# Boots with Focus Boa for women



## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

*Stiff women's boots with Focus Boa/Dual Boa*

My research for stiff women's boots with Focus Boa (double boa with one boa for the upper, and one for the lower zone) resulted only in two models: DC Mora and Ride Cadence. I’ve checked the local shops but they don’t sell DC boots. Then searched all over Europe online but haven't come across a pair of Mora :huh:. 

So last year I had the incredible selection of 1 model. Happy me, that the Cadence fit my feet. Really like them, but if there's something I'd wish them to be: bit stiffer. 

So maybe the Mora could be an option? But to get them from US is kind of buying the cat in the bag… so: 

- Any news if there will be another women's Focus Boa boot for 2015? Or at least 2016?
- Is the Mora actually stiffer than the Cadence? 
- How do they compare in width, heel hold, footprint? Would you recommend the Mora to someone with feet the Cadence fit pretty perfectly?

- aaaand... why on earth is there not more selection


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

Focus is a thirtytwo boot ;-)
Dual boa is what you are looking for


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

neni said:


> - aaaand... why on earth is there not more selection


Hate to say it, but I would guess it's basically due to the chauvinistic, male-centric, nature of the snowboard industry! :shrug: Way more men shredding than women,.. in general!
…sorry kiddo! :brickwall:

I can only assume that one would find more women over the age of 15-20 snowboarding in the larger resort destinations and out west etc,.. But around here, I've seen very few!





(_…I know, cuz I chase after them when I do see them!!!_) :signlol: :includeme:


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

ETM said:


> Focus is a thirtytwo boot ;-)
> Dual boa is what you are looking for


Haha, K... now I'm lost. I thought that's one of the few features I managed to get the sense  (reading snowboard gear product descriptions is mostly gibberish to me :icon_scratch
Ride calls the boot "Cadence Focus Boa" mentioning _"Featuring the ladies specific C.A.T. adjustment, Boa® Focus lacing"_ on their site. On the description of the DC Mora, theres: _"fast and secure comfort of the BOA Focus closure system."_

Thus I interpreted that the "Focus" is referring to the upper/lower closure system...

Cadence Focus Boa Boots | Women's Snowboard Boots | Ride Snowboards 2014-2015
dcshoes Mora 320202 - DC Shoes


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## jtg (Dec 11, 2012)

"Focus Boa" is on many brands, and refers to the ability to adjust both upper and lower with different dials. Other brands offer the same thing but don't use the term "Focus Boa". I'm not sure if there is a difference.

Burton has some women's boots with that this year:

Burton Felix Boa Snowboard Boot - Women's | Backcountry.com

There are several others on there too.


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## Mizu Kuma (Apr 13, 2014)

Quick search of Dual Boa Womens, brings up Vans, Nike, DC, Burton, 32, Ride!!!!!

Not sure in regards to flex!!!!!


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## Mizu Kuma (Apr 13, 2014)

BOA's site also says Salomon, K2, and Cross Five (Japanese Brand) too!!!!!


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

jtg said:


> "Focus Boa" is on many brands, and refers to the ability to adjust both upper and lower with different dials. Other brands offer the same thing but don't use the term "Focus Boa". I'm not sure if there is a difference.
> 
> Burton has some women's boots with that this year:
> 
> ...


Thanks for the clarification. 
Yes, there are some models with dual boa/focus boa, as the Burton you mention, also a thirty-two, but they are rated medium-stiff thus I didn’t consider them. I'm looking for something stiffer than the Ride Cadence.


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## Mizu Kuma (Apr 13, 2014)

If you have a wide foot, you could probably try some guys boots on too?????


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Mizu Kuma said:


> BOA's site also says Salomon, K2, and Cross Five (Japanese Brand) too!!!!!


K2 has "Double" Boa system, one for inner, one for outer boot, not upper/lower, thus not what I look for. Salomon has only medium flex women's boots on their website


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Mizu Kuma said:


> If you have a wide foot, you could probably try some guys boots on too?????


