When putting together your snowboard kit, no piece of the puzzle is more critical than your boots. Boots don’t just connect your body and your board; they’re also the key to on-hill comfort. The wrong boots can cause hot spots, blisters, heel lift, toe bang, or swamp foot—all potential day-ruiners. The right boots, however, can make previously torturous bell-to-bell days no big deal. After wearing multiple models over the last couple of years, our dedicated test team has selected our six favorite boots available today, a completely new list than we chose last year..
Important note: Every rider’s foot is different. Visiting a professional bootfitter, heat-molding your boots, or at least swapping flimsy stock insoles for more supportive aftermarket or customized options can be the difference between blisters and bliss. Check out our buying advice section at the bottom of this article for more boot-fitting and shopping tips.
Check out the best snowboards of the year here.
At a Glance
- Best Cruisy All-Mountain Men’s Boot:
- Best Aggressive All-Mountain Men’s Boot:
- Best All-Mountain Freestyle Women’s Boot:
- Best All-Mountain Intermediate Women’s Boot:
- Best Boot For Resort and Backcountry: Nitro Skylab BOA ($350) (currently unavailable)
- Best Approachable Splitboard Boot:
- How to Choose Snowboard Boots
- How We Test
- Meet the Testers
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Best Cruisy All-Mountain Men’s Boot
Nidecker Rift APX
Sizing: Men’s 7-13
Pros and Cons
⊕ Mid-soft, asymmetrical, freestyle-ready flex
⊕ Waterproof
⊕ Excellent heel hold
⊗ Flimsy insoles
Mt. Baker boarders and Mt. Hood homies—rejoice. Nidecker’s new APX version of its bestselling Rift boot is so waterproof that it’s ready for the gnarliest Pacific “Northwet” conditions. The Swiss brand decked out the asymmetrical freestyle boot with seamless, polyurethane-coated side paneling and an armored toe box. I tested it during spring slush sessions that bordered on pond skims, and not a drop reached my socks.
The Rift, which is also available in women’s and classic lace versions with more sizing options, ranks four out of ten on Nidecker’s stiffness scale, but it boasts high-tech features that are often reserved for more rigid and aggressive boots. If you like serious heel hold but a loose calf, the Rift has your name on it. The Rift APX’s lower BOA and inner harness lock the ankle in place with the best of boots, even if you have narrower feet, while the upper BOA can be left loose for chill park laps or creative all-mountain freestyle cruising.
The Rift also earned high marks for its asymmetrical tongue and lace positioning which give riders support at the outside of the foot and tweakability on the inside of the foot, providing a natural, pinch-free ride that was comfortable out-of-the-box.
The Rift APX’s longevity also won over our test team. Softer boots are prone to blow up quickly, but not this one. Thanks to a stout, catch-free rubber backstay that’s fused to the outsole and an articulated cuff that allows the boot upper to flex independently from the lower, our test pair is still as good as new after a spring of heavy use.
Testers’ biggest complaint? Uninspired stock insoles which were quickly traded out for more supportive aftermarket options from and .
Best Aggressive All-Mountain Men’s Boot
Ride Lasso Pro
Sizing: Men’s 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 10.5, 11, 11.5, 12, 13; Same sizes available in wide version.
Pros and Cons
⊕ Stiffer freeride flex
⊕ Padded heels for bigger drops
⊕ Minimal footprint
⊗ Mixed bootpacking results
Cowboy freeriders fond of wrangling steep lines and heavy cliffs should rope Ride’s Lasso Pro. A step (or two) down from the brand’s Insano boot, the Lasso Pro offers all-gas, no-brakes rippers with a Goldilocks flex—stiff but not too stiff. Ideal for aggressive all-mountain riders or freeriders, the stiffer, premium version of the popular Lasso gives riders both maximum response and minimal footprint.
“Very solid hard-charging freeride boots,” commented Wasatch big mountain buff Kordell Black, appreciative of brawny forward and lateral flex and smooth, articulating cuffs. Black also dug the dual H4 BOA coiler system that tightens the front of the boot, the easy-to-operate inner lacing system, and the comprehensive ankle harness, reporting that the comfortable, responsive Intuition-wrapped liner fit snugly and kept his heel locked in place without pressure points. Another tester, snowboard instructor NAME?, disagreed, noting that the BOA loosened after a few runs and he found himself “swimming inside.”
