I was having a hard time picking what boots I wanted this year. I knew I wanted a more stiff boot than my current Salomon QST 120’s and something more lighter because I want to do more backcountry skiing this year. I needed a boot that was a strong resort skier and a capable touring boot.

I was torn between the K2 Mindbender 130 or the Atomic Hawx Ultra Xtd 130 – Both are super sexy looking and the different color layout of the Mindbender is really catching my eye.

 

K2 Mindbender 130 Alpine Touring Ski Boots 2020

Atomic Hawx Ultra Xtd 130 Alpine Touring Boot

Both have pretty identical specs with their width and weight and it really came down to the combination of reviews and history of the the product line.

The winner is… Atomic Hawx Ultra Xtd 130 – I came to this conclusion because of the long history of fanfare with this product line. Year after year these boots have gotten praise from everyone on Evo.com and Backcountry.com for being the single boot to rule them all. It has all the technical aspects I wanted and well, they’re really sexy!

 

I will be providing a full review of these boots later this month after a few more storms hit and I can dial them in.