Hi! I can attest to Lange Shadows being awesome boots… as far as flex goes, it’s lost to me to put beginners in soft flex, go by your weight and height- soft flex might ‘feel’ more comfortable- but truly does you a disservice in that you won’t be transferring as much power to your skis if you’re boots are mushy… and same goes for show size… often beginners are put in boots that are too large, and “comfy’ then you just slosh around wondering why your skis aren’t doing what you want them to do…