K2 Boundary Snowboard Boots Review

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Boundary are capable of.

Demo Info

Boots: K2 Boundary 2024

Size: 10 (US Men's Sizing)

Date: January 26, 2024

Foot to Boot Fit

Length Fit:

Sometimes with K2 boots, half a size smaller feels better, but not with the Boundary. The size 10 feels tighter than the Adidas Response boots (my control boots) but they don’t feel too small either. After breaking them in, they should feel like the perfect 10.

For tops of toes, when out-of-the-box, they feel snug, with quite some pressure on the top but nothing uncomfortable. It’s just there, and you can’t unnotice it.

Width Fit:

They feel narrow to me. Compared to the control boots or Ride Deadbolt (which I was also testing at that time), they feel more like bordering on narrow but close to medium. 

In-Step:

At first they felt fine for me, without any pressure on the in-step. Although, after 15 minutes of wearing them they started feeling uncomfortable, especially on top of the foot. Apart from this, there were no major pressure points but when I took them off, I still had the the feeling they were on, a little longer than on other boots. Ultimately, they'll likely break in fine, but they don't feel as comfortable as the Deadbolt did on day 1. 

Around Ankles:

My ankles weren't very happy. There were some definite hot spots there. They offer bomber heel hold, but it comes with a cost. After breaking them in, the ankle support might loosen a bit and become more comfortable, hopefully not at the loss of heel hold. 

True to Size?: 

Assuming 10 is my true size, I would say these are true to size.

Boot to Binding Fit

The bindings fit well overall. The ankle strap fit nicely on the boots as it was; it felt the same with the toe strap.

The heel of the boot was a little tight in the heel cup of my bindings, but didn't have to force it to get the heel of the boot in or out or anything. 

Carving/Slow Speed Response

For carving they felt a little more supportive than my control boots. That little bit of extra stiffness and support, plus the great heel hold helped to get into a deeper carve and hold it for longer. 

At slow speeds they felt responsive and agile when transitioning edge-to-edge. 

Overall a really nice balance between carving performance and slow speed response. 

Heel Hold

There was very minimal heel lift in these boots. The only tiny bit of lift that was present was when I actually tried to wrench my heel up. But when riding didn't notice any at all. Which was great. The downside was the discomfort that my ankles had to suffer to achieve that heel hold!

I'd say 5/5 for heel hold, but to actually ride these long term, I would have to loosen them off, and that would have heel hold go down a bit. 

Adjustability

The Double BOA system used on the Boundary allows you to adjust the lower and upper sections of the shell of the boot independently, which is always a good thing. 

Nothing else of note - a standard lacing harness for the liner, with two velcro attachments at the top of the liner to help get it snug around the shins. 

Comfort

I was pretty glad to get these boots off my feet at the end of the day to be honest. And I was the same when I did the in-house testing for it. It was mostly the ankle discomfort, which I've mentioned a few times now, but also my in-step was left pretty red/indented from the tightness. A fairly low volume boot.

Would likely pack out a bit and feel more comfortable with more of a break in period, but might be a bit longer to break in than a lot of boots - though every foot is different, so if you have a foot that suits the lower volume feel, then you may not have the same issues. 

Shock Absorption

Pretty much average. Not great, but not bad. Not quite as good as my control boots. Very similar to the Deadbolt, which I was also testing around the same time. 

Board Feel

I found it really hard to ollie in these boots. Maybe too much of a restricted feel/too much heel hold?! Presses were fine, but trying to ollie/pop off features was hard work and didn't feel great. 

Traction/Sole Quality

Felt like a pretty decent sole to me and felt quite grippy walking in them. The tread depth was normal and they had a decent amount of pattern variety. Material felt/looked like it was mostly rubber. 

Reduced Footprint

The sole was longer than typical for its mondo. Bulkier than the average boot. 

Entry/Exit

It was significantly harder to get my feet into these boots compared to my control boots and compared to the Ride Deadbolt. Not the hardest ever, but took some pressure and effort. Part of the reason, I think, is that it's difficult to get the shell open wide, especially the lower part of it. The BOA cables on the lower half didn't pull up easily for me. This also made it harder to get out of them. 

Once the foot is in, there's just the velcro at the top of the liner and lacing harness to deal with. Then for the shell, it's nice and quick and easy with the double boa system.