The Gist
The Hammer 130 is a unique blend of three-piece design elements and Raptor-bred alpine strength. Big-mountain rippers looking for an upright stance and off-road suspension that sacrifices no edge power will do well here. Modifications to the liner improved overall fit and ease of entry and exit this year.
Fit
Testers found that the liner molded quickly to the foot after a few runs and heat molding the Perfect Fit HP liner further improved foot wrapping. Most testers found the fit even throughout, if a little bunchy initially in the toebox prior to the liner warming up.
They slotted the Hammer's fit tension between narrow and medium. The cuff is noticeably tall and the tongue feel is firm against the shin. Our longer legged testers liked this best. A few testers mentioned they had difficulty getting the tongue to feel just right against their leg.
Performance
The impact-absorbing boot board, grippy boot sole and thickly padded liner provide off-piste shock absorption during full-throttle charging through mixed gnar. The boot sucks up bumps like a downhill mountain bike. Our new school testers claimed it skied switch like a champ. Old school testers liked that it put a ski on edge like a Raptor's first cousin.
Cool Features
The Form Fit customizable shell process is straightforward. Testers who underwent the protocol found that the boot changed in subtle ways, opening up the fit and allowing the foot to seat more neutrally on the floor of the boot. There’s no upper cuff adjustment here; those attachment points are mounted with dense, shock-sucking elastomer bushings.
Kudos
Caveats