The Gist
Magna, Ultra and now Prime. If we didn’t know better we’d think Atomic cribbed its naming scheme from a condom manufacturer. Prime is new in name alone; it is Atomic’s venerable 100mm Hawx model, sitting in the middle of husky-sized brother Magna and skinny brother Ultra. The Prime 130 is not concerned, confident in its position as a medium-width icon whose status is borne out by years of boot test success and soaring sales.
Fit
While this is an “everyman boot” and both our skinny, low-volume foot testers and thicker, heftier footed folks climbed in and made it work, the real attraction of the 100mm Hawx fit is its vaulted ceiling over the instep and its open, flared boot top. That makes it a great mate for skiers with thicker feet and muscular calves who want the performance response a medium width boot would provide. Easy on and off and straightforward closure make the Hawx a favorite slam dunk fit with testers (many of whom come from ABB shops that sell lots of this boot all season long).
Performance
The Hawx Prime 130 shines as one of those boots that any skier can slam on and go skiing everywhere and anywhere in any snow, on any terrain and at any speed with control and confidence. Stance angles are a bit on the upright side of the spectrum but dead-on balanced. Flex is on target and progressive. Testers made many comments about its strong edging skills.
Cool Features
As with other Hawx models the Power Shift mechanism allows adjustment for forward lean (3-position) and for stiffness and Memory Fit shell molding provides an option for the really wide or thick of foot or calf to cook, stand and go.
Kudos
Caveats