 140 PRO for my narrow feet. I have had the 1st gen XT and have tried many of the others above including the 2021 Atomic 130 Ultra XTD tech GW. I love the new plastics with the XT3. I had the Grilamid plastics snap and break on a boot like the Rossi All Track 130’s as well so I really like the PU. And @Severin above the XT3 140 only comes in 97 MM last and is the only model one that has the CAM lock strap. Little heavier than some competition for the UP but well worth it as for me it mostly about the DOWN.

@Ben: The supplied sole with the XT3 is GripWalk, not WTR. It is compatible with any binding labeled “GripWalk” or “GW” as well as MNC, WTR, WTR/Dual, SoleID/ID, and “AT” (Tyrolia). This means most alpine bindings less than 2-3 years old, but not all.

If you have older, pre-GripWalk alpine bindings that are not GripWalk compatible, your best bet is to swap the OEM soles for traditional ISO 5355 ones (I did this on my pair) which are available from Lange.

Would anyone happen to know if this boot would function with an older Dynafit Beast 14 binding? Thanks!

After 20 days the boot sucks. Walk mode is a iced out piece of garbage. If Italy wasn’t so far away I’d hand deliver them back to them.

Thanks for your update; it’s what some of us need to hear about real world use. How was the boot until the walk mode failed?

hey, just wondering if the liner is compatable with laces

Have 7 Days on my New xt3 140s. Coming from a Salomon SMAX 130 carbon, the flex feels similar, but the cuff is definitely more upright. I think they should be a good all around boot for Patrol. Hopefully they offer more durability than the Smax Boots

I’ve a couple seasons in the XT3 140. I’m 175cm and 65 kgs – not big by any means. I’m fit though and ski a lot. I would love these boots but they scare the shit out of me – 1 to 2 times a day I blow through the flex. What I mean by this is that they start to ramp up progressively, but occasionally they give out and stop progressing and rather just get soft? Again, it doesn’t happen often. For reference I ski k108 in a 184, Cochise 185, 190 Super 7 RD and 165 Dobermann SL WC. I’ve a pair of Redster 130 WCs that are far superior but of course they don’t tour :) in contrast to the Langes i have a pair of Salomon S/Lab “120” flex and have never experienced this, but the flex does ramp up and hit a wall fairly quickly for me. Would love the fit of the Lange and progressive flex that doesn’t stop quite so fast.

Anyone have any recs?

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Lange XT3 130 Ski Boot Review

With excellent power transfer and a confidence-inspiring build, lange’s downhill-focused backcountry boot is made for aggressive riders and committing lines.

Brian McCurdy Photography

We use affiliate links and may receive a small commission on purchases. Read more about us . 

Lange XT3 130

Price: $750 Weight per pair: 7 lbs. 14.3 oz. Flex: 130 What we like: An exceptional downhill companion for big lines and variable conditions.  What we don’t: Heavy; overlapping cuff inhibits range of motion while touring. See the Lange XT3 130   See the Women's Lange XT3 110

Backcountry skiers often sacrifice downhill performance for the ability to tour uphill, but Lange’s XT3 130 is designed with the descent in mind. We put the XT3 to the test both on- and off-piste in the Coast and North Cascade ranges of the Pacific Northwest and found it to be impressively confidence-inspiring in committing terrain. Weight-conscious skiers looking to cover ground quickly should look elsewhere, but the Lange is a true standout for confident riders hitting big lines, resort-goers who like to explore the slackcountry, and aggressive skiers who want an alpine boot-like feel in the backcountry. Below we break down the Lange XT3 130’s overall performance. To see how it stacks up to the competition, see our article on the best backcountry ski boots .  

Table of Contents

Uphill performance, downhill performance, key features, build quality and durability, fit, sizing, and comfort.

• What We Like/What We Don't

Comparison Table

The competition.

Buckle System

Ski/Walk Lever

Other Versions of the Lange XT3

What We Like

• The Lange XT3 is an exceptional downhill companion: this boot is highly responsive, transfers power incredibly well, and is stable at speed and in a range of conditions.
• Extremely hardwearing and confidence-inspiring build has held up impressively well to rough backcountry and resort use.
• Dual 3D Full liner and sturdy polyurethane shell provide great warmth and fit me very well out of the box.
• Compatible with both tech and alpine bindings.

What We Don’t

• Very heavy at nearly 8 pounds for the pair, which can take a toll on long tours.
• Overlapping cuff design causes the boot to stop flexing abruptly while in walk mode and can make it difficult and painful to get off.
• Flat surface under the toe and heel makes walking in icy conditions tricky and fairly treacherous.

Lange’s XT3 130 is a strong and powerful backcountry ski boot that performs exceptionally well on the descent. In this category, we also like Atomic’s Hawx Ultra XTD 130 . The Atomic is the weight leader at 6 pounds 15 ounces per pair (nearly a full pound lighter than the Lange) and features 54 degrees of range of motion, both of which translate to better uphill capabilities. You also get a sturdy 130 flex and a four-buckle layout, although it's still a step down from the alpine boot-like feel of the Lange on the downhill, making it the less ideal pick for heavy riders and big-mountain lines. In the end, a final decision between the two will come down to your objectives and priorities: the Lange can ski more aggressively, but the Ultra XTD is the more versatile 50/50 resort and backcountry pick.

For those looking for a more balanced design, one of our favorite all-rounders is Dynafit’s Hoji Free . Although less aggressive on the descent, the Hoji Free undercuts the Lange considerably in weight at 6 pounds 13 ounces per pair but retains a progressive and stiff 130 flex, has a 55-degree range of motion that offers a smooth and natural uphill experience, and is compatible with both alpine and tech bindings. And importantly, despite its great performance on the skin track, the Hoji Free still is an excellent downhill companion thanks to Dynafit’s Hoji Lock system, which locks the spine and cuff together via a single lever for a snug, alpine boot-like feel (for more, see our in-depth Hoji Free review ). The Hoji doesn’t come cheap at $900, but we consider it the much more well-rounded option for touring (and the clear choice if you’ll be doing any multi-day trips). 

Finally, Salomon recently released an intriguing hybrid design in their Shift Pro 130 . Like the Lange, the Shift Pro is best for downhill-oriented skiers with an alpine boot-like feel, study four-buckle closure system, GripWalk soles (with a Contagrip section to boost traction on icy surfaces), and easy-to-use ski/walk lever. Compared to the Lange, the Salomon weighs less at 7 pounds 3 ounces per pair but falls notably short in overall mobility and freedom of movement (it has a 40-degree ROM). In the end, the XT3’s better climbability and $50-cheaper price tag are enough for us to give it the edge over the Salomon, but the Shift Pro nevertheless is a competitive addition to the hybrid category. And for a slightly softer option for backcountry and sidecountry adventures, check out Salomon’s S/Lab MTN.

