The Atomic Ski Boot Thread

[GoldenBC]

Intuition powerwrap. Pulse pro flex tongue. Modded Dalbello tongue. Intuition hd race

Powerwrap will kill your walk mode. Pulse tongue affects the walk mode a bit. Dalbello tongue mod will make it the stiffest but is a large mod and you have to pull out the tongue each time. Intuition race hd makes it quite a bit stiffer and reduces the walk mode less than a wrap.

It’s hard to really change the flex of a boot to stop blowing through it. Most other changes will add marginal gains but won’t change the class of boot/flex.

I have no experience with the professional liner but it doesn’t sound like it makes it next level stiff.

I find these boots have a lot of boot board ramp and can have a lot of forward lean. This can make it really easy to overflex since you’re preloaded all the time and in a strong position to flex deeper. You can try making the boot more upright and/or shimming the toe of the binding up. This will have you hanging over the front of the boot less.

[SkiLyft]

Good point on the forward lean; 2funky and I were chatting on the gondy down. Gotta stand it up a bit to give me a bit more to push into off the top.

It’s odd though, per ONK it’s the same boot as the non XTD version. Surely a 130 boot isn’t that easy to blow through.

ONK does the gnar bar fix anything I described? Hard to think it changes the way the boot bellows at the ankle.


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[carlh]

I can blow through my non xtd ultra 130s, adding zipfits to try and reduce the need to this year but they are not a super stiff 130. Also going to try and add some finesse to my technique.
That said I am a bigger dude at 6’3” 205 and pretty strong.

[GoldenBC]

It definitely bellows less than the old one but it is for sure on the softer side of the 130 range.

I find Zipfit GFT makes The boot considerably softer than an intuition race hd, even with my walk mode mod to the intuition.

The Hawx is a light weight boot. That is always going to come with some sacrifice in flex and feel. I also believe that the small diameter cuff and narrow throat makes it easier to flex. Think about bending a small diameter pipe vs a large one of the same gauge.

Thankfully there are ways to stiffen it. Do it before you start getting heel spurs from overflexing.

[SkiLyft]

Stopped by my shop, gnar bars installed. They seemed to reduce the bellow a bit. Out for another day skiing. Will report back.


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[Johnny Utah]

Anyone able to provide shell and/or total weight for a size 26 Backland XTD?


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[LeeLau]

Anyone able to provide shell and/or total weight for a size 26 Backland XTD?


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Shell is 1106g (26.5).

There's a dedicated thread for other info here https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...d.php?t=352307

[GoSlowGoFar]

Stopped by my shop, gnar bars installed. They seemed to reduce the bellow a bit. Out for another day skiing. Will report back.


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Just confirming, that only works with the latest version right? The Free/Lock 4.5?

[SkiLyft]

I honestly am not sure.


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[Johnny Utah]

Shell is 1106g (26.5).

There's a dedicated thread for other info here https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...d.php?t=352307

Thanks much Lee


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[LeeLau]

Thanks much Lee


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Forgot to answer. Entire boot is a bit over 1360g

[Johnny Utah]

Forgot to answer. Entire boot is a bit over 1360g

Nice. Will have to give em a fondle soon


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[WhetherMan]

It would surprise me if the gnar bar helped with the bellowing, but let us know. I've got a pair, I guess I could just screw them on.
My impression is that they are to eliminate any play in the walk mode rather than stiffen the boot but if they have even a small impact on that that would be cool

Does the shockstopper make much of a difference? Any one skiing on it care to comment? When I slap my old self down on a flat groomer will it hurt less?

[carlh]

What do you suggest to stiffen them up? I had to get a heel spur punched this year from overflexing mine last year. I bought zips instead of new shells but worried I maybe should have gone the other way.

It definitely bellows less than the old one but it is for sure on the softer side of the 130 range.

I find Zipfit GFT makes The boot considerably softer than an intuition race hd, even with my walk mode mod to the intuition.

The Hawx is a light weight boot. That is always going to come with some sacrifice in flex and feel. I also believe that the small diameter cuff and narrow throat makes it easier to flex. Think about bending a small diameter pipe vs a large one of the same gauge.

Thankfully there are ways to stiffen it. Do it before you start getting heel spurs from overflexing.

[SkiLyft]

Ima ski them and report back. Standing them up to 13* also seemed to help when carpet skiing. Let’s see if I’m still blowing through the flex 2-3 times a run.


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[GoldenBC]

What do you suggest to stiffen them up? I had to get a heel spur punched this year from overflexing mine last year. I bought zips instead of new shells but worried I maybe should have gone the other way.

You won’t regret zips. Use the zip power strap to make them stiffer.

[onenerdykid]

Good point on the forward lean; 2funky and I were chatting on the gondy down. Gotta stand it up a bit to give me a bit more to push into off the top.

It’s odd though, per ONK it’s the same boot as the non XTD version. Surely a 130 boot isn’t that easy to blow through.

ONK does the gnar bar fix anything I described? Hard to think it changes the way the boot bellows at the ankle.


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Plastics and wall thicknesses between regular Hawx Ultra and Hawx Ultra XTD are, for all intents & purposes, the same.

Adding the Gnar Bar will increase rearward and lateral stability and a bit to the front (Sage definitely thinks it does). It doesn't prevent the lower shell from bellowing but it does make for a more solid connection between cuff and shell, and this is noticeable.

