The Gist
Testers loved the 2018 Atomic Hawx Ultra 110 W enough to put it at the very top of the All-Mountain narrow field, and it was also the fourth highest scoring women's boot of the entire test. Light isn't always right, but in this case, testers said it was—for fit and performance combined.
The Fit
Narrows should be narrow, that's our stand, and here's what testers said about the Hawx Ultra 110 W's initial fit: Great for the true, narrow foot. Great, narrow, firm fit. Well-defined heel pocket. Good low-volume, snug, firm fit. Locked and loaded! Testers gave it such even fit scores, right down the narrow side of things, that the averages for five cards were the same as for fifteen. The team agreed there's a little bit of extra room in the toebox and at the calf and that's about it—evenly snug-side everywhere else. They all loved the spring-loaded flex feel, perhaps just a bit softer than the 110 billing, but a few mentioned that the inside half of the tongue was a bit jabby on the shin.
Performance
Extremely energetic was the consensus among testers, who enjoyed how the lively forward flex (powered by the Grilamid upper cuff) loaded and released energy with every turn. Feedback levels were high—with testers saying that they could feel every ripple in the snow beneath them, perhaps to a fault, with a few testers saying the transmissive feel could get jittery at times. Power to the edge was immediate and unfaltering.
Cool Features
For those who find perfectly snug just a little too constrictive, cooking the shell via the Memory Fit customization feature is a slick way to open up a little bit of extra room everywhere without blowing out the fit. Aside from being able to modify the flex and forward lean with the Power Shift mechanism on the rear cuff and make lateral stance changes with the on-board cuff adjustment, canted sole shims are available in 0.5- to 3.0-degree increments as an optional purchase.
Kudos
Caveats