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Burton Axel Boot Review

Women's Boots - Women's Boot Reviews

 
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Burton Axel Boot Review

burton-axel-black-angle
$279
Intermediate to Expert All Mountain Freestyle

Speed Lace with Straps
Intermediate to Expert All Mountain Freestyle
The Axel is an interesting boot that might not be for everyone.  It seems that a lot of major companies have a boot with a Velcro strap and although it's not completely mainstream people seem to like them.  The Axel is different from the other Burton boots where it has one speed lace and 2 Velcro straps.  The top strap is key and the bottom strap isn't as key but nice to have. So to some it's better than speed lace because of the different adjustment points and to others its not as good because of the different adjustment points.  Some will like how it tightens more around the upper part of the ankle than Burton's other speed lace but others will like the traditional speed lace systems zones.  Velcro doesn't always scream long term reliability but we can't say it won't last for sure because this is a new boot.  One thing we love is the Axel has a nice articulating cuff similar to the Burton Supreme.  This will help the boot flex a little easier and last longer.  The Gel in the sole makes for a pretty shock resistant ride while still keeping your foot more in tune with the board. Like all boots the Axel is insanely comfortable.  All in all the Axel might not be for everyone but it's a fun boot for someone who wants a different approach to lacing but still wants the comfort of a Burton boot.
How It Rides
Stiffness Medium Upper Adjustability Excellent Traction Excellent
Comfort Excellent Lower Adjustability Excellent Sole Cushioning Good
Heel Hold Excellent Response Good Board/Binding Integration Good

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The Good Ride Take


The Good Ride Take on Articulating Cuffs- If you don't know what an articulating cuff is the upper and lower panels of the boot are separate.   The top cuff is only attached at the back and then wraps around the front.   When you flex forward it doesn't stretch out the boot and over time it stays closer to its original shape and stiffness.  It also creates a more natural and comfortable forward flex when riding.  It can be made to be stiff or very soft and is generally more comfortable than a standard boot.  We love this tech!

The Good Ride Take on Speed Lace- Almost as fast as BOA and more adjustable.  Some people, especially the 100 day + riders aren't 100% sold on the speed lacing system.  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.   That being said the speed lacing system is quite amazing compared to the traditional lace.  It takes 3 times more effort to tighten up a traditional lace boot and 3 times more effort to lace up in the morning.   So it is a give and take kind of thing with speed lace vs. traditional.  We mainly ride speed lace boots but we aren't that high on ourselves to say that's the way it should be.  It’s completely up to your personal preference.

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 Axel 2012

Burton 

AXEL

Featherweight and fit to hit the Sweet Spot.

Gabi Viteri rides this boot from street rails to backcountry. That dichotomy describes the Axel perfectly—a boot so explosive yet comfortable that it’s gained respect across the board. Sweet Spot gives you more comfort control and heel hold than any other lacing system on snow. The seemingly weightless DynoLite EST™ outsole enhances feel and cushioning with a less is more mentality. Heat-ready liners let you feel like you never left bed.

Ridden by: Gabi Viteri

Features

+          Women’s-Specific True Fit™ Design

+          LACING: Sweet Spot Speed Zone™ Lacing System [Updated Power Strap Design]

+          LINER: Therm-ic Heat Pre-Wired Flex Liner with NEW Re-Engineered Women’s Fit and Rad Pad for Lace Comfort

+          CUSHIONING: DynoLite EST Optimized Outsole with B3 Gel Cushioning 

+          FLEX AND RESPONSE: Soft-Flexing Shell Materials, Articulating Cuff, Flex Spine Backstay, and Medium Flex Thin Profile 3D® Molded Tongue

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

Support: 4

Colorways:
Black / Purple

White / Aloe

Gray / Pink

Sizes:

5

5.5

6

6.5

7

7.5

8

8.5

9

9.5

10

11

 

Burton Axel 2011

Burton

AXEL

Superlight for maximum flight.

Fully loaded and ready to ride the entire mountain—the Axel™ is designed around the explosive style of riders like Gabi Viteri. NEW Sweet Spot Speed Zone™ lacing combines with the NEW Rad Pad for heavenly heel hold and tightly laced comfort, while the articulating cuff makes for fluid motion and increased tweak. Take-offs are now lighter and landings softer thanks to the boosted board feel of the NEW DynoLite EST™ optimized outsole with B3 Gel cushioning.

Features

+          Women’s-Specific True Fit™ Design

+          LACING: NEW Sweet Spot Speed Zone Lacing System [Featuring NEW Winder Handle and Additional System Upgrades]

+          LINER: Therm-ic Heat Pre-Wired Flex 2 Liner with NEW Rad Pad For Lace Comfort

+          CUSHIONING: NEW DynoLite EST Optimized Outsole with B3 Gel Cushioning

+          FLEX AND RESPONSE: Soft-Flexing Shell Materials, Articulating Cuff, Flex Spine™ Backstay, and Medium Flex Thin Profile 3D® Molded Tongue

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

Support: 4

Colorways:
Black / Black / Multi

White / White / Cork

Bronze / Snake

Sizes: 5-11

 

Burton Axel 2010

To make a boot this light, most companies sacrifice durability and rideability in exchange for mere ounces. For us, compromise simply isn’t an option. The hyper-mobility of a soft yet supportive flex, potent cushioning, and incredibly simple lacing, this boot has everything, including an EST™ midsole designed to bring you even closer to the action.
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.

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.

Lacing
  • Speed Zone Lacing

    Speed Zone™ lets you fine-tune your fit quicker and easier than any other lacing system out there. Customize the fit of the upper or lower zone in a matter of seconds—in the lift line, on the lift, or mid-run—without forcing your friends to wait. And because it’s so powerful, you’ll get more out of your boots—more rebound, more wrap, and better response—with less effort.

    Speed Zone Lacing
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    pdetail-boots-lacing-speedzone_01.jpg,pdetail-boots-lacing-speedzone_02.jpg
Cushioning / Trac
  • B3Gel

    Formulated just for snowboarding, B3 Gel’s advanced dampening properties allow it to withstand repeated impacts without breaking down.

    pdetail-boots-cushioning-b3gel.jpg
  • Lightweight, Low-Profile EST Optimized Midsole

    Lower-profile, lighter weight, and with a reduced ramp in the heel, the EST™ Optimized midsole brings you closer to your bindings by lowering your center of gravity and improving brain-to-binding connectivity. Feel and control your setup like never before without sacrificing an ounce of cushioning thanks to ultra-dampening B3 Gel inserts.

    Lightweight, Low-Profile EST Optimized Midsole
    com.demandware.beehive.core.capi.domain.SimpleMediaFile@1c67781
    Optimised mid sole.flv
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@c72f5b
    pdetail-boots-liner-flex-2.jpg
  • True Fit™ Design

    True Fit™ delivers the best-fitting, most comfortable women’s snowboard boots ever. Every element of the boot—every component of the liner, shell, inner-cuff, heel-counter, tongue, outsole, even the lace guides—has been designed on all Burton women’s boots to create a fit truly tailored for today’s discriminating female riders. Because when they fit right, they ride better.

    True Fit™ Design
    com.demandware.beehive.core.capi.domain.SimpleMediaFile@f23e1f
    Truefit boots.flv
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@99d71a
Other Features
  • ESS Support Shank
  • NEW Park 2 Molded 3-Layer EVA Footbed
  • Soft-Flexing Shell Materials
  • True Zonal Lacing Control

Pictures

Burton Axel 2012

Burton Axel 2011

Burton Axel 2010


Compare Laces

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.

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