Hello and welcome to my Nidecker Altai snowboard boots review.
In this review I will take a look at the Altai as all-mountain snowboard boots.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Altai a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other all-mountain boots.
Overall Rating
Boots: Nidecker Altai
Price: $299 (USD recommended retail)
Style: All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Mid-Stiff
Flex Feel: Mid-Stiff (7/10)
Rating Score: 84.2/100
Compared to other All-Mountain Boots
Of the 28 current model men's all-mountain snowboard boots that we tested:
❄️ The Altai ranked 16th out of 28
Overview of the Altai’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Altai's specs and available sizes.
Specs
STYLE:
ALL-MOUNTAIN
PRICE:
$299
Ability Level:
flex:
weight:
Felt normal
LACING SYSTEM:
Double Boa
Sizes
US MEN'S SIZE | UK SIZE | EURO SIZE | MONDOPOINT |
|---|---|---|---|
7 | 6 | 39.5 | 25 |
7.5 | 6.5 | 40 | 25.5 |
8 | 7 | 41 | 26 |
8.5 | 7.5 | 41.5 | 26.5 |
9 | 8 | 42 | 27 |
9.5 | 8.5 | 42.5 | 27.5 |
10 | 9 | 43 | 28 |
10.5 | 9.5 | 44 | 28.5 |
11 | 10 | 44.5 | 29 |
11.5 | 10.5 | 45 | 29.5 |
12 | 11 | 45.5 | 30 |
13 | 12 | 47 | 31 |
14 | 13 | 48.5 | 31 |
Who are the Altai Most Suited to?
The Altai are best suited to those looking for a mid-stiff board and are at least a high-end intermedite rider who needs some good carving performance.
Even better suited to someone on a smaller budget that wants boots with a stiffer flex, but doesn't want to, or can't afford to pay typical mid-stiff boot prices.
Not suitable for beginners, IMO, as they are too stiff for that.
Best matched to boards in that 5/10 to 8/10 flex range and even more optimal for that 6/10 to 7/10 flex range.
THE Altai IN MORE DETAIL
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Altai are capable of.
Demo Info
Boots: Nidecker Altai 2024
Size: 10 (US Men's Sizing)
Date: May 8, 2024
Foot to Boot Fit
Length Fit:
My toes didn’t quite touch the end, and I didn’t have any pressure on the tops of them either. I had room to wiggle my toes, but it didn’t feel sloppy, just more space than many. These boots will give your toes a happy place to live, unless you’re someone who grips a lot and needs to feel like you’re controlling the board all the way out to the end of your feet.
Width Fit:
I would call these mid-wide to medium, which is a little vague, but the point is they’re not narrow, they’re slightly to the wide side of the spectrum.
In-Step:
No pressure here to speak of. I noticed it a little more when I put them on outdoors and the material was colder, but this boot is definitely worth considering if you have a high forefoot and sometimes struggle with constriction over your instep.
Around Ankles:
There was a little pressure around my ankles, but not uncomfortable. I might have noticed it more because there was more room in the toes and forefoot. No hot spots, just a little snugger.
True to Size?:
I would say yes. There’s always some uncertainty as to how they will pack out, but that is the case with any other boot that you might consider too.
Carving/Slow Speed Response
The Altai are a solid boot for carving and would match well with medium to mid-stiff boards. Bear in mind that the conditions were warm and slushy so I couldn’t really gauge maximum edge grip, but they’re on the beefier side of the spectrum which bodes well for high edge angles.
These seem to do a good job of striking that magical blend of having good carving performance but at the same time feel good to ride slow in.
A little better for carving than my control boots. Not quite as good for slow speed turns, but pretty close.
Heel Hold
The heel hold was decent but even when I cranked everything down I still experienced some slight lift. But not enough to bother me or for me to think about it when riding. It was only when I really focused on it that I could feel the lift - and it wasn't a lot of lift.
Adjustability
It’s easy to make adjustments to match your personal preferences for upper boot/lower boot feel because the Boa’s are independent of each other. The top Boa tightens the 4 cables all the way down the tongue, including crossing over the top part of the ankle. Then the side BOA tightens the remaining 2 cables that are on top of the foot area of the boot.
The liner has velcro attachments at the top. One on each side. This brings the sides of the top of the liner across the front of the tongue, to get a snugger, more secure fit.
For me the two sections at the side of the liner that come over the tongue almost overlapped each other when I had them at the tightness I wanted. This won't be a problem for those with with thicker lower legs, but those with thinner lower legs, these sections could end up overlapping. I would say I have thinner than average lower legs, and at a guess I would say 60-70% would have thicker lower legs than me, but anyone who might have particularly thin lower legs may have issues here.
The issue would be that if they are overlapping, that would create more bulk behind the tongue of the shell of the boot, which may make it less than optimal for tightening - and may not feel right against your shins. Possible also that having them overlap could lead to the velcro disconnecting more easily.
Comfort
These boots score well in the comfort department with a very even feel, and even when I cranked them down it stayed that way with no pressure points.
Shock Absorption
For my indoor stomp test the Altai’s gave a dull thump with less sharp vibrations than my control boot. And they are decent for shock absorption, so that was a good sign.
On snow they felt the same as my control boots, so really decent overall for shock and chatter absorption.
Board Feel
For ollies, presses etc, I didn't get as good a board feel as from my control boots, but was decent enough.
Reduced Footprint
They are a pretty average length for their mondopoint. Just the slightest bit of reduced footprint but nothing super low profile. But also nothing super bulky or anything.
