How to choose your snowboots?

How to choose the right snowboots for snowboarding?

The practice of snowboarding could turn out to be a real headache if you do not make the right choice when buying your snowboard boot called "Snowboots". Before even defining which size of snowboot to choose, you have to ask yourself the question of the type of shoe that will suit you best and this will depend on several fundamental criteria that we will present to you below, in order to help you make the decision. best possible choice to be able to spend a perfect winter sports holiday!

1: Choose the flex of your snowboard boots.

Just like the choice of your snowboard or your snowboard bindings, the flex index is an argument that could be important depending on the practice program you are looking for, as well as your level of practitioner. Even if the flex is above all a question of personal taste, we could group the flex of a snowboot according to the practice program that the rider will seek.

Snowboots with a soft flex.

There are essentially snowboots with a soft flex index on entry-level shoes, offering room for the foot, ease of putting on and taking off your boots. These snowboots are mainly made for occasional practice or to start progressing with your own snowboard boots, thus being able to offer more comfort and customization than snowboard boots as part of a rental. We also find this flexibility on more high-end boots, quite specific for snowboarders in "Freestyle" practice, because being able to have more flexibility in their snowboots will give more freedom of movement and therefore flex. riders who like to spend time in the Snowpark or on the slopes to perform trick sequences.

Snowboots with an intermediate flex.

It is by far the most common set of snowboard boots, because the intermediate flex offers both good precision, while keeping a little flexibility, thus being able to offer ride comfort regardless of the type of track and of program. There are many shoes from all the biggest brands in this pool of flexibility. The stiffness index of this type of boot is found on classic lacing shoes as well as speed lace or Double Boa. It is up to the practitioner once again to want to make his choice according to his needs and desires. This is also the range with the average price observed (between 260 and 32 euros approximately per pair of boots).

Snowboots with a stiff flex.

Contrary to popular belief, snowboard boots with a stiff flex are not synonymous with non-comfort and boots that draw too much on your physical condition. On the contrary, these are the shoes offering the most precision, because your foot will be closest to the liner and the shell. This type of shoe is perfect for demanding practitioners with a good technical level, regardless of your favorite program. Whether you are a fan of carving on hard snow, big off-piste sessions in freeride mode or a talented freestyler who sends big rotations to the snowpark as in Freestyle-Backcountry. Rigid boots are therefore precise, offering excellent grip at your ankles and good restraint during heavy landings. Shoes with Double Boa lacing mostly offer this type of tightening.

In conclusion, the choice of the flex of your pair of snowboots is entirely up to you, whether you want to have fun it's a fact, but measure your level, your frequency of use and above all know how to listen to the advice of the snowboard shop like us specialist for over 40 years.

2: Choose the type of tightening and closure of your snowboots.

When you browse the snowboots page on our site, you can see on the filters on the left that there are several choices for the closure part. This corresponds to the type of snowboard boots and the way you will be able to tighten them and thus adjust your foot. At Hawaii Surf we have proposed a classification of the various "tightening systems" of snowboots according to the possibilities offered by the brands, here is the list below with some examples.

Tightening with Double Boa system.

As explained in choosing your snowboot flex, boots offering a closure with a "Double Boa" system are those that will give maximum precision, since the robust and ultra-precise "BOA" system will tighten your two-point snowboard boots. Namely first on the lower part of the foot, thus allowing your foot to be wedged as well as possible in the shoe, the heel perfectly glued and your feet on the width perfectly adjusted. Finally the other BOA tightening will allow him to adjust the tightening of the instep according to your desires, so if you want a lot of flex you tighten relatively little and conversely if you want precise tightening and a more rigid flex, opt for a tightening that is as locked as possible.

Here is an example below of a snowboot with a "Double Boa" tightening system.

Clamps with simple Boa system

This is the system offering the possibility of tightening your snowboots the fastest, but offering less precision than other tightening systems. The simple boa will indeed optimize a tightening on the kick, therefore the "front flex" part of your supports. To be able to fully enjoy this type of tightening, you will therefore have to choose your snowboot size carefully to have the heel and the arch of the foot best wedged into the liner. It is a tightening system that is found mainly on shoes for beginners, rental or entry level for an occasional and progressive ride. They offer less precision but a lot of flexibility and ease of putting them on and taking them off.

Here is an example below of a snowboot with a "simple Boa" tightening system.

Tightening with speed lace system.