Lange XT3 130 Price Comparison

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Lange XT3 Tour Pro - praise, gripes, hacks, and mods

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So I threatened to, and decided to just do it. Since there seemed to be enough chatter in a couple of other threads about it, I just went ahead and started a dedicated thread for the Lange XT3 Tour Pro boots... I've got 6 days in them (4 inbounds and 2 touring) and while they fit my foot freaking awesome I just don't love the way they ski. But I'm not convinced they can't be "fixed" so here's goddamned thread about the boot, how I feel about the boot (let's not call it a review per se), and a place to collect what maggots like, hate, and end up changing about it. So first, a couple of general info things that we know and have been confirmed here in other threads: Stated Flex: 130 Stated Last: 99mm Stated Range of Motion: 53° Stated BLS: 303mm @ 26.5 / 313mm @ 27.5 I'm gonna assume forward lean and ramp angle of 12° and 4° based on the other XT3 boots, though I haven't been able to confirm that anywhere. Alright, here's my thoughts on the boot, as well as some experiments I'm going to try out. This will be long, apologies in advance. Hoping other people will also post thoughts and ideas in here as well. To that end, I have actually read what I could about this boot on this forum, and thrown some quotes from others in for perspective. Here we go. I've worn very few boots in my short time as a skier, this is my third pair in 12 years. Black Diamond Factor 130 for the first 4-5 seasons, and I've been skiing in Scarpa Freedom SLs for the last 7-8 seasons. The BDs were awful in every way, but I didn't know it until they were stolen and I got the Scarpas. MUCH better fitting, flex, skiability, etc. I actually really like/love the Scarpas for not knowing any better, but my one gripe was that I could pretty easily get my heel to move. When I shoved my hoof in this Lange it felt way much more better in the heel, and more snug but not too tight in the forefoot despite being a couple mm narrower last. My feet: very flat but long arch, pronates like a MFer, ankles roll inward, low instep, fairly low volume, average width that kinda "walks wide" because of how much I pronate. Also I broke my right ankle pretty badly (fucking motocross) and had a couple surgeries which has left my right navicular poking pretty far inward, always a major hotspot. Maybe that info is helpful to this guy: Originally Posted by altacoup Also have scarpa rs130. That fucker is narrower than a Doberman plug in the toe and bigger than a five gallon bucket in the heel ankle. I like the fit of the XT3 Tour better than my Scarpas out of the box even without baking the liner yet. Way better heel hold, slightly snugger forefoot. Also, the Scarpas finally packed out too far for my liking (i.e. got real fucking sloppy) about a month ago, so I went looking for new boots. I tried on several boots including a K2 Mindbender, Hoji Free, Dynafit Radical pro (2022), Scarpa Maestrale, and maybe a couple of others I'm forgetting. The Lange fit the best out of the box, and the bootfitter I worked with at Bent Gate in Golden, CO felt it was appropriate for what, how, and how well I ski (more on that in a bit). My specific size 27.5 boots weighed in at 1595g and 1605g with the stock liners and footbeds. I did not weigh each component separately. There are others who have weighed their boots on this forum, and posted pictures that are in line with what I found. i.e. a couple people have this boot in a 27.5 and got within 5-10g of the weight I got. Even though I generally agree with this: Originally Posted by GoldenBC Boot companies need to make real boots with walk modes. Don’t make any sacrifices. I have not had a single customer ask how much a boot weighs in two years. I was pretty excited at the possibility of losing nearly a full pound (400g to be specific) off my feet compared to the Scarpas and still having something I could ski as a daily driver. Afterall, ski boot tech has come a LONG way since I got those Freedoms, and on paper this boot looked like a good match for what I was looking for. I guess that brings us to the "how do I feel about this boot" part of the post. Like I said, I love the fit but I don't love the way it skis. I'm not a great skier, but I try and ski challenging terrain and get better as often as possible. I don't consider myself a charger, more of a medium speed skier. I don't huck cliffs. I do like skiing steeper lines, and will hike/walk/shuffle/sidestep for a powder shot any fucking day of the week. I currently ski backcountry to inbounds at a 1:3 ratio favoring inbounds. Backcountry missions include everything from day touring in Colorado, skiing a larger single-hit line or 14er, hut trips, sidecountry adventures in Jackson or Snowbird, or whatever. I've always skied an AT boot, I've never skied a true alpine boot even as a kid as I didn't start skiing until my late 30s. So I'm not expecting these to ski like plug boots or whatever. Oh... and I'm a Large Human (as Marshal Olson has informed me guys like he and I are) at 6'2" and ~200 lbs. So apart from fitting me really well, this boot tours fucking great. Like, really well. I haven't baked the liners, so I still have a pesky hot spot on my right inner ankle (navicular) but even that is getting better as I wear the boot. Skiing is... a different story. As I said I'm not a great skier, and as I like to ski steeper more demanding terrain I think I ask a lot of my boots to bail my ass out when my technique sucks. Here's what I feel, three things I'd like to try and make better: At speed on harder packed snow, particularly snow that's been skied up and is kinda rutted and such, the boot feels nervous. Like not confidence inspiring that it'll keep that ski edge planted while going fast. This is better if I get more on the front of the boot, but it's just not as composed feeling as I'd like. Could this be qualities of the Grilamid vs. a Pebex or PU boot? Like, it's not as damp? I'm just not sure exactly what I'm feeling here, or how to describe it. It's not quite chattery, just doesn't feel as connected to keep the ski planted on the snow. Not as composed. I've found that if I have the skis at an angle to the fall line and I'm scrubbing or controlling speed, that if the front half of the ski hits some chop or a pile of snow or something, occasionally the boot feels like it folds at the ankle. Like, the toe dorsiflexes towards my shin real hard and quick. It's never caused a catastrophe, but it's disconcerting. As above, this seems better if I really concentrate on driving the boot through the tongue... which isn't necessarily easy or a strong suit for me given my non-race low-technique background and limited ankle strength and mobility from injuries. Could this be that the Lange has a really progressive flex, so where I'm skiing it is a bit softer than I'm used to but it ramps up to that 130 as it gets deeper in it's flex? I don't think these have the rearward support that I would like or need. Especially compared to the Scarpas, if I get back-seated I feel like I'm in an office chair about to tip over backwards... except that occasionally I do tip over backwards. I know, I know... don't do that. Have I mentioned I'm not the best skier? Anyways... could this be a lean angle difference? Cuff height difference? Could shoving a shim or spoiler behind my liner help in this regard? I think the Scarpa has more of a forward lean than the Lange, as well as a rear spoiler doo-dad and taller cuff. So, I do like fiddling with shit. And there's enough people here that are making changes to this boot and given me some ideas that I'm gonna try some shit out. I've also talked to a couple bootfitters to get some recommendations, here's my list of things I'm gonna try to make this boot work: Rear cuff/shim/spoiler, for a couple of reasons. I think this will help me get in a more aggressive stance (the Lange seems pretty upright) and it'll help with more rearward support. Booster strap, or a Lange XT3 140 strap if I can source it. I wouldn't have thought of this, but the two bootfitters I spoke with said this could help me feel the full 130 flex of the boot earlier in the range of motion of the flex. Makes sense, not expensive, worth trying out. New liners, either a more robust Lange liner or just get an Intuition or Zipfit. The first thing I'm gonna try is just skiing the boot with the Intuition from the Scarpa, to see if that makes any sort of difference. At the same time, I'll also experiment with a rear spoiler by just adding the one from the Scarpa. It bolted in there fairly easily, and though it would really need to be grinded on a bit to be nice-nice it'll work as proof of concept. Gained under 100g adding the spoiler, liner, and heavier footbed from my Scarpa: I'm open to any commentary, advice, hazing, or whatever y'all got.

