Boots are a critical piece of snowboarding gear. You need your feet to stay warm and comfortable while you ride, but you also need your boots to provide the performance attributes necessary to help you ride a high level.
I’m a certified snowboarding instructor who has been teaching people of all ability levels over the last decade. I’m also a woman, and I’ve used many different women’s snowboard boots over the years.
The thirtytwo Lashed Double Boa is the best women’s snowboard boot of the year. These are a comfortable and versatile option that will give you reliable performance.
There are many boot options out there, and it can be challenging to find the best one that works for your riding style, ability level, and any other preferences you might have. I’ll show you my top picks in this post to help you narrow down the search.
Lace ‘em up tight, and let’s get going.
Contents
Top Women’s Snowboard Boots
All of the options you’ll find here will meet the needs of a variety of women snowboarders. These are all some of the top boots in the industry this year.
1. Best Overall: thirtytwo Lashed Double Boa
- Best for: Overall
- Key features: Versatile performance, very comfortable, durable and strong, heat-moldable liners, heel hold kit
- Flex: Medium/Stiff
- Laces: BOA
- Cost: $$$
My top choice for the season is the thirtytwo Lashed Double Boa. These are a fantastic set of women’s snowboarding boots that are incredibly versatile and durable. That means you’ll get performance you can count on all over the mountain.
A medium/stiff flex is perfect for riders who have some experience in the snow and want the ability to tackle a range of conditions. These boots are just as effective on groomers as they are in deep powder and technical terrain.
The Lashed is also extremely comfortable and built to let you stay out on the mountain all day long without having your feet get tired. A heal hold kit keeps your feet in place when you are riding hard, and the inserts are customizable for added comfort.
They have a 3D molded tongue that makes lacing a breeze. This also gives them effective flex across the entire ankle area. The liner is heat moldable to customize to your foot shape and made out of a dual-density intuition foam.
The BOA lacing system provides you with a tight and exact fit. A performance rubber outsole allows you to walk around the resort or hike in the backcountry without slipping and sliding.
Some riders have mentioned that the Lashed isn’t the warmest option on extremely cold days, but I haven’t encountered that problem myself.
==> You can also get it on Evo or Backcountry or Buckman’s.
2. Best for Comfort: Ride Hera
- Best for: Comfort
- Key features: Very comfortable, all-mountain versatility, responsive, good ankle support, calf adjustment technology
- Flex: Medium
- Laces: BOA
- Cost: $$$
If you have ever struggled with poor-fitting boots, you won’t be disappointed with the Ride Hera. These are some of the most comfortable boots around, and they have a ton of built-in features designed to treat your feet like royalty.
The medium flex of the boots gives them all-mountain versatility that translates into effective performance all over the mountain. It also creates a forgiving feel without limiting response and control.
The fit of the Hera is exceptional and utilizes a 1 to 1 lasting ratio to help create a seamless transition between the liner and shell. This creates a natural fit that shapes around your foot and runs the entire length of your ankle and calf as well.
Calf adjustment technology is another fantastic feature of the Hera that boosts its outstanding comfort. This design helps promote an exact fit and works by allowing you to adjust a velcro cuff on your calf perfectly.
The boots come with an Intuition Support Liner that uses heat-moldable foam. You’ll get a customized fit that is built to last. Heat reflective foil helps keep your feet warm by reflecting body heat and not allowing it to escape.
With so many features geared toward comfort, the Hera does make some sacrifices in performance. These aren’t quite a high-performance option for expert riders.
==> You can also get it on Backcountry or Evo or Curated.
3. Best All-Mountain: Burton Limelight Boa
- Best for: All-Mountain
- Key features: Versatile and effective performance, True Fit design, comfortable, Imprint 2 liner, 3M Thinsulate insulation
- Flex: Medium
- Laces: Boa
- Cost: $$$
The Burton Limelight BOA has the all-around versatility you need if you love all-mountain riding. These are an excellent choice for the rider who likes to explore every inch of the mountain and wants a boot that can keep up.
They have a medium flex that is aggressive enough for hard-charging lines while still being forgiving when you want to lay back and surf through powder or hit the park. They also have construction that effectively reduces the break-in period, which is pretty sweet.
