The best snowboard boots we tested:
Best snowboard boots for men: Vans Infuse Boots
Best snowboard boots for women: Vans Encore Pro Boots?
Snowboard boots might be the last thing you think about after buying a board and bindings, but you shouldn’t overlook what your feet are turning in all day on the mountain. Your bindings connect you to your board, but your boots connect you to your bindings. They help with edge control when carving, comfort when riding all day and stability for hard turns.
To find the best snowboard boots for this season, we spent countless days on the slopes testing 11 pairs. We looked at overall fit, flex rating, lacing systems and inner harness systems to see which ones were comfortable, secure and easy to use. After many days of riding and carving, two boots stood out above the rest.
The Vans Infuse Boots took first place for best men’s snowboard boots in our testing, mainly due to their versatility. These boots come with stiffeners that can be put in slots in the boot's tongue to change up the flex level, which makes them the perfect boots for someone who wants to hit the park one day and charge powder the next. Plus, these Vans are comfortable and packed with features to keep you happy no matter where or what you're riding.
The Vans Encore Pro easily took the top spot for the best women’s snowboard boots from the first run. Between the comfortable fit, a flex made for backcountry and all-mountain riding and virtually no heel lift, awarding them the number one spot was an obvious choice.
Best snowboard boots for men: Vans Infuse Boots
$420 at Vans, REI and Christy Sports
The Vans Infuse Boots are versatile boots with some pretty helpful features, which set them apart from others we tested and earned these boots the top spot. The Infuse not only had the most features of all the boots we tested, but those features actually made a huge difference to the riding experience. Vans’ adjustable flex system and lacing that includes a BOA dial along with traditional laces and an added PowerCuff Strap on each boot all make the Infuse a pair of all-around snowboard boots that can go with you on all your snowboard ventures.
When stepping into the boots, our feet felt hugged and supported on all sides. The fit was tight but comfortable, and the liner was soft and cushioned with added supports around the ankle to lock in your foot. When riding, that support stayed secure through the whole day, which left us with little to no foot fatigue. The Infuse boots were more comfortable overall than the other men’s options we tested, but what really stood out was their supportive structure and support. Being able to secure our foot with the BOA system and laces made for one of the most stable feels of all the boots we tried. These have unisex sizing and can fit both men and women, but the women’s sizes were limited (they only went down to 8.5), so that’s part of the reason the Infuse boots only grabbed the top spot for men and not for women too.
Depending on how or what you’re riding, the amount of flexibility or stiffness in a boot matters. For a more advanced rider who’s heading into the trees or on other off-piste slopes, a stiffer shoe will help complement more aggressive riding with quicker response times. For beginner riders or folks who like to play in the park, a flexible boot offers more mobility and is a bit more forgiving.
The Infuse have Vans’ Flex Control System, which means you can change up the stiffness of the boot in just a few seconds. The tongue of the boot has two slots where you can slide in plastic supports to change the stiffness, and during testing, we noticed subtle differences in the flex that really helped tailor the riding experience to different environments. For park riding, we took out all the supports for a more flexible, playful feel; for steeps and tree runs, we replaced all four supports for more responsiveness.
Generally, the changes were slight, but we could tell the difference when we had no supports in, when we had only one in for each boot or when we had both in. With all four supports, the stiffness of the boots was greater, and we felt it particularly when leaning forward on toeside turns, which made for a more responsive ride. Without the supports, there was more forgiveness and slight maneuverability, which lent to a playful feel when cruising groomers. The boots overall still lie on the stiffer side of things, so even with all four supports removed, park die-hards might want something softer.
The flex system is nifty and great for when you want to customize your ride. And thankfully, changing the stiffness isn’t a time-consuming ordeal you have to do at home. We easily changed these on the hill in about two minutes (you do have to loosen up the laces and BOA).
Heel lift — when your heel slides just a bit upward and out from the base of your boot — can really throw off a snowboarder, as it affects stability and responsiveness. It can be really hard to have no heel lift whatsoever in a snowboard boot, but the Vans Infuse came pretty darn close. Thanks to the flex system, BOA dial,?lacing and external strap, heel lift was extremely minimal. While no single boot can eliminate heel lift for every single person, these are extremely adjustable (they had the most ways to adjust the fit out of all the options we tested), which helps riders with all foot shapes find the perfect fit and limit heel lift.
On top of the fit customizability, the Infuse have a ton of other features, such as a weather shield on the lower part of each boot to keep you dry and warm (you can find this on the women’s DC Mora BOA Snowboard Boots too), D-rings to connect pant gaiters and heat-retention layers for added warmth. Other boots that have an extra layer of warmth protection include the Burton Photon BOA Snowboard Boots, Burton Felix Step On Snowboard Boots and K2 Kinsley Clicker X HB Snowboard Boots. We did find that the Infuse boots kept our toes warm on cold, windy days with lots of snow, though most of the other options we tested performed at a similar level in terms of warmth.