Last edited by Full Trucker; 04-01-2021 at 09:04 AM . Reason: Updated threat title to include "Pro"

The older I get, the faster I was. Punch it, Chewie. Damn he seems cool.

Here's the part where I quote other folks and ask more specific questions. Some of this might be repeated from above, I wrote them at different times. Sorry, not sorry. Originally Posted by DarthMarkus Tried it with the shim completely removed, as well as lowered. Definitely better in both regards. With the shim completely out, I think I'll need to shorten the top buckle ladder. Possibly even drill a new hole. Makes me a little hesitant that it'll distort the upper cuff to get it tight enough. Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk Originally Posted by YoEddy It appears to be the same 'ol Lange cuff shim except bolted through the same hole as the power strap. I'll likely remove it but looks like it will need a shorter bolt No big deal. If either of you gents have taken out that rear spoiler and are definitely not gonna put it back in, I'd like to discuss taking it off your hands. As I said above, I'm in the XT3 Tour Pro and looking to do some experimentation. While I love the fit and touring in it, I don't love the way it skis. One idea I have is that I am used to more forward lean in a boot, so adding that spoiler might help me ski the boot a bit more forward. I've just pulled the rear spoiler out of a Scarpa Freedom SL (which I think is the same across many of their boots) and bolted it in there to start fiddling with stuff. Same goes if either of you (or anyone else in this thread ) is ditching the 140 power strap, or either the 130 or 140 liners. The liner that comes with the Tour Pro just doesn't seem that great, feel to me limp like wet noodle. I will also be trying out the Intuitions from my Scarpas, but those are 7 years old and likely shot (hence why I bought new boots) so if it proves out that they ski better than the stock liners, I'll be looking to get something better. Originally Posted by robnow Also looking for a dedicated non touring liner. I work at an Atomic dealer so I grabbed some Mimics, nice in the ankle and tongue but shit in the forefoot, way too thin and loose (too much volume left, will try once more with the Bondex). Will probably end up with a foam injection. You too, sir. If you replace that XT3 140 liner with something lemme know, could be interested in the stock yours came with. But maybe you're gonna run the stock one for touring? Also an interesting idea... except the Tour Pro liner isn't even that great for the "skiing" part of touring. Originally Posted by gregL Two days on my XT3 130 LV after 6 on my RS 130 plugs, and I'm stoked. There is definitely more volume out of the box, and I'm still trying to decide "if" and "how thick" a shim to run behind the liner cuff. From what I have read, the XT3 and XT3 Tour have the same forward lean. Did you decide to put a shim back there? How thick? And why? I have my reasons for wanting to try it out, curious to hear yours. Originally Posted by SoVT Joey Here let me show you the new Lange liners that are now being shipped back to Lange for the xt tour pro. They are shit and the heel collapses due to the foot sole being to short sewn on the boot liner base. You've said the stock XT3 Tour Pro liners are garbage, and the XT3 130 liners are much better. I'm inclined to believe you. Question for you is: are you getting a different liner from Lange? You said the stock Tour Pro liners are "being shipped back to Lange" so are they sending you something different in return? And if so, how did that work? Because yeah... if I can get Lange to swap me out these for either the Dual 3D Liner RACE or FULL that would be rad. I'm not opposed to throwing money at the problem i.e. getting an Intuition or Zipfit, but if I can get a better skiing liner than what I have to start with that wouldn't suck either. Also, isn't there that issue of aftermarket liners wanting to flip the tour mechanism back into ski mode while touring? Yes, yes there is... I read about it in the XT3 140 and 21/22 gear threads, and confirmed it last night by just chucking my Intuitions in the Lange and walking around the house. It seems like either the rougher/textured material of the liner or the stitching across that heel zone on the liner "grabs" the plastic wedge plate inside the boot that locks the cuff in place and moves it back into ski mode from tour mode. The general forum consensus is to loosen the upper cuff completely but being a guy who likes his upper cuff sorta semi-buckled and also being a tinkerer I thought there'd have to be a better way. I did some brainstorming with a bootfitter named Matt at Bent Gate last night, and we got looking at the mechanism and the liner for ideas. The Tour Pro liner has a piece of very soft and very smooth fabric right where the ski/tour wedge plate is in the boot, that assumably enables low friction against the wedge so the movement of the liner doesn't move the wedge. We came up with a couple of things that I am going to try out: Some sort of smooth slippery tape to the plastic plate in the boot. That plate has a bunch of holes in it, so maybe that's what the rougher liner material is grabbing on to and able to move it? The other thought I had was the same, but different: cover the liner with something like K-Tape, which would be smoother and more slippery, and also smooth out the rib caused by the stitching, making that less likely to grab onto that plate. Put a rear spoiler (shim, cuff, whatever you wanna call it) in there, that's just slightly thicker than the plastic ski/tour plate, and would hold the liner away from the plate just enough to give it room and not let the liner move the plate. I actually did a little proof of concept on this last night by bolting the rear spoiler from my Scarpa into the boot, chucking the Intuition in there, and walking around the house. I could see the lever on the outside wiggling a bit, but it never flipped into ski mode like it was doing without the cuff in there. Experimentation continues...

do you know if you have a Lange foot ? from what I hear Lange people can just buy Langes including their AT boots and they will fit like every other lange one of my ski buds often rides his bike past my house wearing lange AT boots

Lee Lau - xxx-er is the laziest Asian canuck I know

I wish I'd known you were boot shopping. I have Zero Gs in 27.5 you could have demo'd. They ski great. I know, I'm not helping.

did you do the foot scan app that GregL posted up? It's a great way to get some feedback on your foot and he's a great bootfitter, but he's at EVO in seattle. https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...ot-Scanner-App should be possible to get a punch in that inner left ankle area to alleviate the hot spot (just need a good bootfitter). I've found that the Intuition Powerwrap liner is a good one for stiffening up the boot a bit (sounds like you are part of the way there with the Scarpa Liner).

