The Atomic Ski Boot Thread

[GoldenBC]

That’s great news.

From my experience (20 years bootfitting on and off), everyone is looking for better heel retention. Especially in mv boots. I would argue there is a large hole in the market for mv boots with better ankle/heel hold. Having a very heat moldable shell will make this boot very easy to adapt. Without the heat molding, the throat of the ultra would destroy more people. But keep in mind, we probably heat mold 10% of them.

Currently, the Hawx ultra is the best fit for the mv foot in my experience. It is actually too large in the forefoot for a true lv foot but thankfully shims exist.

most people try on ski boots and the forefoot feels tight and the ankle feels loose. The pressure is very awkward and uneven and they have issues describing how it feels to the fitter. When the ultra squeezes the ankle, removes heel lift and lightly squeezes the forefoot, people are blown away by finally having even pressure on their foot. I’m talking about 110mm width feet with decent arches.

[XavierD]

Most people chasing ankle and heel tightness/hold don’t have enough space in the right area around the heel/Achilles/ankle and end up compensating using foam to chase the ankle bones until the high ankle lower shin runs into the front of the cuff.

When doing a shell fit look at where things are too tight in the back and make room back there. Better retention and more room up front!

[GoldenBC]

I can’t say that seems like what I experience. Maybe in Lange RX/RS but part of that problem is a very wide throat.

Do you find you’re often opening up around the Achilles or back of the ankles?

[altacoup]

That’s great news.

From my experience (20 years bootfitting on and off), everyone is looking for better heel retention. Especially in mv boots. I would argue there is a large hole in the market for mv boots with better ankle/heel hold. Having a very heat moldable shell will make this boot very easy to adapt. Without the heat molding, the throat of the ultra would destroy more people. But keep in mind, we probably heat mold 10% of them.

Currently, the Hawx ultra is the best fit for the mv foot in my experience. It is actually too large in the forefoot for a true lv foot but thankfully shims exist.

most people try on ski boots and the forefoot feels tight and the ankle feels loose. The pressure is very awkward and uneven and they have issues describing how it feels to the fitter. When the ultra squeezes the ankle, removes heel lift and lightly squeezes the forefoot, people are blown away by finally having even pressure on their foot. I’m talking about 110mm width feet with decent arches.

I think there’s a huge whole (albeit not huge demand) for a true low volume touring boot. I ski the Hawk ultra xtd and it’s the lowest volume touring boot I’ve found but I still needed to shim it. Nordica heel cup, underfoot shim and closed cell foam on top of forefoot. I’d love for a company to come out with a true LV touring boot, that’s not my Dobie plugs with CAST conversion. Those suckers are heavy.


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[Dromond]

I think there’s a huge whole (albeit not huge demand) for a true low volume touring boot. I ski the Hawk ultra xtd and it’s the lowest volume touring boot I’ve found but I still needed to shim it. Nordica heel cup, underfoot shim and closed cell foam on top of forefoot. I’d love for a company to come out with a true LV touring boot, that’s not my Dobie plugs with CAST conversion. Those suckers are heavy.


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Yes, there are others out there that want a LV touring fit.

[Dromond]

Altacoup when you say Nordica heel cup, do you mean these?

https://lockwoods.com/products/nordi...heel-retainers

[Sashko]

Does anyone know about 24/25 boots:
1. Will Redster CS receive boa?
2. Will Hawx Ultra (alpine) get heavier and receive boa?

[gregL]

Does anyone know about 24/25 boots:
1. Will Redster CS receive boa?
2. Will Hawx Ultra (alpine) get heavier and receive boa?

No, no and no. The new boots with BOA next season are the Hawx Prime and Hawx Prime XTD.

[carlh]

Are either of those in the cards in the next 2-3 years? I’m getting my 22 ultras dialed with zipfits but regularly wish they were just a bit more boot.

No, no and no. The new boots with BOA next season are the Hawx Prime and Hawx Prime XTD.

[big kook]

Have you checked out the Ultra RS? Apparently its a step up in cuff thickness from the regular Ultra S.

[onenerdykid]

Have you checked out the Ultra RS? Apparently its a step up in cuff thickness from the regular Ultra S.

