Vans Aura Pro Snowboard Boots Review

Hello and welcome to my Vans Aura Pro review.

In this review I will take a look at the Aura Pro as freestyle snowboard boots.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Aura Pro a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other freestyle boots.

Overall Rating

Boots: Vans Aura Pro

Price: $330 (USD recommended retail)

Style: Freestyle

Other Uses: All-Mountain

Flex Rating: Medium (5/10 to 6/10)

Flex Feel: Medium (5/10)

Rating Score: 90.9/100

Compared to other Freestyle Boots

Overview of the Aura Pro’s Specs

Who are the Aura Pro Most Suited to?

The Aura Pro is best suited to riding freestyle, but just as adept at all-mountain riding, if you want a boot right on that medium flex. 

They offer a great balance between board feel and shock absorption, are playful enough, but still offer good response. 

Not quite beginner friendly, but doable for low intermediates and good all the way to experts who prefer softer flexing boots. 

The Aura Pro in More Detail

Bindings angles: +15/-15

Board Demoed With: Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker 2021

Bindings Demoed With: Burton Malavita

Outersole Length: 30.3cm (mondo 28.0cm)

Difference between Mondo & Outersole: 2.3cm

Backstay Height: 29.8cm (11.7")

Rider Weight: 175lbs (79kg)

Weight: 1140 grams (2lbs 8oz)*

* Average of a sample of boots I've weighed was 1018g (2lbs 4oz), so a bit heavier than the average, but not super heavy. Heaviest were 1320g (2lbs 15oz) and lightest were 740g (1lb 10oz). 

Flex

When I first did my in office try on/test with them, I felt like they were closer to 6/10 flex. But riding them they felt softer than a 6. More like a 5/10, maybe pushing 5.5/10. 

Fit

Width: Right in the middle. They're not super wide by any means, but they're not narrow either. The definition of normal width. 

True to Size?: They were a little snugger than what I was expecting at first - a little less room in the toe box and overall snug all round. But I think they would be just right in the 10, particularly after they broke in more. I typically wear a 10, so I'd say true to size for sure. Throughout my testing, they began to feel better and better fit-wise. I certainly wouldn't go to the 9.5, but I wouldn't go 10.5 either, as I feel they would pack out to be a little too big. 

High or Low Arch: Could feel a bit of pressure on top of right boot, but that's normal for me, when I first try boots on. It got less and less as I rode in them. I would say medium.

Shock Absorption

In the stomp test in my office (versus my Tactical ADVs), they weren't as shock absorbing - and the same turned out to be true riding them (general chatter, flat landings etc). But that's no surprise, given the Tactical ADVs are the most shock absorbing boots I've ridden. 

Versus other boots, they are up there - so not at the very peak of shock absorption, but still really good.  

Board Feel

The Aura Pro provides really good board feel. Not too surprising after my sole inspection. There's good flex in the toes of the sole and through the middle of the sole. Less in the heel, as is the case with all boots, but even in the heel, there was a little bit of flex. 

On snow I found I got really good board feel from them. 

Responsiveness

Versus my control boots (Tactical ADV), the Aura Pro couldn't quite carve as hard, but were very close in that aspect. They were a little better in terms of quick turn initiations at slower speeds though - and overall really good for that - my control boots are already good in that respect. 

Adjustability

You've got the double boas, so that you can adjust the lower and upper sections of the outer boot independently. And that separation is pretty independent too (some double boas share a cable or two between the two boa dials). 

The side BOA controls the bottom 3 wires and the front boa does the top 4 wires. The 4^th wire is connected to the 5^th wire in some ways, with a tab thing (don't know the technical name for it!), so they’re kind of working together because of that tab – but the wires each BOA dial work on are completely independent. And feels like good separation overall - i.e. when tightening the front boa, it doesn't feel like it's tightening the lower section of the boot  and visa versa. 

Comfort

Whilst they were a little too tight for comfort when I first tried them on - pretty cramped for room for my toes, they quickly became more comfortable just wearing them in the office for around 30 minutes. 

Then when riding they just got more and more comfortable as I went. By the end they were already really comfortable - and if my old Auras are any indication, they would eventually fit like a glove - a really comfortable glove.  

Heel Hold

Heel hold was really good in these boots. Very minimal heel lift - and only then when actually trying to rip the heel up. When actually riding, didn't notice heel lift at all. 

Reduced Footprint

There's only a 2.3cm difference between mondo and outersole, which is pretty low profile versus the average booty. They don't have quite as much toe bevel as some boots, but otherwise very low profile length wise. 

They are wider - and whilst I didn't have any issues getting them into my bindings (medium Malavita) - they did take up most of the binding's width. They were also a little more bulky in the ankle area than my control boots. Had to let out one hole on the ankle strap length (could've ridden them as they were, but fit slightly better with the ankle strap one hole longer). 

Entry/Exit

Had a bit of trouble getting my foot in to start with, when I first tried them on. Once I made more effort to really open the boot out, it went in without too much trouble – but certainly didn’t slip on easily. Time is average – takes a bit of time to coil up those BOAs, especially with how much I had to loosen them to get my foot in, but yeah, overall fairly easy and fast. No laces dangling down to deal with, so it’s “clean” in that sense.

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

The Aura Pro are a well made boot with a medium flex and strike a really good balance between shock absorption and board feel and just all round don't have any weaknesses. 

A great all round boot for park or all-mountain-freestyle or just more casual all-mountain riding.