Freeride snowboarding is a blast. It’s a technical style that requires more advanced-level skills, which means you need to have the equipment to live up to the task. Boots are a critical piece of gear for every freerider.
I’m a certified snowboard instructor who has been teaching snowboarders many different riding styles over the last ten years. I’ve used several different freeride boots myself and have experience with many others.
The DC Travis Rice Boa is the best freeride snowboard boot of the year. These boots are built for the rugged conditions and high-performance you need when freeriding.
I’ll show you several other pairs of my favorite freeride boots in the post to help you make a good buying decision to meet your style, skills, or preferences in the snow.
Get your socks on, and let’s get laced up.
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Who Should Get This
Freeriding is all about finding amazing natural features and terrain beyond normal resort conditions. You can certainly freeride at a resort, but the essence of the style brings more backcountry-esque situations to mind.
If you love to ride big mountain lines, are always on the hunt for powder, or love pushing your limits on the mountain, freeride snowboard boots are the way to reach your full potential.
Freeride boots cater more towards serious on-snow scenarios, so they are better for intermediate to advanced riders.
You can use a freeride boot if you’re more of a beginner, but the models in this guide have a stiffer flex that delivers higher performance and can be challenging for inexperienced riders to handle.
Top Freeride Snowboard Boots
Here are my favorite picks for the best freeride snowboard boots of the season.
1. Best Overall: DC Travis Rice Boa
- Best for: Overall
- Key features: Super responsive, warm, storm proof flaps, Black Aerotech Liner, articulated construction
- Flex: Stiff
- Lacing Style: Boa
- Cost: $$$
The DC Travis Rice Boa is the best freeride boot you can find. These are built for high-performance in demanding situations and can handle anything that comes your way in the backcountry or any other freeride situation.
They have a stiff flex that provides an excellent response to give you superior control and dynamic ability when conditions demand nothing less.
The Black Aerotech liner gives you fantastic support throughout the entire boot, and it is heat-moldable for a customized fit. It also has a layer of memory foam for added comfort and cushioning against impact.
These boots are also extremely warm and will keep your feet nice and cozy even when conditions outside are terrible. They have 3M Thinsulate insulation that is highly effective and a Stormproof Storm Flap that will keep out snow and moisture.
They are too much boot for beginners and are best left on the feet of experienced riders. They are aggressive by design and are not forgiving.
2. Best High Performance: Ride Insano
- Best for: High Performance
- Key features: Stiff and responsive, great for expert riders, Intuition Dream Liner, two-zone boa adjustment, Michelin Peak outsole
- Flex: Stiff
- Lacing Style: Boa
- Cost: $$$$
The Ride Insano is a freeride boot for freeride experts. This option is a top-of-the-line performer that will deliver excellent response, comfort, and control in any type of condition.
They have an extremely stiff fit that is ideal for riding at the best of your abilities and charging as hard as you can. You’ll also get a dual-density TPU heel that works with the flex to provide cushioning and support.
The Insano also features In2grated construction that reduces weight by keeping the liner molded to the shell. This also reduces packing out and adds value.
An Intuition Dream liner is very supportive and easy to form around your feet. It’s coated in a layer of bamboo charcoal material that helps fight odors and eliminate moisture.
These boots can be too stiff for all but the most experienced riders – but that’s who they are built for. They are also expensive.
==> You can get it on Evo or Backcountry.
3. Best for Powder: Burton Driver X
- Best for: Powder
- Key features: Total Comfort Construction, Imprint 3 liner, DryRide lining, lightweight, antimicrobial coating, Vibram Sole
- Flex: Stiff
- Lacing Style: Speed Zone
- Cost: $$$$
For those endless powder days, check out the BUrton Driver X. These boots are capable of any freeride situation but provide you with the comfort and cold weather protection you’ll want when the snow gets deep.
Total Comfort Construction makes the boots comfortable straight out of the box. They have a very minimal break-in period.
An Imprint 3 liner holds your feet in place when you are surfing down the deep stuff and includes a focus cuff heel hold system to make sure you don’t slip or slide around inside the boot.
A DryRide Heat Cycle Lining gives you extra warmth and wicks away moisture. These boots will stay warm and dry when covered in snow.
The downside to this perfect powder performer is that they are very expensive.
==> You can get it on Evo or Backcountry or PRFO.
4. Best Women’s: Ride Cadence
- Best for: Women
- Key features: Rebound heel counter, Jade last, Calf Adjustment Tech, Intuition Dream liner
- Flex: Stiff
- Lacing Style: Boa
- Cost: $$$
The Ride Cadence is the best freeride boot for women. This is another stiff boot that has a focus on high-performance in steep and challenging conditions.
The Rebound Counter heel gives you dependable flex that is also durable. You can count on these to deliver quality response season after season.
Calf Adjustment Technology is a women’s specific design that Ride created to help you get a perfect fit. There is a Velcro adjustment on the cuff that will let you dial things in just right.
The Intuition Dream liner uses multi-density foam to provide you with a ton of support across the entire foot area. There is also an Impacto insole that absorbs impact when you go big.
Some riders have mentioned that these can take a while to break in and get the perfect fit.
==> You can also get it on Evo or Backcountry or PRFO.
How to Choose the Best Freeride Snowboard Boots
Before you buy freeride boots, read through this section and keep the following considerations in mind.
Your Style
Freeride boots have stiffer flex, durable construction, and increased response that allows them to perform at high levels on the terrain and conditions that are challenging, off-piste, or in the backcountry.
If you love to explore parts of the mountain that the common boarder might not venture into, these boots will help you do just that.
If you’re a beginner or like to spend a lot of time in the park, you’re going to be better off getting a different style of snowboard boot.
Freeriding equipment has its advantages, but park performance is not one. Freeride boots can be used in the park, but you will not get excellent performance out of them.
Grip
Freeriders often find themselves deep in the backcountry where you’re not going to find a chairlift to get you to the top of a run. You have to get there using your own two feet. That means you need boots that will aid you in your climbing.
Freeride boots are built with backcountry needs in mind and offer superior grip/traction over other boot styles.
Even if you plan on staying within the boundaries of the resort but still want to pursue freeriding, extra grip pays off when you find hike-to terrain that many resorts offer for advanced riders.
All of the boots on this list feature excellent grip that will enable you to hike in the snow with ease.
Quality/Durability
Freeriding will put your snowboarding equipment under heavy stress. This means that you want to look for boots constructed out of high-quality materials that make them durable. All of the boots listed here are built with these factors in mind.
That’s one of the reasons they stand apart from other models. You need your boots to hold up under any and all conditions because that will keep you safe, warm, and allow you to ride at the highest levels.
Quality comes down to the materials the boots are constructed out of, but it also has a lot to do with a brand’s priorities and its commitment to excellence. All of the boots listed here are made by quality brands with great reputations.
Useful Tips & Resources
If your freeriding takes you into the backcountry, you need to be safe at all times. There’s no one coming to the rescue if you get into a hairy situation deep in the wilderness and away from the crowds.
Here is an excellent backcountry snowboard guide that’s well worth reading if you are even considering heading off-piste. You may also want to read my other articles related to the topic:
- How to Get Started Freeride or Backcountry Snowboarding?
- Freestyle vs Freeride Snowboarding: The Differences
Final Verdict
The DC Travis Rice Boa is the best freeride snowboard boot you can get your feet into. These boots are built for riders who charge hard in challenging conditions and will have you covered when you push your limits to their max.
Freeriding is probably my favorite snowboarding style, and having boots that can help you is important. Any of the options you’ll find here are built to hand the rigors and demands of the style.
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