Vans Encore Pro Snowboard Boots Review

Tested and reviewed by Maya. 

Hello and welcome to my Vans Encore Pro snowboard boot review.

In this review I will take a look at the Encore Pro as all-mountain-freestyle snowboard boots.

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

Overall Rating

Boots: Vans Encore Pro

Price: $310 (USD recommended retail)

Style: All-Mountain-Freestyle

Flex Rating: Medium (5-6/10)

Flex Feel: Medium (5/10)

Rating Score: 90.8/100

Compared to other Women's All-Mountain-Freestyle Boots

Overview of the Encore Pro’s Specs

Check out the tables for the Encore Pro’s specs and available sizes.

Specs

Who are the Encore Pro Most Suited to?

The Encore Pro are best suited to anyone looking for a medium flexing boot and want quality boots that don't have any weak areas. 

They are good on slow tight turns, carves, and have both good shock absorption and good board feel. Ideal for all-mountain-freestyle I would say. But would make great park boots too, if you were predominantly in the park. And just for general all-mountain. Probably not ideal for hard charging, unless you are a lighter person - in which case you could probably charge in these just fine. 

Not quite for beginners, but if you're a bigger person or quite strong, then you could get away with these as beginner boots. 

Best match to boards in the 3/10 to 6/10 flex range and even better for 4/10 to 5/10 flexing boards. 

The Encore Pro in More Detail

Setup 

Bindings angles: +15/-15

Board Demoed With: Ride Saturday

Bindings Demoed With: Ride DVA

Rider Height: 5'7" (170cm)

Rider Weight: 125lbs (56kg)

Rider Boot Size: Women's US8.0 (Ride Hera Control Boot)

Outersole Length:  28.1cm (mondo 25cm)

Difference between Mondo & Outersole: 3.1cm

Backstay Height: 13.0" (33.1cm)

Forward Lean: 6.6° 

Weight: 2lbs 3oz (1000 grams)*

* Average of a sample of  women's boots I've weighed was 1lbs 15oz (883g). Heaviest I've weighed were 2lbs 10oz (1200g) and lightest were 1lb 7oz (640g). On the scales the Encore Pro came in at a heavier than average weight but on snow felt normal.

Fit

Length: 

My big toe touched the end but not the rest. It was touching more than just brushing, but not a pressure point. 

Some wiggle room for tops of toes, but not a lot. 

Width: 

Medial side of forefoot touched the side but was still comfortable. Lateral side of forefoot was good too. Big toe (medial side, was touching side but no pressure). Pinky toe (lateral side) felt a little cramped - a slight pressure point there. This was eased with heat molding when I rode in them, this went away. 

Top of Foot (instep): 

They felt snug on the tops (instep) of my feet but the pressure was evenly spread out and there were no hotspots. Felt good. 

Ankle:

No pressure points here. Good fit and comfortable. 

True to Size?: 

Yes and no! I would typically be a US Women's 8, which is typically a mondo 25. I was riding Vans boots in 8s last season and found them too small, so we decided to switch to 8.5s for Vans boots for this season.

Then we realized that Vans' women's sizing is a little different to most and their US Women's 8 is a mondopoint 24.5. Their US women's 8.5 is a mondopoint 25. So it makes sense that their 8.5 would be a better fit for me (and definitely is!). So in US Women's sizing, I would say they run 1/2 a size small - as in I need to size up a 1/2 size. But in mondopoint, they are true to size for me. 

Shock Absorption

In both the in-house stomp test and on snow, the Encore Pro absorbed shock well and felt better at absorbing shock and chatter than my control boots. Not the best ever I've felt, but still really good. 

Board Feel

They felt nice in terms of board feel. Ollie and butters felt good in them and felt nicely in touch with board. 

Traction/Sole Quality

Decent sole quality - felt like mostly rubber and nice and grippy and felt grippy walking in them. Reasonable tread depth and pattern variety. 

Carving and Slow Speed Response

They struck a nice balance between high speed big carves and slow speed tight turns. They're not going lay trenches at super high speeds with ease like stiffer boots, but still decent enough for carves, particularly moderate speed carving. And that little bit better again for slower speed tight turns. 

Adjustability

You can adjust the upper and lower sections of the shell of the boot independently with the two BOAs. The front BOA operates the upper section and the side BOA operates the lower section. 

The liner is tightened using a typical lacing harness and has velcro attachments at the top of the liner, to get a better fit around the shins. 

Comfort

They very comfortable overall with no pressure points. Toes were touching and more snug at ends and lateral side, but no pressure points.

To begin with there were a couple of hotspots, but nothing major. But after heat molding and getting a few laps in, that all sorted itself out, and they were very comfortable. 

Heel Hold

Heel hold was good. I was a bit worried that going up to an 8.5 would lead to more heel lift but was pleasantly surprised when it felt really good. Then when I learned that Van's 8.5 is in fact a mondopoint 25, then I was no longer surprised about their heel hold performance. 

Entry/Exit

It wasn't super hard and wasn't super easy to get my feet into these boots. I would say pretty much average. 

Once my feet were inside, then there was the liner lacing harness to do up - which was easy and was easy to get tight - it's the standard type of lacing harness that most will be used to, so doesn't take much time to figure it out. 

The only other thing to do for the liner, was the velcro. 

Then for the shell the Double BOA system is nice and easy and you don't have to worry about laces going everywhere, which is nice. Not quite the same adjustability as laces, but still pretty decent, with the independent BOAs operating on different sections of the boots. 

Not as fast as something like speed lace, but easier, in my opinion and still faster than traditional laces. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

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

I really enjoyed my time in the Encore Pro. Overall a really nice boot that I found really comfortable in. Good heel hold, good for both tight turns and for carving, plus a good balance between board feel and shock absorption, giving you the best of both worlds there. 

And really no major complaints or weaknesses - just a solid all round pair of boots, in my experience.