The Vans Infuse Boots are our pick for the best men’s snowboard boots, thanks to their extreme customizability, making them the one pair we tested that you can take from the park to deep and steep powder days. They had some of the lowest heel lift of any boots we tested and felt aggressive and responsive on the slopes. They might be too stiff (even at their softest setting) for full-time park riders or beginners, but if you want a pair that can adapt to whatever you want to ride on any given day, the Vans Infuse Boots are definitely for you.
Best snowboard boots for women: Vans Encore Pro Boots
$289 at Vans, REI and Evo
If you can fit into the Vans Infuse Boots, and their versatility sounds attractive to you, definitely go for our pick for the best men’s boot. However, if the Infuse don’t come in your size or you want to save some money, we think women will love the Vans Encore Pro, thanks to their unmatched balance of comfort for all types of versatile terrain — groomers and trees included. They tested with the smallest amount of heel lift, which means they could be tightened enough that my feet felt secure but weren’t painful or numb. They’re also stiff enough for aggressive riding while still having enough flex and playfulness for when you’re surfing in powder or want just a bit of forgiveness.
Both on-the-hill and in-house testing found extremely minimal to no heel lift with the Vans Encore Pro. On the slopes, I felt fully secured and locked in for both my front and back heels during easy turns on groomers and while riding hard through trees or moguls in the back bowls of Keystone. Because my feet were so secure, I also had no foot fatigue, which is an issue for me with other boots, such as the DC Mora. When your heel slides up with every turn, you tend to grip your toes and flex your foot more to feel that hold. I’ve found myself constantly gripping and flexing my foot when wearing other options, which created foot fatigue very quickly, even after a few runs. When riding in the Encore Pro, however, I felt zero foot fatigue, even on a powder day with plenty of vertical.
Most of the products we tested feature an interior quick-lace system that’s connected to the boots themselves rather than the liners. This is critical for a more responsive feel and helps with quickly securing your foot in the boot and liner all at once. The Encore Pro Boots’ lace system used this, and paired with tons of internal padding around the ankles, it made them the most responsive and comfortable boots we tested. I was able to aggressively carve and push energy to the board effortlessly, so each turn felt seamless and effective, even when going through huge moguls or whipping through the trees.
The Encore Pro Boots also have a soft, cushioned cuff near the calves, so I felt no pressure or pain throughout the day when rocking the heelside. The cuffs are not as plush as others we tested, like the super-packed collar on the Burton Felix Step On or the blanket-soft cuff of the ThirtyTwo TM-2, but it was more than comfortable enough.
Another huge factor that put the Burton Encore Pro at the top of our list is their insulation. While most of the boots we tested were quite similar in terms of warmth, we did notice the Encore Pro performed a little bit better on brutally cold days. I always get cold toes on the mountain, but even in the mid-teens and pretty deep powder, my feet were comfortable in these boots. To be clear, my toes weren’t exactly warm, but they weren’t hurting from being too cold, which is my norm on days like that.
The Vans Encore Pro are the best overall women’s boots for riders who are hitting the runs hard and want a pair that’s stiff yet comfortable but still versatile enough for groomed runs or powder. If you’re new to snowboarding or you want more playful boots for the park, look at the more flexible ThirtyTwo Shifty boots that lace or the Nidecker Rift W. The interior quick-lace system and added ankle padding of the Encore boots left us with virtually no heel lift, which made for good energy and response from the first chair to the last, an aim that every rider wants.
How to choose snowboard boots
Choosing snowboard boots is similar to choosing any other kind of footwear: You want something that fits comfortably as you move about, and that’s going to differ from person to person. Ideally, you can try them on in a store and move around a bit to help find a good fit, but don’t just choose based on looks, and definitely don’t skimp on boots, even if you’ve already shelled out for a solid board and bindings. Boots that don’t fit properly or aren’t the right flex can leave your feet feeling fatigued and in pain, compromising your turns because of lack of support, precision and edge control.
Fit
Snowboard boots should be a bit snug but not too tight (you don’t want any pressure points) so that you feel stable but your feet aren’t moving around either. Most often, boots that are your true size will feel tight out of the box but will start to mold a little bit to your foot after the first few uses. If they’re too loose, you’ll feel your heel slipping up as you turn toeside. If they’re too tight, you risk having numb toes after just a few runs.
