New Rossignol Hi-Speed Pro 130 Ski Boots; Size: 28.5

The Rossignol Hi-Speed range received an across-the-board liner update this year that had a noticeably positive effect on fit and performance in every model, but perhaps the biggest bump up came in the narrow Hi-Speed Elite 130 Carbon where the fit improvements were most apparent to slender legged skiers who applauded the newly close-matching fit in the cuff and the resulting power upgrade. The boot was already a gold medalist twice over the past two tests, impressing testers from the get-go. And while Rossignol could've just left well enough alone, they chose to pursue a fix to a minor, but nagging concern about how the liner tongue was attached at its base. They moved the attachment point farther down by just a few millimeters, but that was enough to pull the instep into a better match with the lower leg and top of the foot, and it also shifted the tongue to make better contact at the boot top. This better connection with the shin at the top of the boot made the boot feel slightly taller and more upright to testers, who before had noticed a bit of "spillage" out of the boot cuff. Now they were held securely in a well-distributed way all along the lower leg, and they felt that there was more immediate engagement of boot and ski shovel when they made a first move forward, where in the past there was some gap in that transmission. One tester called this little liner tweak a game-changer for fit and performance. Another tester called the Hi-Speed line both the biggest surprise of the test and the test's most improved models because of the liner change.