No wide foot with high arch and slim ancle.
Did try the Ride Insano but the high boot leg bite my calves


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## Mizu Kuma (Apr 13, 2014)

Maybe a Mens Focus Boa Shell, then get a custom liner????? 

Be $$$ but you could get what you're after?????


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## ETM (Aug 11, 2009)

I stand corrected lol. 
Now Im off to chop off my little finger with a knife.


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## kosmoz (Dec 27, 2013)

what size? Maybe smaller size mans boots will be good? And why only boa, I have my second pair of fast lace boots and I like them.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

kosmoz said:


> what size? Maybe smalle size mans boots will be good? And why only boa, I have my second pair of fast lace boots and I like them.


Size 39.
Long story short: dual boa works best for me. Had all types of boots before. On the fly adjustment of boa allows to reduce cold feet/pain to a minimum. Crank hard for a run, open at the lift line, rinse repeat.


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## kosmoz (Dec 27, 2013)

All mens boot models will have this size.


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## larrytbull (Oct 30, 2013)

neni said:


> Size 39.
> Long story short: dual boa works best for me. Had all types of boots before. On the fly adjustment of boa allows to reduce cold feet/pain to a minimum. Crank hard for a run, open at the lift line, rinse repeat.


size 39 in US sizes is mens's 6.5

I would look at a mens US 6. For the most comfortable focus boa, I would look at the flow hylite focus boa or for a stiffer boot the focus talon. reason I say size 6 rather than 6.5 is that they run a little large.

Snowboard Boots | FLOW Snowboarding Boots, Snowboards, Bindings, Bags, Accessories & Equipment


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Do you ever hardboot?


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

I picked up a pair of women k2 contours size 8... last year but haven't spent alot of time with them just 1 day doing resort laps...they worked fairly well. But compaired to my 32 focus boas...perhaps the inner-lace of the of the k2 inner boa might be a bit more convient to adjust instead of the string type inner lace of the 32's. I want to get a good day of hiking/touring with the k2's...it might be pretty nice just to adjust/pop the inner boa during the transitions instead of fiddling with the laces of the 32. As for the 32 focus boas...with the inner lace locked down...I really don't use much tension on the lower boa, i.e. fairly loose to keep the blood flowing.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

larrytbull said:


> size 39 in US sizes is mens's 6.5
> 
> I would look at a mens US 6. For the most comfortable focus boa, I would look at the flow hylite focus boa or for a stiffer boot the focus talon. reason I say size 6 rather than 6.5 is that they run a little large.
> 
> Snowboard Boots | FLOW Snowboarding Boots, Snowboards, Bindings, Bags, Accessories & Equipment


I have never found a US men's 6 boot...generally its only down to 7-7.5 and not many of those to find....that why I wear/have 3 pairs women 7.5 32 focus boa, women 8 32 focus boa and k2 women 8 contour.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

I asked about hard boots because of a company a friend of mine works for. apex ski boots. They us a boot made by the same designer that made the flow talon/hylites and made a hard exoskeleton so it can be used as a ski boot. Skiers apparently like snowboard boot comfort when walking around. 

Matthew will probably be their first team snowboarder this season. We meet with them in early November..... They are aiming at dual sport people, the only downfall is that they are F'n expensive in relation to a snowboard boot. Way cheaper than getting ski and snowboard boots though....

The boots themselves are amazing, feel just like the flow talons which are the best boots I have worn yet. They are dual boa....


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

Sorry Argo, I totally missed your post. 
The system looks intriguing. Women's model, stiff, focus boa... If the snowboardboot part is available separately for less $, this could be an option!