Entry/Exit
Was a slightly tighter than normal squeeze to get my feet in the Altai, but nothing too difficult. Then there's just the liner lacing, the upper velcro attachments on the liner, then the Double Boa outer, which is nice and easy.
See adjustability section for more on adjusting the liner.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 4 | 12/15 |
| Slow Speed Response | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Heel Hold | 4 | 12/15 |
| Adjustability | 4 | 12/15 |
| Comfort | 4 | 12/15 |
| Shock Absorption | 4 | 12/15 |
| Traction | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Reduced Footprint | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 84.2/100 |
Overall the Altai are a well made boot and while they weren't something that screamed "buy me now!" there was also nothing about them that would make me throw them away if they given to me and were my only boots.
And while there wasn't anything outstanding about them in terms of performance (but also nothing that was too bad), the price for these boots, when comparing to the average price for a double boa boot within this flex range, is really good. Great value-for-money, IMO. So, a great buy, IMO, if you need boots in something stiffer than medium, but have a small budget. There aren't many this stiff at this price-point.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Altai, 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 Altai compared to other all-mountain boots, or want to check out some other options, check out the link below.
Hey Nate – I’m wondering if you could comment on the material/build quality and durability of two boots that you tested, and perhaps make a recommendation based on the boot that you think is more appropriate for me. I’m a 46 year old male, 5’11” and 190 lbs, advanced-intermediate rider with experience riding blacks and some double-blacks at various resorts in New England including Loon, Wildcat, Cranmore, Cannon, Bretton Woods, Sunday River, Mount Snow, and my favorite, Stowe. I mostly ride groomers (I prefer the steeps), I love to carve and ride at fast speeds, enjoy playing around with side hits, and often find myself in the trees looking for untouched deep powder.
My last purchase of hard snowboard equipment was in the fall of 2021, when I purchased a Rossi Templar 2021 snowboard (159, flex 6), Flow NXT Team Hybrid bindings, and Nidecker Triton boots (size 9.5 US) with double-BOAs. I used this equipment approximately 100 times over the last four seasons since winter 21-22. Generally speaking, my equipment held up very well under the circumstances, particularly given the number of times on the snow that I had since December 2021. I will spare you the details about the board and bindings since I am only seeking to replace my boots at this time.
I really liked a lot of things about my Nidecker Triton boots: exceptional comfort, warmth, support, etc., at least until last season. The first issue I noticed was that the double-BOA coilers seemed to loosen somewhat after dialing in. I don’t know if this is the intended design of the coilers or if there was a defect in my BOAs, but the net result was that I had to tighten all four BOAs at the top of the lift before every run or every other run. That was annoying but not a deal breaker for me since I was so happy with all other aspects of the boot. The next thing that happened is that I somehow busted the BOA cable and lost the coiler on my right boot, which was not repairable. This was the beginning of the end, but I was still able to finish last season with that damage. The straw that broke the camel’s back is that the rubber around the sole was separating from the main part of the boot (both of them) thereby allowing snow, moisture, and cold temps to get inside the boot.
In my search for new boots, I’d like to find boots that are a good fit for my riding style and don’t have the same problems I encountered before. I’d like to stay with Nidecker due to my overall positive experience with the Tritons, the renowned comfort of their boots in general, and their true-to-fit sizing, as well as the affordability of their boots. I am considering the Nidecker Altai 2025 and the Nidecker Rift 2025, which I can get from my local ski and snowboard shop for $199. I know that the Altai is more geared towards free-riding and all-mountain terrain, while the Rift is more geared towards free-style and park riding given its flex rating. So it seems that the Altai may be more appropriate for my riding type, but I like the 93.2 rating you gave the Rift 2024 more than the 84.2 rating that you gave the Altai 2024. Maybe the Altai was improved for 2025 such that you would give it a higher rating if you tested it?
What are your thoughts about the Altai v. the Rift 2025 in general, and which one do you recommend for me? Since the Tritons were a flex rating of 6, I know that I can handle the flex of either the Altai or the Rift no problem. Do you have any experience or anecdotal input from your readers or other industry contacts regarding the build quality and durability of these two boots? I understand that I used my Tritons well-beyond the expected lifetime for the boots, but I would like to avoid buying new boots that suffer from excessive wear and tear early on in their lifetime due to poor materials and build quality. While I take online reviews from purchasers with a grain of salt, I did find some reviews where the person complained about the build quality of their Nidecker Rift and Altai boots. Thanks in advance for your comments!!
Hey Ryan, thanks for your message and apologies for the late reply (been working hard trying to get ’26 reviews out and some video edits done).
From personal experience I couldn’t say for sure, which would be more durable as I haven’t spent long enough in either. I don’t recall anyone I’ve talked to who have had any complaints about durability. I would say that overall, my impression was that the Rift was of a slightly higher build quality, but both seemed pretty well built to me. That’s not to say they wouldn’t end up with the same issues as your Triton but also not to say that they would. I don’t find that I often get more than 100 days out of a pair of boots, sometimes because of durability issues, but sometimes they’ve held up fine beyond 100 days, but have gotten too soft for my liking.
Between the two, I like the Altai for you, for your style and setup. I found the Rift more comfortable overall and better for slower speed riding and a little better sole quality. They weren’t worlds apart for any one particular thing, but just a little better in a few things, which added up for the overall score. But the Altai were better for carving and provided more support for higher speeds.
Hope this gives you more to go off