The Atomic Ski Boot Thread

[onenerdykid]

How long should we expect 1st gen mimic pro's to last? Ditto for 2nd gen.

At this point in the long game, maximum longevity is still hard to predict. On one hand, there are people with 200+ days in first gen liners with no complaints and some people with issues after 100. Part of the explanation could be due to boot fitters not following our instructions resulting in an incomplete fill, or issues with the foam filling the bladder. Hard to say. As is the case with most any new thing, now that more fitters have more experience with the product and with the process, there are way more happy skiers than in the early days.

With my personal "23/24" version, I've got roughly 150 days on mine so far and I don't have any need for a new version or going up to the thicker, LV tongue. I think the improvements with this generation will close the gap on any complaints/shortcomings people have had.

[onenerdykid]

How long should the cuff pivots last? My backlands started getting loose after about 5 days.

That shouldn't happen, something sounds off. I would bring it to your local Atomic dealer and have them take a gander.

[DigSki]

At this point in the long game, maximum longevity is still hard to predict. On one hand, there are people with 200+ days in first gen liners with no complaints and some people with issues after 100. Part of the explanation could be due to boot fitters not following our instructions resulting in an incomplete fill, or issues with the foam filling the bladder. Hard to say. As is the case with most any new thing, now that more fitters have more experience with the product and with the process, there are way more happy skiers than in the early days.

With my personal "23/24" version, I've got roughly 150 days on mine so far and I don't have any need for a new version or going up to the thicker, LV tongue. I think the improvements with this generation will close the gap on any complaints/shortcomings people have had.

Totally makes sense, thanks for the insight. For your reference:
- I'm at about 100 days on gen 1 and it's definitely not gripping my heel like it did initially, but certainly not sloppy yet. Those are a long 100 days too - many bell to bell days skiing as hard as I can.
- The shop that did mine initially gave me a women's liner for the left foot, a men's liner for the right foot...so I wouldn't bet on them doing the filling process perfectly.

Overall I love the liner and have recommended it to many people. However, given how much I ski I think I might jump to ZipFit next. The idea of being able to adjust fit over time by adding cork is really intriguing to me (I like to fiddle with things).

Also, I got a set of the pro dual straps. Damn those things are amazing, way better than boosters.

[skimeow]

For the outgoing Hawx Ultra XTD, what's the call on 120 vs 130? I currently ski the S/Max 130 (very happy) and Zero G Tour Pro (just ok) and I'm thinking of dropping the ZGTP for the Hawx before the heavier version comes in. The Hawx Ultra XTD 120 has a PU cuff while the 130 uses PA. On the shop floor, the 120 felt more progressive (and easier on the wallet), but will it be underpowered?

Also @onenerdykid what's the deal with the little ridges below the walk mode? They look like they'd interfere with crampons. Safe to file them off if it's a problem?

[onenerdykid]

For the outgoing Hawx Ultra XTD, what's the call on 120 vs 130? I currently ski the S/Max 130 (very happy) and Zero G Tour Pro (just ok) and I'm thinking of dropping the ZGTP for the Hawx before the heavier version comes in. The Hawx Ultra XTD 120 has a PU cuff while the 130 uses PA. On the shop floor, the 120 felt more progressive (and easier on the wallet), but will it be underpowered?

Also @onenerdykid what's the deal with the little ridges below the walk mode? They look like they'd interfere with crampons. Safe to file them off if it's a problem?

Outgoing Ultra XTD 120 & 130 use the same "130" lower shell- the difference is purely in the cuff. But, even with the same shell, a softer/stiffer cuff will have an impact on how the shell will behave. Not a huge amount, but it is noticeable. Also, the 120 (PU) cuff will stiffen more in the cold than the 130 (PA) cuff so it will feel a little more powerful once it is outside.

You shouldn't have too many incompatibilities with the heel area of the shell (that area is normed for crampons) but I'm sure there are some crampons that work/play nicer than others. I wouldn't grind anything away from the plastic of the shell in order to make a crampon fit.

[skimeow]

You're right, the ridges prevent the lever from snugging up against the shell, but it's solidly flipped in the engaged position. It just looks a bit funny, but it seems fine.

[wilcox510]

This shop in Calgary actually has some Backland XTDs in stock already, size 26-28. I actually called and talked to them, and they really do have them. The employee I talked to said everyone there that had been in them was quite impressed. She had skied them, she said the heel and ankle felt fairly similar the the Hawk XTD Ultra she normally wears, but the mid foot was definitely higher volume. If they had a 25 I'd consider ordering a pair, although I'm still concerned they're going to be too high volume.

https://www.skiwest.ca/atomic-backland-xtd-carbon-120-2024.html?id=93375571

[LeeLau]

This shop in Calgary actually has some Backland XTDs in stock already, size 26-28. I actually called and talked to them, and they really do have them. The employee I talked to said everyone there that had been in them was quite impressed. She had skied them, she said the heel and ankle felt fairly similar the the Hawk XTD Ultra she normally wears, but the mid foot was definitely higher volume. If they had a 25 I'd consider ordering a pair, although I'm still concerned they're going to be too high volume.

https://www.skiwest.ca/atomic-backla...ml?id=93375571

Agreed - the toebox is also higher volume.

