Hello and welcome to my K2 Thraxis review.
In this review I will take a look at the Thraxis as freeride snowboard boots.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Thraxis a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other freeride boots.
Overall Rating
Boots: K2 Thraxis
Price: $499 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freeride
Flex Rating: Stiff (10/10)
Flex Feel: Stiff (9.5/10)
Rating Score: 88.3/100
Compared to other Freeride Boots
Of the 14 current model freeride snowboard boots that we tested:
❄️ The Thraxis ranked 6th out of 14
Overview of the Thraxis’ Specs
Check out the tables for the Thraxis' specs.
Specs
STYLE:
FREERIDE
PRICE:
$499 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
weight:
Felt normal
LACING SYSTEM:
Triple Boa
Sizes
US MEN'S SIZE | UK SIZE | EURO SIZE | MONDOPOINT |
|---|---|---|---|
4 | 3 | ? | 22 |
4.5 | 3.5 | ? | 22.5 |
5 | 4 | 36.5 | 23 |
5.5 | 4.5 | 37 | 23.5 |
6 | 5 | 38 | 24 |
6.5 | 5.5 | 39 | 24.5 |
7 | 6 | 39.5 | 25 |
7.5 | 6.5 | 40 | 25.5 |
8 | 7 | 40.5 | 26 |
8.5 | 7.5 | 41.5 | 26.5 |
9 | 8 | 42 | 27 |
9.5 | 8.5 | 42.5 | 27.5 |
10 | 9 | 43.5 | 28 |
10.5 | 9.5 | 44 | 28.5 |
11 | 10 | 44.5 | 29 |
11.5 | 10.5 | 45 | 29.5 |
12 | 11 | 46 | 30 |
13 | 12 | 48 | 31 |
Who are the Thraxis Most Suited to?
The Thraxis are best suited to those who like to charge hard and carve deep. They are at their best with speed beneath them and aren't at home with slow speeds.
Definitely not for beginner riders - way too stiff for that and beginners would likely find them too unforgiving.
Best matched with boards in the 7/10 to 10/10 flex range - and most ideal with boards in the 8/10 to 9/10 flex range.
The Thraxis in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Thraxis are capable of.
Demo Info
Boots: K2 Thraxis 2025
Size: 10 (US Men's Sizing)
Date: January 15, 2025
Foot to Boot Fit
Length Fit:
My toes weren't quite touching the ends, but they were close. I feel I could've fit in a slightly shorter boot, but maybe not a full half size down. Maybe a 1/4 size down.
There was no pressure on the tops of my toes and there was a reasonable amount of wiggle room.
Width:
There was a bit of space for the sides of the toes - they weren't being pushed against the sides. Around my forefoot, there was no space on the sides, but there was also no pressure there. A good fit width-wise. I would consider them a medium width.
Top of Foot (Instep):
Initially there wasn't any pressure on my in-step, but then I felt the need to crank the BOA harness that wraps around the ankle of the liner, to get better heel hold, and then there was some pressure on the top of the foot. That pressure was not quite as far back as where instep meets ankle but close to there. It wasn't terrible by any means though. A little uncomfortable but nothing major.
Around Ankles:
When I was wearing them during our in-house testing process, I noticed a bit of a hotspot on the back of the right ankle bone, just on the underside of it a little bit. And then another hotspot on the bottom of inner ankle bone. I noted that the Thraxis felt like they rock in towards the inner part of the boot quite drastically. A lot of boots do this, but it was more pronounced in the Thraxis.
While riding in them, this ankle pressure intensified. It still existed on both the inner and outer park of the ankle bone, but it was now more pronounced on the inner ankle bone. I wonder if it was something to do with how much they rock inwards. While this wasn't bad when I first started riding in them, it got progressively worse the longer I was in them and was quite uncomfortable by the end.
True to Size?:
I’d say true to size. I feel like a 9.5 would be too small, but I could probably do a 9.75, if quarter sizes existed.
Boot to Binding Fit
Heel width: Good amount of room in there. Similar to my control boots. Maybe just a touch less space.
Toe width: Also good amount of space. Again, very similar to control boots.
Ankle Strap: Fit pretty good as it was, but fit better with the ankle strap lengthened by one hole.
