# Would a stiffer boot prevent from freestyle?



## yojik (Sep 14, 2011)

Since you are still in the early stages, a stiffer boot is going to transfer energy more consistently and effectively to both of your edges assuming your board is setup correctly.

This has both positives and negatives for you as you continue to learn.

Depending on the terrain you ride, too stiff of a boot might hinder your ability as it's tougher to make subtle moves with a stiff boot. 

Think of a really stiff boot like the acceleration pedal of a ferrari and a soft boot as the acceleration pedal of a toyota camry.

The ferrari accelerator requires more precise pressure in order to achieve your desired goals as it naturally wants to redline with any kind of hard pressure. The camry takes far longer to hit the redline but you have more room for error since you can mash it down without much consequence.

I ride a very soft boot as well as a very stiff boot depending on the conditions of the day + my goals. If I want to butter and do ground tricks, soft boot all the way. If I want to go as fast as possible, stiff boot.

You can make any setup work...It's all about your muscle memory and ability to be subtle when you need to. If you still don't have that dialed in, I'd go with a more forgiving boot for now unless that boot you are talking about feels like heaven on your feet.


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## andy_d (Jan 14, 2011)

I'll have to see how I feel about it today I guess. It did feel the most comfortable out of the boots I tried. I'll report back after trying out


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## Tarzanman (Dec 20, 2008)

What is with all these car analogies lately?

I would recommend getting the more comfortable boot


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## lonerider (Apr 10, 2009)

andy_d said:


> I seem to like how the Ride Jackson feels but it's a lot stiffer than what I'm used to. It's my second year of snowboarding so my experience isn't there to know how it will impact but wondering what you guys think. I believe the Jackson has a f
> Ex rating of 7


No... a stiffer boot does not prevent you from freestyle. I prefer a stiffer boot.


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## sheepstealer (Aug 19, 2009)

I agree with lonerider. With almost any setup you can "adapt" the type of riding you do with the gear you have. I'm using Ride Jackson's too, and I like them (for the most part). They are a tad stiffer than I usually like but I think its actually helped me in the long run. I ride mostly in the northeast = usually icy, hard conditions. A stiffer boot has allowed me to edge in better so I'm actually carving more.

I ride a lot of park too and I really can't tell the difference in performance between my Jackson's and my previous boot, Forum JP Walkers (which is a pretty soft boot).

Good luck.


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## andy_d (Jan 14, 2011)

Thank you guys! Honestly, even though the boots are stiffer I really am not doing anything that I would notice it when riding so that's been fine



sheepstealer - out of curiosity, what do you like about the boots? Considering you said "for the most part"


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