[fbw360]

eagerly awaiting the weekend to ski after upgrading my boots and getting fitted for the Hawx Ultra Pro (many thanks to GregL). onenerdykid out of curiosity, what is the reason for the power strap to be slightly rotated so the dual strap element favoring the inside shin of each leg respectively? Naively I would have thought it would be centered.

I also noticed you said that the straps should sit so the top is directly on the tongue and the lower portion is on the plastic cuff - I found that mine wanted to settle with the lower strap over the top buckle. Do I just give it a firm tug to properly sit higher?
many thanks for your activeness and responses to the community qs

[onenerdykid]

eagerly awaiting the weekend to ski after upgrading my boots and getting fitted for the Hawx Ultra Pro (many thanks to GregL). onenerdykid out of curiosity, what is the reason for the power strap to be slightly rotated so the dual strap element favoring the inside shin of each leg respectively? Naively I would have thought it would be centered.

I also noticed you said that the straps should sit so the top is directly on the tongue and the lower portion is on the plastic cuff - I found that mine wanted to settle with the lower strap over the top buckle. Do I just give it a firm tug to properly sit higher?
many thanks for your activeness and responses to the community qs

The Professional Dual Strap should sit slightly medially (inside) when untightened but then when you tighten it, it should become more centered on the cuff/liner tongue. If, after tightening, yours is still sitting too medially, then you should be able to reposition the strap (there are two pre-made sets of holes on the back of the strap where it mounts to the cuff). You can make your own holes in the strap too, no issue there.

Ideally, the top half of the strap sits on the liner tongue and the lower half sits on the cuff. If you need to slightly slide it up to clear the buckle/toothplate, that's fine too.

[Jack Burton]

Hi & thanks for starting this thread @onenerdykid !

The Hawx Ultra XTD v2 looks great, has there been any change to beef up the rear tech fitting? I've been on the prior version for ~ three seasons and the fit/skiability combo fits me well but i've had issues with the rear tech fitting.

I had the V1 ~2018 model and snapped the screw holding the rear tech fitting twice. Last spring I got the ~ 2021 version and after ~ 20 days on tech and ~ 20 on shifts the rear tech fitting is coming loose, I'm hearing that should replace the screw and epoxy the tech fitting in place. All tech skiing was with Atomic/Solly MTN binding if it matters :-). If you have any fixes to keep the rear tech fitting in place I'd be stoked to hear/try them, cheers!

[onenerdykid]

Hi & thanks for starting this thread @onenerdykid !

The Hawx Ultra XTD v2 looks great, has there been any change to beef up the rear tech fitting? I've been on the prior version for ~ three seasons and the fit/skiability combo fits me well but i've had issues with the rear tech fitting.

I had the V1 ~2018 model and snapped the screw holding the rear tech fitting twice. Last spring I got the ~ 2021 version and after ~ 20 days on tech and ~ 20 on shifts the rear tech fitting is coming loose, I'm hearing that should replace the screw and epoxy the tech fitting in place. All tech skiing was with Atomic/Solly MTN binding if it matters :-). If you have any fixes to keep the rear tech fitting in place I'd be stoked to hear/try them, cheers!

Same tech inserts as before. Honestly, I have no idea what could be causing it. It's something we've never been able to replicate on our own. I've only heard about a handful of these issues, all with PA/Grilamid boots though. Never on any PU models- Ultra XTD or Prime XTD. So maybe there's some link between better screw retention and PU.

[GoldenBC]

I wonder if it’s brakeless MTNs or not. Brakeless could put a lot of force on the fitting since you’re hanging on the pins.

[oltrepiave]

I wonder if it’s brakeless MTNs or not. Brakeless could put a lot of force on the fitting since you’re hanging on the pins.

i probably have 100ish days running brakeless MTN with ultra xtd (all-black version from last season).
i have never noticed any issues. I have also ran the whole setup with the dynafit beast inserts (removed them this season) through simply adjusting the tech gap (by a couple mm).

The whole situation sounds like either some subtle wear-and-tear or tech gap not set correctly.

[LeeLau]

I had the V1 ~2018 model and snapped the screw holding the rear tech fitting twice. Last spring I got the ~ 2021 version and after ~ 20 days on tech and ~ 20 on shifts the rear tech fitting is coming loose, I'm hearing that should replace the screw and epoxy the tech fitting in place. All tech skiing was with Atomic/Solly MTN binding if it matters :-). If you have any fixes to keep the rear tech fitting in place I'd be stoked to hear/try them, cheers!

Three Ultra XTD v1s in the family. Two are mine and one are Sharons. I've also broken one screw holding tech fitting in. Just noticed it for "spare" boot so it happened sometime this season. Used the spare boot on Shifts and Vipecs.

Other boots are fine

I wonder if it’s brakeless MTNs or not. Brakeless could put a lot of force on the fitting since you’re hanging on the pins.