However, that tester was amazed by the Lasso Pro’s lightweight construction. “So surprising how light they are,” he said.”It doesn’t feel like you’re wearing a snowboard boot at all.” The ankle pads kept his feet centered and stabilized, he said, and he loved the minimal footprint, recommending the boots for big-footed riders who constantly deal with toe drag. Black agreed: “They’re light, low-profile, and fit in a binding well—you can’t ask for anything more.”
While the stiffer, responsive boot does speak to the freeride contingent on the descent, testers were mixed on bootpacking ability. After a sidecountry jump session, one rider judged the Michelin Hybrid Fiberlite outsole’s grip solid in slippery conditions, while a backcountry stalwart said s/he preferred boots with Vibram’s more aggressively lugged traction.
Looking for a similar ride but a bit more flex? Check out the standard ($250).
Best All-Mountain Freestyle Women’s Boot
ThirtyTwo Lashed Double BOA B4BC
Sizing: Women’s 5-10
Pros and Cons
⊕ B4BC collab colorway supports breast cancer non-profit
⊕ Mid-soft freestyle flex
⊕ Improved liner
⊕ Included heel hold kit
⊗ Comfort issues with toeside flexion
⊗ Bulky
ThirtyTwo’s Lashed Double BOA is a boot our testers can get behind. A notch softer than the popular ($210), it gives cruisy riders, all-mountain freestylers, and jibbers a playful, pliable flex and comfortable fit. Boarding For Breast Cancer (B4BC) is a non-profit focused on breast cancer education and survivor support that has been around for almost three decades. It’s a cause our testers can get behind. For the 10th year running ThirtyTwo and B4BC teamed up on a collab, dropping this limited-edition version of the Lashed Double BOA. A portion of proceeds from the forest green colorway will fund the non-profit’s programming, which includes prevention and awareness events at ski resorts and wellness retreats for breast cancer survivors. So, yeah—it’s a boot we can really get behind.
The boot itself is free of frills. It’s a standard dual-BOA boot, with an internal ankle harness that hugs a dual-density, heat-moldable ThirtyTwo Team liner. Nancy Brest, a Tahoe snowboard coach and competitive snowboard judge with years of experience on the Lashed, put the B4BC Double BOAs on the chopping block in the Sierra this spring. She quickly made use of ThirtyTwo’s included heel hold kit—a set of foam donuts that slip into integrated pockets on the boot liner to reinforce the ankle. “I experienced minimal heel lift,” she said. She also gave her stamp of approval to the updated Team liner: “The overlapping velcro flaps on the liner are easier to get a snug fit compared to last year’s Lashed.”
If you’ve been popping glucosamine-like gummy vitamins, you’ll be stoked that the Lashed boasts a light yet robust rubber outsole with integrated foam cushioning for cartilage-sparing impact absorption. And while the freestyle-friendly lateral flex is apt for jibbing, pressing, buttering, airing, and tweaking, a stiffer backstay offers enough resistance and response from edge-to-edge for all-mountain missions far from the park. “I’m a freestyle, all-mountain rider, but I wouldn’t be afraid to use these freeriding, too,” offered Brest. She scored the boot high for both overall performance and responsiveness thanks to its combination of flex and features, giving a rare perfect score for comfort.
That said, testers weren’t without complaints. The Lashed is on the bulky side. One rider reported a midfoot pressure point where the boot buckled from toeside flexion, and she also noted that the profile was bulkier than previous years’ models.
Best All-Mountain Intermediate Women’s Boot
Ride Hera
Sizing: Women’s 5, 5.5, 6, 6.6, 7, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5, 10, 11
Pros and Cons
⊕ Approachable flex
⊕ Minimal footprint
⊕ Cushy, comfy construction and liner
⊕ Decent heel hold
⊗ Singular outer BOA creates discomfort
Low-profile and well-cushioned with a mid-flex, the Ride Hera is a solid all-mountain option for intermediate and laidback advanced all-mountain riders. Advanced? tester Coral Rose Taylor would spend her own money to purchase a pair of the Ride Hera. I’ve owned the Hera before because they generally fit my feet well and have the medium flex I prefer,” she said.
