The Gist
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!
Kudos
Caveats