Might as well show that cuff articulation first. After all, we are about skiing uphill. The cuff moves so far back it’ll actually pop up above the scaffo overlap at the front (you won’t do this in real life, but shows these things do indeed flex.) Catalog claims “54 degrees” of movement. In real life, Hawx Ultra 130 cuff articulation is limited by the liner and how you set the buckles. If you wanted to free things up a bit you could probably do a bit of judicious carving and cutting, but most skiers will not feel the need for that. (To answer inevitable questions about that thing holding the boot, it’s a fixture I use to hold boots for while doing fit modifications, and photos. It’s not an experimental binding.

Ok kids, this boot is an overlap that’s indeed svelte — but no 1-kilo wonder. It’s not a ski touring boot. It’s freeride ski touring boot. But at 1434 grams (size 27.5), with excellent cuff mobility, he does tour. Indeed, I’d call the Hawx Ultra XTD 130 a sort of “crossover.”

Enough wordplay. Firstly, I skied the Hawx Ultra XTD 130 via a couple of tours as well as cable laps. As you’ll see in the photos below, cuff articulation is excellent (though as with most overlap beef boots you’ll feel resistance from the liner as well as various parts of the shell.) In terms of downhill skiing flex, it’s as progressive as anything I’ve tried in an overlap, while quite stiff. Is it the legendary 130? Probably, but it’s not a 170 so those of you looking for plug boots perhaps need to visit the Atomic FIS shop and bribe one of the boot builders. More details in photo captions below.