# Boot Fit Adventures...or how I ended up with the K2 Maysis



## Treegreen (Mar 16, 2012)

Product: K2 Maysis Boots (11.5 Black)
Setup: 158w Ride Antic + 2012 Nitro Raiden Blackhawks
Mountain: Brighton
Terrain: Groomers, Packed Pow, Windblown Pow, Trees, Some Moguled Steeps this past weekend (~10" from the most recent storm, but only 3" overnight between Saturday/Sunday. The locals acted like it dumped 3' and showed up in force)
Rider Skill: I am somewhere in the spectrum of Intermediate Freeriding (Blacks are no big deal, I enjoy hitting smaller natural booters, and will do smaller cliff drops if the conditions are good. I have 0 freestyle game.)

The Maysis is a light, heat moldable, dual boa boot with a stiffer flex 8/10 on K2's scale.

I don't ride park and migrated from skiing so I tend to like stiffer boots.

My experience in finding a pair of new comfortable boots has been a struggle, to say the least. I have a high arch/instep and a narrow foot. As a result, I inevitably size down into an 11.5 in most boots to help with heel lock and pack-out. This time I wanted to see what I could come up with while not breaking the bank so I kept my budget to about $230.

I tried on Burton Rulers (too small/instep), 32 lashed (too soft for my tastes), Ride Jackson Boa (comfortable), Van Cirro (comfortable but the power strap was odd), Ride FUL (too small/instep), and Maysis (my current boot of choice).

So, heel lift is always a major concern for me since I have such a narrow foot. One of the things that intrigued me about the Maysis was that the side boa adjusting the liner instead of the lower/upper system of most boa boots. That means the front boa works more like single boa boots (ala the Jackson). I have easily been able to lock my foot in, and since I sized down I'm not as concerned about pack-out as I would be in a size 12.

These are a fairly light boot. Certainly not noticeably heavier than the Ride FUL where they claim it's ultra-light. They seem to have decent traction walking around a mixture of water/ice/snow in the Brighton parking lot. Appear well-made, but I would need to update after a full season since this is just an initial impression thing. They are noticeably stiff when walking around. Great for boot packing through deep snow, not so awesome when tooling around the parking lot (but not in a "holy crap this is so uncomfortable" kind of way). 

I rather like the boa system. Sure, it's nice to have an upper/lower system, but I really think locking in the liner and my heel is worth the trade. The stiffness of the boot also makes them pretty responsive. The Antic is already a damp board but the boots were great in absorbing bumps and chunks. They handled really well cutting through chopped pow this weekend, and when hauling it down the groomers earlier in the week. In the steep moguls these boots made a world of difference in making quick turns, but to be fair my older pair were pretty done. In the trees they transferred power from edge to edge really well, were responsive, and accomplished the goal of me not ending up as tree fodder when having to make quick turns. 

I can't speak for park riding, but I would assume these are terrible park boots for anything other than kickers.

Conclusion: These are a really comfortable boot, and for my foot they are fantastic. If you like bombing it, hitting steeps, riding trees, or just prefer a nice stiff boot I think these are great choice. If you like a standard single Boa, but maybe want some extra heel lock these are the boots for you.


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