How To Break in Your Snowboard Boots
Breaking in snowboard boots is an essential part of a safe and successful experience on the snow. Once you choose the appropriate boots for your style and snowboarding ambitions, you break them in the same way you do most new shoes; you wear them.
Breaking in snowboard boots is an essential part of a safe and successful experience on the snow. Once you choose the appropriate boots for your style and snowboarding ambitions, you break them in the same way you do most new shoes; you wear them. When you buy new boots, they should be a little tight, because, over time, they will loosen. Working them prior to your first time out can help make them more comfortable.
Step 1
Slide thick socks over your feet. Use whatever socks you wear when snowboarding. If you wear two pairs of socks when you ride, put on two pairs.
Step 2
Pull on the boots and lace them up. If the boots have traditional shoelaces, pull them tight near the toe.
Step 3
Walk around the room with the boots on your feet. If possible, keep them on for several hours while you do your regular activities.
Step 4
Place your feet, with the boots on, into the bindings on the snowboard. Press the soles of the boots down as you lean forward on the board. Keep the heels down. Stay in the forward lean for 30 seconds, and return to the upright stance. Repeat the leaning exercise several times.
Tip
If your heels lift off the board, you need to add a fit aid to the boot. Take the boots to a professional boot technician for advice.
When you buy the boots, they should be tight. Wearing two pairs of socks when breaking in the boots will help stretch them out if they feel too tight. Snowboard boots have a bladder inside that will compress over time.
warning
Even though the boots should be tight, you should feel no numbness or pain when trying them on before buying. Walk around the store in the boots prior to purchasing to ensure they do not cut off the blood flow to the feet.
Ultimately, wearing the boots while you snowboard is the only way to completely break them in so that they fit properly.