Just some clarification, plastic thickness is always the same (it's the same mold, therefore same plastic thickness) but the differences are:

130 RS --> classic flex pattern & feel that the boot has historically had (if you had last year's "130 S" this is the same boot). Comes with a cam strap.

130 S --> same lower shell as 130 RS, but with a softer cuff for a more forgiving feel and a bit easier step in. Comes with a velcro strap.

[carlh]

I have the older s after they added beef but before the rs came out. My error was not buying redsters.

Just some clarification, plastic thickness is always the same (it's the same mold, therefore same plastic thickness) but the differences are:

130 RS --> classic flex pattern & feel that the boot has historically had (if you had last year's "130 S" this is the same boot). Comes with a cam strap.

130 S --> same lower shell as 130 RS, but with a softer cuff for a more forgiving feel and a bit easier step in. Comes with a velcro strap.

[onenerdykid]

I have the older s after they added beef but before the rs came out. My error was not buying redsters.

Your Ultra is a great boot, but it's honestly hard to compete with a Redster.

I do get that "Redster" can scare or turn away some people, but it won't be this way forever.

[phil_dirt]

That’s great news.

From my experience (20 years bootfitting on and off), everyone is looking for better heel retention. Especially in mv boots. I would argue there is a large hole in the market for mv boots with better ankle/heel hold. Having a very heat moldable shell will make this boot very easy to adapt. Without the heat molding, the throat of the ultra would destroy more people. But keep in mind, we probably heat mold 10% of them.

Currently, the Hawx ultra is the best fit for the mv foot in my experience. It is actually too large in the forefoot for a true lv foot but thankfully shims exist.

most people try on ski boots and the forefoot feels tight and the ankle feels loose. The pressure is very awkward and uneven and they have issues describing how it feels to the fitter. When the ultra squeezes the ankle, removes heel lift and lightly squeezes the forefoot, people are blown away by finally having even pressure on their foot. I’m talking about 110mm width feet with decent arches.

This is me. I have skinny ankles, a relatively low (but not the lowest) instep, and skinny heels. Forefoot feels great in the hawx ultra. I wear a size 10.5 shoe, and I'm in a 26.5 boot. I'm tempted to go down to 25.5, but I'd start losing toenails. I still don't get the heel hold I'd like, so I switched to zipfits, and I've been shoving a ton of cork in the tongue. I'd like something to strap down my instep/ankle area into the heel of the boot.

[gregL]

Are either of those in the cards in the next 2-3 years? I’m getting my 22 ultras dialed with zipfits but regularly wish they were just a bit more boot.

onenerdykid is the guy to ask - I'm sure it's coming, but it's always a question of time and money - MV boots are a bigger priority for the consumer market in general.

[optics]

Reporting back after 10 days on a pair of hawx 130 boas (which were expertly baked by our man GregL).

Bought these as a resort boot mostly to guinea pig the boa tech. I have a combo of weird feet which have gotten weirder after hitting 40, and intense boot OCD that doesn't let me leave my goddamn buckles alone for more than one run.

Two days in I thought they were going to be too soft, but I added the 'gnarbar' and the pro strap (thanks BCO) and they feel pretty damn good to me, even on hardpack days, and I am 210lbs...but if a beefier version were made, I would do that. I grew up skiing moguls not racing so YMMV and all that. Lateral stiffness feels great to me.

If you're neurotic about your clog tightness like me, the boa really is a big deal. I would REALLY love to be able to dial in the lower cuff in the same way to get the perfect heel lock, without over-torquing and creating circulation problems.

The dream boot (or at least my weird dream based on getting to know this boot) would be a beefier redster 130 shell, GW sole swap, boa for upper clog and for lower cuff, traditional buckle at top of cuff and at the toe.


ONK, two minor feedback points in case useful:


1. The velcro-only attachment of the liner tongue isn't strong enough. I pull the tongue to the side to open the boot, but even just pulling the tongue up gently after you're in the liner, it detaches frequently, PITA to get the boot off, liner out, reattach, repeat. If the tongue had some kind of thin/soft 'barb' that doubled-back into the liner - just to have a mechanical resistance point against it coming fully off if you pull up on the tongue - that would help. A person can stitch it, I guess, but that feels funny on a thousand-dollar boot.