Aggressive in my own mind

Originally Posted by XXX-er do you know if you have a Lange foot ? from what I hear Lange people can just buy Langes including their AT boots and they will fit like every other lange one of my ski buds often rides his bike past my house wearing lange AT boots Honestly I don't know if my foot is a Lange foot... but these things do fit really nice out of the box. I can only assume that means I have a "Lange foot". WRT the same fit across all Langes, not sure that's exactly the case anymore. These boots in particular have a last width that is different than any of the other boots, which assumably means they'd fit differently. Originally Posted by N1CK. I wish I'd known you were boot shopping. I have Zero Gs in 27.5 you could have demo'd. They ski great. I know, I'm not helping. You know, weren't we supposed to actually do something about skiing this week? Shit man, sorry I didn't get my poop in a group and confirm that with ya. Work has sucked anyways. But hey, if you ever wanna swap these boots for a day or two I'm down, I'd love to actually get more experience skiing different boots so I can start to figure out what works and what doesn't. Are yours the Zero G Tour Pro ? Because as a mediocre skier, I can only ski Pro level boots. Obviously.

Originally Posted by hoarhey did you do the foot scan app that GregL posted up? It's a great way to get some feedback on your foot and he's a great bootfitter, but he's at EVO in seattle. https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...ot-Scanner-App should be possible to get a punch in that inner left ankle area to alleviate the hot spot (just need a good bootfitter). I've found that the Intuition Powerwrap liner is a good one for stiffening up the boot a bit (sounds like you are part of the way there with the Scarpa Liner). Dude, thanks for the resource. I'll check that out... it'll be good to know more specifically what kinda hoof I have. I had the same navicular issue with the Scarpas, and just heat molding the liner with a donut spacer in there fixed it entirely. No pain or blisters in the Scarpas for over 6 years, a pretty good run. And yeah, I think testing the Scarpa liner will be a good proof of concept to see if a more aggressive liner helps with skiability. I'm hopeful it will. Shit, I think even the spoiler will make a difference for me. Hoping gregL or other knowledgable folk chime in and either tell me I'm crazy or on to something.

GregL said that donut pad thing you did is another option for naviculars? I have a spolier from the RX130 if you want a pair of those (those are the velcro backed ones, not bolt-through. ALso, I have a set of of the RX130 booster strap with the cam buckle if you'd want those. Maybe I can send you a photo of the boots I bought for parts, so you'd know the booster strap type (RX130 model from 2013 I think but is in great shape). I'll do that via pm

I actually ended up selling my xt3 140s, so no spoilers, sorry. I liked the boot well enough, but it turns out my foot is still too low-volume for the XT3. Just don't have a lange foot. Back to Tecnica. Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk

My guess is you bought the wrong boot for a quiver of one. You're a big dude and you are overpowering the boot under the poor performance scenarios you described. You could add a stiffer liner to the boot, but it would probably diminish the range of movement and would add substantial weight. It would also put you hundreds more into a boot that is not well designed for your use case, and may not really deliver the performance you paid for. If you want to be able to charge inbounds and still be able to tour with the same boot, you should look for something burlier. Maybe next year's Cochise: https://blisterreview.com/gear-revie...ca-cochise-130

The cochise is what I was in previously. It's what I'm going back into as well as the mach1 lv 130. I also threw an intuition into the xt3 and it did help actually, but ultimately I still ended up with my top buckles maxed out. Edit: you may not have been talking to me...

Yeah, I was spraying at the OP.

Forgive me but everything in the OP's synopsis screams that he should be in the regular XT3 series (130 or 140) and NOT the Tour Pro. Nothing about the review is surprising. It's a lighter boot and skis so. The lack of rearward support sounds just like the previous generation Freetours which were also made of Grilamid so again, no surprises there.

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TL;DR, although my OCD appreciates the thoroughness (and I'll return to a full read of this soon) ... It may well be that you don't have a Lange foot, but how can you judge a boot without molding the liners? This makes no sense to me. I don't know if Lange's liners have improved, but my first year's XT 130 Freetour liners were terrible. I never would have purchased them (or worse ... purchased the next larger shell size) had I not slipped a pair of my Intuiutions into them. In any case, liners were made to be molded so ... you know ... you can mold them ;-) Secondly, this lack of a supportive spine everyone reports, completely blows my mind. Are all of you guys dropping cliffs like Barkared, Turdell and company? It dawns on me that you may not bond with the Lange flat stance. I was a fairly late adopter of modern skis ... maybe 8 years ago. When I tried on my Freetours in the shop, they felt a bit odd, but suddenly, everything people were saying about flat stances began to make sense in the context of modern skis. It took me about 2 hours to get used to the new stance and I'd never go back. I can envision this not being the case for everyone,. Rent some tele gear for 3 or 4 days and find your balance point. There's a lot to unpack above, and I'll return to this ... when I'm not in such a snarky mood. ... Thom

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Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un TL;DR, although my OCD appreciates the thoroughness (and I'll return to a full read of this soon) ... It may well be that you don't have a Lange foot, but how can you judge a boot without molding the liners? This makes no sense to me. I don't know if Lange's liners have improved, but my first year's XT 130 Freetour liners were terrible. I never would have purchased them (or worse ... purchased the next larger shell size) had I not slipped a pair of my Intuiutions into them. In any case, liners were made to be molded so ... you know ... you can mold them ;-) Secondly, this lack of a supportive spine everyone reports, completely blows my mind. Are all of you guys dropping cliffs like Barkared, Turdell and company? It dawns on me that you may not bond with the Lange flat stance. I was a fairly late adopter of modern skis ... maybe 8 years ago. When I tried on my Freetours in the shop, they felt a bit odd, but suddenly, everything people were saying about flat stances began to make sense in the context of modern skis. It took me about 2 hours to get used to the new stance and I'd never go back. I can envision this not being the case for everyone,. Rent some tele gear for 3 or 4 days and find your balance point. There's a lot to unpack above, and I'll return to this ... when I'm not in such a snarky mood. ... Thom I think Thom is on track. I don't know about the ramp inside the Scarpa's, but I'm guessing its a lot steeper than Langes. Try a heel lift, start with 1/8" and then try more

