
Hello and welcome to my K2 Orton snowboard boots review.
In this review I will take a look at the Orton as all-mountain snowboard boots.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Orton a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other all-mountain boots.
Overall Rating
Boots: K2 Orton
Price: $449 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Stiff (8/10)
Flex Feel: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Rating Score: 84.8/100
Compared to other All-Mountain Boots
Of the 28 current model men's all-mountain snowboard boots that we tested:
❄️ The Orton ranked 10th out of 28
Overview of the Orton’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Orton's specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain |
Price: | $449 - BUYING OPTIONS |
Ability Level: | ![]() |
Flex: | ![]() |
Weight: | Felt normal |
Lacing System: | Double Boa (independent upper and lower sections) |
Who are the Orton Most Suited to?
The Orton are best suited to anyone looking for a high quality boot that's slightly stiffer than average and performs a little better when riding fast and leaning into carves than it does for slower riding, but still rides well enough at slow speeds.
It's the kind of boot that doesn't disappoint in any area, except in the fact that it's a longer than typical on the outsole, so not as suitable for those looking for a low profile boot.
Should be fine for any solid intermediate rider and up, but not for beginners or even lower intermediate riders, IMO, unless you're physically a bigger rider or quite strong/athletic.
The Orton in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Orton are capable of.
Demo Info
Boots: K2 Orton 2023
Size: 10 (US Men's Sizing)
Date: January 16, 2023
Conditions
Snowing. Visibility wasn't unlimited but it wasn't whiteout or anything. I'd say 75%.
Bit of wind at times - up to 15mph (25kph), but then settled to more like 6mph (10kph).
Temp: 30°F (-1°C).
24 hour snow: 9" (24cm)
48 hour snow: 13" (33cm)
7 day snow: 14" (35cm)
On groomer: Was nice to start with well groomed soft packed groomers with a good layer of ungroomed fresh on top. Got pretty tracked and messy later in the day.
Off groomer: Really nice. Good pow. Not the lightest, driest powder ever, but not super heavy/wet either.
Setup

Bindings angles: +15/-15
Board Demoed With: YES Greats
Bindings Demoed With: Union Falcor
Outersole Length: 30.8cm (mondo 28cm)
Difference between Mondo & Outersole: 2.8cm
Backstay Height: 11.1" (28.2cm)
Weight: 2lbs 8oz (1120 grams)*
* Average of a sample of around 50 boots I've weighed was 1028g (2lbs 4oz), so the Orton were marginally heavier than the average, but pretty close to average weight. Heaviest I've weighed were 2lbs 15oz (1320g) and lightest were 1lb 8oz (680g).
Flex
I felt they were 7/10 flex pushing 7.5/10 flex.
Fit
Width: Widest part of foot was snug, but no pressure, so a good for me width-wise. I would say it's a medium fit when comparing to other boots - and with my foot being average width for its length, they were a really good fit for me width-wise.
True to Size?: When first riding, I felt like they were a little on the too tight side but after heat molding and riding in them, I feel like they were probably going to pack out to be a touch too big.
A good amount of room for toes length-wise. Plenty of room on top of toes as well, which is always nice. And width for toes was good too - just enough wiggle room.
They were just right for testing but might have packed out to be a shade too big over time. Probably would have been alright, but the 9.5 might have been the better bet for me in the long run. A 9.75 would've been perfect! So bordering on a running a little big.
High or Low Arch: Snug on the top of my feet but no major pressure. When I first tried them on my right foot (which has a higher arch) the top of my foot there was a bit of a pressure point, but that's typical for me with most boots. This went away pretty quickly after heat molding and riding in them.
Around Ankles: No noticeable pressure points around ankles but pretty snug.
Responsiveness
Quickness of turns at slow speeds: Noticeably harder to turn at slower speeds versus my control boots (Tactical ADV) - not worlds apart, but noticeable.
Carving/Higher Speeds: I found for higher speed carves and generally at higher speeds, I felt the Orton performed better than the Tactical ADV. Really nice for carving in.
