It would have been hard for our test team to imagine many improvements that needed to be made to the Cochise, but this year’s update provides several that were widely appreciated.
The 2019/2020 Dalbello Lupo Pro HD was tested in the men's All-Mountain Freeride narrow category at Silver Mountain Resort by the experts at America's Best Bootfitters, powered by Masterfit.
The Gist
Testers liked the new Lupo Pro HD for its polyurethane shell’s more damp feel on the snow than the stiffer carbon cuffed Lupo Factory, but appreciated that it didn’t lose any of its quickness or power when it lost $150 off the Factory’s price tag! They found it easy on and off and loved the touring range of motion when the removable tongue was off, allowing unhindered forward cuff movement, matching its long rearward travel. One tester said it got better with every run and the faster he went.
The 2019/2020 Atomic Hawx XTD 130 was tested in the men’s All-Mountain Freeride narrow category at Silver Mountain Resort by the experts at America's Best Bootfitters, powered by Masterfit.
The Gist
Testers concur, the revised Hawx XTD 130 is a true low volume boot that doesn’t mess around when it comes to gripping the foot and leg. The tightest of the All-Mountain Freeride group and on the short list for snuggest of the entire test. Light, agile, and insanely good at going uphill, testers said the Hawx XTD belongs in the skin track where it can dominate an untracked big-mountain descent. Many testers mentioned wanting to fire up the Memory Fit oven to quickly relax the fit where needed.
The 2018 Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 130 pretty well blew doors off the backcountry category competition and both fit as well and skied as well, as most of the other boots in the test, regardless of category—according to our very unimpressed testers. Uh, that last part was a joke.
The Fit
Tight, evenly tight. Sorta like: Bond, James Bond. That's how this boot fits—like a tailored dinner jacket with a suppressed Walther PPK in the inside chest pocket. Sophisticated but badass—Spartan and connected to the shell, yet well-shaped and ergonomic, the Hawx Ultra XTD 130 hit the fit-bullseye for testers right between minimalist and humanist. This little, narrow featherweight actually fits like a real boot. This, of course, according to our very unimpressed test team.
Performance
We like Grilamid. Here you'll find it in both the lower shell and upper cuff. It's heat-stretchable like polyurethane, and when it's done right it skis pretty damn similar—meaning, strong and stable, predictable. Sometimes it can be twitchy, but here we'll just call it quick. A resiliant, energetic flex feel (testers said). A snappy return to center in between turns (testers said). It was strong and undeterred through a variety of mank and mung (testers said). This boot skied almost as well as the pinned cuff Hawx Ultra 130, and we think toured as well as the Atomic Backland. Maybe the core, on-area, off-area guy really doesn't need two boots. Wow, what a concept.
Cool Features
It's got rockered, lugged soles and is tech-compatible, like the rest of the group. 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!
