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Hey whats up guys long time reader first time poster.

I am in the market for some new boots this season. In the past I have had issues with comfort, I wear Burton Ruler boots and they are very stiff and hard on my feet (they are so stiff that I walk heel to toe with barley any bend on the top of the boot), by the end of the day my feet are sore and in pain. This season I want to get into backcountry and don't want this to be an issue. My shoe size is 11 and so are my boots could this be the issue? any help/tips would be much appreciated.

or any backcountry tips/advice would be appreciated as well.

-Mike

Hey Mike,

It's unlikely that the stiffness of the your boots is the source of your discomfort. Lots of splitters use stiffer boots than the rulers (I'm on driver x s which Burton rates a 10/10 for stiffness) without issue.

A more typical cause of foot soreness is that the boot is not fitted (or adjusted) properly for the shape of your feet and arches and that results in sore feet over time. If you haven't already, I'd experiment with some insoles that provide additional arch support. Superfeet makes some good reasonably affordable ones. See if that makes a difference, a decent quality insole helped me significantly.

Also, I'd experiment extensively with how you lace your boots. Getting right snug fit in the lower part of the boot, and a slightly looser fit up top made a huge difference in comfort for me with my Drivers.

What works for you is gonna be dependent on your feet though. No easy answers on this one.

Best of luck.

Check out Solomon's, I've got a pair of the Synapse, they are very comfy and much more flexable than the ones you ride.

Silver,

Thanks for the input I will try some insoles, I've been working w these boots for some years now and have experimented alot with lacing/tightening in different spots etc. with no success. I hoping the insoles will fix it pretty cheap fix than getting new boots.

NeverSummer,

I will look into the solomon's as well because if the soles dont work i need new ones.

Thanks again any more input would be sick.

My first time posting too. Been following the forum for a while!

I just got into splitting last year and am looking to replace my boots as well. I'm riding Burton Boxers (stiffness of 3/10), the first and only boot I've ever owned - I bought them when I started learning to board 3-4 years ago. I actually found the lack of stiffness to be really comfortable for lots of hiking.

The problem is that the lace loops are starting to rip out and they have virtually no grip. So I'm looking at replacing them with a more backcountry oriented setup.

I do notice I can't really lean into my toe edge as much as my heel edge and I was thinking a stiffer boot might help with that. My worry is that if I go to a stiffer boot, they will be more uncomfortable for walking, since I can't bend at my heel, does anybody have that problem? For example, walking in hiking boots is much more comfortable than walking in ski boots, and I'm worried about buying something that's more like a ski boot than a hiking boot and finding hiking unbearable.

My other concern is that a lot of the boots that get mentioned here don't have real laces, they have those integrated sectional speed lacing systems. I'm worried about those breaking. If I break a normal lace, I can just replace it with a new one. If I break speed lace in the backcountry, I can be sort of screwed. Plus I have the get the boots repaired by a professional. Anybody had any problems with those other lacing systems?

Any advice would be welcome, I do most of my riding on the resort, but do mostly hike accessible stuff on the resort (Canadian Rockies, Alberta & BC). In the backcountry I do single day hikes, yo-yo stuff, no winter camping.

Thanks!