Heel Hold
They were about the same as in my control boots. A little bit of heel lift, but nothing major. Nothing that would hold me back from owning these boots.
Adjustability
Complete upper/lower section separation from the two BOAs. Front BOA tightens the 4 cables on the shin of the tongue. Side BOA tightens the cables on the top of the foot. No overlap - so you get that full separation.
There's nothing else special about the adjustability of these boots, but having that upper and lower separation is great.
Otherwise pretty standard, with a pretty typical liner harness and double BOA.Comfort
No major pressure points anywhere for me - and overall I found them a nice and comfortable boot.
Shock Absorption
Good amount of shock absorption on landings, without being epic or anything. Absorbs chatter well too.
Traction/Sole Quality
The quality looks real nice. There's a large rubber content in there too. Good variety of flex pattern and tread depth is medium.
Reduced Footprint
The Orton's are about average in terms of their profile. From all the boots I've measured the average difference between outersole and mondo of the boot is just under 3cm (2.93cm). The Orton has a 2.8cm difference.
Entry/Exit
When I first put them on it was super hard to get my feet in. Really wasn’t sure I was going to get it in at all! But after heat molding and riding it was much easier. Still took some effort to get my feet in, but noticeably easier than the first time.
Liner has Velcro on two sides of inside of top part of liner to keep it together and also has a velrco strap for the top part of the liner. Attacking that from two points. So feels very secure around shins. That is a little bit of extra time, but well worth it for that secure feeling.
Liner is on the stiffer side and has this spine that runs down the shin area of the liner, which means it takes a little more effort to get tight than a softer liner.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
---|---|---|
CARVING | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 3.5 | 7/10 |
HEEL HOLD | 4.0 | 12/15 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 4.0 | 12/15 |
TRACTION | 4.0 | 8/10 |
REDUCED FOOTPRINT | 3.0 | 3/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 84.8/100 |
The Orton is a very versatile boot that can work with a wide variety of boards and riders. Everything about this boot is above average - and overall that makes for a very good, well-rounded boot, without weaknesses (unless you need a low profile boot).
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Orton, are ready to buy or want to research current prices and sizing availability, check out the links below.

If you want to see how the Orton compared to other all-mountain boots, or want to check out some other options, check out the link below.
Hey Nate!
Just got a new setup at a local shop as a beginner/lower intermediate. They got me on these boots mainly because they fit great and to help out my bad knee. Do you think I’ll have a problem with these?
Thanks!
Hi JJ, thanks for your message.
Definitely stiffer than I would have recommended. They’ll make slow speed turns more difficult, which is what you’re doing most as a beginner. Given it sounds like you’re more high-end beginner to low intermediate, and these, I found, were actually OK for slower speed turns, it won’t be as hard, but still stiffer than ideal, IMO. Will also depend on your weight/strength and the board/bindings that you’re riding with them. If you’re a lighter person or not as strong as average, then it will make the slow speed turns even more difficult, but if you’re a bigger guy or have quite strong legs/core, then that will lessen that feeling.
Hope this helps
Hey,
I am looking into buying the Orton 2022 in a size 9/27MP
I’ve had the Nitro Venture TLS 2019 in a size 9/270MP before and they were too small lengthwise.
My feet are exactly 26,5MP, do you think the Orton would fit?
And what do you say about Flex-matching, how bad would it be to rock the Ortons with a flex 3 board and a flex 4 binding?
I am looking into buying a 5/6 flex board, could there be a problem with the lower flex of the binding and the higher flex of the boot?
Thanks for your reviews and helping all of us.
I’m looking forward to your reply.
Hi Michael
Thanks for your message.
I’ve only tested one Nitro boot before – the 2023 Sentinel BOA. For me it fit quite similar to K2 boots. I rode them in a 10, which was great for testing, but I felt they would have packed out too much and ended up being too big – so I think the 9.5 would likely have been the better size for me – or even a 9.75. Note that my feet 27/27.3cm left/right. If there was a 9.75 it would be a 27.75mondo, which would be 0.45cm longer than my longest foot.
