# my evaluations of stiff boots and Boa boots



## Ballistic (Aug 31, 2009)

hey all.. only about 180 sleeps til next season:dunno:

I wanted to share my evaluations of boots. Heres my profile: I am 47 yrs old. Intermediate/advanced level. I just finished my third season as a snowboarder. I dryland train twice a week starting in september til opening day 210 lbs, 5'11", 62 custom, 64 customX, 62 skate banana, 60fish LTD. 

First season we (me and my 2 teenage sons) took private snowboard lessons. I decided to buy gear right away instead of rent. I bought K2 raider Boa boots and a K2 A-Star board. In hindsight... the board.. too stiff for beginner. Boots *way* too soft. Comfortable YES. Severe foot fatigue and cramps.

season 2007- K2 raider boa boots- NOT RECOMMENDED. days on hill- 10. very comfy, fast/easy to adjust.. thats why i bought em. They were aqlso prolly 1/2 size too big. No power transfer. I had to work really hard wearing these boots. tightening them only helped a little bit but produced worse foot cramps. Stiffness- 3/10

season 2008- VANS Contra Boa- after a couple outings and suffering with the K2 boots I bought some Contras on ebay for 100.00. Days on hill- 30. First outing.. awesome. SUPPORT ! Wow.. so this is what real boots are. Power transfer is instant, no slop no mush. These boots are VERY stiff, about 8/10. Foot cramps/fatigue gone. They have one boa dial. 

season 2009- Burton Driver X- i bought these partway into season cause the Vans Contras were getting pretty beat up. I logged about 20 days in the Driver x boots. They are very comfy, stiff as all get go- 9/10. The speed laces (2 zones) are pretty good but not as effective as boa, IMO. I will say the Driver X are more comfy than the Contras. The lower lace-eyes tore out on my last day of season (last month). because they are less than a yr old.. Burton shipped me a brand new pair- 2010 model. Awesome customer service. 

next season- I picked up some 2010 DC Status boots last week for 209.00 online. These are much lower profile than contra or driver x.. both those boots are somewhat fat. I wore these at home for about 2 hrs. They are light. they are very very comfortable. no hotspots after 2 hrs. Superior heel hold. 2 boa dials. even the footbed seems ok (but i'll swap it out with superfeet after several uses). Stiffness- havent used them on mtn yet, so anyway i will guess 7 or 8/10 .

In summary-

K2 Raider Boa- days used: about 12. way too soft.. low end boot. dont waste your cash.
Vans Contra Boa- days: about 40. stiffness 8/10. Comfort 7/10. Good intermediate level boot. 
Burton Driver X- days: 25. stiffness 9/10, comfort 8/10. Reliability of laces is suspect. 
DC Status- days: zero. Stifness 7.5/10, comfort 9/10. these boots i am stoked about for nxt season. They are low profile and heelhold is superior. These will be aewsome for medium to narrow feet. The other boots are wider for sure. I will prolly alternate my new driverX's and these all season. 

weights- on my digital scale, in ounces- 
DC Status - 39.7 sz9
Vans Contra-47.8 sz10
Driver X- 37.6 sz9.5

Conclusion- I tried on Vans Cirro double boa, K2 T1 DB (double boa), DC Status, and DC Judge at the same store/same time. This was about a week ago. The cirros were "fat" and heavy. The K2 looked real nice.. i wanted them to work out but after 10 mins some hot spots were appearing. The DC Judge and Status were both awesome. I chose the Status cause the bootie was top of the line. the Judges perhaps look better. the end.


----------



## jpb3 (Nov 29, 2009)

I have put about 3 years on my Flow "the one" dual BOA boots which is probably about 75 days of riding. The insoles were replaced last year with Shred Soles which brought them back to new, except more comfortable since they have been fully packed out. 

It was a super stiff boot originally, not so much anymore but just about perfect for my riding, 6'2" 215lb, 165 NSHeritage.

I wouldn't buy a pair of BOA boots without 2 dials.


----------



## Cavman (Mar 1, 2010)

I recently purchased the DC Status boots for this season. Only two days on the snow so far with them, but I am very happy with the added stiffness and subsequent board control.

The twin dials make for great tension set up. Haven't had to adjust them after puting them on at the start of the day.

Very happy boarder


----------



## NYinfamous2k2 (Aug 5, 2009)

currently rockin the dc judges with dual boa. After having a few pairs of boa boots over the years, Ive said it before n ill say it again, I will never go back to lace boots again. Its not so much as being lazy as most say about them, no, its the convenience. I keep my boots loose and comfy up untill im on the lift then a quick tighten n im good to go. while everyone elses feet r getting hot and sweaty standing around at the base while we get ready and I do this after every run, no more crampt feet. also I can tighten and loosen while riding. if we are on a run and decide to hit the park I might pop the wheel and loosen them up without even stopping, or if we decide to turn off onto a double black, a few clicks tighter and im im set for more response. But getting back to the judges, dc seems to have virtually eliminated heel lift with the tech in there boots, the support is superior. very light and low profile, No pressure points, the only problem I had with my DC judges is they pack out ALOT. To the point where in the store they felt snug, but after a few days ridding they were HUGE on me. luckly they let me exchange them for a smaller size and I had to go a whole size down that felt very tight in the store but after 2 days riding they are perfect. 
previous boot prior to the judges was the K2 prime single boa, also a nice boot, light, comfortable at first, bad pressure points after a season or two. My k2 boots broke down very quickly, footbed flattened out, sole detatched from the boot. the part that held the boa lace in the boot got ripped out. So no more k2s for me , this also happened with a friends k2 boot and only a month after buying his.


