A Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots, Part 4: Liners, Ramp Angle, & Forward Lean

Ski boot liners are probably the most overlooked and least appreciated piece of ski gear out there, but they are a critical piece of equipment. So Matt Manser, the product manager of Atomic Ski Boots, is back on GEAR:30 for Part 4 of our “Very Deep Dive on Ski Boots” series, and this time, we’re demystifying the extremely complex, very expensive, and poorly understood category of ski boot liners.

We kick off the conversation by brushing up a bit on plastics (specifically, the not-so-straightforward label, “Grilamid”); then we discuss forward lean and ramp angles; and then we jump down the rabbit hole on ski boot liners, and talk about the different types of liners and their pros and cons; the “30 seconds” test and why Atomic views it as so critical; whether it’s smart to shove an aftermarket liner into a high-performance shell; and then Matt talks about a brand new liner from Atomic that incorporates their “Mimic” technology. In the process, we also talk about next year’s Hawx Ultra 130 S alpine boot, and the also-new-for-next-year Hawx Prime XTD.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Grilamid; Polyamide (PA); Polypropylene (PP) (6:18)
• Forward Lean (14:06)
• Ramp Angles (24:33)
• World Cup ski racers are weird (28:06)
• Forward Lean: what should skiers look for? (31:58)
• The 20/21 Hawx Ultra “S” (38:00)
• Ski Boot Liners (42:38)
• The “First Fit” Battle (46:13)
• Comfort vs Performance (48:13)
• Foam-injected Liners (57:45)
• EVA (“Layered Foam”) Liners (1:06:04)
• 3D Liners (1:08:02)
• Atomic’s “Mimic” liner technology (1:09:14)
• How often can Mimic liners be reshaped? (1:17:14)
• Aftermarket Liners? (1:19:47)
• The new Hawx Prime XTD boot (1:27:03)

OTHER EPISODES IN THIS SERIES:

• Part 1: Plastics (Ep. 54)
• Part 2: Flex Patterns (Ep. 55)
• Part 3: Racers & Race Boots (Ep. 60)

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