First impression
"Wow, it's light" is the first thing that goes through your mind when you touch the Hawx Ultra. In terms of weight, the boot is more reminiscent of my touring boots than my (already light for alpine boots) Full Tilts. There's no need to compare it with other alpine boots...
The interesting thing about the weight is that a normal, thermoformable Memoryfit liner is used, not a particularly light model. The weight saving is therefore entirely in the shell. Atomic has based the material and thickness of the shell on the successful touring models in the Backland series. The majority of the shell is made of very thin Grilamid (a polyamide, conventional ski boot shells are usually made of polyurethane), but thicker PU is used in the areas that are important for power transmission and flex. This combination is intended to allow light weight without affecting the skiing characteristics.
As you would expect from a new top model, the Hawx Ultra is impeccably finished. There are no burrs on the plastic or the easy-to-operate metal buckles and, of course, nothing wobbles. In addition to the four buckles, the boot has a massive power strap (which could easily be replaced by a booster strap, for example). The inner boot is comfortable and warm, the sole has a few contours to increase grip, but of course it is an alpine sole, so those who like to dance on ice slabs will be happier with a touring sole.
Customization options
A clear advantage of the Hawx Ultra is the numerous possibilities to customize it to your own feet. Not only can the shell be adapted to the foot thanks to Atomic's "Memory-Fit", the inner boot is also thermoformable. Naturally, the buckles have a fine adjustment with a thread and at the back of the shaft the template can be adjusted in 3 positions, the lateral angle of the shaft is also adjustable. Atomic has also come up with something clever for adjusting the canting. Since the sole plates of the Hawx Ultra can be unscrewed, corresponding angled adapter plates can be installed underneath them, which allows for adjustable canting without grinding the soles.
For me, no adjustment of the shell was necessary, only the thermoformable liner was adjusted.
Test report
As soon as you slip into the boot for the first time, you realize that this is a tougher model. Especially in the freeride sector, it feels like there is hardly a shoe with walk mode that doesn't advertise a model with Flex130. You can get used to it, but it's only when you're standing in a proper alpine boot again that you remember what it actually means. Compared to the Hawx Ultra, my Full Tilts can also be described as "comfortable". The boot fits me very tightly but well. The good heel hold is particularly noteworthy, even with full forward pressure the heel stays where it belongs.
When skiing, you notice the good and direct power transmission that the Hawx Ultra enables. Of course, this is particularly noticeable on the piste or in hard snow. I had to adjust to the boot briefly at first, but quickly learned to appreciate it. Of course, the ski boot also works wonderfully when freeriding, although maximum power transmission is of course not as crucial in powder as in harder types of snow. The Hawx still cuts a fine figure, the low weight is not immediately noticeable, but it doesn't detract from the agility. Personally, I was initially a little irritated by the supposedly straight position of the foot, but once I had adjusted the shaft to the position with the strongest forward lean, this immediately disappeared. The flex is nice and progressive, which makes the shoe stable when landing jumps.
It should also be noted that the shoe hardly reacts to different temperatures, the flex remains practically the same in warm weather as in low temperatures. Speaking of temperatures, unlike the racing models with thin leather liners, feet stay warm in the Hawx Ultra 130 even at low temperatures.
