Boots

Boots combined with the right binding are how you control your board.  Having a crappy boot or binding is like using your Playstation controller after somebody spilled soda in it.  It’s like having dial up internet.  It’s like getting your license and being told you can only drive to work or school and back.  Having a crappy boot or binding isn’t illegal but it ought to be, and it does make you a bad person.

What style of boot do I want?

What Type of Boot do I Want?

Don’t get too caught up in freeride or freestyle, regular lacing, speed lacing or Boa.  The primary function of the boot is to fit your foot properly and work with the binding to transmit energy from your foot to the board.  That being said…

Freestyle boots:  softer flexing for better tweakability.  Better boots will still have a pretty stiff rear spine to allow for better heel-side turns, but they allow more movement side to side and forward.  Out soles and footbeds are designed to add more cushioning for bigger landings

Freeride boots:  tend to be a little stiffer to transmit movement more efficiently into the board.  Liners will be a little closer to the foot so they tend to require a little longer to break in.  Out soles and footbeds will sacrifice some big air cushioning to gain board feel.  

Lacing Systems:  Pure preference here.  Purists believe standard lacing with lace locks allow for better tightness control zonally.  Speed lacing is quicker and easier and the better boots will have zonal control.  Boa is the most convenient system and, in some models, allows you to dial a very precise fit.
Women’s Boots:  Yes, there is a difference and it’s not just the color.  Women tend to have a wider forefoot, narrower heal and a higher instep than guys.  A women’s calf is usually a larger muscle and is lower on her leg than a man’s.  Women’s boots will take all that into account.  Keep in mind that IN GENERAL, women don’t have as much upper body strength as guys.  If that describes you, lacing a boot to the tightness you want may not be as easy or even possible.  Speed lacing can help and Boa can allow you to tighten your boot as much as Teddy Brewski.

Kids Boots:  If junior is the last one ready, you may want to consider speed lacing or Boa.  The little extra cost can be off set by the extra runs the whole family gets to take.  And with the trade in program, you’ll get half back on the extra cost next year anyway.  If the kids are doing the school programs, make sure they can get themselves ready no mater what system you chose.

How should my boots fit?

Combined with an elastic material like lycra or nylon, the sock will keep you warm and enhance your boot fit.  Polypropylene will insulate and wick moisture away from your foot, allowing the boot liner to do its job.

Step 2 – Sizing:  You have to start by forgetting what size shoe you’re wearing.  A Nike running shoe in a size 8 could be a couple sizes different than a DC skate shoe.  The important thing is not the size on the box but the fit on your foot.  Keep an open mind and trust us.  The fact is that we have boots in all sizes and the size 9 costs us and you the same as the size 10.  There is absolutely no reason in the world for us to fit you in a boot that’s too small.  You’ll be uncomfortable and back in complaining and if we wanted to listen to people whine all day we’d go sell ski boots.  On the other hand, its soooo easy to get you to buy a boot a size too big.  They’ll feel great right away and we’ll have to race you to the register to cash out.  The problem is that they will loosen up, and you won’t have the control you want.  We guarantee the fit so trust us to do the right thing.

Step 3 – Trust and Cooperation:  When you put the boot on you’re toes are going strait to the end.  It’ll feel a size too small.  Sit down and shut up.  Kick you heel back and lace/pull/dial them up.  Stand up and flex forward into the shin.  Your toes should pull off the end when you flex and go back to touching when you’re not flexed.  Your new boots are going to “pack” as you use them.  The foam in the heel is going to pack to conform to your foot and the toe box is going to expand.  That being said, this is not a science.  The size on the boot is not a real number.  Sizing is different from brand to brand and even model to model.  If your toes aren’t touching let us know.  If they’re not pulling off the end when you flex, let us know that too.

Step 4 – Break In:  Boot liners are multiple layers of foam that use heat and pressure to adapt to your feet.  That heat and pressure come from your feet.  We suggest you wear the boots at home for a couple hours before you ride in them.  This will start the break in process of the boot liner and acclimate your foot to being enclosed in a boot again.  If after a couple hours in the boot, they’re feeling pretty good, just still a little snug in the toes, go ride.  The first day you’re supposed to hate them.  The boot and your foot are not exactly the same shape and the boot doesn’t care.  Spending 48 hours in the boot in your living room won’t break it in as much as 4-8 hours of riding.

Step 5 – Reapply:  A couple days after your first day out, put your boots on again.  They’ll feel like they were made for your feet.  Still a little tight in the toes, but that’ll change after another day or two.

At NOTB Snowboards we stock Burton , Salomon , DC , Thirty Two, K2 , Ride, Northwave, Rome and Roxy boots.  Yes, it’s a lot to chose from, but you can be sure to find the boot that’s right for you.