A cruisy all-mountain rider from June Lake, CA, with pain-prone feet (high-arch, narrow feet, and neuromas galore), Taylor values comfort as much as she does the ability to ride everywhere from park to powder. Thanks to a mid flex, articulated cuff, cushy Intuition liner, and impact-absorbing foam midsole underfoot, the Hera ticks both boxes, leading Taylor to recommend the option for fellow “all-mountain riders who like to do a little jibbing and a little freeriding.”
Taylor was blown away by the Hera’s minimal footprint, reporting, “They’re so low profile and pretty light, I actually had to adjust the straps on my bindings to get them tight enough over the boots.” Testers also appreciated Ride’s women’s-specific calf adjustment system, consisting of velcro pull tabs that allow riders to tighten or expand the rear cuff of the boot to best suit your individual body type.
The Hera scored well for its internal H4 BOA coiler that wraps the ankle tight, providing solid fit and responsiveness. However, multiple testers said they wished the outer BOA was redesigned. As is, one BOA dial controls the entire outer lacing system, and testers missed the ability to tighten the upper and lower separately. “The outer BOA tightens around the calf more than the ankle, creating hot spots up high,” complained one.
Best Boot For Resort And Backcountry
Nitro Skylab BOA
(Currently Unavailable)
Sizing: Men’s 7-14
Pros and Cons
⊕ Excellent resort-to-backcountry boot
⊕ Solid heel hold
⊕ Decent walk mode when you pop a BOA
⊕ High-quality outsole and gaiter for bootpacking
⊗ No crampon compatibility
⊗ A tad bulky compared to standard all-mountain boots
If you hitch a ride on chairlifts one day and crush skintracks the next—and need one boot that can do it all, Nitro’s Skylab is worth consideration. A solid balance between comfortable and dependable on both the uphill and the down, the mid-stiff boot scored well with testers who pursue powder in bounds and out.
“Once I broke this boot in after about a week, they became the most comfortable boots I’ve ever ridden,” reported Jackson Webber, a Utah firefighter, all-mountain ripper, and test veteran. He loved Nitro’s new Cloud 9 liner—a pre-molded liner with 3D tongue and heel—claiming it quickly formed to his admittedly “weird, slightly narrow, high-arch feet.” He was similarly wowed by heel hold supplied by a combination of a lower BOA dial, internal ankle support, and reliable inner lining lacing. “Having the ability to tighten just the lower BOA is so important in regards to eliminating heel lift while still being comfortable,” Webber said.
Backcountry regulars are usually skeptical of BOA. A broken system, especially on a hut trip, deep mission, or multi-day winter camping trip, is difficult to fix in the field and can quickly ruin an otherwise epic adventure. Webber is no different, but, after having zero durability issues on remote hut trips and with heavy use, he called the Skylab’s BOA system “very durable—it feels solid and reliable.”. He also dug how easy it was to pop the upper BOA for an increased rearward range of motion on the skin track and then to tighten them before dropping. “I cinch them down for aggressive lines or keep them a little looser for playful all-mountain days,” explained Webber.
It is worth noting that the Skylab doesn’t have a crampon-compatible heel welt—a demerit for demanding split mountaineers—though it does keep the overall bulk of the boot lower and more suited to in-bounds freeriding. That said, the Skylab sports a partially recycled Vibram outsole that’s bootpack-ready without being too bulky. “Fantastic grip for setting the bootpack and transitioning on aggressive terrain,” Webber reported, also noting that the zippered gaiter kept snow out of the boot when hiking on deeper powder days.
All told, after 30-plus days of testing in California and Utah, he recommended the boot for “avid backcountry enthusiasts or all-mountain riders who want a stiffer boot that’s both dependable and comfortable. If you like big freeride lines, or just flying down groomers, this boot is great for those hard-charging days.”
