# Boots for a heavier rider



## pailhead (Jan 17, 2009)

I've rode in my Northwave legends for about 5 months, and i think i'm ready for some new boots. Besides smelling worse than the plague i think they have gone very very soft, on top of being a soft boot to begin with. 

I figure that there are people who wear size 11.5 but weight far less than me, so i should probably be looking for something stiffer. I found a relatively good deal for a pair of burton ions from 2-3 seasons ago (these ones) but i just read a couple of reviews on dogfunk that they mush up after a short while. 

If they still have the pair left they're around $280. They're tight, to a point where i feel a bit too much pressure around the ankle, but i figure they would break in. The nothwaves i ride now are size 11.


What other boots could i be looking at? I know only driver-x from burton, don't know anything about other brands.


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## SJ10 (Mar 3, 2010)

Salomon Synapse, Synapse Wide, or Salomon Malamute.


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## pailhead (Jan 17, 2009)

Stupid question but, for someone as heavy as i am, a stiff boot will perform as an overall mid-flex boot? I'd get more response (i think i definitely need that) but could still try out tricks?


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## SJ10 (Mar 3, 2010)

You can still do tricks with a stiffer boot but it will require an adjustment in technique. It's harder to articulate through the ankles, so grabs can be a little more difficult. Spins will require some adjustment as well with a more responsive set up. 

The stiffness of a boot may be overcome to some degree by the leverage a heaver rider would put on it. So yes, a heavier rider should look for a stiffer board, bindings, boot to provide support for the extra mass. I'd define what riding I want to do and then buy on the stiffer end of that spectrum.


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## pailhead (Jan 17, 2009)

Boots are something i don't mind paying a full price for, and would even eventually buy it here (bloody euros).

But i found burton ions for $240, in size 11.5, and this is what i tried in the store, albeit, an older model. Not sure how much choice ill have in the july-october period, so maybe it's not a bad idea to go for these?


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