The Gist
The classic medium width Hawx, which has spawned so many others (wide, narrow, backcountry), returns to remind testers why it's one of skiers' favorites. The 2018 Hawx Prime 130 is still one of the best for an easy initial fit and a surprisingly strong and agile performance on snow.
The Fit
Just to the relaxed side of the medium width centerline, testers said the fit is notably tall over the top of the foot and through the instep—a great fit solution for the high-arched foot or thick, high-volume foot whose owner doesn't want to drift into wide territory. The tallish, upright cuff's calf fit is also user-friendly in its amount of flare that will allow the thick leg an anatomical home with the rear spoiler removed. With spoiler in, the average of calf thought the fit was spot on for the medium target. Entry and exit is a category-leading easy one.
Performance
Just nothing wrong here, move along, was the word. The stance is neutral and forgettable (meaning, you notice nothing out of the ordinary and you just go ski). The edge power and stability is brick-house strong (not a single tester had any complaint there). The quickness and agility scores were aces—aided by the Hawx characteristic, flexy sole construction that allows the boot to bend a bit with the arc of the ski but remain laterally and torsionally stiff. In the strongest field of the boot test (All-Mountain medium width) it still remains one of the best for instant balance and fun, testers said.
Cool Features
Testers liked the no-slip soles and a functional upper cuff adjustment. Memory Fit shell molding is cool for auto-customization of the fit after cooking the shell in an oven, though few testers found the out-of-box fit problematic enough to consider it. The Power Shift features allows for adjustment of the forward lean and/or stiffness.
Kudos
Caveats