Half Freeride, Half Freestyle: What boots are good?

I'm an intermediate rider with small feet (size 7-7.5) and narrow
heels.

I do half my riding on the slope and half on the park. The slopes I go
to (Mid Atlantic region)are usually a little bit icy. I hardly ride in
the backcountry or powder.

What boots would you recommend?

I'm considering the Salomon F20 and F22. I'm also looking at the Burton
Ion. I want a quick-lacing system, no BOA and no old-fashioned
shoe-lacing systems. That ruled out Ride, 32 and a bunch other good
boot companies :-(

One more question: Is the F22 solely a freeride boot, or is it good for
both freeride and freestyle? Do you think the F22 would be too stiff
and/or heavy for me? Or would the F20 be better?

Any comments would help!

Thanks so much!

One Shredder

Absolutely doesn't matter!
Unless you wear Sorels, every boot is good enough for you.
You binding take up half your support on heelside.
Just get a boot, go snowboarding, get good at snowboarding, and by
the time you find you need something different, you'll have worn your
boots to useless socks.
Don't go too tech here, or you'll start wondering about stances,
bindings, 3cms of board length, .5 cms of board width, sidecut radius
and type, what kind of metal edges are best, and which bottom grade you
need.......

Check out the K2 T1 with the internal BOA in case you have a lot of
heel lift due to your
narrow heels ,they also have laces and i find i can really get a great
blend between the BOA and laces to get a great fit depending on the
style of riding i am doing.
First pair of boots ive owned with out heel lift but maybe to
stiff??only way to find out is to try them on.
grg.

What boots would you recommend?

I'm considering the Salomon F20 and F22. I'm also looking at the Burton
Ion. I want a quick-lacing system, no BOA and no old-fashioned
shoe-lacing systems. That ruled out Ride, 32 and a bunch other good
boot companies :-(

It's in the FAQ, but it's been a while so...

The 3 most important things to consider when selecting a boot are fit, fit,
and fit. If your feet hurt, you'll be in the lodge and not out on the hill,
that's no good. Stiffness, weight, lace-up system, and even (shudder) cost
is all secondary to fit. (The difference in price between cheap boots and
expensive boots is at most two lift tickets in most places). Last time I
bought soft boots (5 years ago) I wore several pairs around the shop for
20 - 30 minutes each (well, actually, I started with a left from one model
and a right from another) and narrowed it down that way. Took some time
and shopping around, but I finally settled on 3 models from Salomon that
felt equally comfy... then chose the one that felt the best stiffness wise.












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Hi one shredder. I am pretty much like you. I ride the groomers/powder
in the morning and then hit the park/superpipe in the afternoons. I'm
currently riding a pair of ThirtyForecasts, but I have worn many
Salomon boots (Dialogue, Synapse, and F22) in my search to find a boot
that will fit my small heels and ankles so I don't get heellift.

The F22 are extremely light, that is an added bonus of the reduce
profile construction that they hade. They are stiffer than the F20, but
I didn't find them super-stiff and unless you are under 100 I don't
think you will have any problems with them being too stiff for
freestyle. The stiffness will really help your freeriding though.

To help give you an idea about my opinions. I'm 5'9" 150 lbs (I was
only 135 in college, but I managed to bulk up a little in the gym).
While I am a bit strong now, I'm still more of a finesse rider and like
my riding style to look smooth and effortless. I would say I'm an
advanced freerider I can ride pretty much anything on the mountain
including rocky chutes and small (under 15 feet) cliff drops. On the
flip side, I am also a intermediate freestyler (I've done up to a 65 ft
jump, kinked/rainbow rails, I can air out of the superpipe easily, but
I'm limited to 180s/360s on spins).

Hope this helps,
--Arvin

One Shredder wrote:
I'm an intermediate rider with small feet (size 7-7.5) and narrow
heels.

I do half my riding on the slope and half on the park. The slopes I go
to (Mid Atlantic region)are usually a little bit icy. I hardly ride in
the backcountry or powder.

What boots would you recommend?

