Several of our most experienced testers had nothing but good things to say about the Head Edge HV 130 GW.
One said: The geometry of the Edge 130 HV is well-tailored for a strong skiing position--it lets the skier push the accelerator. This is Head's sum of user-friendly concepts--ease of entry and convenient closure mechanisms are collected in the Edge.
Another said: Very approachable boot--fits well and skis well. I remember when high-volume boots used to suck--this is one of the highest volume boots out there and it skis great!
And a third veteran tester said: Good comfort and appropriately light-contact fit tension. An easy fit for the fatter foot and super user-friendly--easy to use in every way. Comfy, comfy, comfy--the best Head Edge I've ever skied.
And then those testers went and gave this gold medal boot silver- and bronze-level scores. We don't get it. Sometimes our testing protocol falters and the numbers don't bear out testers' true impressions of a boot, and we're afraid that may have happened here with the Edge 130 HV as testers' words said winner, but then their numbers didn't back that up.
What every tester agreed on was that the wide ride fit was curvaceously massive, meaning it was wide and high but with anatomical shape--think sumo wrestler in a latex catsuit--or, on second thought maybe don't. Testers said that the contact against their more average volume feet was light, but consistent in that contact all around the foot, up through the instep and into the boot cuff. A couple testers thought that the calf fit at boot top was more snug than the rest of the fit, and they mentioned that for large calf skiers the Head Form Fit moldable shell technology should be deployed for just that issue if it were bothersome--though most testers had no issue with the boot top circumference.
One of the signs of a well-crafted wide load is when the stance angles stack up a skier with average volume (or even low volume) feet and legs in a functional way that allows them to ski that generally loose fit aggressively all over the mountain. That was a repeated comment about the Head Edge HV--too big for me, but I still ripped in it! Well, they at least thought they were ripping. That's saying something, when there's enough control in the rearfoot (the heel and ankle) and a neutral balanced stance set-up for anybody to jump in a boot and shred. They said that if a skier had the mass to fill the fit gaps the performance scores would only skyrocket--especially quickness, which relies on quick, tactile messaging from body to boot to ski.
Every tester praised the simple but functional hike mode release and said that the walking range of motion and quality was quite good. A few testers mentioned how well releasing the cuff enhanced the ease of entry (which was already one-handed or better).
Even with the high level of liner cushioning and a releasable cuff, testers still went out of the way to say this boot was solid--a real 130-flex, they said.
We'll let another tester conclude here--he was the one who gave the Edge HV 130 a perfect score (and we think he got it right): the Head Edge has always been a tester favorite and one of the best wide category rippers on the market. With a hike mode it makes this super convenient easy to get on and offers an easy walk through the parking lot or to the bar. It'll charge down the hill--the 130 flex is legit and the stance angles are right on the money. There's nothing wrong with this boot--one of the best wide boots of the test. If we don't carry this boot at our shop this season we're stupid.
Kudos
Caveats