Right on, I appreciate the responses. I was hopeful that some other XT3 Tour folks would get in here, and maybe they still will. But this is helpful for my knowledge... having not owned tons of ski boots I can't say that I know what I like and don't like, what works well for me and what doesn't. There's a lot that goes into boot design I'm learning, and maybe the general population won't notice a lot of the nuances in different ramp angles, plastics, etc. But once you start demanding more of your equipment these things start making more of a difference, even as a mediocre skier. Originally Posted by Wapow My guess is you bought the wrong boot for a quiver of one. You're a big dude and you are overpowering the boot under the poor performance scenarios you described. You could add a stiffer liner to the boot, but it would probably diminish the range of movement and would add substantial weight. It would also put you hundreds more into a boot that is not well designed for your use case, and may not really deliver the performance you paid for. If you want to be able to charge inbounds and still be able to tour with the same boot, you should look for something burlier. Maybe next year's Cochise: https://blisterreview.com/gear-revie...ca-cochise-130 You might well be correct on this WRT "wrong boot for a quiver of one" and the only counter I have is... I don't think I'd want this boot as a tour-only boot either. All of the behaviors I've outlined I felt on the tours I did as well. One quick example: skiing soft 3D snow and getting into a rhythm with my turns and then hitting a hidden rib of wind slab kinda mid-turn made the boot feel like it was folding in the middle (my second bullet point). So yeah maybe a ~1600g boot just isn't in the cards for me, or just not this particular 1600g boot. Hopefully, I have some low-investment options to do some experimentation and figure this out, before I write these boots off and sell them. Originally Posted by robnow Forgive me but everything in the OP's synopsis screams that he should be in the regular XT3 series (130 or 140) and NOT the Tour Pro. Nothing about the review is surprising. It's a lighter boot and skis so. The lack of rearward support sounds just like the previous generation Freetours which were also made of Grilamid so again, no surprises there. The whole Grilamid vs. PU thing is absolutely something I wonder about as well. Stiff, Light, Damp: pick any two, right? Grilamid is stiff and light, and not damp. I think. More brittle. Could very well be contributing to what I am feeling. Who knew you had to also be a fucking materials scientist to be a skier? JTFC. The regular XT3 series may very well be a good option depending on a few factors. First, there's forward lean and ramp angle that Thom talked about, maybe I just don't get along with the flat stance of the Lange? The other thing here is, this 99mm last feels pretty fucking good... 97mm just seems like it'd be too snug for my foot given that navicular issue (though it could be punched?) and how the 99 feels, and would the 100mm last of the regular XT3 be too much like the 101 of the Scarpa? If the Lange has better heel hold at 100 than the Scarpa, it could work. But then fuck, I do think I'd want the stiffer liner, spoiler, and thicker strap of the 140 and that isn't available in a 100mm last. And mother fucking fuck those GripWalk soles... just why? WHY? Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un TL;DR, although my OCD appreciates the thoroughness (and I'll return to a full read of this soon) ... Heh... your response wasn't all that short either, despite not having read the whole post. I look forward to your thoughts when you have time, seriously. Now, speaking of a lot to unpack... Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un It may well be that you don't have a Lange foot, but how can you judge a boot without molding the liners? This makes no sense to me. I don't know if Lange's liners have improved, but my first year's XT 130 Freetour liners were terrible. I never would have purchased them (or worse ... purchased the next larger shell size) had I not slipped a pair of my Intuiutions into them. In any case, liners were made to be molded so ... you know ... you can mold them ;-) So... what the fuck is a Lange foot? Someone else asked that earlier... all I can say is the boot seems to fit my hoof pretty damn well, better than the Scarpa out of the box. I only have one hot spot, and that's a known issue that can be taken care of when heat molding the liner or punching if need be. And the pain on that navicular isn't so bad that it's keeping me from skiing, so I guess I'm not sure how heat molding them will make the boots magically ski differently or better or whatever. FWIW, the approach I've been told with new boots is if they fit relatively well out of the box, one should go ski them for a few days and get settled in so you know what issues you want to address when you do heat mold them. So that's where I was... but now I'm being stubborn about baking them in case I end up selling them. You know... "Basically brand new! Less than 10 days on 'em! Liners never baked! I just suck at skiing and can't get along with the Lange flat stance!" or whatever. As for the liners being garbage... SoVT Joey has said as much with the Tour Pro liner. He also asserts that the regular 130 flex XT3 liner made a huge difference in how the boot skied overall, so I'm gonna chuck the Scarpa/Intuitions in there to see if and how much difference that makes. Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un Secondly, this lack of a supportive spine everyone reports, completely blows my mind. Are all of you guys dropping cliffs like Barkared, Turdell and company? I am not dropping cliffs, but there's plenty of other places where rear ward support seems like a good idea. I'm thinking about skiing through the woods out of a hut, crossing weird gullies and other "g-out" spots where the terrain is just throwing you off balance and demanding a bit of spine support. Even for people with good balance this seem like a good thing, but for people with shitty balance like me even more critical. I'm sure we could come up with other non cliff hucker examples. Also, I'm a big dude that doesn't ski as far forward all the time as I ought to. I'm working on it, but until I get there my big ass is gonna need some spine. Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un It dawns on me that you may not bond with the Lange flat stance. I was a fairly late adopter of modern skis ... maybe 8 years ago. When I tried on my Freetours in the shop, they felt a bit odd, but suddenly, everything people were saying about flat stances began to make sense in the context of modern skis. It took me about 2 hours to get used to the new stance and I'd never go back. I can envision this not being the case for everyone,. This feels like the gem in your post, to me. I was already kinda wondering about the stance, hadn't really considered ramp angle but was definitely thinking about the forward lean, hence my experiment of a rear spoiler. But yeah, if a flat ramp angle isn't my jam, then maybe this ain't the boot for me. Data point: Other than the Volkl Bridge I had for a season when I first started skiing 12 years ago, I have never owned a non modern ski. Rossi S7, Atomic Bent Chet, Soul 7, Atris, Corvus Freebird. I picked up a Rossi RC112 to dick around with because I've read so much about it's legacy that I wanted to try it out. It's a handful for a guy like me. But yeah... pretty much all modern skis I think. Not disagreeing with you about the flat stance possibly being "a" thing that's hitching my giddyup, just a data point. Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un Rent some tele gear for 3 or 4 days and find your balance point. Dude, don't get me started on my balance. Broken right ankle with two surgeries to fix it. Broke my left femur inside my hip socket, also surgical. Broke five vertebrae with one basically crushed, and am now fused through 4 of those vertebrae with rods and shit. My balance SUCKS. It sucks so much, the first time I tried learning to surf my instructor said "My friend, you have bad balance!" as I was paddling out... I hadn't even tried to fucking stand up yet. A lot of days I feel like it's a goddamned miracle I can even ski. As for the suggestion to rent tele gear... if I had any balance whatsoever I'd probably ski tele. More than half my ski partners are on tele gear, and I do own a tele setup but can't drop a knee to turn to save my fucking life. If I could, I'd be participating in the "Why the fuck can't Scarpa make a lighter TX Comp?" thread... if there is one. And if this was a thinly veiled wisecrack basically telling me to learn how to ski, well then now we're getting some of that snark I was promised. Originally Posted by galibier_numero_un There's a lot to unpack above, and I'll return to this ... when I'm not in such a snarky mood. Thanks for your thoughts, there was less snark than maybe you think. Or I'm just used to the level of snark that TGR often provides so it didn't seem bad. Originally Posted by turnfarmer I think Thom is on track. I don't know about the ramp inside the Scarpa's, but I'm guessing its a lot steeper than Langes. Try a heel lift, start with 1/8" and then try more Good suggestion. Though at what point of shoving heel lifts in there do you just say fuck it and get a boot with more ramp angle? I've dug around and can't seem to find the ramp angle of the Scarpa. I know the forward lean is 2º more... so maybe a little FL and RA and this boot will work. But again, at what point do you just get a different boot?