----------



## Guest (Jun 18, 2010)

The problem with trying to find info on the internet... conflicting arguments.

Everyone says DC have the worst quality in snowboard boots, yet in this thread we have people happy with DC and saying K2 are falling apart where from what I have seen K2 is far ahead on DC's quality.

I just bought the K2 Maysis DB, so far so good. I think with the DB boots and getting hot spots as mentioned by the original poster.. you have to be careful with BOA not to overtighten, so easy to do. You CANNOT just put a boot on in a store, do it up and instantly know if it's going to be good because you have had it on 10 minutes.. 

As a lot of people say, if you have a boot that doesn't give you some pain for the first few days up then thats strange.


----------



## Snowfox (Dec 26, 2009)

Personally, I love my k2 darkos (2009-2010). I haven't tried out a double boa system though, so that might be even better. :dunno:

Thanks for sharing your experiences though! Even with conflicting views, the more information the better chance we as boarders have of making the right consumer purchase!


----------



## Ballistic (Aug 31, 2009)

Beno said:


> The problem with trying to find info on the internet... conflicting arguments.
> Everyone says DC have the worst quality in snowboard boots, yet in this thread we have people happy with DC and saying K2 are falling apart where from what I have seen K2 is far ahead on DC's quality.


good point, but... not "everyone" says DC sucks, perhaps some do but not all. Also consider products can improve from one year to another. Or one reviewers opinion can be skewed because they tried to rock boots that were too big from day one. Etc etc. So i take product reviews with a grain of salt. But you can find patterns or consensus usually. example: every review i seen about Driver X boots agreed- they are stiff. Good enuff. Thats what i wanted.. stiff boots. They did not all agree about the comfort factor but that part was ok, i'll make up my own mind thanks. Look for general consensus, allow for product improvements, try things out firsthand for yourself.


----------



## NWBoarder (Jan 10, 2010)

I love my DC Scout BOA boots. They are comfy as all get out for me. My only complaint with them is that there is a little heel separation going on, but I'm rough on things attached to my feet so it's no surprise to me. Besides, I'm pretty sure some super glue should fix 'em right up.  When it comes to boots, it's all about what fits your foot. For me, it's my DC's.


----------



## cobia5 (Dec 13, 2011)

Long term use update: 2008 *DC Status *snowboard boots

My 2008 DC Status boots have held up well, no issues. Very comfortable. The BOAs all work as new; much faster and easier to adjust than laces. No excessive wear on outer sole or boot shell. When purchased the stiffness was a 9 on 1 to 10 scale, it has relaxed to an 8 (still very firm). It has been a great boot that has exceeded my expectations for the past 5 years. 


I am 48, an intermediate rider and go snowboarding an average of two weeks per year (vacations). Have been to Breckenridge CO, Keystone CO, Taos NM, Seven Springs PA, Crystal Mountain WA, Lake Tahoe NV.


----------



## Ballistic (Aug 31, 2009)

Hey nice update! I decided i wanted someting a wee bit stiffer than my dc status boots, i sold those rode k2 T1 DB double boa boots for 2 yrs. about 60 days. The intuition boot liners they come with are the best liners available imo. The k2 are holding up really well still very comfy. Packed out slightly. Started out 9 stiffness, now they are still 8. Recently picked up some 2012 k2 thraxis triple BOA boots on sale but have not yet ridden them, still rockin my old k2's.

2009 K2 T1db.. Sz9.5 Weight- 40.3 oz
2012 K2 thraxis..Sz9.5 Wgt- 41.4 oz


----------



## EatMyTracers (Sep 26, 2012)

Also about boa boots, don't get them if you do park. Broke mine on a box today.


----------



## bluesk8r (Aug 9, 2011)

Lucky for you Boa has a lifetime warranty!

I am a fan of DC Judges. I had a pair of '05 boots that I replaced last season with Flow Swifts last year. Those sucked so I got another pair of Judges this season. So happy.


----------



## dknj (Nov 7, 2010)

Please let me know Post or PM of any shops who have a discounted price on the K2 Thraxis or UFOs (or T1 DBs if any are still around). I am coming from K2 T1 DBs. I have also recently tried the DC Status and Judge and prefer the way the K2 fits my foot and boot in binding. Thanks!


----------

