2023 Rossignol Hi-Speed Elite 130 Carbon LV GW Review
A high-performance boot for advanced skiers with narrow feet
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This article was first published by SkiMag.com
The Specs
Flex: 130
Last: 98 mm
Volume: Low
Price: $800
Level: Expert
Rossignol lists its brand new Hi-Speed Elite 130 LV as an on-piste boot, but we think it will excel as an all-mountain boot for very hard charging skiers. Rossi is debuting a second generation of their and Lange’s Dual Core plastic, and infused carbon into the matrix to achieve a much-stiffer flexing beast. Dual Core is famous for that easy, progressive feeling at the top of the flex that eventually ramps up as you flex deeper into the tongue of the boot. But the Hi-Speed Elite 130 won’t feel squishy to anyone. This boot ramps up quicker and ends its flex stiffer than the previous Dual Core 130 boots. Our testers feel that it’s on the high end of the “130 flex” spectrum.
All this is to say that the boot carves incredibly well on piste, but it’s also at home charging through mank and crud at high speeds. The top of the flex is still just soft enough to provide a good deal of suspension off-piste, which leads us to recommend this boot as a good freeride-ish option (it doesn’t have a walk mode) for serious skiers.
The Rossignol Hi-Speed Elite 130 LV is definitely a low-volume boot, especially in the forefoot by the fifth metatarsal, but is surprisingly roomy above the instep and in the heel. We recommend it for hard charging skiers with average-to-low volume feet or even wider-footed folk who don’t mind spending some time getting their boots dialed in. These boots will accept a variety of grinds and punches due to the thick, luxurious PU plastic and the liners are extremely plush—they start out with too much volume for most skiers (compressing the metatarsal heads and cuneiform bones) but are quite customizable and heat moldable, so skiers with larger feet will be able to make the room they need.
Rossignol‘s liner is well-constructed and warm, with stretchy 3M insulation that is mapped to the toes and forefoot where it’s needed most. The liner has obvious grinding panels that highlight areas in the high-density foam that will help boot fitters make room for skiers with bony naviculars, bunions, ankle bones, and “sixth toe” issues. The anatomical shape and good heel pocket will help skiers stay forward and prevent too much slop. Rossignol boots don’t tend to taper too much from the ball of the foot to the heel so extremely-skinny heeled or ankled skiers may need to watch their sizing on this boot, but skiers with average heels or with heel bursas will rejoice at the out-of-the-box fit.
One of our favorite parts of this boot was its customizability. The cuff of the boot has adjustable alignment through an easy-to-use hex key (Rossignol calls it canting but cuff alignment is different). You can adjust the flex to your liking via the bolts in the back of the cuff (also a hex key) and you can even adjust the forward lean with relative ease. The zeppa can be removed with a phillips head and ground to spec by a boot fitter as well. The boot comes with GripWalk soles but are replaceable with 5535 alpine soles if you prefer that configuration.
If you are a strong skier with an average-to-low volume foot and are looking for a boot that can deliver excellent power transfer on hard snow and can still charge through soft and chopped up snow, the Rossignol Hi-Speed 130 LV GW could be your glass slipper.
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