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Question: Need advice on Hawk Ultra 90W

Skitopia

Diva in Training
I am very interested to hear from anyone who skis on a pair of Hawk Ultra, but more specifically 90. I am an advanced skier/ex racer/instructor, but because of where I live, I don't get to ski much, if at all over the past decade. My last pair of boots I bought when I was 18 and for some reason just haven't gotten around to a new pair. I am very fit, weigh 130 and my height is 5'7. I love to ski fast and work on carving my turns. I like back country skiing, but didn't have much opportunity over the years growing up in eastern Ontario. For all these reason this is why I am looking at an all mountain boot.

The reason for this posting is because I am trying to understand the flex ratings. This didn't exist or I wasn't paying attention to it when I was in my late teens. Either way, I know that a 90 in one brand could be 100 in another and that an advanced skier "could" get enough performance out of 90. I have also read comments on the flexibility of your ankle.

So here are my questions:

1. What do people think about Atomic's new Hawk line, because frankly I haven't been able to find much, which worries me?

2. Is there another boot out there I should consider? I've tried the:

Salomon xMax 110W - very comfortable, but I had a few issues around the foot. I'm sure those could be adjusted.

Lange RX110 W - not as comfortable as the other boots listed here , but I loved, loved the heal pocket. It had issues too, but I'm sure could be fixed.

Head Raptor 110 RS W - I was shocked at how comfortable they were, especially the heal. I had written them off when I tried them on a month ago, but wow they were great when I tried them the other day. Problem was the store didn't have them in my size anymore.

Vector RS (don't remember if it was 90 or 110) - even better than the Raptor. This was my second choice to the Hawk, but the only difference is my toes had a lot more space to move. The Hawk gave me all round support through to the toe and it wasn't uncomfortable, surprisingly.

Any advice or suggestions would be most appreciated.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
What is the width of your street shoes.?B or C. I was recommended by my boot fitter for the Hawk Prime. I've a B width foot. I did like the fit of the Salomon X Max too. In fact I like the foot in the X max and the ankle on the Hawk 2.o last year. My local store told my no "frankinboots"! So I settled for the Prime. I'm in the 100 flex.
 

Albertan ski girl

Angel Diva
I think a boot fitter would be the best call here - fit is so individual. I have the hawx magnas in a 90 flex, and I love them. I previously had a 90 boot, but these are much stiffer. I like the more performance fit of the the hawx boots, but they're still recreational boots I would say. As you're an ex racer/instructor, your needs will probably be different. They've been great for me...but I think a bootfitter will know better.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'm confused. You mentioned backcountry, but those boots are all alpine.

If you're asking whether a particular boot would be the appropriate flex, but you've never put your foot in the boot - alarm bells ring for me. Maybe your feet are a very common boot shape, but I would be leery.

Flex numbers are only moderately meaningful. There's no standard. Within a particular model of boot, you know that the 90 will be softer than the 110. But across brands, and sometimes even across models, the numbers don't line up. Then there's how that particular boot's plastic responds to very cold temperatures. Then there's whether your leg fits properly against the tongue - the better the fit, the more leverage you'll be able to exert, so a better fit might allow / require a stiffer boot. Then there's the forward lean of the boot - some of us find that too much forward lean counter-intuitively makes it harder to flex the boot.

All of which is to say, I'd be cautious about buying a boot online.

That being said - I've had a really tough time finding an AT boot that doesn't kill my feet. Now that I've found an alpine boot that is a wonderful fit, and still have struggled to find an AT boot - after conversations with my fitter, I've ordered a boot online for the first time ever. We had a lot of discussions and the fitter even called the manufacturer to figure out whether the boot will work for me. Once it arrives, if I think it can be made to work, I'll take it to my fitter to see what he thinks. If he agrees, I'll keep it - otherwise, there's a solid return policy.
 

Skitopia

Diva in Training
Since I posted my question, I have since bought the boots as I am leaving on a 2 week trip Jan 1. I know this is not ideal, but being a mom of a 18 month, I ran out of time. I was more focused (and excited) buying his equipment then my own. I have to say they are very comfortable...for a boot.

Jilly - Unfortunately, I don't know if I have a B or C street shoe. I found after 10 minutes my foot was killing me all over in the Salomon. Does that say anything to you? I was nervous pursuing this option because I didn't know if getting them custom fitted would actually fix all the problems.

I'm in Toronto. If you know of a boot fitter, I would very much like to know in case these boots don't work for me.

Alberta girl - Thank you for the feedback. I feel like I am new to the sport after all these years. I guess I have to start somewhere. I wish I had more time to test out equipment these days, but it's not easy living in Toronto.

Bounceswoosh - Don't worry, I am not one to buy boots on line. I mentioned "backcountry" in my question because I was wondering if a boot like this would uphold in powder. Sorry, I should I have been specific.

Thank you for the words of wisdom about flexing. I will have to keep that in mind.
 

bounceswoosh

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I know this is not ideal, but being a mom of a 18 month, I ran out of time. I was more focused (and excited) buying his equipment then my own.

Under the circumstances, I think you can be forgiven ;-)

Good luck with the boots! If you need a fitter there, I'm sure someone here can provide a name.
 

snow addict

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Any boot will uphold in powder whatever it means :smile: When I was buying boots this season the final choice was between Dalbello Rampages and Hawx Ultra 100. They have narrow last, so if your street footwear is C there might be problems. They also have quite a bit of forward lean, adjustable between 13 and 19 degrees. Many boots these days have forward lean in 11-17 or even 11-15 range, so Ultras are fairly aggressive in comparison, though the lower limit is usually accessible to all skiers. Get fitted, if you can't see a fitter where you live before your trip see one in the resort. Most modern boots are very customizable but sometimes it happens that the best fitter won't be able to help when the boots don't fit right, and it's best to minimize time you will be spending at bootfitter's in the future by getting fitted initially. On paper most boots sound great, but in reality very few will feel great on your fit.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Then there's how that particular boot's plastic responds to very cold temperatures.

Holy ice-blocks, are you correct about that, @bounceswoosh . I would definitely research the plastic characteristics of a boot before purchasing, to make sure you know what the flex will be like in differing conditions. I have Lange RS boots that have been aggressively softened (bolt removal, cutting, more cutting...) and they are FROZEN BRICKS in the cold. I can't flex them at all when it's below 20F.

My sense is that people with very narrow feet need to be attentive to this, because we often end up in "race" boots, and I think Lange is the worst for crazy temperature variation. (In addition to being leaky and freezing cold and having zero traction on the sole). :rolleyes:
 

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