Flex
Snowboard boots are made with a variety of flex ratings, so you can choose a pair that fits your style of riding. The general rule is that if you’re a newer rider or one dedicated to park and freestyle, you’ll want soft, flexible and forgiving boots. The flexibility and softness give you more maneuverability in your feet when turning, hitting rails or trying to land a jump properly. As you progress in your snowboarding skills, you can graduate to stiff boots where you’ll get more response and edge control for technical terrain and fast riding (this type of riding is called big mountain or freeride, where you are often in untracked terrain). The middle ground —?a medium flex for all-mountain riders — is a mix of the two, where you’ll still have that mobility and support, but you shouldn’t get the foot fatigue of super-stiff boots.
Heel lift
Heel lift is when your heels slide up or move just a little when making toeside turns; it affects your control and precision when turning, and it can wear on your feet quickly and cause a lot of fatigue. Having little to no heel lift is one of the most important, if not the most important, things you want in your snowboard boots so that you have as much responsiveness as possible between your boots and bindings. With little heel lift, your snowboard will be able to respond immediately to the subtle movements you’re making to turn and carve. If you have a narrower foot or heel, having no heel lift can be challenging. If you just can’t get rid of heel lift, try adding in additional support, such as J-Bars, to help you fill the gaps and get the support you need.
Lacing system
Most boots on the market are dual or double BOA, which utilizes a knob to tighten the laces. You’ll get one BOA system that tightens around the upper part of the boot that surrounds your calf and shin to provide flex and stability, while the other crank tightens near your ankle and forefoot to secure your heel.
Some people swear by BOAs, while others prefer laces, which can give you a more specific tightness exactly where you want it. Plus, lace-up boots are also considerably cheaper. However, BOAs are much easier to use overall, especially when you’re on the hill and have mittens on. You can effortlessly adjust a BOA system to be tighter for more support or looser if your feet need to relax a bit. With laces, that’s not nearly as simple when you’re wearing gloves or mittens.
Construction and technology
A snowboard boot has a lot of parts to it — liners and insoles being two things you can be a bit pickier about. The liner is the part that secures your foot within the shell. Fit, comfort and stability all play a factor in whether a boot’s liner will feel good to you. Most options these days come with some sort of ankle harness permanently attached to the liners that lets you cinch up your ankle and heel with extra support. The insole is also important since it provides arch support and cushion. However, if you find that the stock insole isn’t adding enough arch support or you’re experiencing a lot of foot fatigue, it’s easy to get an aftermarket insole to help like those from Superfeet.
How we tested
To accurately test the boots against one another and not just chalk our favorites up to personal preference, we scored the different boots in two main categories: fit and features, and heel lift. Along with those tests, I also wore the boots on various terrain (groomed, moguls, trees and the park) and used them with a variety of different bindings on two different boards — an Aura by Never Summer and the new Swoon Camber by Arbor. I also had a seasoned male tester help judge fit and performance of the men’s boots. We’ve both individually had more than 15 years of experience snowboarding, most of that being done on mountains in Colorado at resorts like Eldora, Copper Mountain, Keystone and Arapahoe Basin. We’ve also ridden in the backcountry, resorts in Canada and mountains in Utah. Read on for more details about what we specifically looked for during our testing.
Fit and features
- Lacing systems: We considered the speed and precision of lacing systems.
- Inner liner cuff and harness: We tested how easy it was to tighten and loosen the inner ankle harness with mittens or gloves on, as well as how easy it was to secure the upper cuff around our calves.
- Overall stability and responsiveness: We considered quickness and precision when it came to carving and edge-to-edge transitions, as well as how supported our feet felt in the liners and boots during dynamic turns.
- Overall comfort: We rated boots on how quickly our feet felt fatigued, if there were any pressure points after tightening the boots and how cushioned they felt from the liner cuffs to the footbeds.
- Warmth: We considered how cold our toes got in various temperatures and weather.
- Binding compatibility: Some binding systems, namely step-ins, require specific boots to use. We noted which boots were compatible with step-in bindings.
- Any other features: Some boots have extra features like an outside strap or a stormproof flap for extra weather protection. We examined the other features of each pair of boots and judged how useful they were.
Heel lift
- Heel lift: To test heel lift, we tightened the boots in a secure and comfortable way, then rated how much our heel lifted in the boot as we leaned forward, both on the hill and during in-house testing.
Other snowboard boots we tested
Nidecker Kita W
$400 at Nidecker
The Nidecker Kita W were easily the second-best women’s boots we tested. They’re made for all-mountain riding, which means they were one of the stiffest boots we tested. Their response was quick and easy, even on icy terrain, and we found little to no heel lift with snug liners that were easy to secure around our calves. Overall, if you’re looking for stiffer, high-performance boots, these should be your go-to; they’re ideal for advanced riders but might not be the best option for beginner to intermediate riders.
