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Dave Petersen

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My ski buddy is looking at getting a pair of Atomic Hawx 120 ski boots. What are your thoughts on these boots?
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Dave Petersen

Dave Petersen

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@TimD59 Do you have a narrow or wide foot? Certain brands favor certain foot types. I know Langes (which I own) are generally a more narrow fit.
 
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Dave Petersen

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Solid medium fit, heel pocket is generous. Nice anatomic fit. Goot liner.

I know he has a pair of Full Tilts that he doesn't seem to wear too much -- can't remember what his other boots are -- maybe Salomon??
 

David Chaus

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The Atomic Hawx comes in three widths: Ultra is narrow (98), Prime is 100 and Magna is 102.

Now, Atomic narrow vs another brand narrow? Just gotta try them on.
 

neonorchid

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So the Atomic Hawx 120 -- narrow or more wide?
Solid medium fit, heel pocket is generous. Nice anatomic fit. Goot liner.
Agree, just not anatomic enough in the toe shape to fit those who have feet shaped and accustomed to the toe splay minimalist trail running shoe crowd!
I'd say the cuff upper, navicular, heel pocket, instep height, diagonal base of heel to instep articulation point are all very good, they missed on toe shape (for me)!
Atomic needs to look at their sister company Salomon X-max toe shape - I was hoping that would have been the case, disappointed to find it's not.
 
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neonorchid

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Doesn't Memory Fit come into play here?

https://www.atomic.com/en-us/memory-fit
Unfortunately no. After trying the boot, I noticed the shop had a shell sawed in half at the clog separating the sole from the upper. I asked them to put a liner from a new pair in the lower clog. The thin liner fit like a glove, also illustrated why memory fit and heating the liner would not help. Shop guy said the area at the very front of the boot where I needed a blunter shape was out of the boots expandable zone.
I think a typical ball and hoop punch wouldn't do. Would take a wedge to reshape the clog, assuming it could be done without affecting the binding interface. I'll stick with my Salomon X-Max for now, they fit right out of the box, no mods required.
 

DoryBreaux

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Will it fit his foot? Then he should buy it.
Will it not for his foot off the shelf but come sort of close? He should talk to a qualified boot fitter and he will probably end up buying it. Memory Fit is awesome.
Will it not fit his foot at all? Then he needs a different boot.
 

TimD59

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Dave & guys, thanks for the info & response. For the last 4 seasons, my boots are the Full Tilt, First Chair with a width of 99mm. The atomic Hawx ultra 120's are 98mm. I was looking for something a little more snug & stiffer. For the most part, I like to hit the front side goomers fast, so its probably more boot than I really need, but ya only go around once. Thanks
 

SallyCat

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Dave & guys, thanks for the info & response. For the last 4 seasons, my boots are the Full Tilt, First Chair with a width of 99mm. The atomic Hawx ultra 120's are 98mm. I was looking for something a little more snug & stiffer. For the most part, I like to hit the front side goomers fast, so its probably more boot than I really need, but ya only go around once. Thanks

If you haven't tried the Hawx Ultras on, it may be worth a trip to a shop that carries them. I'm in the men's Ultra 100 and they are quite snug. Not race-boot tight, obviously, but noticeably more close-fitting in the heel-ankle area than the other 98mm boots I tried.
 

GregK

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I would agree with others that you should try one of the Hawk Ultra boots to see if the fit is decent before you heat mold the liner and shell which would improve the fit. Full tilts usually fit fairly tight too so you may be okay with the Hawk Ultra line. The shell can expand to 104mm in the forefoot when molded and has more room lengthwise than the short sole length would have you believe. My feet measure just over 270mm/99mm and I’m in a 26.5 boot with great comfort.

Have a pair of the 130 Hawk Ultras and I love them! Flex is not as stiff as some racing boots with the same flex rating so don’t be scared by the 120 rating. I’m 175 pounds and can flex the 130 without issue.

Try before you buy with a good boot fitter and it they will work for your feet, they are highly recommended.
 

MRT

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My ski buddy is looking at getting a pair of Atomic Hawx 120 ski boots. What are your thoughts on these boots?
View attachment 31530

The Atomic Prime (higher volume---wider feet) can be "Heat Molded" something that could work well for you since you mention you have large calves. The Heat molding process will allow the cuff to become larger in circumference and also change the amount of forward lean in the boot, PROVIDED you know where to set the forward lean.

Forward lean can affect the position you stand at when you are extended. If the boot can't be changed in forward lean then you could end up too far forward over your boot sole center and be forced to sit back---(tired quads:(). Too much forward lean will also push your foot forward inside the boot, up into the narrower front end of the toe box, for this reason most folks with these LARGE calves will get longer and longer boots until there toes don't hurt . You need to find a fore/aft balance expert to both mold the boots and get them set up correctly. There are several things that can affect fore/aft balance, calf circumference in conjunction with boot forward lean are 2 of them.

What is the circumference of your calves where they exit the liner of boot?

Mike
Master boot fitter / Cped.
 
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Dave Petersen

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Some more good info @TimD59...
 

TimD59

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The Atomic Prime (higher volume---wider feet) can be "Heat Molded" something that could work well for you since you mention you have large calves. The Heat molding process will allow the cuff to become larger in circumference and also change the amount of forward lean in the boot, PROVIDED you know where to set the forward lean.

Forward lean can affect the position you stand at when you are extended. If the boot can't be changed in forward lean then you could end up too far forward over your boot sole center and be forced to sit back---(tired quads:(). Too much forward lean will also push your foot forward inside the boot, up into the narrower front end of the toe box, for this reason most folks with these LARGE calves will get longer and longer boots until there toes don't hurt . You need to find a fore/aft balance expert to both mold the boots and get them set up correctly. There are several things that can affect fore/aft balance, calf circumference in conjunction with boot forward lean are 2 of them.

What is the circumference of your calves where they exit the liner of boot?

Mike
Master boot fitter / Cped.
Do you know of any of these master boot fitters in the Denver or Dillon Colorado area??
 

Ktmdad

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The boot pictured above is a Hawx Ultra 120 with the 98mm last (slightly generous last). I have this boot in the color shown which was a very limited early season production run last year.
I have a wide 104mm forefoot with narrow heel and ankle, slightly high instep. Initial fit the heel and ankle were spot on and the forefoot very very tight. Went through the heat molding process which was darn painful with the toe and instep pads in place but once that was done is was a different boot entirely. Like magic almost how it expanded in just the right places. I was told by one fitter that these can expand by up to 8mm or more. Atomic says 6mm. The fit is so good around my heel and ankle I don't need to crank on the buckles at all. Another interesting thing I was told was if you heat them up and put them in cold water they revert to previous size. I'm going to have the toe box opened a bit more but i skied with them all last season no problem. If the heel and and ankle fit ok don't be afraid to go with these and get them heat molded. If to tight there is the wider Prime and then super wide Magna. Take their base last measuments and add a potential 6mm or more as a possibility for fitting.
Other great features
very low ramp angle. 4 degrees
adjustable flex
adjustable forward lean
dual adjustable cuff angle pivots
accepts Atomic canting sole pieces which come in a variety of degrees
and the OMG feature is if you get the Ultra's they are crazy light. Check one out and you will be shocked.
Performance, well they are better than me that's for sure.
 

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