Atomic Hawx Ultra XTD 115 W Touring Boot — First Look

by Julia Dubinina
written by Julia Dubinina
The Atomic Hawx 115 Ultra XTD is well suited for the resort crowd that wants to get off piste. It boasts 4 buckles and a power strap and easy to flick walk/ski mode, pictured here. power strap

The Atomic Hawx 115 Ultra XTD is well suited for the resort crowd that wants to get off piste. It boasts 4 buckles and a power strap and easy to flick walk/ski mode, pictured here.

I won’t lie, the later part of 2020 has been, well, hard… Between the pandemic, Black Lives movement, and now the West coast fires, it’s tough to feel optimistic about much of anything. Acknowledging my immense privilege and being the ski addict that I am, one of the rewarding distractions that I have found is…gear!

Now’s the time to start gearing up for the season, and if you’ve been procrastinating on doing proper research about what ski boot may fit your foot best, what ski length is right for you, which Lou Dawson mod you can try in your garage; you’re in the right place. Let’s get the conversation started with a first look at Atomic’s Hawx Ultra XTD 115 ski boot, a resort/touring hybrid option with some new shiny features for 2021.

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Dynafit TLT 8 Expedition CR W Touring Boot Review

by Manasseh Franklin
written by Manasseh Franklin
The Dynafit TLT 8 touring boot proved its versatility on long backcountry powder tours, resort laps, and even a couple of skimo races.

The Dynafit TLT 8 Expedition W touring boot proved its versatility on long backcountry powder tours, resort laps, and even a couple of skimo races.

From the top lip of Genevieve, a double black run on the flank of Telluride Ski Resort’s Palmyra Peak, the descent appeared near vertical and dotted with large boulder sized bumps. I pulled my Dynafit DNA race skis off my pack, clicked my TLT 8 boots into the light pin bindings and glanced over my shoulder. The closest racer I spotted was a guy roughly 30 yards behind me, not in my category, but still someone I wanted to beat. I dropped into the run, heart pounding, skis skittering across ice before hitting a chalky soft patch. I flexed into the boots, initiated a few jaunty turns before settling into a rhythm just on the edge of control. The run bottomed out with a luge path into tight trees for more steep turns with higher consequences.

Now wait a minute, you might be thinking. Why would this writer be using Dynafit TLT 8 Expedition CR boots with 65mm race skis? Truth is, I was scared. The Tellurando was my first ski mountaineering race and given the demands of the relatively steep course, I wanted to feel as confident skiing the descents as I felt grinding up the climbs. I’d spent weeks prior to the race hammering training laps on and off piste in both the TLT 8s and a more race oriented boot (La Sportiva Sytrons, reviewed here) and had nailed the fit on the TLTs, so much so I’d made the last minute decision at 6am on race day to opt for better skiability over slightly fewer grams. During those harrowing turns down Palmyra, I was thankful for it.

My day of racing in the TLT 8 Expedition boots speaks to the versatility Dynafit has long cultivated with the TLT series. The boot had not only accompanied me for training, but had also been my go-to touring boot for many snowy days leading up to the race. On long backcountry tours with mid-fat skis, in thigh deep powder, chunky wind crusts, resort groomer laps and spring corn, the boot proved its versatility again and again. Here’s my full run down on Dynafit’s latest TLT iteration, one that I suspect will be considered among the best yet.

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Wear ’em to Dinner — Atomic Backland Carbon Review

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger
The range of motion of the Atomic Backland Carbon on display. PC: Cyril Brunner

The range of motion of the Atomic Backland Carbon on display. Photo: Cyril Brunner

Race, crud, powder — how the Backland Carbon stacks up

Written by Aaron Rice

I was ready to tell you a fantastic story about testing the Atomic Backland Carbon in creamy pow and perfect corn as I skied down an Arctic couloir straight to the ocean in the Westfjords of Iceland. Alas, Covid-19 had other plans. My loss is your gain, though, because let’s be real, you can’t tell much about a boot when conditions are perfect. Instead, I spent the past two months putting this boot through the ringer on the icy, crusty, and manky conditions of a Northern Vermont spring. Okay, I may be hamming it up a bit, I also got to ski them in some pretty awesome deep Vermont powder!

For the past seven years I’ve been a 3-buckle boot guy. I spent much of that time skiing in the Wasatch, the Andes, New England and beyond. I spent all of 2016 skiing 2.5 million human powered vertical feet and setting a new world record. I’ve operated under the philosophy that I needed two pairs of touring boots: one for fun skiing (the 3-buckle) and one for long adventures and skimo racing (a one buckle/boa style boot). The Atomic Backland is making a strong case that maybe I can shift this mentality, or maybe there’s room for a third boot in my quiver. In going into testing this boot, I was looking for that sweet spot crossover boot that I could take on long full day adventures without sacrificing too much on the down.

The boot

The Backland Carbon is the second lightest boot in Atomic’s ski touring line, weighing in @ 1094 g/boot for a 25.5. The range is from the Backland Ultimate @ 750 g/boot to the Backland Sport @1206 g/boot. It has a Boa over the foot with one cuff buckle and a lever walk mode. The Backland Carbon lives up to its name with a carbon spine running up the back of the boot.

