The Best Snowboard Boots 2015
Your boots are without doubt the single most important bit of your snowboarding kit. Snowboard boots that fit right and have the flex and features that suit your riding style and ability have a direct impact on your enjoyment and progression. Here we review some of the best…
As a rule of thumb, boots with more flex have more out-of-the-box comfort and are more forgiving, making them better for beginners. Jibbers and freestyle riders also like soft boots because the easy flex allows you to get away with sketchy landings and really tweak out your grabs.
If you’re more experienced shredder you’ll prefer a boot with a medium flex that will give you the extra responsiveness to initiate turns with a more subtle movement than a softer boot.
You’ll want a boot at the top end of the stiffness scale if you like to ride fast and hard off-piste, or if you’re an advanced freestyle or halfpipe rider looking for extra support and accurate transition through the boot to the board.
All the boots brands have a variety of performance lacing systems on offer. The system you choose largely comes down to personal preference.
thirtytwo Lashed 2015 Snowboard Boots Review
Our Rating 
RRP: 200 GBP | 250 EUR
Rider Level: Beginner to Advanced
Rider Style: Piste and Park
Flex: 5/10
Lacing System: Traditional Laces
Liner: Heat Mouldable
Comfort: Excellent
Heel Hold: Good
Adjustability: Good
We like:
The Lashed is thirtytwo’s bread and butter model and continues to top the sales charts for good reason. It’s a great boot for anyone looking for all-day comfort. Its mid-level flex means it’s not too stiff so ideal for park riding, buttering and hitting jumps along the side of the pistes. The evolution of the boot over the years has resulted in a nicely designed articulated cuff that means you can lean into the boot and push into those toe-side turns in comfort whilst still maintaining a good level of responsiveness. The fit is narrow and heel hold is excellent when new, and there’s ample room in the toe box.
We’re not so keen on:
The Team Fit liner with its double-density foam and neoprene is super comfortable and warm, but will also pack down quickly resulting for some riders with a bit of heel lift over time. The boot’s sole is pretty flat, which means it can be prone to heel and toe drag. The single mold-sole lacks the grip of some other boots.
Available from:
Amazon.co.uk
Burton Ion 2015 Snowboard Boots Review
Our Rating 
RRP: 300 GBP | 360 EUR
Rider Level: Advanced
Rider Style: All-Mountain/Freestyle
Flex: 8/10
Lacing System: Burton Speed Zone™
Liner: Seamless, Heat Mouldable
Comfort: Good
Heel Hold: Excellent
Adjustability: Excellent
We like:
The Burton Ion is an all-mountain/Park/Freestyle boot with a very supportive flex rating of 8 out of 10. This boot tops the sales charts in this category and keeps getting better every year. It manages to hit that elusive sweet spot in snowboard boots blending superb support with all-day comfort. Out of the box, the liner already feels like it’s been heat-moulded to your foot. Burton’s Shrinkage footprint reduction means that the boot’s footprint is reduced by a full size, so a size 10 will leave a size 9 footprint in the snow and therefore less toe and heel drag when riding.
Burton has constructed this boot to feel the same on day one as it does on day 100. The outer is equipped with support panels, a really supportive inner cuff, a firm-flexing, dual-density tongue, and a GripLITE backstay designed to grip your high-back bindings. Combine this with the low-profile EST midsole and you have better direct transfer from boot to binding to board, meaning you can ride harder for longer. Dual-density cushioning is softer towards the inside than the outside allowing your foot to settle into a more natural and relaxed position, resulting in improved comfort, and even more board control.
The seamless, heat-mouldable liner is equipped with a very good wrap-around Velcro closure, moisture wicking and padding that helps disperse pressure from your ankle strap and your laces.
We’re big fans of the Burton’s Speed Zone lacing system which allows you to independently tighten the lower and upper boot providing unrivaled adjustability even compared to a double BOA system.
We’re not so keen on:
If you have a slim heels and ankles you may find that you get some heel lift. The Speed Zone lacing system is great for adjustability but lacks the lock down of a top-end double BOA system. You can put in J-Bars around the ankles though for additional support. These are stiff boots and despite the flex technology, for most people they probably need a few days breaking in before they reach optimum comfort.
Available from:
| K2 Ryker 2015 Snowboard Boots Review
Our Rating
RRP: 210 GBP | 260 EUR
Rider Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Rider Style: All-Mountain Freestyle
Flex: 6/10
Lacing System: BOA and Speedlace
Liner: Heat Mouldable
Comfort: Excellent
Heel Hold: Excellent
Adjustability: Good
We like:
The K2 Ryker is an all-mountain/freestyle boot designed for intermediate to advanced level riders. The boot has a flex rating of 6 out of 10, so it’s a little bit stiffer than average, but it’s still an extremely comfortable boot. K2 has used its excellent Harshmellow shock absorption technology in both the outsole and the footbed to soften the impact of any hard landings.
