The Gist
Finally, an women's XTD for the masses! Not that the already popular Hawx Ultra XTD 115 W didn't appeal to a lot of skiers, but it's tight--both in the lower and in the cuff. The new Hawx Prime XTD 115 W opens up the fit of both to, well, levels similar to the Hawx prime all-mountain boot, which is one of the best selling women's boots in the country. Classic Prime ease of fit in the forefoot and toebox, coupled with performance-snug heel and ankle pockets make for an ideal uphill and downhill fit combination. The upper cuff still runs a bit narrrow and tall, along the lines of the Ultra XTD, but with more flare at the boot top for the average calf. Increased shell wall thickness on both the medial and lateral sides of the lower shell adds power to the previous XTD chassis, and an all-new Mimic liner provides a close but comfy fit that works on both the up and the down.
The Fit
With a lower shell fit more similar to the all-mountain Hawx Prime W line up, the Prime XTD will accommodate an average to slightly wider forefoot and the cuff is more medium in volume than the narrow Ultra XTD. Testers like the contoured fit around the ankles and said that the fit over the top of the foot is snug but even. Memory Fit oven-cook, then mold customization works well for making minor shape changes, especially over the top of the foot and calf, our tests have shown.
Performance
We like Grilamid. We also like polyurethane. Here you'll find the polyamide plastic known as Grilamid in the lower shell and polyurethane in the upper cuff. Grilamid is heat-stretchable like polyurethane, and when it's done right it skis pretty damn similarly—meaning, strong and stable, predictable. Sometimes it can be twitchy, but in the new women's XTD Prime 115 we'll just call it quick. It has a resiliant, energetic flex feel (testers said). It has a snappy return to center in between turns (testers said).
Cool Features
Unlike the narrow Hawx Ultra XTD's the Hawx Prime XTD comes with GripWalk soles rather than a backcountry boot style built-in rockered sole and like the rest of the freeride category is tech-compatible. It forgoes lateral cuff adjustments for the sake of solid, touring pivot points, which sometimes is an alignment demerit, but the Memory Fit oven-cook customization feature can help the knock-kneed and bowlegged while addressing general fit improvements—win, win!
