Atomic Hawx Prime 130 S

Model Year
2020-2021
Category
All-Mountain Traditional
Last Width
100
Flex Index
130
Price (MSRP)
$850.00USD
The 2020/2021 Atomic Hawx Prime 130 S is reviewed in the men's All-Mountain Traditional medium category based on tests at Silver Mountain Resort & Mt. Bachelor Resort by the experts at America's Best Bootfitters, powered by Masterfit Media.

 

The Gist

The Hawx Prime 130 S hard plastic self returns unchanged this season and for good reason. Testers said that its winning combination of light weight, instant comfort and strong skiing skills remains intact. Testers say the thin-shell wall polyurethane puts the foot in direct contact with the ski and snow surface and gave it high marks for it feel and precise steering moves without getting twitchy. The all-new Mimic liner takes the already snug heel and ankle pockets and contoured shin fit to another level with a thin, heat moldable layer close to skin to maintain a constant medium width fit connection throughout the boot. Testers say its slender lower leg fit flares nicely at the top of the cuff for muscular calves.

The Fit

The Hawx Prime fits the same as ever in the toebox and forefoot, according to our team who've consistently thrown 3's and 4's at that area, but it tapers to a closer fit at the throat of the boot where the base of the lower leg, ankles and heel are held a bit more closely than in years gone by—testers gave those zones 3's and 2's. Anatomical wrapping would sum up the way the Hawx Prime 130 S contours around the shape of the foot and leg. Testers liked the way the shell and liner worked to accommodate common bony spots like the ankles and also praised the way the slightly taller-than-average cuff flared progressively to suit the calf muscle. Thinner, stiffer plastics seem to get a little more stiff in the cold, and testers mentioned that taking the boots off was quite a bit more difficult than putting them on.

Performance

If you haven't skied a Hawx Prime in a few years, the updated design brings a new feel to the Hawx Prime experience—edging movements are now much more crisp and reactive than in the past, testers reported, and fine-tuned steering movements are now rewarded with immediate ski reaction without any slop-induced lag. The creature comfort of the medium width Hawx remains, but comes with newfound performance gains. Testers liked the stance angles of the boot board ramp and cuff, and also liked the fact that dual cuff adjustment and forward lean adjustments are still on board, just don't lose the Atomic tool with the two little pins for turning the apparatus, testers remind.

Cool Features

Testers liked the no-slip soles and the lightweight, wide but minimalist Velcro power strap with its simple pulley loop. Memory Fit shell molding is cool for auto-customization of the fit by cooking the shell in an oven, though few testers found the out-of-box fit problematic enough to consider it. The Power Shift feature (which accounts for the "S" in the model name) allows for adjustment of the forward lean and/or stiffness. The new Mimic liner utilizes a thin layer of heat moldable material close to the foot contact layer to provide a fine-tuned fit, post oven cooking.

Gender 
Men's
Sizes (MP) 
24.5-32.5
Hike Mode 
No
Construction 
Overlap
Boot width profile 
Medium
Also in this Collection 
Hawx Prime 120 S, $725; Hawx Prime 110 S, $600; Hawx Prime 100, $480; Hawx Prime 90, $425
Special Sizes 
XXL (32.0 and larger)
Cantology Compatible 
No
Shell/Cuff/Tongue 
polyurethane/polyurethane/n.a.
Tech Compatible 
No

Kudos

  • “Snug fitting for a medium last, nice amount of toe room. Nice bilateral cuff alignment. Easy to adjust.” -- Jack Rafferty
  • “Perfect medium category fit through and through. Seamless and even from fit zone to fit zone. Thoroughly uniform. ” -- Marc Stewart
  • “Sleek--snake legs Banks wishes he had this boot. Quick without being unpredictable. With shell walls this thin it’s hard to get a 130 that doesn’t collapse on heavy pressure. But that’s very trivial. This boot rips. ” -- Kevin Gabriel

Caveats

  • “Felt a little blocked and upright at times. Could have used a little more forward lean...all easy simple fixes.” -- Marc Stewart

This boot available at...

Glenmont, NY
Pagosa Springs, CO
Telluride, CO
Chicago, IL
Ludlow, VT
Morris Plains, NJ
Ellicottville, NY

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