2. When you swap out the walk lever for the gnar bar, the female/post/hat side of the rivet spins against the shell material. It looks like you can lock it in with a spanner while you spin the bolt side, but you can't really get that angle on it given the shape of the shell there. And because the hat side doesn't have teeth to dig into the shell (the toothed version is on dalbellos and works well fyi), you can't just do it with pressure.

Tiny thing but would make a big difference for people who are swapping those out.

[dcpnz]

Would like to try being a little more upright in my Hawx XTD.

What part / part # do I need to reduce forward lean in this generation of XTD?
Thanks

[onenerdykid]

Would like to try being a little more upright in my Hawx XTD.

What part / part # do I need to reduce forward lean in this generation of XTD?
Thanks

HAWX ULTRA XTD FREE/LOCK BASE PLATE 13/19
Part number: AZE001416

[fatnslow]

Been in Atomic cs boots for many years and picked up some old stock/new redster 130 last year. Fit/performance is money but these damn boots condensate like crazy. I use thin socks with foot powder but holy hell my orthotics are wet at the end of the day. It's an issue in cold days since my feet are freaking freezing.
The main difference between the liners is the new boots are some sort of synthetic leather except the neoprene around the toe box where the old boots were using some sort of a fabric probably allowing more air flow.
Any suggestions of relieving the moisture issue with the current liners ?
Only thing I can think of is to take a needle and make sure the small perforation in the liner exterior is actually pitched through ?
I will also shake some foot powder into the boot itself and see if it helps.

[slowandsteady]

Got the Hawx XTD Boa's for this season after a couple seasons in the older XTD version and am loving them so far, the PU is a big upgrade for a 70/30 boot and while ugly the BOA seems help with dialling in forefoot tightness without crushing my (admittedly high) instep.

I am having one issue with the Shockstopper bootboards I got to put in them, as when I remove the liner with or without my foot in it the bootboard pulls off the screw that holds them down. Wondering if anyone has had this issue and has come up with any solutions?

[Jason4]

I couldn’t use the screw with the shockstopper boot boards. The screw stood taller than the boot board and I could feel it in my heel.

[HukuTa_KydecHuk]

Been in Atomic cs boots for many years and picked up some old stock/new redster 130 last year. Fit/performance is money but these damn boots condensate like crazy. I use thin socks with foot powder but holy hell my orthotics are wet at the end of the day. It's an issue in cold days since my feet are freaking freezing.
The main difference between the liners is the new boots are some sort of synthetic leather except the neoprene around the toe box where the old boots were using some sort of a fabric probably allowing more air flow.
Any suggestions of relieving the moisture issue with the current liners ?
Only thing I can think of is to take a needle and make sure the small perforation in the liner exterior is actually pitched through ?
I will also shake some foot powder into the boot itself and see if it helps.

same thing with Hawx Ultra XTD with 1st gen Mimic liner. God, this thing has zero breathability. Toe fingers are soaking almost all the time. Interesting, that in newer XTD 130 with BoA, mimic liner at the toe part looks more traditional, like what Sidas or Zipfit do.

[Supermoon]

You could try some sort of vapor barrier sock to at least keep the moisture out of the boot.

[caderader]

Couple quick questions for Matt or whoever else wants to chime in.

I just got some Hawx Ultra XTDs they're pretty great but I'm having some mild instep discomfort (high on the instep) in the right boot that's causing toe numbness, if I don't open the BOA on the lift. The bootfitter I went to did a heat of the shell and put a small pad over that area and that made it about 50% better but still getting mild toe numbness. Should I go get the shell molded again with a bit more padding? Is it better just to ski the crap out of it and see if it resolves some on its own?

They also did not suggest or do a heat mold of the liner. Is that something I should do/ask for or is it only done in some circumstances?

Finally, I was curious what the tongue adjustment demarcation (High, Medium, Low) on the mimic platinums that came with the boot are for/mean.

Thanks!

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[optics]

I couldn’t use the screw with the shockstopper boot boards. The screw stood taller than the boot board and I could feel it in my heel.

I pulled mine, sunk the screw deeper, and then installed the bootboard over the screw, just pushed it down over so the head of the screw barely popped through. "Just the tip". Enough to hold it in place and can't feel it at all.