This is another boot with a 1 to 1 lasting ratio. It makes for a precise fit that is both comfortable and caters to performance. A PowerUp tongue adds material to this design that makes the boots perform better than their flex might suggest.
An Imprint 2 Liner is heat-moldable for a customized fit. The liner also has a molded EVA footbed and a velcro liner closure for a secure and stable fit. 3M Thinsulate insulation ensures your feet stay warm in any condition.
The Limelight is somewhat on the expensive side and doesn’t have a great forward lean for carving.
==> You can also get it on Burton or Evo or Backcountry.
4. Best High-Performance: thirtytwo TM-2 Double Boa
- Best for: High Performance
- Key features: Double BOA laces, performance fit liner, customizable fit, heel hold kit, performance rubber outsole
- Flex: Medium Stiff
- Laces: Double Boa
- Cost: $$$$
If you charge hard and need high-end performance out of your equipment, the thirtytwo TM-2 Double Boa boots are a good choice to look into. These are built for experienced women riders and have an aggressive but still comfortable fit.
The BOA closure system provides the perfect blend of flex and support, so you will get a fast response in challenging terrain without compromising much comfort.
A performance fit liner is made out of dual-density intuition foam. This is heat-moldable for an exact fit and customizes performance. They also come with a heel hold kit that takes the custom feel to another level.
You’ll also get a performance rubber outsole that provides solid traction in the snow and additional impact absorption when you go big.
These are obviously not for beginners, and they are expensive if you can’t find them on sale.
==> You can also get it on ThirtyTwo or Evo or Backcountry.
5. Best for Freeride: K2 Kinsley
- Best for: Freeride
- Key features: Flex zone upper, Intuition liner, 3-point harness, Harshmellow dampening, durable
- Flex: Medium/Stiff
- Laces: Boa
- Cost: $$$
The K2 Kinsley will have you covered when you want to explore outside the realm of regular resort lines. They are a solid choice for a women’s freeride boot.
These come with a medium/stiff flex that will give you excellent performance in challenging situations. They are forgiving enough to work on big powder days and the front side of the mountain but will stay firm and responsive when the going gets tough.
An Intuition liner uses a blend of medium and high-density foam to provide a lot of support, and a molded EVA insole surrounds your entire foot as well.
A 3-point harness gives a customizable fit and supports your ankle to help reduce fatigue. Harshmellow dampening tech in the sole is designed to absorb impacts and vibrations to let you go big all day long.
The Kinsley doesn’t come with a heat-moldable liner, which is a downside for anyone who wants a personalized fit.
==> You can also get it on Evo or Curated or Sporting Life.
6. Best Freestyle: Salomon Ivy Boa
- Best for: Freestyle
- Key features: Forging and supportive freestyle performance, good heel grip, STR8JKT tech, heat-moldable liner, Ortholite C2 footbeds
- Flex: Medium
- Laces: Boa
- Cost: $$
If you love the park or want to explore freestyle riding in other places on the mountain, the Salmon Ivy Boa is the best freestyle boot out there.
They have a medium flex that will allow you to crush any feature in the park while still generating enough power and response in other places.
STR8JKT tech is built into these, which involves an inner heel harness that fully supports your ankle and heel to add comfort while creating a very stable fit.
The Diamond Liner is heat moldable and warm. This creates lasting comfort with personalized contours around your feet and reliable insulation from the cold and snow.
Ortholite C2 footbeds are another feature that is great for comfort and impact absorption. These provide cushion when you need it and can help limit any potential damage from big airs.
The Ivy is on the softer side, so it is not a good option for freeriding, racing, or other snowboarding styles when aggressive flex is needed.
==> You can also get it on Salomon or Evo or Buckman’s.
How to Choose Women’s Snowboard Boots
Here are some essential factors you should consider before buying your boots.
Flex
Flex can be a preference choice, but soft boots are more suitable for beginner snowboarders. They are easier to wear, turn, and walk around in because a softer boot is generally more comfortable.
For park riders who want to do lots of tricks and jibbing, softer boots will give your ankle more freedom to move from different angles and to tweak out your grab, so it’s easier to do presses and tweaks.
