Recently, I said that I could probably get away without replacing my snowboard boots for this season; I really like the 32 Lashed boots that I ride, and, I didn’t think they were quite as beat up as they are…
After riding last weekend and unpacking my gear, I found this:
I’ll get by in the fridge, for now, but that’s not gonna last for too long…
What features am I looking for?
So I really need to start thinking about what boots to buy. The problem with boots, is that you’ve really got to go and try them on. I certainly wouldn’t order some boots online and just hope they fit well/accept the fit. I can narrow it down though by considering the sort of boots that I like.
Having ridden the 32s for such a long time, I’ve only owned 3 sets of boots since starting to snowboard. In that time, these are the features that I’ve grown to like:
- Light weight. It was one of the first things that I noticed about the Lashed boots – it’s good to have the feeling that you’re not wearing bricks on your feet.
- Freestyle flex. Before the Lashed I had some fairly agressive boots – Salomon Malamutes. They didn’t suit my riding. I much prefer something that has a secure and consistent fit around the whole foot, but is fairly soft flexing.
- Basic laces. Not sure that it’s like this with all laced boots, but with the Lashed, I tie them up at the start of the day and then don’t touch them. It’s simple, they work, and they stay “done up”. That said, although I’ve tried speed-lacing style systems, I haven’t tried Boa…
- Good inner boot features. The Lashed have two great features on their inner boot. The lace-up is actually a harness, tying the inner boot to the outer. They also have a velcro strap keeping the top of the inner boot firmly closed – no “slackening”.
Which new boots to consider?
Taking a look at what’s out there, the following seem to be decent contenders:
32 Lashed. I could go straight for another set of the Lashed boots. They’re fairly popular, so they should be easy(ier) to locate and try on. Checking their site, I see that they still have the internal ankle harness, which is such an awesome design for snowboard boots.
Downsides of going for the Lashed again? Well, I’d be missing out on trying another boot…
DC Park. Having not tried them, I can only say that DC seem like they would make good boots. Obviously a skate influence, and in this case, the DC Park boot is clearly designed for the park, so the flex should suit. Basic laces and a nice, clean design.
Vans Hi Standard. These have been around in the Vans line-up for a while and they’re a bunch cheaper than both the Lashed and the DCs above. Definitely a soft flex, standard laces and another boot that I like the look of.
Burton Hail. Freestyle domination? That’s the Burton message. I’ve flagged them because they’re touted as being super light, which is a feature that I like. Again, it’s another freestyle oriented boot with regular laces; not the cheapest at $200….
Any suggestions?
Am I missing something in the Vans range that might be more suited? What about a brand that isn’t up there? 32, DC and Vans sprung to mind as brands that I think make good boots, but out of those boots I’ve only ridden boots from 32.
And Boa? I would consider trying something with the boa lacing system. Anyone got some that they rate? Do they stay shut nicely? Good even pressure? Even pressure – that’s another thing you can tailor well with standard laces. Any recommendations for Boa boots that fit my other criteria?
I’ll update this as I continue to look for new boots. Also, I’ll add previews of any boots that I look at further in the Snowboard Gear section of the site.
Boots in more detail…
Here are the boots that I’ve looked at further and/or tried on in a shop:
