difference between hard and soft boots

Hi guys,

This may sound like a silly question but what is the difference in a
soft boot and hard boot... i live in australia and all the boots i
have seen... which is not many.. seem to be soft. Is a hard boot like
a skiing boot? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both
types?

sorry for the silly question but i have only been boarding once and
loved it. I am planning a trip to america in february.

(Brendon) wrote in message om...

This may sound like a silly question but what is the difference in a
soft boot and hard boot... i live in australia and all the boots i
have seen... which is not many.. seem to be soft. Is a hard boot like
a skiing boot? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both
types?

http://www.vpas.fsnet.co.uk/rssFAQ/faqfile.html#105.txt

You've got the right idea. This in in the faq as well.

But, for the sake of my boredom and posterity:

Hardboots are rather rare... I'd be surprised if you saw them in a
store or for rent on the hill. As far as the pros and cons go:
hardboots limit your ability to flex your ankle joint, especially side
to side. So, for sliding rails, teaking grabs, or landing sketchy
jumps softboots have advantages. Softboots let you use a toe/heel
motion to very quickly change small amounts of edge pressure. On the
other hand, for the price of reduced ankle motion, a hardboot lets you
use your whole lower leg as a lever against the edge. You can put your
whole body weight against the edge through the boot without having
superhuman strength in your calfs. So for railing hard turns at high
speed, hardboots have big advantages. Also, a hardboot lets you use
more forward facing angles on a narrower board, which also can give
you speed.

I myself believe stiffer is clearly better for all mountain
freeriding. Even "soft" boots of recent years have been using stiff
plastic reenforcement, and stuff like the F boot seems to be pushing
further in that direction. I would be surprised if in a few years,
something in the softboot step-in market develops into being quite
similar in function to current hardboot gear.

As a beginner you most likely do not need to worry about hardboots.
Not because hardboots are some sort of "experts only" tool... but just
because it's equipment that few riders choose to learn. Your first few
days of snowboarding can be hard enough... using equipment that your
friends or even paid instructors arn't familiar with could really
complicate things. If however, you stick with snowboarding and decide
that hardboots might be a cool way to have fun, don't let the lack of
popularity stop you .

The hardboot community is small but dedicated. Those that are
interested can find most us at www.bomberonline.com. There's a very
active forums section (well, not so much in August but it's already
starting to ramp up), plus lots of articles on how to get started,
equipment etc.

[rant]My personal feeling is that the general approach to teaching
snowboarding is pushing people in the entirely wrong direction. Most
people just want to ride the mountain and enjoy it - they aren't going
to end up in the park or the pipe. Those sorts of people ought to be
on a directional board with a forward-facing stance, with either stiff
soft boots or soft hard boots. But instead they end up on some noodle
with floppy boots and a straight-across stance, making awkward turns
with their ass hanging out.[/rant]

OK, I'm done now.

(Neil Gendzwill) wrote

... Those sorts of people ought to be
on a directional board with a forward-facing stance, with either stiff
soft boots or soft hard boots. ...

I tend to agree. I benifitted a lot by going forward. A few riding
mates have tried it as well with generally the same results. It's not
like there's anyone forcing people to stay with a parallel or duckfoot
stance though. The equiment is there... just not much desire from
people to try it.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of both
types?

Good answers from Jason, Neil, the FAQ, etc. I'd like to add something...

Riding in hard boots has a distinctly different *feel* than riding in soft
boots. It's a different ride, a different rush. I enjoy them both very
much... although to be honest I've spent a lot more tim on hard boots in the
past year. However, my soft boots riding has benefited very much from
spending a lot of time in hard boots.

So what's so different about the ride? In soft boots I feel like I'm
riding "on" the snow and in hard boots it feels like I'm riding "through"
the snow. I find the hard boots insulate me from monitor variations in the
surface, however they also amplify the big variations.

Mike T

On Mon, 1 Sep 2003 19:04:39 -0400
"HK" wrote:

Get hard boots with Intec heels, get a carving board. Now go cut
trenches at your favourite ski hill. You'll never go back to softies
again.

*high five!*
BTW: Any recommendations on t-flex liners suitable for Burton Fire
boots? Generic ones suck and got packed after first season...
Cheers,

neuro

I've never had a problem with the standard liners in my Raichle boots.
Maybe I just don't know any better. Do the thermoflex liners make a big
diff?


*high five!*
BTW: Any recommendations on t-flex liners suitable for Burton Fire
boots? Generic ones suck and got packed after first season...
Cheers,

neuro

On Fri, 5 Sep 2003 00:41:48 -0400
"HK" wrote:

I've never had a problem with the standard liners in my Raichle boots.
Maybe I just don't know any better. Do the thermoflex liners make a
big diff?

Well, they surely do in case of my Burtons. Generic liners provided
with "Fire" model pack very quickly and they're rather cold. That's why
I'm opting for something more comfortable for coming season

neuro

On Fri, 5 Sep 2003, neuro wrote:

On Fri, 5 Sep 2003 00:41:48 -0400
"HK" wrote:

I've never had a problem with the standard liners in my Raichle boots.
Maybe I just don't know any better. Do the thermoflex liners make a
big diff?


Another thing I noticed about the Thermo liners is that they're a lot
warmer than other liners, even ones that are fairly thick like hte
standard Raichles. My toes froze in my 413's until I put thermoflex
linerrs in them.

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