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We tested the mid-stiff, resort-to-backcountry boot in the BOA version, but it’s also available with Nitro’s proprietary, sleek, quick-lacing TLS system. Both the TLS and BOA are available in a subtle black colorway or a louder, zebra-print collab with Volcom. Webber suggests sizing up a half size.
Best Approachable Splitboard Boot
ThirtyTwo TM-2 Jones
Sizing: Men’s 6-14
Pros and Cons
⊕ Crampon-compatible outsole
⊕ Excellent traction and bootpacking performance
⊕ Good walk mode
⊕ Happy medium flex
⊗ Bulky
⊗ Gaiter can cause overheating in spring
ThirtyTwo’s popular, all-mountain ($285) is renowned for its versatility, beloved by pros and average Joes alike who want middle-of-the-park stiffness that can handle everything from the terrain park to the steeps. Jeremy Jones’ flagship pro model, the ($525), is a top-of-the-line splitboard specialist reserved for big mountain badasses: it’s an ultra-stiff boot with a reliable walk mode, a beefy, crampon-compatible, bootpack-slaying Vibram outsole, and a reinforced toe that kicks steps better in firm snow than virtually every splitboard softboot we’ve ever tried. Were the TM-2s and the MTBs to knock proverbial boots, the TM-2 Jones would be their love child.
While the Jones MTB maxes out ThirtyTwo’s stiffness scale, the TM-2 scores a more approachable, tweakable, and comfortable seven out of ten. The TM-2 Jones shares theTM-2’s all-mountain-ready flex pattern, making it much more suited for resort riding and gentle? touring. As a lighter, more playful rider, I don’t need 10 out of 10 stiffness, and the mellower yet still supportive flex of the TM-2 Jones is a happy medium for me. It’s responsive enough for high-speed freeriding in bounds or out, but there’s still enough play to integrate buttering and freestyle into your riding. Plus, it remains comfortable on long days in the skintrack.
Nevertheless, the MTB’s big mountain DNA is apparent—and welcome. The TM-2 Jones’ aggressively lugged Vibram outsole, crampon-compatible heel welt, and rubber-wrapped toe are identical to those on the stiffer MTB, allowing backcountry bootpackers to kick steps and scramble rocky ridges with confidence. After slick, sketchy scrambles in the Sierra, testers found the traction top-notch, and one, Tahoe shop tech Anthony Santos, pointed out that the Velcro power strap over the shin also provided “easy walk mode adjustment.” Santos reported the TM-2 Jones was “ready for whacky, off-board romping with pointy things.”
A downside: the outsole and wrapped toe add significant heft and bulk, compared to standard resort boots. Additionally, one tester reported the gaiter, which helps keep snow out on powder days, led to frustratingly sweaty feet on warmer corn missions.
The TM-2 Jones is also available in a women’s specific version–the ($212), built for Natural Selection ripper and backcountry boss Elena Hight. We didn’t test the TM-2 Hight this year, but we have in previous years, and we recommend it for ladies looking for a splitboard-ready women’s boot that isn’t overwhelmingly stiff.
How to Choose Snowboard Boots
Shopping for snowboard boots can be overwhelming. Here are five tried-and-true tips to make the process as smooth as possible.
Shop For Boots First: If possible, shop for boots before boards and bindings. Your boot size influences both your binding size and acceptable board widths. Some boots, like the Ride Hera and Ride Lasso, have compact footprints, which means you’re less likely to have toe or heel drag on a narrower board. If you end up buying a boot with a bigger footprint, or you have a size 10.5 boot or higher, you may want to consider a mid-wide, wide, or volume-shifted board.
Stick To Brands You Know And Love: Every brand has a slightly different fit. Some are known for being wider or skinnier, or running bigger or smaller. If your last pair of boots fit well, consider repeating your experience with that specific brand, as chances are the fit hasn’t changed much over time. Many testers swear by the strategy of purchasing a newer version of the same boot model.
Invest In Insoles: Even high-end snowboard boots often sport garbage insoles (as reported by a tester who fits boots for a local shop), and one of the best ways to improve fit, comfort, and performance is with an aftermarket insole. We’re partial to in most instances, but aren’t a bad play if you’re looking for more shock absorption. If you really want to go the extra mile, get a custom pair from a bootfitter.
