Salomon X Max 130

The Gist

A perennial frontside powerhouse. It matches strong fit with an agile feel underfoot to create a nice blend of edge grip and quickness that technical skiers will appreciate. The X Max 130 continued to impress testers with its lively, active flex and lightweight underfoot feel.

Fit

Particularly snug along the lower leg shaft where the cuff meets the instep. The X Max 130 grabs the skinny-legged like no other and provides an ultra-snug grip on the ankles. Slightly more open than some others in the category through the forefoot and toebox, the X Max 130 allows the foot to find balance on the ski for targeted big toe-to-little toe transitions.

Many testers thought the stock ankle pocket fit was particularly tight (ouch!) and a few felt that restricted their steering movements a bit. Those who underwent the Custom Shell molding process reported that the aggressive ankle fit evened-out and allowed for better ski feel without completely bagging-out the fit elsewhere.

Performance

Testers loved the muscular feel of how the X Max 130 moves to the inside edge; it’s strong laterally and the tallish cuff helps leverage heaps of power throughout the turn. Taller, slender legged skiers are the best match with this stove-pipey cuff; some shorter testers had a harder time steering their shortest radius turns. Custom Shell molding had a positive performance benefit for testers who wanted more ankle freedom and for those who preferred a slightly more neutral (less inside edge bias) lateral stance set up.

Cool Features

The 20-minute Custom Shell process is great for general fit enhancement and skiers who find the overall fit just slightly too tight. Don't expect big shape changes in specific spots; better to have your bootfitter do traditional shell stretch work to accommodate bunions and spurs.  But Custom Shell indeed mellows the tight spots and makes subtle stance changes that can fine-tune the feel on snow.

Stance-focused testers still gripe about the X Max's lack of upper cuff adjustment mechanisms—the Oversize Pivot anchor points are just that, attachments. If you’ve got severe cuff adjustment needs this may not be the boot for you. The My CustomFit 3D Lab liner has awesome ankle and heel pocket shape right out of the box and both tongue and calf pull loops. Testers continue to say “meh” when asked about the yellow-dominant pastel cosmetics.