Being a somewhat similarly large human (but not as big as you) I think the cochise or maybe the XT3 130/140 may be what you want. As nice as it would be to have a more dedicated touring boot, I've found that the cochise is about as much as I'm willing to compromise. The performance even between my mach1's and the cochise is very noticable. I'm unwilling to compromise the beefiness of the cochise 130 for different reasons than you, but what you're describing about balance and your other foot issues I think suggests a more beefy boot than a touring specific boot like the xt3 tour or something like a zeroG. I can relate to a couple things like your low instep. Additionally, what you're describing in terms of instability sounds like it could be a mix of a lateral stiffness that doesn't match up with what you need, and I would make an argument that you may not have a boot that's as snug as you need around your tibia/ankle, even with an increased heel hold. I think what you may experience if you get the volume correct around your tib/fib & ankle with both boot volume and a footbed will result in less pronation and you may find the width of your foot more narrow than your previous experience. Course I could just be wrong too. But what you're describing isn't foreign to me personally in the cochise and XT3, or from what I've experienced fitting boots in the past. Sent from my Redmi Note 8 Pro using Tapatalk

You rang? Still waiting on langes response about the noodle liners. They don’t have enough complaints yet to figure out what to do, but I also told them I’m not in that much of a rush. I have been skiing my xt3 liner in my xt3 tour pro. It’s definitely better. I’m waiting for my intuition tour tongue to come. I have a feeling that will be a lot better. I have a Lange foot. I can ski a Lange stock with a 2 minute grinding usually in the sixth two. The 97 I can slide into after about 5 minutes in she’ll work and then I can full send. Heel fits perfect. I have a low volume heel, flat wide-ish foot with a lower instep. The stance is very close to the same as the xt3 and the other langes. I have about ten tours on them. I really like them. Some of the best TOURING boots I’ve been in. I’ve skied the hoji, sold that and bought the Lange. I capitalized TOURING above. Here’s why. It definitely skis like a 1600g touring grilamid boot. This boot is perfect for backcountry missions, scrambling, boot packing, skiing steeps with confidence in equipment. They definitely ski. But they DEFINITELY DONT ski like the xt3 plastics. They aren’t as damp and they don’t have as nearly of a smooth flex. The only way I would have this boot as my dedicated boot would be if I skied backcountry 3:1 or more, if I worked in mountain ops, or was coaching. I would still have an alpine boot for hard snow. It sounds like the guys have all said it. I’ll say it again. It sounds like you should be in a XT3 50/50 boot. I really shit all over the xt3 130 in the beginning. And I still feel like the walk mechanism is a huggggeeeee piece of dog shit. But the xt3 130 and the tour pro definitely ski and feel like langes. I really like them. A lot. I don’t hesitate to drive in either pair.

Alright, finally got out and skied the Tour Pros with my "mods" i.e. the rear spoiler bolted in and the liner from the Scarpas. The TL;DR version is: the boots skied way better with those changes. I skied closing day at Crested Butte on a mix of steep boney trees, steep bumps, wide open groomers, blah blah blah. Everything covered in slush... which was super warm and sloooooooow and wet on anything mid-mountain and below. The kinda slush where just sitting on the tails starts to feel like the right thing to do so the suction of sloppy wet snow on your haven't been waxed in months 108 underfoot skis doesn't send you over the bars. Anycrap, even the 7-year-old blown out liners skied better than the stock Lange ones, and the rear spoiler seemed to help put me more into the stance I'm used to and give more support in general. Not quite ready to give up on these boots, but at the same time I am certainly cognizant that a Cochise, XT3, or other 50/50 oriented boot might very well be what's best for me. I still want to get the boots up to my local hill and try different configurations of things... if for no other reason than to figure out how different hacks affect boot performance. I also picked up some Booster straps and I think hoarhey is sending me some RX straps and velcro spoilers to try out as well. I appreciate everyone's input so far.

Lange XT3 Tour Pro vs Tecnica Zero G Pro Some notes wearing both around the shop (I own the 27.5 Tecnica), both with the same Lange liner. Lange weight: 1570g Tecnica weight w/ same liner:1440g Fitwise, to me with the same liner they fit SO similar, honestly would be happy with either one. Lange feels like slightly more forward lean than the Tecnica (set at 12degree). Perhaps the Lange has slightly more rearward support but its barely discernable in the shop. Slightly smoother and softer flex in the Lange and the tongue liner does a nice job on smoothing out the flex of the Tecnica over stock. Touring range of motion seems to be about the same in both with noticably less friction/smoother on the Tecnica. Conclusion is I'm probably keeping the slightly more touring focused Zero G over the possibly ever so slight ski feel of the Lange for longer dedicated touring days.

as for mods, I know a guy who have been experimenting with trimming the cuffs to get better range of motion. No, this picture is not an actual depiction of how much they have trimmed off - I haven't actually seen his boots - but more to demonstrate where they have trimmed em in case it was not obbvious. Said individual was happy with the mod. He got his pair early last season - way before they were released - so he should have had plenty of days on them. I can't say that I am that keen to get a pair of XT Pro Tours as dedicated touring boots to compliment my XT3 130s (resort and 50/50/travel boots). I feel that Hawx Ultra XTD 130s with an appropriate Intuition liner is a better / more versatile option as a dedicated touring boot. I find them to tour slightly better than XT3s, even if they do not flex as dynamically (especially backwards).

any other feedback on these boots?

