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Burton Hail Snowboard Boot Review

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User rating
 
4.7 (3)

Burton Hail Snowboard Boot Review

burton-hail-black-angle
$249
Reduced Footprint
Intermediate to Expert Freestyle
The Burton Hail has been around for a while and is well liked.  If you take the Burton Grail and make it softer it would be pretty close to the Hail.  It's a soft, long lasting freestyle boot. In 2010 the Hail was made much softer. In 2011 Burton stiffened up the boot but not as much as it was before 2010, made it more comfortable and worked on the sole cushioning. Aside from a little added comfort the 2012 Burton Hail pretty close to 2011.  We are huge fans of the articulating cuff and this will help the boot retain it's flex for a long time.  The sole cushioning is also border line excellent and has an air bag that runs almost the whole bottom of the boot.  We have to say that despite its un-sexy lacing system this is a great boot and will work well with most soft flexing freestyle boards.

How It Rides

Flex Soft
Upper Adjustability
Good

Traction Excellent
Comfort Excellent

Lower Adjustability
Good

Sole Cushioning
Good
Heel Hold
Excellent

Response Average

Board/Binding Integration Excellent

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The Good Ride Take


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.

Company Info

Burton Hail 2012

Burton 

HAIL

Freestyle domination that can’t be denied.

Contest runs to sled-accessed zones, Mikkel Bang demands a boot that’s as flexible as his riding. Soft yet supportive, with the fluid motion of a tweaked articulating cuff and the combined cushioning of an oversized airbag plus ultra cush footbed, the Hail™ is simply a staple of Burton’s lineup. The Flex Liner unlocks medial/lateral movement for a more natural feel, while the puffy tongue will not kink, enhances wrap, and softens the pressure of tightly cranked straps.

Ridden by: Mikkel Bang

Features

+          Shrinkage™ Footprint Reduction Technology

+          LACING: Traditional

+          LINER: Flex Liner with Rad Pad for Lace Comfort

+          CUSHIONING: 270º Airbag Cushioning

+          FLEX AND RESPONSE: Articulating Cuff, Flex Notches, NEW Flex Spine Backstay Design, Stay-Puft Tongue, and Super Grip Toe 

+          COMFORT: NEW Snow-Proof Internal Gusset and Ultra Cush Park 2 Footbed with Aegis™ Antimicrobial Coating

Colorways:

Black / Maroon

White / Tan / Green

Blue / Navy

Sizes:

7

7.5

8

8.5

9

9.5

10

10.5

11

11.5

12

13

Support: 4

 

Burton Hail 2011

Burton

HAIL

Bring the storm.

From manhandling urban zones to backwoods kickers, the Hail™ is all about high-grade hucking power. Forget about its NEW Stay-Puft padded tongue, extra-smooth articulating cuff, and extra large airbag. Pay no attention to the fully loaded, ultra cush Flex 2 liner, reduced weight and footprint of Shrinkage™, and sole-saving Park 2 Footbed. Ride the Hail ‘cause Mikkel Bang does, and everyone knows he rips.

Features

+          Shrinkage Footprint Reduction Technology

+          LACING: 2:1 Power Lacing System

+          LINER: Flex 2 Liner with NEW Rad Pad For Lace Comfort

+          CUSHIONING: 270º Airbag Cushioning

+          FLEX AND RESPONSE: Articulating Cuff, NEW Flex Notches, Flex Spine™ Backstay with Stay-Puft Calf Capsule, NEW Stay-Puft Tongue, and NEW Super Grip Toe

+          COMFORT: Ultra Cush Park 2 Footbed with Aegis™ Antimicrobial Coating

Colorways:

Black / White

White / Gray / Black

Tree Camo / Black / Orange (STARKS Collab)

Sizes:7-13

Support: 4

 

Burton Hail 2010

The Hail™ is the logical choice for those pulling 100+ days a year, scrubbing toilets at night, just to shred all day. Built to let you lap the park ‘til your legs fall off, the Hail is crazy comfortable and crammed with cushioning like the NEW Stay-Puft Calf Capsule and massive NEW 270° Airbag. Slimmer, lighter, and built for tweakin’, there’s no better choice for those who have their priorities straight.
Comfort
  • Aegis™ Antimicrobial Coating

    This antimicrobial coating inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria. Your feet [and your friends] will thank us for sure. Look for Aegis™ on select liners and footbeds.

  • Shrinkage Footprint Reduction Technology

    Shrinkage™ reduces the boot’s overall footprint one full size, meaning a size 10 boot fits like a size 10, but has the footprint of a typical size 9. Shorter, lighter, and less bulky, with Shrinkage you can finally ride the board of your dreams.

