How to Choose Your Snowboard Boots

Helpful, friendly advice from our skiing and snowboarding brand.

To make choosing the right snowboard boots even easier, we’ve honed in on the three critical criteria: your skill level, your shoe size, and the fastening system – there are quite a lot of options for the latter, so it’s worth getting a better understanding of how each one differs.

Boots for Intermediate Riders
You may not be a beginner, but you are still learning and working out a few things, so it’s best to opt for snowboard boots that are flexible and comfortable.

Boots for Advanced Riders
Advanced snowboarders will likely need good support and boots that balance precision with speed.

Boots for Expert Riders
Look for snowboard boots with plenty of support and stiffness, and make sure they’re suited to the terrain you ride on.

Speed and freeride = rigid flex

Park and jumps = medium flex

Snowboard boots either come in EU sizes (41, 42, etc.) or Mondopoint (cm). Use our conversion table to find the size you need:

There are several different types of fastening systems offering different advantages. Find a brief breakdown of the most common systems below.

Fast lock: Quick and easy to adjust – just pull and lock and you’re good to go.

Boa: A very powerful system with a cable and wheel.

Boa coiler: A very quick and powerful system with a cable and wheel with a winder.

Zone lock: This fastening focuses on individual zones for improved power and precision.

Cable Lock: Powerful and very secure, this fastening system comprises a cable, wheel, and tibia rip-tab.

Separate fastenings: Some snowboard boots have separate fastenings, i.e. the upper part and lower part of the boot can be tightened separately for greater precision. Tightening the upper section gives the boot more rigidity to the boot, and tightening the bottom ensures greater support. Of course, this also means making your boots a little looser to enhance comfort.