The Head Raptor WCR 140S continues to impress our test team with its Frontside performance capabilities packaged in a fit that works well for a lot of expert skiers. Testers say don't be scared by the 96mm last badging, as the forefoot and toes have a little extra breathing room for warmth and sensation. That said, the test team agrees that the closure on the lower leg shaft, instep, ankles and heel means serious business.
The entry is shockingly good for a narrow 140-flex piste-beast, and testers love the traditional four-buckle overlapping closure that feels like home to them. They pat themselves on the back for helping to usher out the Spineflex buckles on every other model of Raptor, save this one, yet they still grumble about them. The extended length toebox has remained a hit with testers who appreciate a little freedom of movement of the piggies, though our purists who require crammed toes in a narrow boot still lament those numb days of Raptors, past. So, yes, the Raptor is a more gentrified thing these days--but only with regard to fit, as its performance remains at the tip of the spear.
Creeper-carver, one tester called it, and he didn't mean it was a creepy stalker but rather that it's carving prowess sneaked-up on him in surprising fashion. Testers don't feel like they have to work very hard in the Raptor WCR 140S to leave deep trenches in their wake, regardless of the snow's hardness. Simply tip and stand against the ski and the boot seems to do the rest. Transitions between arcs are smoothly managed, without excessive rebound energy to harness, but the crispness of engagement as the boot rolls over is second to none, they say. Testers bring up the revised polyurethane plastic blend that entered the Raptor scene a few years ago as the source of its resilient and damp-feeling energy stores. Testers comment that the forward flex feel always seems to have a little more travel than expected for a 140-flex, but that the lateral and torsional power and stability out-performs that number.
This Raptor can be drilled-and-pinned for a stout 150-flex but few testers mention needing more oomph. If anything, testers remind folks that there's a 130-flex available that can be bumped up to a 140, if needed, and that step-down will save 50-bucks, ixnay the Spineflex buckles and gain a very cool new Speedblue colorway. But we digress--the point is that the Raptor WCR 140S offers plenty of beef for the biggest and strongest of skiers in its stock form, with some added spine available as needed.
What testers say you do get here, and at the 140-level, is a slippery-ass boot sole, and they mean it! A lot of coaches and instructors will opt to have aftermarket Head Vibram lifter plates installed as a way to ensure a little more secure strolling about on different surfaces. To get a more factory-fitted grip sole a skier has to drop all the way to the WCR 120 and he'll lose the Liquid Fit liner in the process. Speaking of Liquid Fit, a lot of folks love the ability to have their liner's heel and ankle area pumped with special Head goop after the liner has been broken in a bit, but technicians caution that it's a subtle addition that won't make up for a boot that was purchased a size too big.
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