Hello and welcome to my Nidecker Kita review.
In this review I will take a look at the Kita as freeride snowboard boots.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Kita a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other freeride boots.
Overall Rating
Boots: Nidecker Kita
Price: $419 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freeride
Flex Rating: Stiff (9/10)
Flex Feel: Stiff (8.5/10)
Rating Score: 88.8/100
Compared to other Freeride Boots
Of the 15 current model freeride snowboard boots that we tested:
❄️ The Kita ranked 5th out of 15
Overview of the Kita’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Kita's specs.
Specs
STYLE:
FRRERIDE
PRICE:
$419 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
weight:
Felt normal
LACING SYSTEM:
Double Boa
Who are the Kitas Most Suited to?
The Kita;s are best suited to hard chargers that need a stiffer flex and extra support at high speeds.
They match best to boards in that 7/10 to 10/10 range.
Too stiff to be good for beginners or lighter rider's, IMO. You want to be advanced/expert to be riding in these boots. But if you are, and you're riding style suits them, they will give you a ton of support and allow you to push the limits.
The Kita in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Kita are capable of.
Demo Info
Boots: Nidecker Kita 2023
Size: 10 (US Men's Sizing)
Date: January 19, 2023
Conditions
Cloudy mostly bit sun came out at times. Blue patches the whole time. Visibility excellent.
Temp: 27°F (-3°C). 21°F (-6°C) with wind in morning. Same in the afternoon, except wind chill was gone.
24 hour snow: 6" (15cm)
48 hour snow: 19" (49cm)
7 day snow: 40" (102cm)
On groomer: Well groomed and really fun. Hard packed for sure, but not really icy except in the odd patch.
Off groomer: Pretty crusty and icy in places. Was more of a groomer day, though not undoable and certainly not bullet proof or anything. With the recent snow was expecting a little better though.
Set Up
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Board Demoed With: YES Greats
Bindings Demoed With: Union Falcor
Rider Height: 6'0"
Rider Weight: 180lbs
Outersole Length: 31.0cm (mondo 28cm)
Difference between Mondo & Outersole: 3.0cm
Backstay Height: 12.2" (31cm)
Weight: 2lbs 6oz (1080 grams)*
* Average of a sample of around 50 boots I've weighed was 1028g (2lbs 4oz). Heaviest I've weighed were 2lbs 15oz (1320g) and lightest were 1lb 8oz (680g).
Fit
Length Fit/True to Size?: I would say true to size for sure. At first try on my toes were just brushing the ends but not pressure. Same with tops of toes - there’s not heaps of room, particularly on the big toe, but there’s no pressure. After heat molding and riding in them for a bit, that wiggle room for the tops of my toes increased. And overall felt just right length wise, width-wise, everything.
Width: During the first try on, they felt medium at the forefoot. Snug but not pressure laterally or medially on the widest part of the forefoot. When riding they felt like they were a little narrower than medium. Not to a point where they were uncomfortable narrow for me, but just a little narrower than average and probably wouldn't work for wide feet - but for regular width feet like mine, they were fine.
Top of Foot (Instep): From first try on, they were snug on the top of my feet and very mild pressure point on my right foot, but no more than every other boot on my right foot. Felt the same when riding - with the pressure point a little lessened.
Around Ankles: Some pressure around the ankles. That’s the only real place (tiny bit top of foot but not really) that it’s not super comfy but it’s not bad either. This was felt both when first trying on and when riding. But it's something that didn't bother me that much and would also likely improve with time.
Fit with Bindings
Fit very similarly to my control boots (Adidas Tactical ADV). Fit well in my Medium Burton Malavitas.
Responsiveness
For how stiff these boots are, they weren't bad for sharp turns at slower speeds, but still not quite as good as my control boots.
For higher speed carves and riding at higher speeds in general, they were better than my control boots. They were really good for high speed carves (not surprisingly, being stiffer boots).
Heel Hold
I found there was a bit of heel lift there, but not much. Barely noticeable when riding.
Adjustability
Completely independent boas (side for bottom two cables and front boa for the remaining 4 cables) - so upper and lower section adjustability was good.
Liner was controlled by a typical lacing harness.
Comfort
Any ankle pressure was already dissipating after 1 lap and was almost unnoticeable by the time I'd finished riding in them. A little bit of shin bite - probably mostly because of the stiffness - but nothing major there. All round really comfortable.
Shock Absorption
Really good in terms of shock absorption. Both in terms of stomp test and on-snow.
Not quite as good as hi-country and hell bound or my Tactical ADVs (but nothing is). But Hi-County & Hell Bound are also right up there in terms of shock absorption, so it takes nothing away from these boots ability to absorb shock and chatter.
Traction/Sole Quality
Vibram outsole. Seems good quality and has some good cush in the heel. Good pattern variety. Mid level tred depth.
Reduced Footprint
They're nothing super bulky or anything length-wise, but also not overly low profile. Longer than average.
Entry/Exit
Nice and easy to get foot in even from first try on.
The liner has a traditional lacing harness with a Velcro thing at top. Just one Velcro thing, but the liner kind of wraps around itself before the Velcro holds it there. Feels nice and secure and easy to setup.