The liners are garbage. Boot skis and fits great when you take a 100g penalty with the xt3 130 liner. IMO, they’re every bit as good as my old xt free, except lighter and a full rockered sole. For a big dude, after suffering through a bunch of other lightweight options, they’re as light as I want to go.

Originally Posted by jackattack The liners are garbage. Boot skis and fits great when you take a 100g penalty with the xt3 130 liner. IMO, they’re every bit as good as my old xt free, except lighter and a full rockered sole. For a big dude, after suffering through a bunch of other lightweight options, they’re as light as I want to go. That’s definitely my feeling as well. Lange sent me a XT3 liner as a replacement for that junk liner when I sent it back originally. I’m holding out for a little more beta on the GFT before pulling the trigger, I have used my gara lv in them and they walked great, but I did notice the cork migrating a little bit and it took a minute to get it back to the right spot in my plugs

Last edited by SoVT Joey; 03-06-2022 at 09:56 AM .

Originally Posted by jackattack The liners are garbage. Boot skis and fits great when you take a 100g penalty with the xt3 130 liner. IMO, they’re every bit as good as my old xt free, except lighter and a full rockered sole. For a big dude, after suffering through a bunch of other lightweight options, they’re as light as I want to go. Same here. I kinda let this thread languish, but I also went with the XT3 130 liner and the difference is noticeable in how they ski, no appreciable difference walking other than the extra 100g or so. I also kept the spoiler from a Scarpa in them (plus a little rubber gasket I hand cut) to give me a little more forward lean. I'm still a couple-three hundred grams lighter per foot than my last boots, the fit is better, and they ski great now.

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.css-ryjapq{display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;margin-bottom:var(--chakra-space-2);} .css-1g043sj{transition-property:var(--chakra-transition-property-common);transition-duration:var(--chakra-transition-duration-fast);transition-timing-function:var(--chakra-transition-easing-ease-out);cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:2px solid transparent;outline-offset:2px;color:var(--chakra-colors-btn-brand);font-family:var(--chakra-fonts-base);font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-sm);font-weight:var(--chakra-fontWeights-normal);}.css-1g043sj:hover,.css-1g043sj[data-hover]{color:var(--chakra-colors-btn-brand);-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.css-1g043sj:focus,.css-1g043sj[data-focus]{box-shadow:var(--chakra-shadows-outline);} Lange .css-1oyyk97{color:var(--chakra-colors-txt-primary);overflow-wrap:normal;font-family:var(--chakra-fonts-base);font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-xl);font-weight:var(--chakra-fontWeights-bold);} XT3 Tour Pro Alpine Touring Boot - 2023

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Why We Like The XT3 Tour Pro Alpine Touring Boot

When the resorts are skied out we buckle-up the Lange XT3 Tour Pro Alpine Touring Boot and head for the hills. These boots combine a downhill alpine boot feel with uphill skin track capabilities to let us ski the burliest terrain we can find. The downhill feel is created by a stiff 130 flex Grilamid shell, while the touring liner and walk mode allow us to cruise up skin tracks.

• Touring boots that don't make sacrifices on the up or down
• Grilamid construction is lightweight yet rigid
• 130 flex offers ample power for high level skiers
• 4 aluminum buckles lock in a slop free fit all day
• Quick walk mode offers ample rotation for natural strides
• Moldable liners create an even more precise fit
• Vibram touring soles make it easy to navigate rocky ridges
• Item #LNG0026

Overall Rating

4 based on 4 ratings

Review Summary

Fits true to size.

What do you think about this product?

March 14, 2024

Amazing design, poor quality

These are the highest performing boots I’ve ever worn, uphill or downhill. They have a progressive flex and can drive a big ski at high speeds and they tour like a slipper. Unfortunately, the rivet on the inner ankle developed play after about 20 days. I tried warrantying them and Lange told me to go F#%< myself. This impacts their performance in crud, but otherwise they still ski great in all other conditions. I have also broken and had to replace most of the buckles. The quality is really poor. Despite these issues, they are still the best boots I’ve ever owned. I just bought a second pair. I wish Lange (Rossi) wasn’t such a crap company that cuts corners on quality control and doesn’t stand by their products. I’m an expert skier, 5’7” 170lbs, ski ~100 days/winter, 50/50 resort/BC, 60/20/20 east-coast/western north america/alps.

March 10, 2024

Try a pair of Lange’s before you buy

I’d recommend these boots if you have worn Lange boots before. I read several reviews and talked to a lot of people, as I was hesitant to buy before actually trying a pair on. From all accounts my foot should be perfect for these boots. I’ve spent $400 trying to make them fit and no dice. I only blame myself. :)

December 9, 2022

Great boot - hard to get in/out - flaw

I love this boot - I've had two pairs of Mistrale's previously (they too were hard to get in and out...) 7 skins up Okemo in VT and no hot spots! I was looking closely at the boot and the design flaw is the receiving toothed buckle second from bottom. It's curved and made of metal. So when you try to "open" the boot for entry -the metal buckle prevents the harder plastic from bending... A hinged or cable bracket to receive the bail would solve this... Such a simple fix and a HUGE oversite by Lange. I'm going to try a longer screw with a spacer washer (first attempt w/ washer in photo. Needs larger washer) and see if it will twist out of the way by turning it 90 degrees...

January 27, 2022

This boot rips

I've had a few days on this boot walking and skiing, in some variable conditions. It skis incredibly well. It walks ok... you do need to deal with more buckles, doesn't bother me. The flex is what really impresses me, it's super progressive and I find that its super intuitive skiing the day after I was on a 130 low volume race boot. It doesn't get knocked around like other touring boots I've skied... but I would note that I think it needs to be driven a bit. It doesn't have as much of an upright style out of the box. I'm not as crazy about the power strap... I usually have booster straps and will probably put one on there... I haven't had as good a fit out of the box before... but that's me. My thoughts would basically be - if you're looking at a 130 flex heavy crossover boot as a one boot quiver... this probably isn't the right call. Stick with something that is essentially a resort boot with a walk mode. If you want something that is a true touring boot that totally rips in the backcountry (exactly what I wanted) - this boot is 100% on point.

