Salomon Savage and Savage BOA Snowboard Boot Review
$220 Intermediate to Expert Freestyle The Savage comes in a Salomon Speed Lace and Boa. The Savage BOA is one of the only BOA options they have. You can get speed lace as well and we prefer the adjustability of the lace over the speed of the BOA. If you don't care about lower and upper adjustability then you will be fine with the BOA. The Salomon Savage is rather new and made for someone who wants a more park friendly salomon boot. The Savage is on the stiffer side of soft and like all Salomon boots is built to last a long time. Some people swear by Salomon boots and others find them a bit narrow and initially uncomfortable. We like the way the cuff has changed a bit to be more continuous instead of kinked. It is easier on the top of the ankle pressure point wise when you forward flex. The Savage has always been a skate inspired boot but for 2012 both the lace and BOA have a bit more of a low profile and there have been some refinements in terms of fit and comfort.
Boards Salomon is small compared to some companies but they have the complete line up and a very strong following. You will either love or hate a Salomon board. Salomon makes a very fast and damp all mountain to freeride board that seems to feel best at high speeds. It is really scary how fast it is. They have also made a solid effort to make some pretty good park boards as well and won some Good Wood Award's in the park and pipe. If you are looking for something a bit off the beaten path Salomon might work for you. Boots It is almost undisputed amongst most knowledgeable riders that Salomon has some of the best boots out there. They have spent a lot of time making a boot that fits well and that won’t pack out much. Even though there is a semi-traditional lacing system it still has a speed lace tightening system and it can lock at each rung on the upper part of the boot. Some complain that the Salomon boot runs a bit narrow so if you have wide feet think twice. Also others complain that it can take longer than some boots to make them comfortable for your feet. Bindings Salomon’s bindings are not as popular as their boards and boots but still do a good job competing with the other big name brands. They are reliable and well made and have a more traditional old school feel compared to the leading companies. That being said the turn initiation and general feeling is good so these could work for you.
What's the difference between Savage Boa and Savage? Lacing systems and our Balance 1 Liner. The Savage has all the essentials; Mystic 2 Footbeds and our new Lo-Fi outsole.
The Savage Boa combines BOA Coiler speed and Mystic 2 Footbeds comfort; a bomb-dropping feature set designed to ride for years. New Lo-Fi outsole for the best board feel you can buy.
Our Zero G Outsole cushions your heels through bomb drops or background props. The Savage is lightweight, with a medium flex and offers durable materials with a better value than the disposable skate shoe offerings from other brands. Sure, skate the snow, just use boots that last… and these bad boys use BOA for twist of the wrist tightening.
Our Zero G Outsole cushions your heels through bomb drops or background props. The Savage is lightweight, with a medium flex and offers durable materials with a better value than the disposable skate shoe offerings from other brands. Sure, skate the snow, just use boots that last… and these bad boys use BOA for twist of the wrist tightening.
A natural fit, with added versatility and easy in and out with either BOA Coiler, or Powerlace Pro lace system. When the hits get loud the Dolby outsole keeps the vibes cool and low.
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.
