Originally Posted by
Jongle
I picked up a pair of the new Hawx Prime XTD 130s with mimic liners, first impressions follow.
For reference, my feet measure 24.5 but are pretty wide at the forefoot, ~105mm. I have big calves but low-volume heels and ankles, so it's difficult to find boots that have wide cuffs and toe boxes without having sloppy ankle hold. For the past few seasons I've been skiing Nordica Speechmachine 130s inbounds and Salomon Mtn Labs (heavily punched for forefoot and midfoot width) and Atomic Backland Carbons (head-molded shells and intuition liners) in the backcountry, all size 24.5. I tried on the Hawx Ultra (not Prime) XTD in the shop a couple of years ago and it crushed my feet, couldn't even close the lower buckles because the shell was bulging open on the top of my foot.
The Hawx Prime XTD has the best fit out of the box fit of any boot I've tried, although the Speedmachine is a close second and fits quite similarly. The heel pocket of the Prime is quite a bit snugger than the Mtn Lab or Backland. The Prime toe box is way less tapered than the Mtn Labs; midfoot feels good, but a bit of a pinch across the forefoot after an hour or so of skinning. Based on my experience heat molding the Backlands, I expect that the memory fit process will provide the extra few mm needed.
The range of motion is obviously much more restrictive than the Backlands, even with tongues in, and fairly similar to the Mtn labs. The Prime XTD flex pattern is nice and progressive (vs. the Mtn Lab, which feels like a brick wall in comparison). I've only taken the new boots on a couple of short tours, so I'll have to provide updated thoughts on performance after a bunch more days, but I'm very optimistic so far. I'll likely mold shells and liners before skiing them again, so it will be interesting to see if the Mimic liner lives up to the hype.
Weights for those interested:
Atomix Hawx Prime XTD, 24.5: 1560 grams per boot, everything stock
Salomon Mtn Lab, 24.5 (w/ Intuition Pro Tour liner): 1402 grams
Atomic Backland Carbon, 24.5 (tongues included; w/ Intuition Pro Tour Liner and Booster Strap): 1188 grams