$199 Intermediate to Advanced Freestyle K2 seems to want to create every kind of lace hybrid out there. We don't know what they are trying to acomplish with this boot but we'll be surprised if the rest of the industry follows suit. The K2 Sapera has a BOA on the outside and a speed lace for the liner. We'd like to see upper and lower adjustability as well as ease of access to the liner adjustment. That being said the Saperar, although not very adjustable, is not a bad boot in terms of comfort and performance. We like seeing speed lace in the liner instead of BOA. All in all the Sapera is a decent boot with decent performance that in our opinion could be better if they improved the outer upper and lower adjustability.
The Good Ride Take on K2 K2 is a big company and is almost secretive when it comes to trying their gear before you buy it. So many companies are really proud of their gear and try to do everything they can to get you to ride it. K2 seems to do the bare minimum and despite its size has the least amount of gear to demo than almost any other company. Their policy seems to be if you want to try our stuff you have to buy it. K2 choose Flat Camber and rocker/camber snowboards and hasn’t chosen to work with any hybrid shapes. Some people love or hate their flat camber but their flat/rocker shapes seem to be some of the best out there and are well liked. When it comes to Bindings K2 spends a lot of time working on the quick release side of things instead of working on improved board flex and turn initiation like other companies have as of late. Their boots are well made and pretty comfortable but many don’t have the traditional upper and lower BOA system that others do. Instead they have an inner and outer lacing system which some like but to us it doesn’t make sense. Their customer support is not on par with some of the best out there. There is no customer service phone # on their site to call so you must contact them via email.
With it’s Boa® Coiler lacing and K2 Conda™ liner tightening, the Sapera™ has more fit focused design then boots at twice the price. Harshmellow™ vibration killing power and Intuition’s custom molded comfort make this the perfect fit for any level women rider.
Harshmellow - Boots
HEELS REJOICE
Formulated for long lasting impact absorption and vibration killing, the same Harshmellow material used in boards and bindings can be found in our boots. Integrated in the heel and forefoot areas of our top boots, minimizing rebound and making landings softer and more controlled.
Intuition Control-Foam 3D
Superior heel hold and refined comfort
• A blend of high and standard density thermo-forming Ultralon® foam • Internal/external “J” bars for increased heel hold • Fast-In™ liner lacing system • 3D molded EVA insole with HARSHMELLOW pods
Boa Partnership
10 years of boa® history
K2 introduced Boa® lacing systems to the snowboard market 10 years ago and now, more than ever, K2’s decade of partnership with Boa® is a stand out advantage. For 2011 we continue to lead the charge, featuring our exclusive K2 Boa® CONDA, low-friction, low-profile guides, Boa® H2 reel closures, as well as many other advancements within each Boa®-equipped model. K2 continues to offer the most progressive, comfortable and fastest Boa® systems on the market.
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.