Here is the most famous type of clamping in the snowboot industry. The biggest snowboard brands such as Burton Snowboards, Nitro or Salomon Snowboard offer a wide range with this type of tightening. It takes up the concept of the double boa, namely optimal tightening for your heel, arch of the foot in order to properly wedge your foot in the liner, and a second tightening which will be used to tighten and block the flex of the shoe from when you press towards the front (kick). This tightening perfectly meets the requirements of all styles of practitioners, because you will have the possibility, as in a double boa, of tightening the two cords more or less in order to optimize with a more rigid and precise tightening or conversely leave more slack. and therefore flexibility in your movements

Here is an example below of a snowboot with a "Speed lace" tightening system.

Tightening with classic lacing system.

What could be more beautiful and stylish than a snowboard boot that looks like a sneaker, tennis, outdoor type shoe... Here is the classic, i.e. tightening using a set of sturdy laces, treated for snow and wearing slowly to be able to optimize the tightening of your pair of snowboots according to your desires. The biggest brands that still offer this style of tightening en masse today are all, or almost all, under the direction of a sneaker or skate-shoe brand. Adidas Snowboarding, Thirty-Tow (pronounced 32 , from the Sole-Tech group which includes the skate shoe brands Etnies, Emerica or Es) or even Vans snowboarding. The positive point of these brands lies in the precision and the know-how of these companies as a designer and manufacturer of shoes for the practice of skateboarding, a sport where the feet are subjected to severe tests. For tightening, nothing could be simpler, you just have to tighten the laces well from the bottom as on your everyday shoes. We find on type of tightening largely on shoes with a Freestyle and Freestyle-Backcountry program.

Here is an example below of a snowboot with a "classic lacing" tightening system.

The tightenings with laces system + Boa.

It's a fairly rare system, as proof only Vans offers this combination, on pro-model snowboard boots for both Men and Women. We therefore combine a tightening via a simple lateral Boa to perfectly block the foot in the liner at the level of the heel and the arch of the foot, while the tightening of the instep and therefore of the flex of the front supports, will be done with a play of laces. We therefore have a good combination offering precision and the possibility of acting on the final tightening according to your desires, with the added bonus of aesthetically stylish boots!

Here is an example below of a snowboot with a tightening system called "classic lacing + Boa".

3: The liner and its different tightenings.

All the comfort of your snowboots comes from the quality and comfort that your liner can bring you. Much more important than the shoe itself and its various tightening systems that we have just reviewed, the liner also offers several tightenings depending on the brand for more or less precise support and a gain in rigidity also more or less. less strong.

There are slippers with side scratches to secure the tongue, or slippers with directly integrated "speed lace" lacing for even more precise blocking of the tongue but also of the instep. It sometimes happens that in the most top-of-the-range snowboard boots, you can have a quick tightening as well as velcro fasteners, thus obtaining the most perfect combo to optimize the wedging of your feet in the liner of the snowboots.

Here is an example of a liner with speed lace tightening and one with scratch tightening.

4: Insoles and foot comfort.

In addition to a soft and comfortable liner for your malleolus, ankles and instep, you may also find yourself faced with the choice of having to choose a snowboard liner, taking into account the quality and comfort that a snowboard sole can offer you. interior comfort. The insoles are here to provide more cushioning inside the boot, especially at the heel, while offering more support and precision for your foot when putting on. So with good soles your foot will not be able to slip and will be wedged as well as possible for sensations of comfort and perfect ride precision.

It is quite possible to use your own orthopedic insoles if you have them, or to ask us for advice on a choice of more upscale insoles that are better suited to the morphology of your arch of the foot. Indeed we all have a different foot, but overall there are three main categories of foot types, whether for men or women, with flat, hollow or thin feet. By examining your feet using our measurement tools, at the heart of the Hawaiisurf snowboard shop, we will be able to advise you on comfort insoles more in line with your needs.

5: Outsoles.

Beyond an aesthetic aspect to be in harmony with the color of the top of your snowboots or with a specific design, the external saddles have an essential role to cushion the big receptions while offering grip so that your snowboard boot is the best wedge in your binding, as well as offering excellent grip if you have to take off your shoes and walk on hard snow.

For quite a few seasons, major snowboard brands such as Burton snowboards , Adidas Snowboarding or even Nitro have been collaborating with rubber specialists such as Continental or Virabm, enough to offer soles that have a longer lifespan, optimizing comfort and above all the grip of the sole.

6: Thermoforming of the liner.

To increase comfort and gain precious "descents on the slopes", it is quite possible to pass your slippers through specific machines that we offer free of charge to all customers who have taken care to follow our advice and buy their snowboots from we. This type of machine sends heat to the liners to quickly increase the deformation and thus be able to mold the shape of the liner to your foot more quickly and permanently. In recent seasons, we have even found shape memory liners, ie thermoformed by force riding in your boots, offering even more comfort.