Ride Ful Snowboard Boots 2010

Comments about Ride Ful Snowboard Boots 2010:

I ride 100+ days a year, whether as an instructor or for personal use in freestyle and backcountry. I spend at least eight hours in these boots and they get beat up. I was expecting that. These boots lasted about a month before they were packed in, losing traction, deforming in construction, losing waterproofness, and being ridiculously cold.

I was looking for a lightweight flexible boot, and initially, this boot kicked it. Was tight when I first bought them, took a few days to get comfortable, and then it was all downhill. The overall fit is actually pretty nice. I have a narrow heel and needed reduction in heel lift. This boot was awesome.

Now... not so much. On my foot at the moment, and the fabric stretches so bad that I can exend my ankle and the boot stretches with it. As far as support, I bought this boot at the end of November 2009 and by January I was already having extreme pain in the muscle that supports the ankle on the outer shin. To the point where butters were impossible. I've also had tendonitis in the achilles tendon to top it off. No more toe-edge.

The loss of traction on this boot was astounding. I've never seen tread wear off so fast on anything. Think of the material from the soft Teva sandles that mold to your heel... this is that texture. I had no tread three months in. Those little ice picky things? A joke. My boots, when stood by themselves wobble and fall over because the footbed is so deformed.

The outer material is at first durable but after a season, completely shreds. Laces feel nice but they don't last. I've already replaced both the inner and outer laces of my back foot. The front foot is going soon. Waterproof? Absolutely not. Pretty sure that material is about as permeable as a towel. And did I mention cold? I'm not even a Rockies rider anymore (I know what -7 feels like when cruising down a mountain) and these boots suck with insulation on a cold day at Tahoe. Oh, and they make my feet hurt worse than ski boots.

So overall, if you're looking for a nice looking boot that's super light and you're not out riding much except for the occasional trip up to the park, this is probably a rad boot. If you're serious about riding, don't buy it. I'm an instructor and I don't make much. Thought forking out some good money for a boot would at least get me through a season or two. I'm buying a new set of boots within the week. Spend your money wisely and skip Ride. Their Contraband bindings absolutely suck too.