If your feet are a little on the wide side, then it can be difficult finding snowboard boots that are a good fit. Boots that are too narrow for your feet can pinch on the side of your feet at the widest part and will become quite painful after a few runs. Luckily there are plenty of options out there when choosing a boot to fit your wide feet – NEW MODELS FOR 2023.
Boots that are too narrow for your feet can become painful after just a couple of runs and really ruin your day!
How to know if you need wide snowboard boots?
Probably the best indication that you need wide-fitting boots is that your feet will be hurting like hell after a few runs! Boots that are too narrow for your feet will cause cramps and loss of circulation, especially across the widest part of the foot and the toes.
When trying on boots in the store, it can sometimes be difficult to know how they will feel after a few runs, for this reason, it is a good idea to get your foot width measured. Most stores will be able to do this, or you can try this method and do it at home.
If you do have wide feet, then it’s probably worth investing in your own boots rather than renting, where you will struggle to find any wide-version boots.
How wide are wide snowboard boots?
Wide-fitting boots are shaped to give more room around the toe box. This is the part of the boot that is home to your toes and back to the widest part of your foot. Toward your heel, they are normally the same width as the standard boots. This ensures good heel hold and ankle support whilst allowing more space at the front of the foot.
Latest comments on this
David: I'm thinking of getting the Burton Rulers but not sure if I need the wide version or not. Im a US 10.5 and E width, which counts as 'wide' but not super wide either
Graeme Gibson: Hey David that's a great question! There is not much info out there about how wide is wide! I actually contacted Burton and they said that their wide boots are aimed at people with foot width E and wider. There's a link in the article to a post on how...
Which Brands offer wide Snowboard boots?
More and more brands are responding to demand and offering wide-fitting boots. Most only offer one or two models from their range in a wide version, but between all the brands, there is now a pretty good level of choice. Check out these brands for wide-fitting boots:
- Burton
- Salomon
- K2
- thirtyTwo
- Ride
Most boots that come in a wide version tend to be on the stiff side; I guess the thinking behind this is that guys with wide feet tend to be bigger and heavier so they need a stiffer boot!
Wide snowboard boots for Women
Currently, no brands out there produce their boots in a wide version for women. Women with wider feet looking for a more comfortable boot should try a men’s boot. Men’s feet tend to be a little wider than women’s so their boots tend to follow suit and offer a little more room across the width of the foot.
Most men’s boots start at a size US5 or 6, which creates a good overlap in sizes between the men’s and women’s range. So if you are a woman with wide feet it may be worth trying a men’s and women’s boot in the same size to compare fits.
Best Wide Snowboard Boots 2024
When buying boots there are loads of different features to take into account. However, it seems that all the wide-fitting boots have a lot of common features, including:
Dual Boa lacing – Boa system coil cable lacing system which can tighten separate areas of the boot independently.
Ankle Pockets – These are little indents on the sides of the liner which create extra room for your ankle bone.
Jbars – Little ‘J’ shaped foam pads that wrap around your ankle, creating extra hold around the ankle as well as easing any pressure points.
Heat moldable lines – Liners which will take the form of your foot either by heating them up or will pack out over time after a few days of riding. These are particularly useful if you have wide feet, as you can pack them out to create a little more room.
New for the 2023 season, Burton have reproduced one of their most high.-performance and best-selling boots in a wide version. At this point, I should confess that I have ridden the Ion for the last 6 years – so I may be a little biased!
The Ion is a relatively stiff, all-mountain boot that is super durable and maintains its flex throughout the season. It has Burton’s dual Speed Zone lacing system, which is a simple and reliable way of locking in your desired fit.
Inside the boot, the Life Liner comes with a 3-year warranty and has a built-in heel-lock pocket that keeps your foot held in place.
