snowboard boot suggestions

Hello all!
I have been skiing and snowboarding a couple of times. I am going to
Colorado this winter and have commited to buying my own setup. I have
purchased a K2 Luna snowboard and Ride VXN bindings both 2004/2005. I
would consider myself a lower level intermediate rider with aspirations
to ride the park. If it is helpful I am 5'6'' 145 lbs and wear women's
size 9 shoe. I perfer a soft boot. Also I have been looking around and
am interested in the BOA lacing system. Thanks for any help.
Lauren

wrote:
Hello all!
I have been skiing and snowboarding a couple of times. I am going to
Colorado this winter and have commited to buying my own setup. I have
purchased a K2 Luna snowboard and Ride VXN bindings both 2004/2005. I
would consider myself a lower level intermediate rider with aspirations
to ride the park. If it is helpful I am 5'6'' 145 lbs and wear women's
size 9 shoe. I perfer a soft boot. Also I have been looking around and
am interested in the BOA lacing system. Thanks for any help.
Lauren


Snowboard boots are really a very personal thing. Like shoes they either
fit you or don't. Personally I ride with 32 Team One's and they fit me
great. They got these moldable liners that's super comfy. But then my
friend doesn't like 32 because it doesn't fit her feet right, so instead
she got some nice burton ones instead. Depending on the shape of your
feet, you'll find that some brands fit you better even though they're
the same size.

I suggest that you go to a shop and just try on as many pairs of boots
you can possibly try on then get the best fitting pair.

Now by best fitting I don't just mean your feet, but also your bindings.
Your best bet is to bring your bindings to go shopping with you.

Don't worry if the sales person is trying to sell you something you
don't really need (they're usually pretty good about it) just listen to
your feet. Also be wary of heel lift. If you have to crank the laces
real tight to eliminate that then it's the wrong boot.

The BOAs are also a personal preference. They lace up really fast and
they are super convenient. I was at Kicking Horse going up the gondola
and this girl has her boots undone looking super relaxed. When she got
out she turned the knob to tighten it and was ready go. I tried out a
pair before I got my 32s but they weren't for me. I realized that I like
to keep the foot loose while my ankles and above tight. I can't do
that with BOAs so I went back to laces. Again it's something you gotta
figure out.

I hope that helps.

STu

Lauren, my wife rode Atomic Boa boots last year and planned on them again
this year as well. Her only complaint was that after a while she felt the
need to kick her heel on the ground because she felt that her toe could
slightyly touch up front. I have Van's Encore Boa boots and she thought
she'd try some on at a Ski swap in Reno. They fit much better in the toe
area for her and she bought them. I believe she had size 8 in both brands.

Stan.

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello all!
I have been skiing and snowboarding a couple of times. I am going to
Colorado this winter and have commited to buying my own setup. I have
purchased a K2 Luna snowboard and Ride VXN bindings both 2004/2005. I
would consider myself a lower level intermediate rider with aspirations
to ride the park. If it is helpful I am 5'6'' 145 lbs and wear women's
size 9 shoe. I perfer a soft boot. Also I have been looking around and
am interested in the BOA lacing system. Thanks for any help.
Lauren

I have Vans Contra boots with BOA and am very pleased with them. The
first priority of course is finding a boot that is comfortable and fits
correctly. Given that they fit, I would now always choose the BOA
system. They go on and off in a snap and can be re-tightened on the
slopes in a second. Plus, they tighten uniformly from top to bottom,
which I like. I'm skeptical of the claims by some that they tighten
their laces tighter in some spots than in others. Assuming you do
this, what keeps them that way? I would think the laces could easily
shift, even out, etc as the boot flexes after it's tied.

I'm really quite surprised they haven't become a lot more common. I
was in a big store in NYC a few days ago and they didn;t have a single
pair of BOA type.

When trying on new boots, I always use a thin sock. That way as the
boots pack out, I can move up to a thicker one if needed.

wrote:
I'm skeptical of the claims by some that they tighten
their laces tighter in some spots than in others. Assuming you do
this, what keeps them that way? I would think the laces could easily
shift, even out, etc as the boot flexes after it's tied.

Actually it really depends on the boot. I had to re-tie my first boot
pretty much after every 2 runs because the laces would slip and it would
loosen everywhere. But on my 32s they have these lace-locking hooks that
stop it from loosening. One pair of hooks around the ankle and another
pair up top. So now I can keep it loose around the foot without it
loosening the top after 2 runs. (They keep for the whole day now).\

Stu

"I'm skeptical of the claims by some that they tighten
their laces tighter in some spots than in others. Assuming you do
this, what keeps them that way? I would think the laces could easily
shift, even out, etc as the boot flexes after it's tied."

Ditto what Paco said...though these type too are not super common. I
ride Salomon Dialogues they have a lock at the ankle and at the top of
the boot. I set mine opposite to Paco though, tight foot and loose up
top. I have tried the BOA system and am not crazy obout the prospect
of finding last minute emergency replacement laces...and it's an
awfully small diam cable.

Bottom line lcazay get a boot that fits you like it was molded from
your foot alone. If that means it has a boa get it if it doesn't have
the boa get it. There are only a handful of manufacturers that have
them on their boots (K2, Vans )are the only two that come to mind so it
may be hard to find the perfect fit in the limited mass to choose from.
Neat gimmic, but I see it as just that (the latest diet).

Waco Paco wrote:
wrote:
I'm skeptical of the claims by some that they tighten
their laces tighter in some spots than in others. Assuming you do
this, what keeps them that way? I would think the laces could easily
shift, even out, etc as the boot flexes after it's tied.

Actually it really depends on the boot. I had to re-tie my first boot
pretty much after every 2 runs because the laces would slip and it would
loosen everywhere. But on my 32s they have these lace-locking hooks that
stop it from loosening. One pair of hooks around the ankle and another
pair up top. So now I can keep it loose around the foot without it
loosening the top after 2 runs. (They keep for the whole day now).\

Stu

It really depends on how the shape of your foot matches the shape of
the boot. I also have a pair of 32 boots (Forecasts) and I ride with a
loose forefoot and tighter above the ankle. For me, my foot matches the
narrow profile of the bottom of the boot, but my skinny ankles don't
match the larger upper area of my boot, hence I need to tighten that
area up more to keep my ankle in place. If I were to tighten the
forefoot area equally, the laces crush my foot down onto my footbed and
it causes arch-pain. As mention 32 boots have lacelocks, so do Salomon
(I've ridden both the Dialogue and Synapse which are great boots),
Northwave also has lacelocks I believe. So BOAs are convenient, but
convenience doesn't always work is it doesn't match your foot well.

Thanks for the explanation on the lac-locking hooks guys. Now I see
how you can keep different tensions on different sections of the boot.