The Good Ride Take on Burton
Burton is huge. They have developed or acquired most of the technology that we use today. Burton is one of the only companies that can provide you with everything you need to snowboard from boards to beanies. Burton even owns arguably the best surfboard company Channel Islands because Jake likes to surf. They are like the Yankees of snowboarding because they can always outspend their competition to win.
The positives- Burton provides more products for each gear/clothing/accessory category than any other company. Burton has possibly the best customer service in the snowboarding industry. Burton continuously spends more money than almost any company to develop new tech or just make what they have better. Burton sponsors more pro’s and get’s more high level user feed back than any other company. They have some of the best boots, bindings and boards in the industry. They also have great clothing.
The Negatives- Because Burton spends so much money on sponsorship and tech they have to pass this cost along to the products they sell. They relentlessly continue to jack up the prices every year. You are almost always going to get a good product from Burton’s higher end line but some mid to low level products don’t stack up to the competition in the same price range. Just remember it’s not always good because it hast the Burton label on it.
2012 Burton Imperial
Burton
IMPERIAL
A royal banquet of technology.
Since introducing the “riding shoe” in 1983 we have continuously learned what works and what doesn’t. The Imperial takes all those years, all the highlights, and channels them into the most bang ever for your hard-earned buck. Its stacked performance package includes extra-grippy Vibram® soles, footprint reducing Shrinkage™, sensation-enhancing cushioning with EST™, and S4 to prevent flex breakdown. Not enough? NEW Total Comfort offers a “day 10” feel your first day out.
Ridden by: Mark Sollors
Features
+ Shrinkage Footprint Reduction Technology
+ LACING: Speed Zone™ Lacing System for True Zonal Lacing Control
+ LINER: Imprint™ 3 Liner with Rad Pad for Lace Comfort
+ CUSHIONING: Vibram® EcoStep™ Rubber Outsole [30% Recycled] with Rubber Ice Spikes and Low-Profile EST Optimized Midsole with B3 Gel Cushioning
+ FLEX AND RESPONSE: S4 Shell Panels, Medium Flex Thin Profile 3D® Molded Tongue, and Super Grip Toe
+ COMFORT: NEW Total Comfort Construction, NEW Snow-Proof Internal Gusset and Level 2 Molded EVA Footbed with ESS Support Shank and Aegis™ Antimicrobial Coating
Colorways:
Black / White
Blue / White
Sizes:
7
7.5
8
8.5
9
9.5
10
10.5
11
11.5
12
13
Support: 7
2011 Burton Imperial
Burton Imperial
Burton
IMPERIAL
28 years in the making.
Since introducing the “riding shoe” in 1983 we have continuously learned what works and what doesn’t. The NEW Imperial takes all those years, all the hits and highlights, and channels them into the ultimate go-anywhere boot. The grip of a Vibram® outsole meshed with the better board feel of an EST™ midsole, the consistent flex and bulletproof durability of S4 shell paneling and the precise lacing of Speed Zone™—everything that matters is in this boot.
Item Number: 231738
Features
+ Shrinkage™ Footprint Reduction Technology
+ LACING: Speed Zone Lacing System for True Zonal Lacing Control [Featuring NEW Winder Handle and Additional System Upgrades]
+ LINER: Imprint™ 3 Liner with NEW Rad Pad For Lace Comfort
+ CUSHIONING: Vibram® Outsole with Rubber Ice Spikes and Low-Profile EST Optimized Midsole with B3 Gel Cushioning
+ FLEX AND RESPONSE: S4 Shell Panels, Medium Flex Thin Profile 3D® Molded Tongue, and NEW Super Grip Toe
+ COMFORT: Level 2 Molded EVA Footbed with ESS Support Shank and Aegis™ Antimicrobial Coating
Colorways:
Black / Gray
White / Blue / Lime
Sizes:7-13
Support: 7
BOA vs. Speed Lace vs. Traditional Lace
A Snowboard Boot Lacing System Comparison by The Good Ride.
The Good Ride Take on BOA Boots- A BOA Boot has a steel cable attached to some sort of plastic Coiler mechanism that tightens the boot instead of laces. There are 2 main types of BOA boots.
1. Single BOA- This uses just one BOA Coiler to adjust the entire boot.
2. Double BOA - This uses 2 BOA Coilers for upper and lower adjusting. Some have 1 for the outside and 1 for the inside but most are for upper and lower.
BOA boots are the easiest to get on, get off and adjust out of any boot. Single BOA boots have the least upper/lower adjustability of any boot because the bottom and top is tightened by one coil. If you have a Double BOA (2 Dials for upper and lower) they are closer to other lacing systems but still not as good. Both the upper and lower dials adjust the ankle in the same place. This means you don't have complete separation like you do with Speed Lace and most Traditional Lace Boots. The biggest issue with BOA boots is if they break it requires a shop or the manufacturer to fix them. It’s usually not the cable that breaks but the dials. Out of all the boots you can crank a BOA tighter than any other boot which can be a good or bad thing. There have been some complaints that BOA boots can have some pressure points from the cable system when tightened too tight. The bottom line is BOA tech is a cool technological advancement that will work well with many riders and is super easy to adjust. In the end it comes down to personal preference and BOA could be right for you.
The Good Ride Take on Traditional Lace- Traditional Lace is what most people know. It’s reliable and easy to repair. Lace boots take a lot more effort than BOA or Speed Lace. Also many riders complain about blisters in attempts to get them tight. Some Lacing systems have handles at the top that connect to the laces and we love this. Another thing we like is when the upper lace hooks hold the lace in place so each section can tighten independently. When you have this along with a handle connected to the end of the laces it’s more adjustable than BOA and Speed lace. We really like this but it’s almost not a traditional lace boot. It’s more a hybrid but whatever you call it we like it! However it’s not great in terms of the time it takes to get things dialed out or make minor adjustments on the hill.
The Good Ride Take on Speed Lace- Speed lace is a perfect compromise between BOA and Traditional lace. It’s almost as fast as BOA and more adjustable. Some Traditional Lace is just as adjustable but speed lace is easier to do so. We really like how the upper and lower laces are 100% separate. This is a huge advantage over BOA Boots and some traditional laces that don’t lock at each hook. Speed Lace is super easy to tighten up and dial out. It’s also pretty easy to make small adjustments throughout the course of the day. If the laces break out on the hill it will be a lot more difficult to fix than traditional laces but it can be done without help from a shop or sending it back. If you are a 100 day a year rider then plan on changing out your laces half way through the season. We have been lucky so far and never had one break on the hill because any time they start to get frayed they break. We mainly ride speed lace boots but we aren't that high on ourselves to say that's the way it should be. Everyone is different.
All lacing systems have strengths and weaknesses. It’s up to you to figure out what will work the best.
