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At what point do you guys upgrade your boots?

5K views 25 replies 16 participants last post by  BurtonAvenger 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I've got a pair of Salomon Synapse boots. They're pretty comfy overall, however I've got two issues:

1) Heel lift when I go toe side on my lead foot
2) I'm getting tired of the lacing system - the strap hangs, or the lace grip likes to fall out of its pocket. Not to mention the fact that I can never get the bottom to tighten enough. Half the time when I'm pulling it, the lace catches with the top latch and locks up there.

So my question is, is this enough to pull the trigger and get the DC Judge? They've got a cool double BOA system and have a very good reputation of heel hold.

However, I know that the Synapse is generally comfortable, and I'd hate for the Judge to fail me that way.

What does it take you guys to pull the trigger and get new boots?
 
#2 ·
When they're worn out and falling apart. Not a fan of boa systems. I feel like I could keep my heel down with just my ankle strap, though. With non-boa boots, I can really lay into the ankle area laces to keep my heel in the pocket.
 
#3 ·
Heel lift sucks so no matter how comfortable its gonna be hard to be happy with them. Maybe go to a boot fitter and get them to help you out with heel lift issue? If it's an issue due to lacing bottom half of boot i'm not sure what they could do though.

Have you had em for a while?

My Vans are coming up on 3 seasons and have packed out a bit much now, the liner is kinda gone hard and its difficult to get lace tension just right... must nearly be ready to get something else
 
#6 ·
I'm up to 3 seasons on my DC Scouts and I beleive this will be the last one for them. What started out as a great fit and ultra comfy ride has turned into a sloppy fit and not so comfy ride. Plus the exterior of them is getting pretty beat and I'm a little worried about some really thin spots on the fabric. I think it becomes fairly clear when you need to replace your boots. :)

EDIT: WOHOO FOR 1,000 POSTS! :D My internet street cred just went up a little. LoL! :laugh: :D
 
#13 ·
Heres some crazy shit: my traditional laces do that too.

I will grant you they don't have the cool factor of a gear assembly and stainless steel cables. Oh which by the way are all more fragile and catastrophic when they break, compared to their low-tech cousin. If you have a cable break on the mountain there is a decent chance your day is over. If the knob assembly breaks or fouls, your day is probably over for sure.

Ill admit I'm a BOA hater, I mean sure, its fun, and neat, but unless you are actually using these for something like skinning, quit singing their praises and admit you just like having another toy on your boots.

If the best boot that fits you at the shop has BOAs, then by all means, buy and wear them. Just don't tell yourself lies about what they are providing. Yanking your knobs has nothing to do with snowboarding, I tie my boots once and go ride.

You can like them all you want, I liked them even when they were on boots that didn't fit. Going from them back to laces just made me realize the reality of the situation.
 
#8 ·
I've had them for a few seasons, but until I moved to Colorado, 5 times in a season was the max. They're still in great shape but the idea of cranking down on that double boa and making them more snug is very appealing. My thought is that being able to constantly crank down will alleviate the sloppiness that happens with my Synapses.

Anyone with double boa experience in this regard?
 
#9 ·
I had single boas and was looking to upgrade this fall. I purchased some double boas but after wearing them around the house I had to take them back. The wires on one of the zones ran right along my ankle creating a nasty hot spot that I didn't want to deal with. I ended up going with burtons that have the dual zone speed lacing system and am very happy with my purchase.
In regards to the question when to upgrade... I usually replace my boots when they get too soft and they can't offer the response I need.
 
#10 ·
To each their own, I guess... I have the same boots and they're by far my favorite lacing system. Super fast to tighten up compared to most systems and they haven't given me any issues in 4 or 5 seasons (I've heard people needing wire cutters to get BOAs off when the tightening mechanism breaks).

I like how there's only one set of laces but you can still adjust the bottom tightness independent of the top. I do get some heal lift now that they've stretched but nothing too bad.

Do you wear the top section slightly loose? I've noticed they come loose if they're not tightened pretty well. I usually just hold the tongue out slightly when I'm pulling the laces up. That seems to better set the laces in place.
 
#11 ·
Thanks all for the input. After wearing them around yesterday I've decided that they're just too comfortable to jump into another pair this season.

Not sure how often the BOA breaks, but that is a concern and the Synapses have been pretty darn reliable.
 
#14 ·
It takes a lot for me to buy new boots. I spend a lot of time and traveling to find the right pair. This is my 3rd season on my Vans Wiig's. They started out at a stiffer boot but have broken in perfectly. Swapped the food beds, replaced the laces twice, and had to jimmy the liner laces when one of the steel hooks snapped. Still in great working order.

That being said, I just scooped up a pair of Celsius Cirrus with speed lace because they were on sale. In the end I didn't want to wait til something on the boot shit the bed on the hill.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Well I don't see how they fit differently, and I admitted that I'm a hater whose k2's didnt fit well at all.

Figured BA would chime in eventually, I know he loves 'em.

"Speak for yourself and dont drag down other people for speaking what they think or this forum will turn into the snowklinger forums and nobody really wants that."

Sorry I am just sharing my own hindsight, and just want to urge people to look at the actual stuff rather then getting all excited about the tech and gear (which I feel I totally did). Maybe I am alone in this disposition to excitement over such things. I'm not a dragger-downer and I don't want to seem like one, my statement which was quoted was aimed at the general excitement, certainly not you personally.

I'm sure if those boots I had last year fit perfect, I would sing a different song.

How do laces suck?

And all the caveats of "if they break" remain regardless of fit.
 
#21 · (Edited)
yeah no worries man. It just works for me as i am sure it would for a lot of others. I dont believe laces suck, they just dont have the leverage over the boot that a boa does. If a lace breaks you still have to come back and fix it just like a boa . The first thing i did when i got mine was pull a boa apart and put it back together. Its not that hard.
 
#22 ·
Ive had my K2 T1 Dual-BOA for 2 seasons now (around 50 days riding in total) and the only problem Ive had was that one of the knobs broke and wouldnt tighten anymore. Went into the local shop and they fixed in 2 minutes luckily. Other than that I have no complaints. This is my third set of boots and Im definatly going for Dual-Boa again when its time to replace them.
 
#24 ·
Wouldn't be suprised any more if any resort worth a shit can fix anything on a BOA pretty quick and have you back out there. I'm thinking lace you just tie to itself if it breaks.

When I tried to fix mine, the mechanism exploded and little parts went flying everywhere (user error I won't try to deny, but that thing was jammed as fuck).
 
#25 ·
everything you say may well be true but you are talking about the worst possible scenario which may never happen to most people. The benefit of not having heel lift far outweighs the potential bad day you could have if one fails and you are not capable of fixing it.
 
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