Burton Photon BOA Snowboard Boots
$440 at Burton
The Burton Photon BOA Snowboard Boots are a good all-around option for riders who want high-quality boots that are a good mix of playful and aggressive. Burton rates these as being on the stiffer side, but we found them to be a good middle ground. They have two BOA dials per boot that secure three different areas: the upper around the calf, the lower over the top of the ankle and behind the heel or Achilles’ tendon. All this seamlessly works to lock in your heel, which helps with hard carves and fast turns in powder. We also found these kicks to have better shock absorption than other men’s boots we tested, which means a smoother ride with less fatigue. For a pair that isn’t as versatile as the Vans Infuse (and also more expensive), they didn’t clinch that top spot but still hold up as comfortable and well-rounded men’s snowboard boots.
ThirtyTwo TM-2 Double BOA Snowboard Boots
$420 at ThirtyTwo
The ThirtyTwo TM-2 Double BOA Snowboard Boots have medium flex, a dual-BOA system for a precise fit and a solid tightening system with the liner cuffs and internal harnesses. The backstays, or the spines, which help with stability, felt a bit too forward leaning for all-day comfort while riding and created fatigue in the quads, even on easier, flat runs.
Burton Felix Step On Snowboard Boots
$480 at Burton
If you want your setup to be compatible with Burton’s Step On bindings, your options are limited to Burton and DC. Both work seamlessly with the Step On bindings, but the Felix Step On Snowboard Boots have added support with an over-the-foot strap that tightens with a BOA system on each foot, for secure, responsive boots. There’s also a clip for snow pants that helps keep them from getting in the way of the back heel clip when securing in. The main downside of these is that they only work with Burton Step On bindings, so if you have more than one set of bindings, you’ll need to purchase another set of boots. They’re also a bit more expensive than many of the other options we tested.
DC Mora BOA Snowboard Boots
$370 at DC Shoes
The DC Mora BOA boots feature storm flaps for added warmth and protection, a dual-BOA fit system and cushy liners. But with a medium flex that rides softer than other medium boots, I got too much foot fatigue even halfway through the day. If you prefer a softer flex and you’re a bit more playful (think park rides and messing about on groomers), opt for the DC Mora BOA. The upper cuff straps for the inner liners also made it very difficult to get a tight fit when compared to others, such as the Vans Encore or the Nidecker Kita.
Nidecker Rift W
$340 at Nidecker
If you want comfortable boots that have more flex than most other options we tested (save for the ThirtyTwo Shifty Lacing boots), opt for Rift by Nidecker. These are made for park riding or anyone who wants pretty flexy boots, so bypass these if you’re riding groomers, moguls or trees. The fit system was comparable to others we tested — with a dual-BOA system like on the DC Mora Boot — but they were quicker and easier to do with mittens on when compared to the ThirtyTwo Shifty Lacing.
DC Phase Pro Step On BOA Snowboard Boots
$400 at DC Shoes
These DC boots are compatible with Burton Step On bindings but don’t work with regular bindings. They came in just behind the Burton Felix Step On Snowboard Boots, mostly because of the lack of any over-the-foot straps. The Burton boots have that added BOA strap over the top of each foot to give a more strap-like feel to the Step On boots; these ones didn’t have that, and I could feel just the slightest insecurity when it came to turning, plus a bit of a heel lift. However, the Burton Felix are much stiffer than these, so if you do want a playful pair that works with the Step On bindings, these Phase Pro Step On BOA boots will be your go-to.
K2 Kinsley Clicker X HB Snowboard Boots
$370 at K2Snow
The K2 Kinsley Clicker X HB Snowboard Boots are the only pair that work with and connect to the K2 Clicker bindings (which are similar to Burton’s Step On bindings). Unlike Burton’s Step On boots, however, the K2 Kinsley Clicker X HB boots can be used with regular bindings as well, since the Clicker attachment is flush to the bottom of the boots, not on the back and sides like on the Burton pair. The Kinsley Clicker X HB have mid-level flex, which we could tell when it came to playfulness, but snow did fill up and jam the underfoot clips that make them compatible with the Clicker bindings. We also didn’t love the Clicker binding system in general, as it was still difficult for us to get in and out of the bindings without sitting down.
ThirtyTwo Shifty Snowboard Boots
$200 at ThirtyTwo
For a more affordable price, the ThirtyTwo Shifty Snowboard Boots performed surprisingly well on a powder day. They are a bit difficult to really tighten down the foot, given their laces, and the arch support is really lacking, but when locked into bindings and riding, they fared well in terms of responsiveness (very playful, since these are much more flexible boots) and support. If you’re just beginning, give these boots a try, as they are some of the most flexible we tested and won’t break the bank if you graduate to something a bit more advanced after a season or two.