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## larrytbull (Oct 30, 2013)

Neni,

Bringing this back from the dead

Look at this boot Snowboarding Boot Men's Flow Helio BOA Focus Snowboard Boots

this is avail in small mens sizes as low as 6 (still in stock)
6 is around a 38 eu

These are great boots


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## SkullAndXbones (Feb 24, 2014)

after being on this site for a little while now i'm kind of surprised to hear that so many people outside of the US have a hard time getting their hands on american products. you would think with all mega resorts in the alps companies would send over a bunch of stuff. i don't know, maybe it's just that shops don't want to carry their brands. i'm also surprised that it's also difficult to get to buy online. there's no european sites out there?


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## taco tuesday (Jul 26, 2014)

ETM said:


> I stand corrected lol.
> Now Im off to chop off my little finger with a knife.


 I see you're taking to the Japanese culture.


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## neni (Dec 24, 2012)

larrytbull said:


> Neni,
> 
> Bringing this back from the dead
> 
> Look at this boot SnowboardingBoot Men's Flow Helio BOA Focus Snowboard Boots


Thanks for the hint larry. Meanwhile I think I found a stiff boot with low boot leg, Deeluxe Spark XV, tho no BOA boot but a good compromise; long story...  http://www.snowboardingforum.com/boots/152193-boot-problem-solved-creating-new-ones.html




SkullAndXbones said:


> after being on this site for a little while now i'm kind of surprised to hear that so many people outside of the US have a hard time getting their hands on american products.* you would think with all mega resorts in the alps companies would send over a bunch of stuff.* i don't know, maybe it's just that shops don't want to carry their brands.* i'm also surprised that it's also difficult to get to buy online.* there's no european sites out there?


Hmmm... mega resorts in the Alps... been to stores in the biggest resort in Switzerland - Zermatt - and the selection there is as small as at home, in the capital. Maybe 5 womens boots, if youre lucky 1 of them is stiff, men's models won't be in stock in small sizes. There's simply not enough demand. It's a number thing... we're a tiny country with a small population of 8 million potential clients: how many of them are snowboarders, how many are female, how many of these females are looking for stiff boots? No big marked. If resorts in Austria or France have bigger stores, I don't know.

Swiss online stores have a slightly bigger selection, but still carry just common brands/models AND sizes: no small men's boots. No one outside of Switzerland will order from them cos we're a high price island within Europe, thus their stock is also adjusted to the small population.

Yes, bigger online retailers based outside of Switzerland do exist, and they do have bigger selection but as we're not part of the EU, there are import taxes (only few retailers will take care for this) and always return shipping costs (e.g. 25$ for boots). I do order from European online retailers if I can't find something locally, works fine if you know exactly what item/size you need and won't need to return, but with boots you just don't know before you've tried them. I can't just order a pile of boots to find a model/size without facing lots of return shipping costs.


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

larrytbull said:


> [...]
> Look at this boot Snowboarding Boot Men's Flow Helio BOA Focus Snowboard Boots
> 
> this is avail in small mens sizes as low as 6 (still in stock)
> [...]


Hmm, I kind of wonder if it is not a mistake. This thread is of interest because I am a guy with small (6 US) wide feet living in Japan, and my options are pretty limited. While the site shows size from 6 up, I can't find any retailers based in the US or Japan offering that size. While the idea of wearing ladies boots do not bother me, having more options to choose from would be nice.

On a side note, the X5 (Japanese brand mentioned by someone earlier in this thread) do offer options from 23cm (US men size 5 or 5.5)? Sadly, like the Flow, I can't find any thorough review. As I understand not all dual Boa implementations are equal, with some offering better separations than others. Well, ignoring the X5, can anyone comment on the Flow Helios on that point (in the off chance I can find a small size for it).


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## larrytbull (Oct 30, 2013)

You can order them direct from flow.
Not sure how easy it woud be to return. I found out about smaller sizes when I asked the flow guys how come they didn't have youth boots size 7 they pointed me to helios.
The helios is new this year so not too many people are going to have a lot to say about them. I only know they are softer than my hylites which are prob a bout an 8 on stiffness with the talons being 9 or 10. my hylites are really comfortable


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