The outer boot is easy and fast with the double boa system.
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 | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Traction | 4 | 12/15 |
| Heel Hold | 4 | 8/10 |
| Adjustability | 4 | 8/10 |
| Shock Absorption | 4 | 8/10 |
| Reduced Footprint | 3 | 6/10 |
| Comfort | 4 | 8/10 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 88.8/100 |
The Kita are a stiff boot that perform really well when riding fast and laying deep carves. They're not too bad for riding slow in either, but are at their best at higher speeds.
All around, they felt like a well made boot to me.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the Kita, 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 Kita compared to other freeride, or want to check out some other options, check out the link below.
Hi Nate.
Ive been looking around for new shoes for next season to push my limits. Currently riding pretty broken in Burton Photons (8.5 US) riding a Burton Free thinker and Capita BSOD. Im an intermediate rider (between 5 and 6 on your scale) looking to make as much progress as I can this season so I can explore more challenging runs and resorts moving forwards. Im stuck between the Kitas and the Ions as an upgrade for next season (or possibly just getting a new pair of Photons). Im an on-piste rider focused on advancing my carving skills so I think both boot options would work well. Im curious what you think would be the best option for me here. My main concerns are the Kitas reduced footprint (will it be as good as the photons?) as well as the toe seam tears Ive been reading about online on the Ions. What also draws me to the Kitas is that I can get them at a good price in either the lace or double boa option (though its a 2024 model so Im not sure how close it is to the 2026 one). Thank you in advance for the response and for all the snowboarding info youve been consistently putting out over the years.
Hi Jake, thanks for your message.
If you got another pair of Photon’s, they’d feel stiffer than your current pair, as your current pair will have softened up over time, but given your riding style and goals, I think it makes more sense to go a little stiffer. The Kita would be the stiffest I would go at this point, but I think you should be able to manage them.
As far as I know and from comparing specs, the Kita hasn’t changed since the 2023 model.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hey Nate,
Which boots would you recommend for high insteps? I have semi-wide feet with a high instep and it’s been a journey to say the least to find boots that don’t hurt.
Thanks!
Jon
Hi Jon, thanks for your message.
Definitely a journey to find the right boots when we don’t have the typical foot shape (I’m starting to wonder if there even is a “typical shape”)!
I would say my right foot has a slightly higher than average in-step and my left foot pretty middle of the road. So, it may not translate if you have a particularly high in-step, but I found the DC Boots I tried this year were the easiest on the in-step. Which were the DC Phase (Trad Lace) – which really had zero pressure on my in-step, but they are very soft boots and I’d only go there if you were a beginner or mostly did playful freestyle stuff. The DC Control and Phantom weren’t quite zero but what pressure they had felt nice and easily spread out. The other boot of note in terms of in-step was the K2 Overdraft. The Control I felt at a 6/10 flex, the Phantom an 8/10 and the Overdraft a 5/10. I organized my notes for my 2025 boot testing, so that it’s easier to refer to, but going back the notes aren’t as organized. For most of the reviews here, there should be details about how I felt the instep.
If you have a flex range in mind, that would narrow it down a bit more. We organize our categories by flex with Freestyle being 5.5 flex and under, All-Mountain 6 to 7.5 flex and freeride at 8/10 and over flex.
Hope this helps a little
Hi Nate.
I have a question about sizes. My foot length is 268mm. When I wear size 9, my toes can touch the front slightly when I press down on my knees, and it even feels a bit spacious. However, when I wear size 8.5, my toes feel a bit cramped when I press down on my knees. In this situation, which size should I choose?
Hi Leo, thanks for your message.
I would go with the 9. With your feet just touching the end, it’s usually just right. It might pack out a bit so that there’s more space there, but it shouldn’t pack out to a point that they feel sloppy or loose or anything. Just a good bit of space to wriggle your toes in them, but still a good snug fit. And with a stiffer boot like the Kita, they won’t pack out as much as a softer boot will.
If your toes are cramped or having to curl up in the boots, they’ll likely go numb after riding in them for a good amount of time. They may eventually get enough room in them, but again with stiffer boots that may not be the case. And even assuming the the 8.5s do pack out enough to be comfortable, it’s likely to take at least 10-15 days, in which time, they’re not likely to be enjoyable to ride in, IMO.
Hope this helps with your decision
How was the comfort compared to the Rift? I tried on the Rift today and found it to be very comfortable, but I could tell they would not be stiff enough for freeriding.
Hey Nick, thanks for your message.
I didn’t find them quite as comfortable as the Rift, but still comfortable and would likely break in to feel more comfortable. I had some ankle pressure in them to begin with, but it got better and better as I rode in them to a point I hardly noticed it, and with more time, I imagine that would have disappeared altogether. And a little bit of shin bite, but that’s pretty common I find, in stiffer boots. And again, something that would likely improve with time. I find that stiffer boots do take a bit longer to break in than softer boots as well. So, I wouldn’t say they were as comfortable as the Rift, out of the box. But they were still pretty comfortable and predict that they would have broken in to be more comfortable over time (as pretty much every boot does). The Rift were one of those boots that were just instantly comfortable for me.
Hope this helps