Snowboard Boot Shopping Tips - Snowboard boots have been around for as long as we needed to strap ourselves to a snowboard. They started out as hardboots, but have long since become soft boots. Oh the comfort we riders get with our boots nowadays. All the while, the skiers are clonking around everywhere with their hard boots. Snowboarding boots give us riders a wide range of flex from super tweakable soft to uber responsive stiff. Whatever your riding style and preference, there is definitely a pair of boots for you out there.
Types of Snowboarding Boots
Freestyle Boots: Freestyle snowboarding boots are going to be the softest of the soft. They are designed for flexibility to allow for unrestricted tweaking of tricks.
All-Mountain Freestyle Boots: These snowboarding boots will be anywhere from mid-soft to mid-stiff in flex. They are designed for versatility delivering response when you need it and the forgiving flex to throw down a few park laps.
All-Mountain Boots: These are going to be your mid-stiff to stiff snowboarding boots. The stiffer the boots are, the more response you’re going to get. However, stiff snowboarding boots are not forgiving so they are less-than-ideal for freestyle shenanigans.
Lace Types
Traditional Laces: Traditional laces on snowboarding boots are much like the laces on some sporty shoes. You know the rounded elastic variety? The snowboarding boots variety is more durable. Traditional laces take longer to lace up and lace down. They do offer you the ability to tighten the laces however you want for a truly customized feel.
Quick Laces: Quick laces are awesome for lacing up or getting out of your snowboarding boots quickly. So while your bud laces up, you can go do a hot lap. When the day is done, you’ll be relaxing with a cold one and your feet up while your bud still getting out of his/her boots. The downside of quick lacing is that it requires special hardware which means there are more parts to worry about. Quick laces are usually thin and durable and are guided into a locking mechanism.
BOA: BOA is a brand of quick lacing that snowboard boot companies license. The lacing in BOA snowboarding boots is constructed from steel which means it is going to be more durable than any of the other styles. BOA is very easy to use and comes in several forms. BOA uses a wheel mechanism that you push and turn to tighten or pull and pull tongue to release. BOA does occasionally malfunction as well, but BOA has a lifetime warranty. Replacement is fairly straightforward.
Now that you are better acquainted with snowboarding boots, start browsing your options!
