Question boot guys. Going from a Lange RX130 LV to a Salomon X/max 120 or 130

[TommyT]

Hey all. I have been in the RX 130 LV which has been a pretty cool boot; however, since I broke the boot in, I've had to have some work done to keep my heels secure down into the boot. I have a 98 low volume last. I recently tried on the Xmax 120 and it was like going from a Lexus to a Bentley with how comfortable they were. The 130 was no longer available at my shop and I'm a believer in giving my local shop the bus versus buying online.

So here's the kicker. I'm advanced front side rider trying to get better in steep moguls and bowl powder skiing as I'm higher intermediate in that regard. I'm 6'3" fluxuating between 205 and 210. I can get pretty aggressive on the frontside; however, most of the time, just lay back and cruise at average speeds and jump around in trees a bit. I'm not a supersonic rider, but I'm worried at my height and weight, I might need the 130 in the Xmax??

So please let me know what you boot guys think and thank you in advance for helping

 

[Jezza]

I would probably recommend the 130. I ski the Xmax Race 120 boot and I am 5’6” 115lbs and it doesn’t feel too stiff honestly.

 

[onenerdykid]

You 100% need the 130 flex. A guy your size will destroy the 120.

Have your shop call up Salomon and order the 130 for you. Or, see if your local shop will do a swap with another shop that stocks the 130 if you really don't want to buy online.

 

[TommyT]

Thanks you guys!! Now that you mention it, I do recall him briefly saying the 130 Xmax is not as aggressive and stiff as my RX130. Do you think the Xmax 130 is still an ideal boot for me? I really loved the fit and comfort of the boot. As well, is that newer black one with yellow lettering the same exact boot as the yellow just different color. If so, Ill ask him to find me the black one.

 

[DrZoidberg]

Yeah I'm 5'5" 120lbs and I have the xmax 120s. I would easily go with the stiffer one at your size. Good boots otherwise though. I have small feet in general and a 98mm last and I don't have any heel lift problems. Mine are broken in.

Can the shop not order them for you? I've never skied rx130s (probably because my shins would explode) and it's hard for me to comment on the 130 xmax as I've never skied those or been any heavier than i am now. But the 120s are a good flex for me going fast and such. They could be a bit more flexible for smaller park features and dicking around but, you can't really have both.

**This post was edited on Jan 28th 2019 at 11:12:41pm

 

[TommyT]

Yeah I'm 5'5" 120lbs and I have the xmax 120s. I would easily go with the stiffer one at your size. Good boots otherwise though. I have small feet in general and a 98mm last and I don't have any heel lift problems. Mine are broken in.

Can the shop not order them for you? I've never skied rx130s (probably because my shins would explode) and it's hard for me to comment on the 130 xmax as I've never skied those or been any heavier than i am now. But the 120s are a good flex for me going fast and such. They could be a bit more flexible for smaller park features and dicking around but, you can't really have both.

**This post was edited on Jan 28th 2019 at 11:12:41pm

Thanks!! this is good info. I hear you there with the narrow a$$ foot, lol. I also have a skinny ankle/lower leg so you probably understand how it is for be. Now that you mention it, once I broke in my RX130's, I had trouble keeping my heals down and per the attached photo, they had to glue rubber extenders on the front of the liners to tighten around my skinny ankle. It helped, but my left heal is still coming up a bit more for my comfort level. He will either have to glue a larger one or I just go with the Xmax.

So with what you are saying that you broke them in and they are fine; are your heals staying down and secured to the lower back of the boot?? Did you also ever mold the boot and if so, how did that work out?

And regarding the boot guy; everytime I am in the shop, he has 10 people he is dealing with and is multi-tasking everyone. The shop is Helm of Sun Valley if you are familiar with it. My best bet at this point I guess is to just email him.

**This post was edited on Jan 29th 2019 at 2:53:07pm

 

[onenerdykid]

So with what you are saying that you broke them in and they are fine; are your heals staying down and secured to the lower back of the boot?? Did you also ever mold the boot and if so, how did that work out?[/b]

Heat molding creates MORE space. For skinny ankles & feet, you don't want to heat mold the shell, it will hurt you more than it helps you. You can heat the liner, but just slightly. Don't over cook it- you'll just pre-maturely pack it out.

 

[DrZoidberg]

So with what you are saying that you broke them in and they are fine; are your heals staying down and secured to the lower back of the boot?? Did you also ever mold the boot and if so, how did that work out?

And regarding the boot guy; everytime I am in the shop, he has 10 people he is dealing with and is multi-tasking everyone. The shop is Helm of Sun Valley if you are familiar with it. My best bet at this point I guess is to just email him.

**This post was edited on Jan 29th 2019 at 2:53:07pm

Heat molding creates MORE space. For skinny ankles & feet, you don't want to heat mold the shell, it will hurt you more than it helps you. You can heat the liner, but just slightly. Don't over cook it- you'll just pre-maturely pack it out.

Exactly. I didn't heat mold or modify the shell in any way since that would just make more space. They're the 24/24.5 shell which I'm pretty sure is the smallest available in mens, but that fits my foot so it works. I did heat mold the liner but I didn't cook it super hot, and only because I bought the boots in Colorado on a ski trip and was using them the next day and figured that'd be a bit easier on my feet. I could not find these anywhere where I live because nobody stocks anything, let alone anything that small in mens.

I always imagined these had the heat moldable shell because it's kinda a tight fitting performance boot, but they still want people to be able to buy it and blow it out a bit so they don't feel like they're cramming into race boots. Part marketing part function.