The 5 boots featured below are what we consider to be the best freestyle snowboard boots currently on the market.
This post has been updated for the 2023-2024 season.
As per SnowboardingProfiles.com tradition I have rated each pair of boots out of 100.
Comparison Stats
Of the 26 boots that I rated as freestyle boots:
O.k. let’s get into the top 5!
FREESTYLE BOOT #5
Boot: Burton Swath Boa
- CA
- UK/EU
Lacing System: Double Boa
Flex: Medium (5/10)
Rating: 88.5/100
Starting the list at #5, we have Burton’s Swath Boa boots.
The Swath Boa are an awesome boot for riding the whole mountain, riding the park, riding freestyle over the whole mountain or combining all of the above.
With great performance across all areas I rated, they strike a great balance for freestyle/all-mountain-freestyle riding.
Score Breakdown for the Swath Boa
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.5 | 14/20 |
BOARD FEEL | 4.0 | 12/15 |
CARVING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 4.5 | 9/10 |
HEEL HOLD | 4.0 | 8/10 |
REDUCED FOOTPRINT | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TRACTION | 3.0 | 3/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 88.5/100 |
FREESTYLE BOOT #4
Boot: Thirty Two Light
- CA
Lacing System: Traditional Lacing
Flex: Medium (5/10)
Rating: 89.1/100
Next up, we have ThirtyTwo's Light snowboard boots.
The Light provide awesome board feel through their flat light sole and great adjustability courtesy of their traditional lacing.
All round these boots work super well for creative freestyle riding.
As an added bonus, the Light are the lowest priced boots on this list.
Learn more about the Light in the video below
Score Breakdown for the Light
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 4.0 | 16/20 |
BOARD FEEL | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
CARVING | 3.0 | 6/10 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 8/10 |
HEEL HOLD | 3.5 | 7/10 |
REDUCED FOOTPRINT | 3.0 | 3/5 |
TRACTION | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 89.1/100 |
FREESTYLE BOOT #3
Boot: Salomon Launch Lace BOA SJ
- CA
- UK/EU
Lacing System: Traditional Lacing with Boa
Flex: Medium (5/10)
Rating: 89.7/100
In at #3 are the Salomon Launch Lace BOA SJ.
The Launch Lace Boa SJ uses a combined traditional lace and BOA system (often called Hybrid Boa):
- Traditional lace for full adjustability of the outer boot; and
- A BOA coil for activating the harness around the liner of the boot - for both better hold and on the fly re-tightening of the liner
This makes it easy to adjust the boots to make them perfectly fit your feet/ankles/calves - which is why it's my favorite lacing system.
But of course, there's more to this boot than just the adjustability and heel hold - they provide great board feel, are nice and comfortable (though this depends on your foot of course) and had really decent response for a 5/10 flexing boot.
Learn more about the Launch in the video below
Score Breakdown for the Launch Lace BOA SJ
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.0 | 12/20 |
BOARD FEEL | 4.0 | 12/15 |
CARVING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 5.0 | 15/15 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 8/10 |
HEEL HOLD | 4.5 | 9/10 |
REDUCED FOOTPRINT | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TRACTION | 2.0 | 2/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 89.7/100 |
FREESTYLE BOOT #2
Boot: Vans Hi Standard Pro
- CA
- UK/EU
Lacing System: Traditional Lacing
Flex: Medium (5/10)
Rating: 90.8/100
In at #2 we have the Vans Hi Standard Pro. In a lot of ways it's like a traditional lace version of the Vans Aura Pro (see #1 below).
The Hi-Standards achieve a great balance between shock absorption and board feel - both important qualities for freestyle riding, IMO.
And they also offer great comfort and a low profile outer sole, all for a really reasonable price-tag for what you get (around the average of the boots I rated in this category and the 2nd lowest price of those that made the top 5).
Score Breakdown for the Hi Standard Pro
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 4.0 | 16/20 |
BOARD FEEL | 4.0 | 12/15 |
CARVING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 8/10 |
HEEL HOLD | 3.5 | 7/10 |
REDUCED FOOTPRINT | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TRACTION | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 90.8/100 |
FREESTYLE BOOT #1
Boot: Vans Aura Pro
- CA
- UK/EU
Lacing System: Double Boa
Flex: Medium (5/10)
Rating: 92.0/100
Finally at #1 we have the Vans Aura Pro.
The Aura Pro are not to be confused with the Aura "OG" - a more budget friendly, softer flexing, single boa version.
Like the Hi Standard Pro (see #2) they have that great combination of both shock absorption and board feel - they are in a lot of ways Double Boa versions of the Hi Standard Pro.
The Aura Pro’s are super comfortable, have great shock absorption, really good heel hold and are great in terms of board feel.
They also have a nice and low profile outer-sole and are just overall a well rounded boot for freestyle or all-mountain-freestyle riding.
Score Breakdown for the Aura Pro
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 4.0 | 16/20 |
BOARD FEEL | 4.0 | 12/15 |
CARVING | 3.5 | 7/10 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.5 | 9/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 8/10 |
HEEL HOLD | 4.5 | 9/10 |
REDUCED FOOTPRINT | 4.0 | 4/5 |
TRACTION | 3.0 | 3/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 92.0/100 |
Over to You….
So there you have my picks for the top 5 freestyle boots for the 2023/2024 season.
If you’re interested in any of these boots check out the links for each boot above for more information.
Quick Note
This is by no means an exact science – but the ratings should give you a quick reference as to the performance of these boots.
Also note that some freestylers who are into really big air are likely to want a stiffer flexing boot. This post is aimed at your average freestyler who enjoys small to medium jumps, butters, grabs, 360s, jibs, ollies etc. Or just any intermediate to advanced rider that wants a boot around that 4/10 to 5/10 flex range.
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