The Ryker has an asymmetrical articulated cuff but the articulation is relatively small and the boot doesn’t fold over that much. The lacing system on the Ryker uses a combination of BOA dial tightening and Speedlace pull-string which allows you to independently tighten both the outer and inner from the boot’s exterior and really anchor your heel to the back of the boot.
The liner is packed full of technology to keep your feet warm and dry and has a good solid Velcro strap at the top which helps pull the rest of the boot in tight around your foot. The boot fits true to size, if perhaps a tiny bit wide.
We’re not so keen on:
If you’re out for a season, or you’re planning to do a lot of snowboarding in these boots, they probably don’t have the flex retention of more expensive models and over time you might wish for a stiffer boot. The Ryker is quick to get on and off but there’s no upper and lower adjustability. The single-mold sole lacks traction.
Available from:
| thirtytwo Ultralight 2 FT 2015 Snowboard Boots Review
Our Rating
RRP: 270 GBP | 360 EUR
Rider Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Rider Style: All-Mountain Freeride
Flex: 7/10
Lacing System: thirtytwo Fast Track
Liner: Dual Density Heat Mouldable
Comfort: Excellent
Heel Hold: Good
Adjustability: Excellent
We like:
thirtytwo are renowned for their out-of-the-box comfort of their boots and the Ultralight 2 is no exception thanks to the Level 3L Liner which is moisture wicking to keep your feet warm and dry, and heat-mouldable for a tailored fit.
Medium to stiff flex provides good support for intermediate to advanced all-mountain riders. The boot is equipped with thirtytwo’s dual density footbed which has a built up heel and arch support and impact foam on the heel for extra protection on heavy landings. The shell of the boot is equipped with thirtytwo’s Evolution foam sole which keeps the boot nice and light and adds plenty of flex in the outsole for great board feel.
The lacing system uses a dual-zone fast track system that allows you to tighten the lower and upper boot independently and the articulated cuff keeps your heel firmly planted whilst maintaining the boot’s support over time.
We’re not so keen on:
The lightweight comfort of the Ultralight 2 means that inevitably if you’re doing a lot of snowboarding the foam packs down and you may find that after a while you get some heel lift. The Evolution Foam sole isn’t quite as durable as classic rubber. At 270 GBP, they’re not cheap…
Available from:
| Northwave Decade SL 2015 Snowboard Boots Review
Our Rating
RRP: 220 GBP | 260 EUR
Rider Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Rider Style: All-Mountain Freestyle
Flex: 8/10
Lacing System: Northwave Superlace SL
Liner: TF3 Heat Mouldable
Comfort: Excellent
Heel Hold: Excellent
Adjustability: Good
We like:
The Decade is Northwave’s most popular snowboard boot and is the boot of choice for team riders Victor De Le Rue and Alvaro Vogel. It’s an aggressive, all-mountain freestyle boot with a flex rating of 8 out of 10 putting it at the stiffer end of the range, but with Northwave’s famed out-of-the-box comfort.
We really like the Superlace pull lacing system which makes the boot one of the quickest to get in to and out of in this line-up. Northwave’s 540 heel hold system features an external tab which serves to pull the liner into the boot and completely lock down your ankle, eliminating heel lift altogether. The articulated cuff works well and offers progressive flex without compromising support, and eradicates pinch points all together adding to the boot’s overall comfort.
The TF3 liner is a full-featured, heat mouldable liner that has been memory foam injected to help the liner conform to your foot and keep your heel anchored. Despite the liner’s supreme comfort, it doesn’t pack down too much contributing to the boot’s long term responsiveness.
The sole provides plenty of traction and uses a double crossbow system to sandwich a high density impact cushion within a lightweight outsole.
Fit is true to size.
We’re not so keen on:
The SL laces are reputed to wear at the locks after 50+ days riding. Not quite as much boot to binding responsiveness as a Burton Ion or thirtytwo Ultralight.
Available from:
| Salomon Synapse 2015 Snowboard Boots Review
Our Rating
RRP: 230 GBP | 300 EUR
Rider Level: Intermediate to Advanced
Rider Style: All-Mountain Freestyle
Flex: 8/10
Lacing System: Salomon Powerlock
Liner: Salomon Exhale, Heat Mouldable
Comfort: Good
Heel Hold: Excellent
Adjustability: Good
We like:
The Salomon Synapse is a stiff flexing snowboard boot offering top notch support and responsiveness for aggressive all mountain-riding. The traditional lace Synapse has the same pull-lace liner as the double BOA model and Salomon’s notorious narrow fitting means the heel hold is excellent. The tried and tested Contagrip outsole gives you plenty of grip for hiking up. The upper and lower boot can be tightened independently giving a custom fit that you can’t quite get with the Synapse BOA.
The heat moulded liner help make the Synapse a comfortable boot but it will take a little bit of breaking in. The plus side is that the flex-retention is excellent and the boots should feel just as responsive on day 100 as they do on day 1.
We’re not so keen on:
The thin laces mean it’s quite hard work getting into and out of these boots, although the handle helps you pull the laces nice and tight. If you want boots that are quick to pull on and off, go for the BOA.
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