This boot is intended for efficient touring and real skiing. It’s beefier than a skimo boot but smaller than a full-send 3 or 4-buckle AT boot. With these boundaries in mind, it delivers an incredible free range of motion at 74 degrees, is quite light at just over 1000 g, and can drive a ski surprisingly well for a boot with those specs.

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Dynafit Brings the Beef — Hoji Free Review

by Nate Rowland
written by Nate Rowland
Powerful and agile, the Hoji Free will easily boss around big skis in tight spaces and variable alpine conditions. Photo: Riley Soderquist

Powerful and agile, the Hoji Free will easily boss around big skis in tight spaces and variable alpine conditions. Photo: Riley Soderquist

On an early March day in the Elk Mountains near Aspen, Colorado I found myself atop a 3,000ft descent in hero snow that aligned with favorable stability. Having spent the three months prior guiding clients in my lighter, more touring-oriented boots, I was predisposed to firing off countless precise turns down the middle of the line looking for the most consistent snow and terrain. However, on this particular day, off the clock and with the Hoji Free boots driving freeride oriented skis, I found myself re-interpreting a line that I had skied many times before. This time I was seeking out undulating micro terrain and pillows built on buried timber from last year’s historic avalanche cycle. Turn, slash, air, point it, turn, and repeat. Linking feature-to-feature with variable radius turns and slashing my way down, I was laughing out loud at how effortless and fun it all was. In an industry often focused on shaving grams, I was reminded that at times this can come at the expense of pure skiing pleasure. The Hoji Free was designed to dish up the fun.

The Hoji Frees aren’t the lightest in their segment, or the stiffest for that matter, but they do have a huge sweet-spot and will easily drive whatever plank you choose to pair them with. The Hoji Free offers a 130 flex boot with 55 degrees of cuff rotation in a 102mm last at 1,550 grams (size 26.5).

My previous go-to beefy touring boot was the Dynafit Vulcan. As a 1,000 plus day user of the Vulcan (multiple pairs), I have tried and failed to find a boot with a similar or better balance of uphill/downhill performance. Could the Hoji Free be the boot that finally retires the venerable Vulcan from the feet of countless guides, connoisseurs, and discerning dirtbags?

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Spawn of the Alien and F1 — Scarpa F1 LT Review

by Guest Blogger
written by Guest Blogger
Day Two of a traverse through the Gros Ventres outside of Jackson, WY. Sun softened mank with a heavy pack. We covered 60 plus miles over three days while exploring a new alpine arena. Photo: Clark Henarie

Day Two of a traverse through the Gros Ventres outside of Jackson, WY. Sun softened mank with a heavy pack. We covered 60 plus miles over three days while exploring a new alpine arena. Photo: Clark Henarie

Examining the latest addition to the Scarpa Family

Written by Adam Fabrikant

This past February, I arrived home to a pair of boots sitting on the doorstep. I have yet to take them off. I was intrigued by this newer lighter boot, one that could offer a game changing ski touring experience built upon the well-received Scarpa Alien RS — the F1 LT.

This new boot had big shoes to fill as a replacement to a modified Dynafit Vulcan I’d used exclusively for seven years prior. A little about me, 5’ 8”, 135lbs. I work as a ski and mountain guide and ski full time. My ski season typically starts in the Chilean Andes in October, followed by winter in the Tetons and Greater Yellowstone, and then spring in Alaska. All of my skiing is human powered; I rode lifts two days this season while teaching an avalanche course. I enjoy long days, 10+ hours with lots of vertical and mileage. Living in Wyoming we joke that we get our miles as well as vert.

Since acquiring the F1 LT, I have skied them exclusively over some 50+ days. In terms of numbers for vertical/ mileage just assume I skied them more in the last few weeks than most will do in a season. These boots have skied the Grand Teton, Middle Teton, South Teton, Nez Perce, lines on Mt Owen, Teewinot and many other Teton High Peaks. I went on a hut trip in the Centennials out of West Yellowstone and recently did a three day traverse in the Gros Ventre Range in them. They’ve seen lots and lots of powder skiing and a good amount of technical rock and ice climbing. So, is the F1 LT my new do it all ski boot? Read on.

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Scarpa Maestrale XT VS. RS — Comparo & Review

by Louie Dawson
written by Louie Dawson
Comparing the Maestrale XT to my old favorite, the Maestrale RS.

Comparing the Maestrale XT to my old favorite, the Maestrale RS.

I’ve been a fan of Scarpa’s Maestrale line of touring boots for years, with my current go to being the RS version (review here). The Maestrale RS is fairly light, and tours well, while still being “enough” boot to drive big skis. As with every touring boot, it is a compromise. For me, the compromise is on both ends of the spectrum: it doesn’t have the tour-ability of a light skimo boot, but also it gives up a bit of beef on the down, compared to a more alpine-like boot. That lands the RS right in the middle, which works very well for much of the skiing I do, especially in mid-winter.

I tend to like a beefier boot for the ski area, and backcountry tours that are more focused on having fun on the down. I’m often willing to sacrifice a fair bit of uphill performance to have a boot that can hold up to some air and speed. The fact is, I’m not a good enough skier to ski well in wimpy light boots. The Maestrale XT, a stiffer version of the RS new for this year, looked like an excellent option to fulfill this niche.

Since many potential Scarpa Maestrale customers are going to be deciding between the RS and the XT, I’m going to focus this review on comparing the two.

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