    Shrinkage Footprint Reduction Technology
    com.demandware.beehive.core.capi.domain.SimpleMediaFile@22101e
Flex Response
  • Articulating Cuff

    Our articulating cuff creates fluid forward motion by allowing the upper and lower zones of the boot to flex independently, thus minimizing shell distortion and maximizing heel hold and response.

    pdetail-boots-flex-articulating-cuff.jpg
  • Flex Spine Backstay

    Our Flex Spine backstay is designed to flex more easily both laterally and medially for maximum mobility while providing ample edge-to-edge support for when it’s time to throw down the landing gear.

    pdetail-boots-flex-flex-spine.jpg
  • Medium Flex Thin Profile 3D® Molded Tongue

    Adjusting the profile of the tongue’s thickness controls its flex, enhances its ability to wrap the forefoot, and reduces shell/liner stack-up for improved comfort. Offered in soft, medium, and firm flexing options based on the ride style of each boot.

  • New Stay Puft Calf Capsule

    Go ahead, crank that suitcase method. Adding an airbag to the upper portion of the Hail™ and Sapphire’s Flex Spine™ backstay cushions your calf as it interacts with the hi-back.

    pdetail-boots-flex-stay-puft.jpg
Lacing
  • 2:1 Power Lacing System

    A more powerful 2:1 ratio gives you more pulling power with less effort, making it easy to dial in your exact fit.

Cushioning / Trac
  • 270º Airbag Cushioning

    With more air comes more cushioning and less weight. NEW 270° Cushioning features a 50% larger airbag than 2009 and covers approximately 75% of the midsole for unstoppable impact protection.

    pdetail-boots-cushioning-270-airbag.jpg
Liner
  • Flex™ 2
    1. NEW Flex Cuff Heel Hold System
    2. Plush Cuff 1.0 [WMS Only]
    3. TaiPanel™ Technology
    4. Velcro Liner Closure
    5. NEW Park 2 Molded 3-Layer EVA Footbed with ESS Support Shank and Aegis™ Antimicrobial Coating
    6. Heat-Moldable
    Flex™ 2
    com.demandware.beehive.core.capi.domain.SimpleMediaFile@1801f0a
    pdetail-boots-liner-flex-2.jpg
Support
  • 4

    Every boot we build rides differently. From the buttery-soft, progressive flex of the Hail™, to the lightning-fast response of the Driver X™, we fine tune the ride of every single boot to provide the widest range of performance in snowboarding.

    We determine a boot’s support rating based primarily on the flex characteristics of the shell, outsole, and liner materials. Additional features like articulating cuffs, strategically placed shell paneling, 3D® molded tongues, and backstay constructions allow us to adjust the overall support. Based only as a comparison between the boots within our line, a rating of one is more relaxed while ten is more responsive.

    Boot Support - 4
    com.demandware.beehive.core.capi.domain.SimpleMediaFile@6fd00b
Other Features
  • ESS Support Shank
  • NEW Park 2 Molded 3-Layer EVA Footbed
  • NEW Soft Edge Tongue
  • NEW Midsole
  • NEW Flex Notches
  • NEW Speed Hooks


Pictures

Burton Hail 2012

Burton Hail 2011

Burton Hail 2010



Compare Laces & Sizing


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.

User reviews

Average user rating from: 3 user(s)

 

Overall Rating:
 
4.7
 
 

The Big King

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
I got the Burton Hail restricted 2011 really comfy but also very big boot!! This is a Park Boot really "The King" so that's the purpose of this boot. Ok you can have some ride but not as good as you used to, i wear a size 12 and they barely feet in my contact L/XL size if the hiback it's not all up so keep that in mind.
Overall Rating:
 
4.0
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Reviewed by Hail R
May 06, 2011
 
 

So Comfy

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Just bought the 2011 Hail after trying on a few other boots, including BOAs. These things are so comfy. It's like your feet are getting a huge hug from a fat chick. Love em.
Overall Rating:
 
5.0
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Reviewed by Tim
December 17, 2010
 
 

Great Boot...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
I bought last years Hail's and love them. I tried on probably every Boa boot there was last year because I figured that it'd be an easy boot to come in and out of so was looking at these. I went to Porters in Tahoe and talked to one of the sales agents and he told me that the Boa's are good but not great. I tried on a lot of shoe laced boots and by far these were the best. Boots are the most important part of snowboarding and you will not be disappointed in these. I'm a light guy, so these are soft and flexible enough for me. I could see where a bigger guy wouldn't like these though. But if you're light or are of average weight then these a the boots.
Overall Rating:
 
5.0
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Reviewed by Ryan
December 03, 2010