Our test team has had a years-long love affair with the Head Raptor for how well it skis--and that continues into the coming season after its most-recent gold-medal appearance at our boot test. However, now the fit is included in the love-fest, rather than remaining something a bit, meh, that its stellar skiing compensated for.
This newest generation Raptor WCR 115 W is a sophisticated blend of frontside performance with modern amenities for the technical skier who wants it all--easy to get on and off, warm all day, race-boot level ski power, and all of that coupled with a properly snug, narrow-class fit that comes without a massive bootfitting punch-list. Yep, testers say it's all of that now, with a few additional lovely bits thrown in for good measure.
Damp and surprisingly strong on edge for how easy the entry and fit experience was, testers commented, and they said another surprise is how quick and reactive the boot feels, given its underlying, solid-damp edge power. Its race-boot level descent skills tended to sneak-up on testers who were seemingly lulled into an assumption of possibly detuned output by the Raptor's creature comforts. Testers assured that it's a legitimate frontside ripper with a mean trenching streak that it likes to show off.
Fitwise, the Raptor WCR 115 W continues to sport a long-feeling toebox and extra room in the forefoot, with a tapering grip that closes progressively tighter to the rear, locking the heel and ankle into a comfy vice for no-excuses edge control. Some bony ankle testers mentioned the inside ankle pocket might need a little help from a bootfitter, and high-arched and knobby instep testers felt that it was pretty snug over the top of the foot. But these fit issues were classed as minor and all fixable--and generally expected in narrow, performance boots.
Testers noted that the tongue feels tall on the lower leg, which helped spread shin pressure and supported a fore-aft stance that some testers felt hedged a bit more forward-leaning than the current standard--not a bad thing in a Frontside-focused boot. Laterally, testers like the strong stock set-up with the cuffs tipped slightly outward (0.5 out) but with the ability to move them one degree in either direction in half-degree increments.
One of the little niceties that testers mention are the replaceable toe and heel plates, which provide a little more traction than offered by the solid sole versions of yore (and still found in the stiffer, unisex units), and these can also be swapped for factory Head GripWalk soles as an aftermarket purchase.
Kudos
Caveats