Based on that, in theory, with the Mondo of 27 being 0.5cm longer than your feet, it should be fine.
But on the other hand, if the Orton and Venture do fit roughly the same and the 9/27MP Venture was too small, then it may be the case that the 9/27MP Orton would also be too small. Again, since I haven’t tested the Venture specifically and haven’t tested enough Nitro boots to get a real feel for how the brand fits, it’s hard to say for sure, unfortunately.
In terms of flex matching, what I find if boots/bindings are too stiff for a board, it can make it feel twitchy – and this boot on a flex 3 board would likely do that. However, with flex 4 bindings, it might just mellow things out enough that the board doesn’t feel too twitchy. And then when you go to a 5/6 flex board, you should be fine. Ideally at that point you’d get slightly stiffer bindings, but would be optimal rather than needed.
Hope this helps
Hey man I’m between the K2 Orton and the Nidecker Kita.
I normally ride a burton Photon and ion and a size 9. I just want to try something different than Burton this time around.
The boards I ride are a cafe racer 156 and gstick mantaray156. I like to carve it all different speeds and intensities.
Not sure which ones I should go for and should I get a half a size smaller.
Hi Joey
Thanks for your message.
Based on the flex of the Mantaray (we haven’t tested it but looking at what Gentemstick rate it as), the Kita would be, IMO, the better match for that board. But the Orton would work for it. The Cafe racer looks to be a little softer flexing than the Mantaray (would you say that’s right?) but it’s hard to tell having not tested them and flex ratings can vary between brands. But if they’re not too much softer than the Mantaray – so basically on the assumption the Mantaray is around an 8/10 flex and the Cafe Racer about a 7/10 flex.
The Kita were, for stiffer boots, pretty good at slow speeds. As good as the Orton I would say. The risk with the Kita is that it could be too stiff for the Cafe Racer, if it’s softer than I’m predicting. I find if a boot (or binding) is a bit too stiff for a board, then it can make the board a little twitchy. In this case, I think it’s unlikely with the Kita, but something to keep in mind.
The Kita for me was the same fit as Burton. So, I ride Burton in 10 and the Kita felt just right in 10 and didn’t feel like it would pack out too big.
The Orton could be better half a size down. I always find a 10 is just right for testing for me, since I don’t have time to wait for them to pack out. But I always get the feeling like a 9 3/4 would be better, if that existed and I’d probably end up better in a 9.5, after enough packing out. The one pair of K2s that I’ve owned, that I rode over a couple of seasons, was a 10 and ended up packing out to be too big. That was probably a decade or more ago though. The 8.5 would likely feel quite tight to start, but my instinct is that it would pack out to be a better size for you than the 9, if you’re a Burton 9.
For reference, I would say that the Orton are likely to feel a touch stiffer than the Photon and a touch softer than your Ion. That said, if you’ve done a lot of days in those boots, they are likely softer than when you first rode in them. So the Orton will likely, to begin with at least, feel more significantly stiffer than a worn Photon and maybe the same or even a touch stiffer than a worn Ion.
The Kita is likely to feel quite a bit stiffer than Photon and stiffer than Ion, even if it were new, in my experience.
Hope this gives you more to go off for your decision
Between the cafe racer and the manta ray technically the cafe racer is stiffer. The Manta Ray has some magic Flex going on where it feels stiff but it has a lot of energy and rebound. I still haven’t really figured out the flex and I’ve been riding it for half a season. Cafe racer feels a bit more like a plank. Precise high speed carves. Even though the CR is more on the tail it feels more locked in for speed. The mantaray is more stable but good for articulate carves. Still good for charging. I thi k I’m gonna try the kita boots.
Hey Joey. Thanks for the insights. Really interesting to hear. If you think of it at the time, let me know how you get on with the Kita (assuming you get them) once you’ve had a chance to test them out.