I'm considering the Salomon F20 and F22. I'm also looking at the Burton
Ion. I want a quick-lacing system, no BOA and no old-fashioned
shoe-lacing systems. That ruled out Ride, 32 and a bunch other good
boot companies :-(

One more question: Is the F22 solely a freeride boot, or is it good for
both freeride and freestyle? Do you think the F22 would be too stiff
and/or heavy for me? Or would the F20 be better?

Any comments would help!

Thanks so much!

One Shredder

"LeeD" wrote
Absolutely doesn't matter!
Unless you wear Sorels, every boot is good enough for you.
You binding take up half your support on heelside.
Just get a boot, go snowboarding, get good at snowboarding, and by
the time you find you need something different, you'll have worn your
boots to useless socks.

LeeD, please learn to quote properly. This stuff you're
sending is just plain rude.

Second, the OP said he's got lasts that are substantially
different from average. Which means "every boot" won't
fit for sure.

To the OP: buy a pair of 32 boots in your size on eBay
cheap (I've seen them go for less than $60), then get a
boot you want in terms of features (lacing etc.) and put
a liner from 32 into it. Get a shop to heat-mold the liner
properly for you or find someone who knows how to
do it (it's not too complicated).

But I have to ask this: what's wrong with laces?

"One Shredder" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'm an intermediate rider with small feet (size 7-7.5) and narrow
heels.

I do half my riding on the slope and half on the park. The slopes I go
to (Mid Atlantic region)are usually a little bit icy. I hardly ride in
the backcountry or powder.

What boots would you recommend?

I'm considering the Salomon F20 and F22. I'm also looking at the Burton
Ion. I want a quick-lacing system, no BOA and no old-fashioned
shoe-lacing systems. That ruled out Ride, 32 and a bunch other good
boot companies :-(

One more question: Is the F22 solely a freeride boot, or is it good for
both freeride and freestyle? Do you think the F22 would be too stiff
and/or heavy for me? Or would the F20 be better?

Any comments would help!

Thanks so much!

One Shredder


Hi OS,

I have Burton Ions, and i can vouch for them being a fantastic boot, they
have plenty of support and the outside lacing system is ace. Super quick to
lace up and easy to get the desired 'tightness' from the laces, the inners
are god too although the 'power strap' accross the top of the inner is a
little annoying as the velcro gets kinda tangled. I have fairly narrow heels
myself and with the additional ankle inserts i find that my heels are very
secure, however, i find that i get a little heel lift in all boots. I went
for these boots are they are a little stiffer than most on the market and
i'm mostly into freeride. They come with removeable plastic toung inserts
that really crank the stiffness up, I've been riding without these untill i
break them in proper and they start getting a little soggy. I can say that
these boots are the most comfortable and functional boots ive worn yet.

From my experience Salamon boots seem to be made very narrow so maybe you
should try those. I think you should definately stay away from 32' s though
as they are made for bulky feet!

Anyway, the best thing you can do is find the shop with the widest range of
stock, give yourself plenty time, try not to be prejudice towards or away
from any one manufacturer and try on as many pairs of boots that they have
in your size. Don't be pressured into buying anything, just because the shop
guy has helped you try on a few pairs, make them work for their money, spend
a few hours or all day if need be. Remember, don't be pressured into buying
what the store guy recommends, go with your own feeling, if if you have
tried oon every boot in the shop and don't think any are for you, go
somewhere else!

Hope this helps.

Wow!that was great advice ,i was also looking at the burton ion very
very nice fit but out of my price range, picked up the k2 t1 for 200
dollars but would replace them with the ion if i had to.
I cant believe a boot could fit so well.
grg.

Don't go too tech here, or you'll start wondering about stances,
bindings, 3cms of board length, .5 cms of board width, sidecut radius
and type, what kind of metal edges are best, and which bottom grade you
need.......

You're right, I think I'm definitely going down that road already.

I'll try to stop myself....... :-)

"One Shredder" wrote in
oups.com:

I'm an intermediate rider with small feet (size 7-7.5) and narrow
heels.

Not mentioned by anyone are Northwaves. I've had two pairs
of Legends (sadly discountinued) which have been great. The
last go round I tried a few different models and do recall
some being a little narrow on me. Worth a look if your shop
stocks them.