Other quick points:
-Because it lacks a pivot point (like a ski/walk mechanism has), Gnar Bar is only able to be positioned in 2 forward lean settings and we chose 15° or 17° because this is what the athletes wanted. Because it only allows for 15°/17° settings, if someone could hypothetically mount it at 13°, it would not sit properly on the back of the cuff and people will break their cuffs. So when you attach the Gnar Bar to the boot in the 15° setting, it butts up into the top of the mounting area as if you had the ski/walk mechanism in 13°. We basically made the 13° setting unachievable so no one would break their cuff when mounting it up/skiing it. Unfortunately, there won't be 13° Gnar Bar option made.

-Gnar Bar fits on 23/24 Ultra XTD, all model year Prime XTDs, and, not that it would be common, Backland XTD too.

[onenerdykid]

Does the shockstopper make much of a difference? Any one skiing on it care to comment? When I slap my old self down on a flat groomer will it hurt less?

When you get a ShockStopper boot board in hand, you'll feel a big difference.

This was posted by one of the members (not me) on SkiTalk yesterday:

[arild]

Matt, appreciate you catering to us nerds/idiots/best skiers on our mountains.

Couple of Qs for you;

There is a red strap available simply marked Atomic Redster - is this the same as the professional dual strap?

Also, got myself Backland XTDs, and while their stride is pretty awesome, coming from Lupos, skiing is something that I'll just have to get used to. Are shockstopper boot boards available for these? Also, the cable clamp thing - can I move it a bit backwards/upwards towards the ankle in order to get a bit more instep pressure without threatening their very integrity?

Cheers!



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[onenerdykid]

Matt, appreciate you catering to us nerds/idiots/best skiers on our mountains.

Couple of Qs for you;

There is a red strap available simply marked Atomic Redster - is this the same as the professional dual strap?

Also, got myself Backland XTDs, and while their stride is pretty awesome, coming from Lupos, skiing is something that I'll just have to get used to. Are shockstopper boot boards available for these? Also, the cable clamp thing - can I move it a bit backwards/upwards towards the ankle in order to get a bit more instep pressure without threatening their very integrity?

Cheers!

We have two types of Dual Straps available: The (black) Professional version that's elastic and the (red) Classic version that is non-elastic. We sell both since our racers use both. For example, Mikaela uses the Classic version in slalom to have the most direct, most responsive reaction time. She'll use the Professional version in GS, Super-G, and DH.

True, proper touring boots will take a bit of time to get used to when coming from heavy, alpine-oriented boots. A good rule to remember - the lighter the boot, the more emphasis is placed on you & your skiing technique. There aren't ShockStopper boot boards available for those, unfortunately. And I wouldn't change the location of the instep strap- lighter weight boots also don't take to mods super easily and you really need to be careful where and how you drill.

[arild]

We have two types of Dual Straps available: The (black) Professional version that's elastic and the (red) Classic version that is non-elastic. We sell both since our racers use both. For example, Mikaela uses the Classic version in slalom to have the most direct, most responsive reaction time. She'll use the Professional version in GS, Super-G, and DH.

True, proper touring boots will take a bit of time to get used to when coming from heavy, alpine-oriented boots. A good rule to remember - the lighter the boot, the more emphasis is placed on you & your skiing technique. There aren't ShockStopper boot boards available for those, unfortunately. And I wouldn't change the location of the instep strap- lighter weight boots also don't take to mods super easily and you really need to be careful where and how you drill.

Gotcha, and thank you. I have some distance to go learning how to ski light gear in general! Ordering the black dual strap, but for now, just took the booster from my Raptors, see how they work out.

Cheers!

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[LeeLau]

@arild I went from my Atomic ( detuned/softer) alpine boots to my Backland XTds over the past 2 days on my first turns of the season. It's always eye opening remembering how different they are ie what ONK said.

On my alpines I skied with buckles undone and could still carve and lean on groomers. My my Backlands I have to edge carefully and be quite precise with weight plus buckle up tight. Such different gear!

[arild]

@arild I went from my Atomic ( detuned/softer) alpine boots to my Backland XTds over the past 2 days on my first turns of the season. It's always eye opening remembering how different they are ie what ONK said.

On my alpines I skied with buckles undone and could still carve and lean on groomers. My my Backlands I have to edge carefully and be quite precise with weight plus buckle up tight. Such different gear!

Cheers Lee. I've only been touring so far, but hopefully the mountain of PU that is my boots gets used sooner rather than later so I really can feel the difference. [emoji16]

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[SkiLyft]

Welp, another day on the Hawx 130 XTD BOA… this time with the gnar bar. Still easy to blow through the flex. Hell, my heels hurt after 1.5 hours of skiing the bunny hill with my daughter.

Took em back to my ski shop and they swapped them for a Hawx Ultra 130 Pro. FWIW it feels like a dramatically different boot when flexing side by side by side.

Skiing tomorrow so I’ll report back but despite what you’re saying ONK these are different droids.




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[GoSlowGoFar]

Feel like I’ve been blowing up this thread with questions lately. Has anyone stuck a Mimic Pro liner in a Backland Pro (22)? Are they too thich to fit appropriately? Having heel hold probs due to sizing up for neuroma issues and hoping this could be a solution. Other thought was trying to rig up an instep buckle but not sure how the plastic will hold up.