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Review: 2024 Lange XT3 Tour Light 130

Finally, a lightweight touring boot for lange aficionados, brand: lange.

Model: XT3 Tour Light 130

Advanced, Expert

Tech Insole

Last Width (mm)

Weight (per ski in grams):

• 1,450 (26.5)
• Incredible walking range-of-motion that feels more generous than advertised
• Burly Vibram outsole stands up to even the toughest scrambling
• Sacrifice in stiffness in the name of shaving weight

Lange was never going to make a really light touring boot until it knew it could do it right. Each winter for the past three years, the brand has released a touring boot that skis just as well as the last, while weighing increasingly less. This year, it again shed some grams from the XT3 Tour Pro, and also introduced the XT3 Tour Light. This all-new construction keeps what we loved about the Tour Pro and adds an enormous, burly Vibram outsole while dropping weight with lighter buckles. Lange’s ethos has put downhill performance above all else, and with its Dual Core Light Grilamid mix, we felt the pop and suspension that the company is known for, albeit in a breezier package.

It’s a little ironic that Lange seems to back-seat uphill performance, because this is probably the single best walking boot in its weight category. It has the exact same stated range of motion as many of its competitors, but the XT3 Tour Light possesses an incredible frictionless ease in its stride that is head and shoulders above the field. The liner does feel a little underbuilt, but this added to the slick and seamless feeling on the skintrack. Downhill oriented? Sure, but this boot will skin to the upper atmosphere before you even know it.

Learn more: The basics of alpine touring gear

We were also thoroughly impressed with the newly built-up Vibram sole. Between late-spring (or, in our case in the Sierra, early summer) scree scrambling and the prongs of boot crampons, rubber touring outsoles can get pretty chewed up. But Lange’s is the thickest and burliest we’ve ever seen on a ski boot. It’s the first thing we noticed and it hasn’t seemed to wear at all through some heavy use.

Skiing, we felt that some of the sacrifices made to lose weight, such as wire loops instead of metal buckles, definitely softened the flex a little. The boot can still drive huge skis with ease; it just has a little less of the alpine feel of its predecessors. But honestly we don’t really need all that boot in the backcountry. On 40-degree slopes in windboard and corn, this boot was energetic and playful. It was more than capable on the descent: It was downright fun . That said, we may have enjoyed it so thoroughly because of how much energy we still had once we reached the top of our line.

In many ways, the XT3 Tour Light seems like it belongs to a lighter category of boot. It’s efficient, playful, and feels at home on steep bootpacks with an ice ax in hand. This boot is more aptly compared to Scarpa’s F1 than anything close to a hybrid ski boot. We’d recommend this model for big days in the spring, overnight missions (or longer), or powder chasing far from the trailhead. The XT3 Tour Light feels like something we’d rappel off a nest of pitons on, not something that would ever see a chairlift. Maybe Lange wanted a downhill weapon, but it created an uphill monster that can ski anything you have the gall to boot to the top of. This boot also comes in a women’s-specific 115 flex.

See how the Lange XT3 Tour Light stacks up against our other favorite alpine boots of the year.

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Lange XT3 Free 115 W MV

• Full Review
• Photo Gallery
• Tester Comments

Testers said that for a skier who'd like the power and stability of a fixed-cuff all-mountain boot for inbounds days, riding the chair, but who'd like the touring range of motion of a dedicated backcountry boot, the Lange XT3 Free 115 W MV offers a one-boot solution that comes with little compromise on either end of the hybrid performance spectrum. This is a claim that many brands make about their Freeride boots but in our experience few actually deliver on the combination of legit alpine descent capabilities with passable backcountry ascending skills. Lange's past attempts similarly failed on their touring range of motion and quality of cuff rotation feel, but the XT3 (new last year) has solved those problems, according to our testers.

A proper anatomical fit for the medium width foot and leg is found here, testers agreed, and the cuff height is appropriately tall (like a real ski boot) and offers a comfortably firm and progressive flex feel (if a little softer than the 115 labeling), they said. These qualities should not be taken for granted in the Freeride category--a boot that fits right, flexes right, goes down the hill without hesitation or miscue and tours back up in a functional way remains rare, if we're being honest. Testers say this is one of the few that executes well on all those fronts.

Testers note that the fully rockered backcountry-specific XT3 Tour W Pro is available for women this year after the men's-only launch last season, and for those skiers looking for a suitable BC mate to their fixed cuff frontside ride in a two-boot solution, that may be the way to go for a trekker that won't turn an otherwise good skier into a tip-wheelie-prone kook upon descent. However, our testers still like the GripWalk sole option and slightly beefier Dual Core polyurethane shell build of the XT3 Free for a sidecounty single quiver, one and done.

• “Boot feels plush, roomy but consistent. So good! So good! (You've got to sing it like Sweet Caroline, the Neil Diamond song). Again, solid. I thought it reacted predictably and consistently turn for turn--great for experts but would also be nice for someone advanced intermediate and a bit tentative. ” -- Megen Johnson
• “Yes! The fit is tapered from open front to snug rear. Secure. Consistent. This boot just works for its shape and category. It's got the true Lange last shape, with width and depth in the forefoot and midfoot, without being sloppy. Through the waist and lateral edge of the midfoot, there is cradling and support, but not too tight, or loose. It really seems to be made for the V-shaped foot. Heel counter is firm, but not pinchy. Range of motion in hike mode is great for a hybrid boot (it's not a pure touring boot). Not the lightest boot, but it's not needing to be in this category. It skis like an alpine boot; a little softer than the advertised 115, but still holds up well. Great for dancing during Apres for sure! ” -- Sam Tischendorf
• “Crazy comfortable! I love the well-contoured overlap across the top of foot. What can I say, it's got pink bales! ” -- Liz Elling
• “It's got the right weight, not light weight. Beautiful boot, classic Lange feel. Quick and nimble response from the lower boot. ” -- Emily Poore
• “Flex is fine until you get too aggressive and then it can collapse at the instep. ” -- Liz Elling
• “The clog and cuff don't seem to have a very good working relationship, like maybe a lack of communication. The clog seems to be a bit of an over-achiever and the cuff is just a strong, dumb gal, standing around. ” -- Emily Poore

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