Snowboard gear is not cheap, and whilst most people choose to rent equipment when they are starting out, rental boots can be a bit gross!
Probably the most important part of your equipment is having a well-fitting pair of boots that keep your feet warm, dry, and pain-free all day.
Here are my choices of boots around the $200 mark that, I think, are a good investment for those just learning to snowboard to intermediate riders.
How I chose these boots.
A cheap boot will never be packed with features, but there are certain things in a boot that I think are non-negotiable!
Heat moldable liners – all these boots come with a liner that can either be heated up to take the form of your foot. Or that will mold to your foot after a few hours of wearing them.
Secure foothold – this is the most important part of your snowboard boot's job; to hold your foot securely so that all your movements are translated directly into your snowboard.
There are many ways this can be achieved, but things to look out for are, Boa lacing system, dual-zone lacing, J-bars in the liner, and eyelet locks on traditional lacing boots.
All the boots on the list feature at least one of these.
What I like about the Burton Moto is that you have separate laces for the upper and lower part of the boot. This is the same system that Burton uses across their range, right up to my favorite boot, the Ions. The Speed Zone Lacing system allows you to easily adjust the upper and lower part of the boot without having to take your gloves off.
They also come with heat-moldable liners giving you a snug, comfy fit.
This boot made it onto my Best Snowboard Boots 2024 list
This is the only boot on the list with traditional lacing. Whilst it is not the most convenient way to tighten your boots, with this system, you can lock off the laces at the ankle so you can get different amounts of tension in the upper and lower parts of the boot.
These boots also come with a simple bit effective way of preventing heel lift between the inner and the outer boot. The inner has an area of Velcro around the heel that stick to the outer and hold the two parts of the boot together.
These boots are super soft. So a good choice for freestyle riders, but if you are a bigger guy, maybe you should go for a boot with a little more support.
The Salomon Faction Boa is a super well-made boot with lots of support at a great price.
The Boa is spring-loaded, so it automatically takes in the slack to save you time winding up the dial.
It has a dual-density heat moldable liner with built-in J-bars to keep your foot in position and eliminate heel lift.
It's the most expensive boot on the list here, but with all its features, it still remains great value for money!
What makes the Ride Rook unique is the In2grated liner, where the outer boot and liner are combined into one. This creates a very streamlined boot and eliminates the risk of the inner boot lifting up inside the outer.
The only disadvantage with this integrated liner is that you can't remove it to dry out the boots, so not good for spring riding or for sweaty feet!
The Rook has a Boa closing system for efficient, reliable tensioning. Guaranteed to keep your boots nice and tight all day long.
