[Closed] Snowboarders.... Where do you buy your boots?

2003.
I really ought to buy some new ones...
But v expensive northwave boots have held up very well. Quality appears to pay.

Bought mine from ellis Brigham at braehead. Not a massive selection but covered most price points. The guy helping was pleasant enough and seemed to know his stuff.

I buy mine from Summits in Paisley. Not a huge selection to be honest but I've always come out with a real bargain. Last two pairs have been Rome Fulsoms but now on my second season on Northwave Legends.....and they are outstandingly comfortable. Summits usually have all their stock listed on eBay so you can check models and availability prior to braving the mean streets of Paisley😁. Great service in that shop.

If your on holiday now go rent some and try a few different designs.

Got mine from Ellis Brigham in Covent Garden about 8 years ago. Burton seem to grab my ankles and not crush my toes, which is nice.

Got my burton ruler boots 2nd hand off eBay 9 years ago and after about 12 week trips are still warm and comfy.

Grrrr. Damn you people that can wear second hand or 15 year old boots and still be comfy!

Mine were great for the first week, now they either flap about all over the place or cut off all circulation. They're supposedly decent Salomon's too.

I've got flat, wide feet with skinny ankles and calves, they don't fit very well in anything 🙄

I could have a look tomorrow evening for a pair to hire/demo but would only have 2 days in them. Maybe should have done that at the beginning of the holiday.

Salomon boots are very narrow, I have the same flat wide feet and narrow ankles and the only boots that fit are 32’s with custom insoles.

This is annoying as they are traditional lace up boots and don’t last very well, but it’s better then being in pain all week.

online.
if you have wide flat feet, give northwave a go. only brand wide enough for me ive found.

Bought mine from ellis Brigham at braehead. Not a massive selection but covered most price points. The guy helping was pleasant enough and seemed to know his stuff.

Same here. Got some northwave boots in the sale a few years ago
Are you sure it's not your bindings. I use toe clips and they are great. Non toe clips bindings hurt my feet

Boarderline in Aberdeen are good if you’re in the north east. If you’re looking at boots with heat mouldable inners, make sure the shop offers to do this as it can make a huge difference if you’ve odd shaped feet.
A proper boot fitting takes time, if the shop’s busy or the staff try to hurry you, leave it to another day.

Tsa for sure in braehead. Try not to go on a saturday, you need a couple hours to try on every pair. Be prepared to get a pair which fit over looks

Try some 32 boots on if you find some in a shop. I’ve got small, wide, bony feet with a big heel spur and narrow calves at the base and they fit great, I’ve had two pairs now. Northwave before that worked well. Salomon and Burton were always too narrow.

Oh and always get heat mouldable liners and get them done properly in a shop. All that crap about the heat from your feet will mould them in time is just that, crap.

Vans are good for wide feet, Aura dual boa are good.
I’m currently using Flow Talon Focus which are very expensive, but absolutely top quality and extremely comfortable.

First pair I bought from a ski show so there was plenty of opportunities to try loads of pairs on. Second pair I bought from whatever the big chain store is in the Milton Keynes Xscape centre. Most comfortable were Salomons which genuinely felt like wearing massive snug slippers.

I used to work for Ellis Brigham/TSA many moons ago. They're a good company with mostly very knowledgeable staff and a good range of stock. Borderline in Aberdeen (might have moved to Banchory now?) are also good guys.

Wherever you choose, try to go on a weekday. It's less likely to be busy and you'll probably get a more knowledgeable, full-time staff member, rather than the hungover weekend kid who's there to lend a hand when it gets busy.

Also, as tempting as it is to wait for end of season bargains, if you have specific requirements (which it sounds like you do), go boot shopping early in the season. Shops get their snow stock in before the start of winter and need to have it all sold by the end, so your choices are getting fewer the later you leave it.

Custom insoles/footbeds are also brilliant if they're made right, but add significant cost and are quite dependent on having someone who knows their stuff making them.

Wide feet are always an issue. I’ve got EE fitting feet. Only Burton and now K2 do a proper wide fit. But Adidas come up very wide and the heel in the liner is super narrow. I got some Tactical ADV in the sale last year and they are great.
Massive boot discussion

I emailed a shop with what looked like a big online stock of boots. They said that whatever looked like it was in stock on their website, they’d have available to try.

Rightly enough, what looked like a smallish shop, had a mahoosive warehouse at the back so I could try a few sizes of 3 or 4 boots I’d earmarked. I went on a Tuesday morning so was the only punter in the shop and could try lots of different boots. Brought my bindings with me too to make sure everything worked together nicely. They gave me loads of time to try different boots and I came away with a pair of Ride Insanos - double boa, no lace faffing beauties. Never regretted the trip down to Exeter from Bristol.

And after the owner allowed me into his warehouse of wonder, I came away with a new board as well. 😀

If looking for a new brand model, then I would definitly go to a shop like TSA/EB or Snow & Rock that have a reasonable selection for you to try. Also don't discount small independant places like 'The Sick and The Wrong' in Keswick (behind the pencil museum). They carry a fair amount of stock as well and are super helpful.

As others have said, Salomon tend to be quite a narrow fitting/foot last; 32 & Vans tend to be wider, but since feet come in many different shapes & sizes trying them on is a must I think. Burton boots seem to give me terrible ankle pain for instance ...

Generally I aways hope/expect to get about 12 weeks (i.e. a 'Season') out of any piece of Snowboarding gear - including boots. Splitboard Touring seems to excelerate the liners packing down, but you can reduce the 'volume' with the like of 'Superfeet Volume reducers' which extends the usuable life of a pair of boots.

I've just come off the hill pissed off with my feet, off to the shop now!

Will either buy something or just hire for a couple of days.

Luckily it's miserable out there so will be ready for bluebird day tomorrow 🤞

I also recommend Thirtytwo boots for wide and flat feet. I too use an insole.

https://www.thirtytwo.com/uk/boots/

I am into my 3rd pair. When I moved away from Burton I must have tried 10 different brands across Austria/London/Dorset and Thirtytwos were the only ones I found comfortable.

If in Dorset please visit: https://bigdreamssnowboarding.com/

Just got the bus up to Val Thorens, shop opens in 45 minutes and They stock 32 apparently, amongst others.

Anywhere recommendations of shops in Val T while I wait??

I’d have thought VT might be a bit pricey? I wonder if shops in Manures or Les Bruyères might be a bit cheaper. Probably a bit of a shlep for you now and I guess your feet are at the “I’ll pay ****ing anything to have a day without pain...” stage. 😀

I've tried in Menuires, and there's very little choice for us snowboarders.

Ride & Style in VT was recommended and they had a great selection, but actually nothing that fitted too well. He thought Nitro might make something that fits, but they don't stock it.

I'm waiting now somewhere else to try some nitros.

So I now know my feet aren't really wide, but they are quite wide compared to my ankles & their height.

I've just tried Burton, Adidas, Nitro, 32, Northwave and probably some I've forgotten.