why hardboots?

You've got a fairly stiff freeride board, so it would probably make
sense to try hard boots on that before buying a dedicated alpine board.
Alpine boards are a serious rush though.

Try strapping some ski boots, either your own or some rentals, into your
bindings, might not fit too well, but if you take a couple runs like that,
you'll get a bit of an idea if you like the feeling...