Put Your Faith In Bootfitters: There’s a misconception that only skiers need to get their boots fit. Once you’ve had your snowboard boots professionally fit, however, you’ll never go back—especially if you have a history of foot pain. Ideally, schedule an appointment with a bootfitter who is also a snowboarder, as they’ll have a better idea of what problems you’ll face on the hill. Bootfitters can help you with everything from run-of-the-mill heat molding to boot punches, heel hold adjustments, liner replacements, and custom insoles.
Demos, Snowboard Shops, And Return Policies: Every foot is different, so it’s worth attending demos at your local hill, or demoing boots from local shops. When you do make a purchase, support your local snowboard shop if you can (especially if it let you demo its boots). If you prefer to shop online, buy from a reputable online retailer like REI or Backcountry that has a flexible return policy.
How We Test
- Number of boots tested: 15
- Number of testers: 14
- Furthest a tester traveled to join the fray:Tokyo to Reno, 5,198 miles
Our boot testing starts at our annual snowboard test, which we held at Tahoe’s community-owned Diamond Peak Ski Resort this past season. A solid crew of mostly local snowboarders and splitboarders flock to the test, where we’ve collected boots from brands big and small. At the beginning of our test week, riders sifted through the boot pile, hunting for a pair that fit both their foot size and shape as well as their preferred style of riding (all-mountain, freestyle, freeride, etc.) and skill level (ranging from intermediate to expert). After getting a jump on testing at Diamond Peak, we then sent those boots home with riders for long-term testing at their home mountains.
Long-term testing is crucial, particularly with boots, as break-in periods vary. A boot might be stellar out-of-the-box, only to blow out in 20 days. Or, vice versa, a boot might be stiff, uncomfortable, and difficult to break in for the first week, then turn into our favorite boot once it’s been out on the hill for a spell. Additionally, we encouraged testers to swap out insoles, hit their local shops, and get boots heat-molded and professionally fit—whatever they would normally do if purchasing a new pair of boots.
Once chairlifts stopped cranking and splitboarders hung up their skins for the season, we asked our test crew to fill out review forms. These forms score boots quantitatively on aspects like responsiveness, comfort, lacing systems, as well as forward and lateral flex. The testers then dove deep into qualitative responses, answering questions like: Would you purchase these boots? What rider would like these boots? Are the boots bulky or low-profile? What are your impressions on the inner and outer lacing systems? Finally, I—test director Drew Zieff—sifted through the review forms and wrote the reviews.
Meet the Testers
Drew Zieff
Zieff is a Tahoe-based freelance writer and a lifelong snowboarder. Burdened with unnaturally long second toes and skinny calves and ankles, Zieff is no stranger to the boot-fitting chair (he’s a regular at ), and he generally doesn’t trust stock insoles any more than he’ll sniff rental ones. In addition to directing ϳԹ’s snowboard test, a role he’s handled since 2016, he directs Backcountry Magazine’s splitboard coverage and nerds out on snowboard gear and travel for REI, Gear Junkie, and Forbes, among others. He spends his winters testing gear in his backyard backcountry zones or up at Palisades when he’s not chasing stories and storms around the globe.
Kordell Black
In a word, Kordell Black is a character. An esoteric ripper and veteran gear tester based in the Wasatch, Black has traveled the world with his splitboard in pursuit of powder and off-the-beaten-track adventures. He approaches big mountain lines with creative, freestyle energy, specializes in finding powder stashes overlooked by the Utah crowds, and thrashes boots into oblivion in a matter of weeks. He will also obliterate you in a flat ground game of SKATE.
Nancy Brest
Nancy Brest is a Tahoe-based pilates instructor, snowboard coach, and competitive snowboard judge. When this snowboard test veteran isn’t helping clients with their fitness or working on the hill, you can find her shredding the Sierra in bounds and out, always with bulletproof fundamentals and timeless style. Few riders spend as much time in snowboard boots in a season as Brest, and she values comfort, performance, and reliability.