Siff boots are good for free riders and advanced freestyle focuses (like halfpipe and big kickers), carving, and racing racers. A pair of stiff boots will give you more support and extra responsiveness when you go really fast down the mountain.
For all-mountain riders or someone who just wants to do a bit of everything, you may want to get a mid-range flex boot.
Features
The first component we want to talk about is the lacing system, and there are three types of lacing systems: traditional, cable, and BOA.
Traditional lacing system laces tie up like all ordinary shoes. It is easy to repair if a lace is broken and easy to replace. It offers the most customized fit because it’s tightened up by hand.
However, it takes the longest time to tighten up a boot with traditional laces. It’s easier to get loose than another system, so you may end up having a loose boot if you are not strong enough to tighten your boots.
Cable lacing system is also known as the quick pulling system. It is fast, and you can get your boots tight. Usually, you can adjust the laces of the forefoot and shin separately, so there is more flexibility. What is not so great is that it is difficult to repair if you break a lace.
The BOA system is made up of metal laces and a dial. By turning the dial, your boots tighten up. It’s super fast and convenient. You can get your boots super tight. But it is difficult to repair if the dials are broken.
Tip: If available, pick a pair of boots with separate dials for the top and bottom section, so you have the flexibility to adjust a bit on the tightness of your boots.
The next component concerns the lining system, also known as the liner of your boots. Being the part that’s directly touching your foot, choosing a great liner will largely determine your foot’s comfort, grip, and warmth.
Try to pick a removable liner because you can take them out and dry them after riding, so you have warm and dry boots the following day. Also, you can alter a removable liner with some aftermarket heel straps to solve a pressure point problem.
Fit
Fit is the most critical factor when choosing your boots. If your boots don’t fit well, you will have a miserable day on the mountain.
With a moldable liner, you can either bring them to a boot fitting specialist to hot mold them for you or do it yourself. For a step-by-step video about how to custom fit your snowboard boots, see this video.
Useful Tips & Guides
Always try a few pairs of boots, even the first one fits great. You should try boots on before buying them online to make sure they actually fit your feet. You don’t want to make a purchase and have it not work out.
Bring your snowboard socks with you and put them on when you test the boots. Always consider your riding style and ability before buying your boots, as there are slight differences between all-mountain, freestyle, and freeride boots.
A custom-made footbed or insole is recommended because all feet are different. Mass production boots can fit great, but custom-fit boots can offer the perfect fit.
Also, if you are inside a snowboard gear shop and just about to purchase your snowboard boots, here are some steps that will help you find your perfect pair of boots:
- Step 1: Measure your foot first. Usually, the staff will do this for you, but you can just tell them your size if not. Your boot size is normally a half size down from your regular shoe size.
- Step 2: Tell them your skill level. If you are an intermediate to advanced snowboarder, you should be familiar with your needs. If you are a beginner, they will pick something soft for you.
- Step 3: When you are given the boots, loosen the inner and outer laces completely first.
- Step 4: Slide your foot in, gently tap your heel onto the ground to ensure there is no space inside and your heel is snugly in place.
- Step 5: Make sure you try both boots on. The size of your feet may be different from others.
- Step 6: Tighten up your liners and tap your heel onto the ground again to make sure your heel and ankle all fit well into the inner liner. Then tighten up your outer laces, just like you do when riding. Ask the staff to help if you haven’t done that before.
- Step 7: Stand up, walk around a bit, then stop. Now your big toes in the boot should be gently touching the end of the inner liners. Your toes should not be too squished, and any kind of gap is unwanted. This is because the liner will pack out, and more space will be created by a gap will be formed after a few ridings.
- Step 8: Lean forward and backward a bit like you are doing toe side and heel side movement. Your boots should still wrap your footwell with not much space created.
My Verdict
There are many options for women’s snowboard boots, but the thirtytwo Lashed Double Boa is a highly recommended option that offers quality performance, comfort, and value. These are some of my favorite boots of all time.
Boots are probably the most customizable and particular piece of snowboarding gear. You should always take the time to make sure you get a pair that fits your feet because that will help you immensely when you are out riding.
About Lorraine