Toe Strap: Again, fit ok where it was, but fit better with it lengthened by one hole.
Flex
I found these boots really stiff. Not the stiffest I've ever ridden in, but getting close to that.
Carving and Slow Speed Response
As expected from the flex, the Thraxis offered a lot more support for high speed carves and felt at their best when doing high speed carves.
They weren't much fun at slower speeds though. Where at high speeds they felt responsive and supportive, at slow speeds that translated to feeling sluggish and heavy.
Heel Hold
The heel hold was really decent. To get it how I like it, I did have to crank down the boa that tightens the internal ankle harness quite a bit, and that did lead to some in-step discomfort. But the instep discomfort was nothing major and worth it for the extra heel hold.
Adjustability
These boots are highly adjustable. They feature a triple BOA system with the front BOA tightening just the top half of the shell of the boot (completely independently of the bottom part of the shell).
Then the BOA on the inside of the boot controls the lower portion of the shell, independently of the upper portion.
The BOA on the outside side of the boot controls the harness that wraps around the ankle area of the liner of the boot. This not only allows you to adjust for better heel hold, it also means you can retighten this on the fly, without having to open up the shell first.
The liner itself doesn't actually have a lacing harness, but it does have a triple velcro strap at the top of the liner to get it more snug against the shins (more on that in the ease of entry/exit section below).
Comfort
When testing these in-house, I thought they would feel pretty comfortable on snow and the last time I tested these boots on snow, they did, so I had no reason to think otherwise. There was a little bit of in-step pressure and to a lesser extent ankle pressure, but it wasn't anything too bad.
However, my on-snow experience would be different this time. While the in-step pressure was barely noticeable after a while, the ankle pressure became progressive worse and worse and I experienced cramping.
By the end of riding in them, I was dying to take them off. I'm not sure if it was because of how much they rotate inwards (see fit section above) but whatever it was, they weren't as comfortable as my previous experience or how the in-house testing suggested they would be.
Shock Absorption
I felt they did a decent job of absorbing shock and chatter.
Traction/Sole Quality
The Thraxis have a really nice sole, which looks and feels like it's really high quality. It feels like rubber all over and feels grippy to touch and to walk in. Moderate pattern variety and average tread depth.
Reduced Footprint
I would call them average. While the sole's length is longer than average, they also have longer than average toe/heel bevel, which helps reduce the chances of boot drag. They balance out to make it middle of the road in terms of its footprint size.
Entry/Exit
It required a bit of force to get my feet into these. A good push. Not like “will I actually get into them” hard, but required a bit of force. And I’d made the effort to open them out as much as I could.
Liner: They don't have a liner lacing harness. But they do have Velcro at top on both sides. And I found those sides don’t have any chance of overlapping in the front, which is good (even if you've got skinnier legs than me, you should be good there). Then there’s also a third Velcro strap that wraps around over the top to make it more secure there. Given there’s no lacing harness, I like this.
And of course that third BOA (the one on the outside side of the boots) tightens the liner harness that wraps around the ankle of the liner.
Shell: Then the shell is just the inner side boa to tighten the lower portion and the front boa to tighten the upper portion. So nice and easy and relatively fast to do.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 5 | 30/30 |
| Slow Speed Response | 2.5 | 2.5/5 |
| Traction | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Heel Hold | 4 | 8/10 |
| Adjustability | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Shock Absorption | 4 | 8/10 |
| Reduced Footprint | 3 | 6/10 |
| Comfort | 3 | 6/10 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 88.3/100 |
The Thraxis are stiff boots with a lot of support for high speed riding and aggressive, high angle carves. They don't feel so good at slow speeds and can be difficult for things like ollies and butters and overall board feel wasn't great.
Decent shock absorption, plenty of adjustability and really good heel hold.
Comfort has a high degree of subjectivity most of the time, so it may not be the same for you, but I found that my feet were cramping in these boots and I had quite a bit of discomfort from hotspots around the ankles. This would likely get better over time, but my experience with stiffer boots is that it takes more time for them to break in, so personally I would likely have a pretty uncomfortable time fully breaking these boots in.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Thraxis, 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 Thraxis compared to other freeride snowboard boots, or want to check out some other options, check out the link below.
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