TransWorld Snowboarding
Product Tester: Freestyle Boots and Bindings
Each year, the TransWorld SNOWboarding Gear Guide is the Bible for anyone looking to get a new setup. With hundreds of products tested, consumers are able to get an honest opinion of almost anything they are looking for. I was charged with reviewing men's freestyle boots and bindings and tested over 20 products, picking my top five in each category and writing comprehensive reviews of each.
BINDINGS
"A marvel of truly functional tech features and comfort that makes it feel invisible, the Burton Malavita is the best binding for all around freestyle. From an ankle strap that opens itself up to welcome your foot to ratchets that are buttery smooth to a footbed that offers both board feel and cushioning, everything works together to keep you riding longer."
BOOTS
"If you’re looking for skate park feel with a look to match, the Adidas Samba should be your first choice. There is so much board feel with this boot; you have an almost symbiotic connection with your deck. The cost for the board feel is definitely cushioning, though. Chatter and harder impacts are very apparent in the Samba. But overall, the boots are playful, responsive, and they just ooze style."
"The bottom line is: after a day of hitting the park, it's obvious the Samba is a playful and responsive boot that anyone after a forgiving, skate-inspired fit with style will love."
"If a pair of performance running shoes and snowboard boots had a beautiful lovechild, it would be the Burton Almighty."
Online "Hyped" Article
The best-selling snowboard boot gets a convenience upgrade as the new Lashed Boa from ThirtyTwo. All the expected ThirtyTwo features are present including lightweight construction (4.3 pounds/pair, US men’s size 9), forgiving flex, and heat moldable liners with good ankle hold. The Lashed Boa is an understandable evolution of the people’s champ of park boots, the Lashed, and one that quick-lace lovers should appreciate.
Inner lacing is handled by a cinch cuff that is centered around the ankle, which is easy to adjust. The aforementioned Boa system handles the outer lacing, and its Coiler knob pulls most of the slack in for you. One drawback of this Boa system, however, is that riders can’t customize the upper and lower lace zones’ tightness; the single dial controls both upper and lower lacing. On hill, the Lashed Boa performs as expected–fun, flexible, and forgiving, however not too much thanks to the rigid plastic performance backstay running up the boot’s backside. When flexed, the articulated cuff breaks the upper and lower boot into two seemingly solitary zones so they flex freely, which makes tweaked grabs easy to reach and presses able to be pressed that much more. Below the foot, an STI foam outsole provides ample cushion and dampening. STI foam is lighter than EVA and polyurethane while still providing reliable traction and impressive rebound, and it won’t pack out easily.
Thirty-Two has the formula for a great park boot down, and did the next logical thing by offering it with a Boa quick-lace system. It’s an easy choice for most people looking for a comfortable all-purpose boot with great flex. And yes, the Lashed still comes with traditional, non-Boa lacing. That model costs $20 less.