Hi Zbyszek,

Thanks and sorry for the delay in answering – I´m currently on a ski trip in Lapland.

Well, if you´re normally happy in ski boots with a 97 mm last and you have tried the 100 mm wide version of this particular boot (finding it too roomy), then I would think that it would be a fairly safe bet to go with the 97 mm LV version. (Given of course that you have previous experience of using Lange ski boots and you think that the company´s last is a good fit to your feet.) And unless you have tried them on before buying you can never be 100% sure that the boots will fit you perfectly right out of the box, so it´s good to keep in mind that getting a perfect fit might involve using the services of a good boot fitter.

A bit of a politician´s answer, but I hope that it is of some help. In a nutshell: especially if you have skied (97 mm) Langes before successfully then I would think that there is very little risk in buying the low volume version of the boot. With no previous experience from Langes before, the risk gets bigger as there is the added risk of the last not fitting your feet (as opposed to just being a bit too tight). If the boots are just a bit too tight that is easily fixed by a boot fitter – if the last is a not a good match to your feet then things get more complicated.

Thank you for great review. I would like to ask you about your last width. I’m 176 cm tall and 68 kg weight, my last width is 97 mm. I tryied XT 130 regular volume (100 mm last) and felt it little too roomy in the forefoot. But I don’t know If LV version won’t be too tight. Unfortunately I don’t have possibility to try any LV version of Lange boots.

Hi Bryn,

Yes, I agree – last width is also definitely something you have to pay attention to. Some boots just won´t fit your feet, or at least they will require a lot of boot-fitting and still not be perfect. I remember showing my foot back in the day at a boot fitter in Chamonix Süd – according to the boot fitter it was no wonder I was having problems finding a well-fitting boot (because of the shape), he also added that he could not recommend any brand right off the shelf!

Thanks, I´ll keep that in mind! Would be great, I´ve never skied or even visited the U.S. which is a bit of a shame really.

Great observations, Jaakko. Ultimately, equal consideration of MP, BSL, last width, etc. is necessary to achieve a good fit, don’t you think? If you ever get over to http://www.tetonpassresort.com/ in Montana, let me know…I’ll show you around! Bryn

Hi Bryn,

Thanks for your reply.

While I think that in most cases the Mondopoint size gives a pretty accurate referral where to start your boot-trying process, I agree that there is a point in checking out the shell size as well. So if you have doubts about a certain size, it might be a good idea to take the liner out and see how much extra space there is between your foot and and the shell.

Ideally the Mondopoint would indicate you the right size boot, regardless of the brand or model. For me it has worked out for years basically without problems. (Of course this has included work by a professional boot fitter, usually due last width problems – I have a narrow ankle with wide duck-like feet).

In my time, before I started using the Mondopoint as a referral when buying boots, I have made some terrible mistakes by relying on the regular shoe size (43/44) and ended up getting boots that were waaayy too big. Had to sell those boots pretty quickly.. I think my Mondopoint size 26.5 is 41 in regular size, so the shoes that I use are approx. 2 cm longer than my ski boots. To wear size 41 shoes would be pure torture and to ski in size 43/44 boots would mean that my feet turn inside the boots before the boots actually turn the skis.

One problem with the Boot Sole Length in my opinion is that it indicates (as far as I´ve understood) the length of the boots sole, including the heel and toe piece. http://www.skiessentials.com/boot-sole-length
Somehow I think that it might be more useful if it excluded the heel and toe pieces, then it would follow the shape of your foot more accurately and could be a great/better addition in determining the right boot size. Now you can of course also use the BSL for a very accurate binding adjustment.

Like you said there are many considerations to be made when you purchase a pair of ski boots. I think that by using the Mondopoint and maybe also using the BSL as a cross-referral you should be heading for the right direction. In my experience you should forget about your regular shoe size when buying ski boots.

Thanks, wishing you some great turns as well!

Hi Jaakko,

Your reply has managed to prove my point exactly, and is a fine demonstration of the fallacy of mondo point objectivity. I’ll use myself as an example: I get a pretty reasonable shell fit in a dalbello sherpa 26.5/27 mp, 307 bsl. With liner out and toes to the front, I can get my index finger (plus a smidge more) between my heel and the shell. Same goes for a Scarpa 26.5 (306 bsl). So far, so good right? When I try the same exercise with an Arc’Teryx Procline 26.5 (285 bsl), I can barely squeeze my foot into the liner-less shell! This is an isolated example, but one that has been vetted time and again in my years fitting ski boots to myself, and others. At the end of the day, I think you’re placing too much faith in the perfect alignment of mondo point sizing with boot shell reality from brand to brand.
No need to get into the additional considerations of last width, overall volume, and the myriad other potential areas of concern one must think about when purchasing a pair of ski boots!
Anyway, cheers on a great site, and may many happy turns grace your future! Bryn

Hi Bryn,

Thanks for your comment and sorry for the late reply, been a bit busy..

Regarding your suggestion that boot sole length (BSL) would be a more reliable way of pin-pointing the right size for your ski boot: I am not so convinced about it.

While Mondopoint indicates the exact length of your naked foot in centimetres, the BSL indicates the exact length of a ski boot in centimetres. Since you have feet instead of ski boots as natural extensions to your body, I think it makes more sense to follow the Mondopoint size.

If you would follow the BSL for the reference point and you would for example look for a boot with 305 mm BSL, using the chart you provided, with Atomic Burner a 305 mm boot would be Mondopoint 26/26.5. Whereas for example in the Atomic Backland the closest BSL would be a 308 mm boot, which would be Mondopoint 28/28.5 cm. That boot would be two centimetres bigger!

Arc´Teryx Procline´ s BSL is 285, Atomic Hawks Ultra´s BSL is 300 and Atomic LF120´s BSL is 309 mm – all in Mondpoint 26/26.5.

Since the BSL varies so much in the same Mondpoint size, I think it is way more useful to follow the Mondopoint size, which indicates the real length of your foot – not the length of the plastic molded around it.

Hi Michal,

Normally my shoe size is 43 or US 10 and UK 9, but can be also 44 – US 11 and UK 10 in some shoes.
I think since shoe sizes can vary between different brands, it´s more important to focus on the centimetre (cm) size – with ski boots mine is 26,5 cm. So the Mondopoint size (a universal size system created by the ski boot manufacturers) of my ski boots is 26,5 – regardless of the brand or model. In order to buy the right size ski boots, I think it´s always a good idea to stop looking at the regular shoe sizes and find out your Mondopoint size.

You can do this either at a ski shop or by having someone draw the outline of your feet without socks on paper and then measuring the distance between the longest points of your foot in the drawing, usually from the big toe to the heel. With me that´ s 26,5 centimetres, so I usually always buy boots in Mondopoint size 26,5 and I know it will be the right size. In my experience if you buy ski boots using your regular shoe size as reference, there is a serious risk that you end up getting boots that are just too big for you.