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  1. #1
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    Softening Atomic Hawx boots

    Thinking about getting a pair of boots dialed for my wife. The basic Hawx shape fits her foot pretty well. A couple of times in the past we have taken "130" flex boots and softened them to suit. Wondering how a Hawks 130 would respond to similar treatment of cutting out parts of the shell to get the desired flex in the "105-115" range. All opinions welcome, especially those from our resident boot dentists.

  2. #2
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    don't they already come in several flex ratings?

  3. #3
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    Just buy the 115 flex women’s version? It can be found cheap too

  4. #4
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    Unfortunately I am cheaper than they can be found. Been looking at the 115's but have found a pair of 130's that my fit my mini budget. The dental surgery scheduled for tomorrow is going to cost me about 1.2 pair of boots

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thomas View Post
    Thinking about getting a pair of boots dialed for my wife. The basic Hawx shape fits her foot pretty well. A couple of times in the past we have taken "130" flex boots and softened them to suit. Wondering how a Hawks 130 would respond to similar treatment of cutting out parts of the shell to get the desired flex in the "105-115" range. All opinions welcome, especially those from our resident boot dentists.
    I re-purposed a pair of Hawx Ultra XTD 130's for my wife and lowered the cuff about 1.5 cm front and back (warm thoroughly with a heat gun, then use sharp poultry shears), removed the power strap completely, and they seem to flex about like her Lange XT 110 LV but walk better and are about 1.7 lbs lighter per foot.

  6. #6
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    What size is she?

    My partner has a pair of 26.5 Hawk ultra xtd110 women's that she is no longer using. Well used for three seasons but some good life left in them.

  7. #7
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    She's a 25. Too bad. One other thing, because of the shape of her legs, mens boots with the taller cuff and tighter at the top tend to fit her better than a lot of womens boots. If I recall, Atomic boots are better in this regard.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thomas View Post
    She's a 25. Too bad. One other thing, because of the shape of her legs, mens boots with the taller cuff and tighter at the top tend to fit her better than a lot of womens boots. If I recall, Atomic boots are better in this regard.
    Me and the boys at the boot fitting bench would giggle under our breaths when on of our co-workers would be heard saying:
    “You see ma’am, you have what we call an athletic calf, so we are going to try this model that’s designed with a lower cuff height”
    Last edited by Dee Hubbs; 01-26-2021 at 10:14 AM.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dee Hubbs View Post
    Me and the boys at the boot fitting bench would giggle under our breaths when on of our co-workers would be heard saying:
    “You see ma’am, you have what we call an athletic calf, so we are going to try this model that’s designed with a lower cuff height”
    "Calffles"

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by gregL View Post
    "Calffles"
    . . . then you end up adding heel lifts, flaring the cuff, drilling new holes for the buckle ladders and stretching the liner all to shit for a lady who skis 3 times a year . . .

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by gregL View Post
    . . . then you end up adding heel lifts, flaring the cuff, drilling new holes for the buckle ladders and stretching the liner all to shit for a lady who skis 3 times a year . . .
    When you mention heel lifts, it also reminds me that they also have zero dorsiflexion.

  12. #12
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    Nope, this wife is the opposite of what you describe. Long and lean legs of a former olympic swimmer. Currently inbound boot is RX100 LV and they aren't all that tight with respect to volume. Her foot could probably fit in a plug style boot without much mods. No problem with calf fit in them

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thomas View Post
    Nope, this wife is the opposite of what you describe. Long and lean legs of a former olympic swimmer. Currently inbound boot is RX100 LV and they aren't all that tight with respect to volume. Her foot could probably fit in a plug style boot without much mods. No problem with calf fit in them
    Yeah, the Atomic Hawx has pretty skinny upper cuffs. I usually swim in upper cuffs of boots, but those fit me well.

  14. #14
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    Still wondering if this can be readily done...without lowering the cuff. Used 130's are a lot easier to find than 115's

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thomas View Post
    Still wondering if this can be readily done...without lowering the cuff. Used 130's are a lot easier to find than 115's
    Trim the top of the lower cuff as you would any other boots to soften them. Take a half inch off and make adjustments from there.

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lord Thomas View Post
    Still wondering if this can be readily done...without lowering the cuff. Used 130's are a lot easier to find than 115's
    According to Atomic, removing the bottom of the two screws on the back of the boot will reduce the flex from 130 to 120. Hawx are already soft for the rating, so a 120 would be a soft 120, closer to 115 on a lot of other manufacturer's boots.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by mb80ba View Post
    According to Atomic, removing the bottom of the two screws on the back of the boot will reduce the flex from 130 to 120. Hawx are already soft for the rating, so a 120 would be a soft 120, closer to 115 on a lot of other manufacturer's boots.
    Don't think that will work too well with the XTD's. I had a screw on one of my XTD's auto-remove on a recent short tour and they didn't ski nearly as well in permanent walk mode.

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