While our testers were drawn to the Crux W's cool grey and turquoise cosmetic, a closer look yielded more interesting elements for them. A standard height cuff with two buckles and a lower shell without a hard plastic overlap over the foot, sealed instead with a bonded fabric soft top and a cable-routed single buckle closure. This is Head's maiden voyage into true Backcountry boots and our team said the first time was the charm for a nearly flawless debut.
No need to bury the lead--this boot rips, testers agreed. It skied great (and not just for a lightweight touring boot, one said) in all conditions and terrain, with a strong alpine-feeling flex and solid closure from top to bottom that powered quick moves and deep edge angles no matter what ski it was paired with. Our tallest testers loved the cuff height for a well-distributed feel along the shin and for a supported fore-aft position for all day skiing, in and out of the skin track. Our shorter-legged and thicker-calved testers weren't quite as stoked, saying that the 99mm shape favored the average of height and taller as well as the average of calf and more slender-legged.
That is often the nature of the 99mm boot--it's right between the medium and narrow boot shape, and testers say the Crux W trends a bit toward the skinnier fit throughout the lower and upper portions of the boot. Testers felt the boot fit a little short, lengthwise, and commented that given the short sole length, a skier in-between sizes could go up a size to gain more toe room for touring and a more relaxed medium fit pattern. Testers that didn't mind the length also didn't mind the snug fit along the lateral side of the foot and they sure didn't complain about the snug ankle and heel pockets that provided a just-padded-enough control center for managing the ski. The single buckle powered cable closure for the lower boot was a hit with testers who said that somehow the cabling didn't chop the top of the foot and worked in a smooth, wrapping way to tighten up the fit.
Testers really liked the solid attachment between cuff and lower and the ease with which they could release that lever, and they applauded the long range of motion it enabled in touring mode. They were impressed with the quality of cuff rotation, the lightness underfoot and the length of stride this newcomer brought to the category. Regardless of the Crux W's rookie status, this was top-shelf, they said. The cam buckle power strap provided additional cuff closure at boot top for maximizing leverage over the ski and testers praised the option on forward lean adjustment--they didn't feel it needed it as the stock set-up was balanced but mentioned that some tech binding slope angles might necessitate a tweak to regain a balanced position. The lugged Vibram outsole was rugged and effective for scrambling on Mt. Bachelor's lava rock (or stairs to the bar deck), but most importantly, they said it was turquoise to match the other highlights.
Kudos