Burton Ruler Wide
The Ruler is the only boot here that doesn’t have Boa system lacing. Although Boa is appearing on more and more models of boot, some people are still a little skeptical and prefer traditional lacing. Burton’s Speed Zone lacing is the middle ground with the speed of Boa, but you also get a feel for how tight you’re pulling on the laces. They have one lace for the top and one for the bottom, allowing you can tighten the zones independently.
The Ruler has the same liner as the Burton Photon, but other than that is a little less spec, and this is reflected in the price. It also has a softer flex making it more of an intermediate-level boot similar to the Salomon Dialogue.
This boot made it onto my Best Snowboard Boots 2024 list
Burton Photon Boa Wide
Out of the two wide boots that Burton offers, this one is the stiffer and more high-performance. Both Burton boots are made to a 3E width which is ‘Extra wide’ and definitely wider than the Salamon boot.
It has a dual Boa lacing system, one for the bottom and one for the top. However, the top section lacing works a little differently from other Boa system boots.
The lacing actually wraps around the back of the boot so that it tightens the boot around the lower calf area. The idea of this is that it holds the ankle and lower leg more securely into the back of the boot.
I do wonder if this might cause problems if you have wide calves and experience pain around the top of the boot, but it does work great in holding the heel down.
The liner is fully heat-moldable with the addition of neoprene sections along the side of the foot that allow a little more stretch for wider feet.
Another new boot for 2023 is the Salomon Echo. This is Salomon’s most sturdy, backcountry boot. It is also there most environmentally friendly with lots of recycled materials used in the construction.
The sturdy grip makes is a great choice for backcountry hiking, and you can keep this boot submerged in the powder all day without any moisture finding its way inside the boot.
It is on the stiffer end of the spectrum at a 7/10 giving you plenty of response to you freeride turns.
K2 Maysis Wide Snowboard Boots
The K2 Maysis has a dual Boa lacing system, although this one is a little different from the others out there. On the outer boot, there is one continual cable lace which is tightened with the Boa. The other Boa controls a harness that tightens down around your ankle. The advantage of this system is that it creates awesome ankle support with no chance of getting any heel lift. A potential downside is that the single outer bootlace does not allow for independence over the upper and lower lacing zones. This means you won’t be able to keep the bottom zone tight and the upper loose. But if you are used to cracking up your laces all over, then this shouldn’t be a problem.
Unlike the other boots here, the Maysis does not have a heat moldable liner. It does, however, have Ankle Pockets, as well as internal and external Jbars giving great ankle support without the pressure.
Read my full review of the K2 Maysis->
Salomon Dialogue Wide Boots
The Dialogue has been around for years and is one of the most popular mid-range, intermediate boots out there. Salomon’s boots normally have a slightly narrow fit so this wide version is probably a little less wide than some of the other boots in the list. It would be the obvious choice for anyone who likes Salomon boots but finds that they are a little narrow and squeeze the foot just a little too much.
The dual Boa works in the traditional way of one tightening the top and one tightening the bottom laces of the boot. Salomon’s Heel Cage holds the foot down into the bottom of the boot and helps give a progressive flex.
The liner is fully heat-moldable so it can be tweaked and shaped to give a little more room for wide feet.
Ride Lasso Pro Wide
The Ride Lasso Pro Wide also uses the dual Boa closure. The dual Boa closure works in a similar way to that of the K2 Maysis, with one dial for the outer boot lacing and one which tightens the tongue of the boot down around the top of the ankle and holds the heel down.
It has a full wrap liner which puts the closure on the outside of the boot, giving more support for your shin to press against. It also has internal and external Jbars and ankle pockets, giving plenty of support to the ankle but without adding too much pressure
It’s a pretty stiff boot with a rating of 8/10, making them a good choice for heavier or more advanced riders
I’m thinking of getting the Burton Rulers but not sure if I need the wide version or not. Im a US 10.5 and E width, which counts as ‘wide’ but not super wide either
Hey David that’s a great question! There is not much info out there about how wide is wide! I actually contacted Burton and they said that their wide boots are aimed at people with foot width E and wider. There’s a link in the article to a post on how to determine your foot width