DC Lotus BOA Review

Hello and welcome to my DC Lotus snowboard boots review.

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

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

Overall Rating

Boots: DC Lotus

Price: $330 (USD recommended retail)

Style: All-Mountain 

Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)

Flex Feel: Medium (5.5/10)

Rating Score: 83.9/100

Compared to other Women's All-Mountain Boots

Overview of the Lotus’s Specs

Who are the Lotus Most Suited to?

The Lotus are best suited to anyone looking for mid-flex boots that strike that balance between slower, more casual riding but with enough support and stiffness to handle higher speeds and deeper carves. 

They should match well to a large range of board flexes - anything from 4/10 to 7/10 flex, which is a majority of women's boards. Ideally suited to that 5/10 to 6/10 flex range. 

A little too stiff for beginners, IMO, unless you're a bigger rider or are particularly strong/athletic. For bigger or stronger, more athletic riders who want a boot for hard charging and deep carves, you may prefer something a little stiffer. 

THE Lotus IN MORE DETAIL

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

Outersole Length:  28.6cm (mondo 25cm)

Difference between Mondo & Outersole: 3.6cm

Backstay Height: 10.8" (27.5cm)

Weight: 1lb 14oz (860grams)*

* Average of a sample of  women's boots I've weighed was 1lbs 15oz (880g). Heaviest I've weighed were 2lbs 10oz (1200g) and lightest were 1lb 10oz (740g). 

Fit

Width: When first trying on lateral side of toes (pinky side) and at widest part of fore-foot was a little tight. But after heat molding and riding in them, found there was quite a bit of room medially and laterally along whole foot. While pushing (one foot strapped in), pushing foot actually feels like it is slightly sliding around medially and laterally within boot. So borderline too wide for my feet. 

True to Size?: From initial try on toes were just brushing the ends, but weren't crammed or uncomfortable in any way. This is usually a good sign that the fit should be good. For the tops of my toes, there was a bit of room to wiggle too. 

After heat molding and riding in them, toes not quite touching the ends and there's still a good amount of wiggle room for tops of toes. 

They were borderline too big - and with more riding they would likely pack out more, so I feel like, particularly when taking width and ankle fit into account (see above and below), the 7.5 could have been a better fit (I'm typically an 8). So, I'd say bordering on running 1/2 a size too large.

Top of Foot (Instep): From first try on there were no pressure points. I'd say a medium amount of room. Top of foot touching roof of the boot but no pressure point. After heat molding I felt like they were quite roomy on top of the foot - barely touching top of foot.

Around Ankles: There were no pressure points around the ankles - almost the opposite, felt like the fit wasn't tight enough.

Overall, feels large for a W8 - lots of room (almost too much, especially medially and laterally) within boot. Loose heel fit.

Fit with bindings

The Lotus were a little bulkier around the ankle area than my control boots, so I had to loosen my ankle strap a little bit compared to how they were setup for my control boots (Ride Hera). This also meant that they were a snugger fit width-wise in the bindings, but not to a point where they were too tight or anything. 

Toe strap fit well at the same length I have it for my control boots. 

Responsiveness

For tight turns at slower speeds, they weren't quite as good as my control boots (Ride Hera), but I think a lot of that was down to the lack of heel hold I felt. Heel slip made it feel a little slower to turn. In a better fitting size, the heel hold would likely be much better. 

For higher speed carves they felt about the same as my control boots, but I felt they could have been better than my control boots, if it wasn't for that lack of heel hold. Didn't notice the heel slip as much at higher speeds as I did at slower speeds, but it was still evident. 

Heel Hold

As you can probably guess from the responsiveness section above, the heel hold was not good for my feet in these boots. This would likely be completely different in a 7.5 and could be largely down to the boots being a bit big overall. But I felt a good amount of heel lift in these boots, particularly for slower speed tight turns. I've scored it a little higher than  I would, as I feel sizing would correct this to a large extent, based on testing other boots 1/2 a size apart and how much difference that can make to heel hold.  But still couldn't give it more than a 3/5. 

Adjustability

The two boas are completely independent (side boa controls lower half of outer boot and front boa controls top half). The liner is tightened with a standard lacing harness and was typical - there is velcro across the top of the liner that helps with getting the liner more snug around the shins. 

Comfort

They were very comfortable. From initial try on and all through the on-snow testing I didn't get any pressure points or cramping or numbness. But I think I would sacrifice a little bit of that extra comfort for better heel hold and more responsiveness (which the 7.5 would likely provide). 

Shock Absorption

They did a good job of absorbing shock. Were a little better than my control boots. 

Entry/Exit

To get my foot in initially was slightly more difficult than normal. Not like exceedingly difficult or anything but had to work the foot in a bit with them feeling tighter around the ankle than normal, when trying to get foot in. After heat molding it was quite a bit easier though and ultimately when I got my foot in, they certainly weren't tight around the ankle - to a point where I would have preferred them tighter. 

The liner lacing is a typical lacing harness with velro around the top of the liner that helped with snugness. It's an extra step, but worth having. Then the outer boot is a typical double boa, which is fast and easy to use. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

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

The Lotus are versatile boots that are easy to use, comfortable and should provide a good mix of being good for both slow speed riding and higher speed riding, if you can get the fit right. 

I found that they were a little too big for me in the women's US8 (which is my typical size), and I would like to try the 7.5 to see if that's a better fit. Particularly for heel hold, which I found was not very good for me in the W8. That would likely also increase the response performance, particularly for tight turns at slower speeds.