Hello and welcome to my K2 Contour snowboard boots review.
This review will be looking at the Contours to see how they perform as women’s all mountain snowboard boots.
Given that they are being assessed as all-mountain boots these boots will need to be decent at everything to rate well. This is because an all-mountain boot is expected to be able to tackle anything that the rider can throw at it – any style of riding and anywhere on the mountain.
How the Contours Rated
Boots: K2 Contour Women’s Boots
Price: $279 (USD Recommended Price)
Lacing Style: Double Boa
SnowboardingProfiles.com Rating: 90.5/100
So it’s safe to say that they scored pretty darn well!
In fact that was enough for them to top my list of the top 5 women’s all mountain snowboard boots
Perspective of the Contour’s Score
Out of 37 women’s all mountain snowboard boots that I looked at:
- The average score was 72.9/100
- The highest score was 90.5/100 (the Contours)
- The lowest score was 49.5/100
- The Contours ranked 1st out of 37 boots
O.k. let’s take a look at some details.
The Details
The following specs were rated for this review:
- Flex
- Response
- Heel Hold
- Shock Absorption
- Traction
- Adjustability
- Comfort
Flex
The Contours have a flex rating of 6 out of 10. I would say they are on the stiffer side of medium. This flex is ideal for all-mountain riding, particularly for those ladies that like to ride a little more aggressively.
Response
That slightly stiffer than average flex rating, combined with great heel hold (see below) allow these boots to be very responsive. Very little energy is lost in transferring energy from your muscles into the boots.
This extra response is great for riding steeps, narrow chutes, tree runs etc where response and tight turning is critical. Of course your response is also largely determined from your bindings and board but it all starts with your boots.
Check out the video below for more info
Heel Hold
Whilst how good the heel hold is will depend on the shape of your feet and ankles, you’ve got a greater than average chance of getting great heel hold in the K2 contours. These suckers will hold down most heels nice and snug into the heel of the boot.
This is partly due to the fully heat modable high grade liner that K2 uses for this boot.
It also helps that the Contours are double boa boots. And the way the double boa system on the contours works is that you can tighten the inner section of the boot (which they call the Boa Conda) independently of the outer section (often double boa boots just work on the outer section of the boot – one for the lower outer section and the other for the upper outer section).
The great thing about how this system works is that it means you can get that inner section really nice and locked down, which helps to hold your heel in place – and it does so whilst minimizing the chances of any pressure points (though that will depend in part to the shape of your foot.
Shock Absorption
All that response and performance for riding steeps, backcountry and groomers is great but to be a truly good all-mountain boot the Contours would need to also be able to perform great at freestyle riding.
And that’s where shock absorption comes in.
The Contours again don’t disappoint. They are well padded and absorb shock well, meaning that you can do lap after lap of the park or hit natural features all day and the Contours will continue to absorb that shock.
They have named their cushioning technology “harshmellow” – sounds flash! – and I’ll give it to them, it does do a good job.
And another video to break up all this text
Traction
The contours do a great job of balancing traction and shock absorption. Often having good shock absorption can mean poor traction (and visa versa) but the Contours manage to perform well in both.
So if you have to do any hiking – and usually at some point or another you will – you should have some good grip on the bottom of the contours.
Adjustability
I’ve already touched on the adjustability of these boots in the heel hold section above.
The other great thing about having separate adjustability of the inner and outer boot is that you can loosen off the outer boot a little more if you are looking for a bit more give if you are riding the park – so you can have a bit more flex for hitting jibs, landing tricks and tweaking grabs.
Or you can lock them down tight and explore some challenging trails that require more response than flex.
Comfort
The Contours should be really comfortable for most riders.
This comfort is due to a couple of different things.
- Firstly that “harshmellow” cushioning technology, as mentioned earlier in the shock absorption section above, not only provides cushioning for landings and hitting jibs etc, it’s also just nice to be standing on nice soft cushioned soles all day.
- The high end tech in these boots also means that they have all the nice lush materials and are designed in such a way that potential pressure points are minimized. That said, everyone has different feet shapes but your chances are better than even in these.
- The Contours are also super light – so it’s not an effort to walk around in them and they don’t weigh your feet down on the lifts (as long as your board and bindings don’t weigh too much!).
- Finally, that heat mouldable liner – part of the reason for a low chance of potential pressure points – is designed to mold perfectly to your foot. This adds to a great fit which will make these boots even more comfortable.
K2 Contour Score Breakdown
Check out the table below to see where the Contours scored their points.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Response: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Traction: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Adjustability: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Comfort: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| TOTAL | 90.5/100 |
As mentioned above, these boots topped my top 5 women’s all mountain snowboard boots list.
Current Prices, User Reviews and More Info
Check out the links below to check out the current prices at a couple of different stores, plus user reviews and more info on these awesome boots.
- K2 Contour at evo.com (2016)
- K2 Contour at the-house.com (2016)
If you’re looking for the 2015 model (last year’s) check out the outlet stores below. No guarantee they’ll have any left but if you can find them you should be able to pick them up for a good price (if you’re not worried about having last year’s model).
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