Ride Karmyn Zonal Review

Hello and welcome to my Ride Karmyn Zonal snowboard boots review.

In this review I will take a look at the Karmyn Zonal as all-mountain snowboard boots.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Karmyn Zonal a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other women's all-mountain boots.

Overall Rating

Boots: Ride Karmyn Zonal

Price: $379 (USD recommended retail)

Style: All-Mountain 

Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)

Flex Feel: Medium (6/10)

Rating Score: 87.2/100

Compared to other Women's All-Mountain Boots

Out of the 14 women's all-mountain boots that I rated:

Overview of the Karmyn Zonal’s Specs

Who are the Karmyn Zonal Most Suited to?

The Karmyn Zonal are best suited to anyone looking for a mid flex boot that is decent at holding carves and providing stability at speed, whilst not being too stiff for slower riding. 

Can suit a wide range of boards. Would pair well with anything from a 4/10 to 7/10 flex board. 

Still a little too stiff for most beginners, other than for bigger riders or particularly physically strong riders, but should be fine for intermediate and up. 

THE Karmyn Zonal IN MORE DETAIL

Bindings angles: +12/-12

Stance Width: 19.5" (49.5cm)

Board Demoed With: Ride Saturday

Bindings Demoed With: Ride DVA

Rider Height: 5'7" (170cm)

Rider Weight: 125lbs (56kg)

Rider Boot Size: Women's US8.0 (Ride Hera Control Boot)

Outersole Length:  27.9cm (mondo 25cm)

Difference between Mondo & Outersole: 2.9cm

Backstay Height: 10.0" (25.5cm)

Weight: 1lbs 12oz ( 800grams)*

* Average of a sample of  women's boots I've weighed was 1lbs 15oz (880g). Heaviest I've weighed were 2lbs 10oz (1200g) and lightest were 1lb 10oz (740g). 

Fit

Width: Plenty of width medially and laterally for widest part of the forefoot and for the toes. 

True to Size?: From first try on toes were just kissing the end standing up straight and then pulled away slightly bending knees - usually a really good sign that they'll be a good fit. Plenty of room width-wise in toe box and whilst not heaps of room for top of toes still some wiggle room.

Some pressure on tip of big toe of left boot, which noticed when riding but didn't notice when trying on. 

After heat molding and riding, they felt pretty much the same in terms of fit. Maya is typically an 8 and the 8 fit just right in these boots, so true-to-size.  

In-Step: Comfortable for top of foot. No pressure - but at the same time not too much room - doesn't allow the foot to move around or anything. Snug but no pressure. 

Around Ankles: There are these notches in the heel of the boot, which are likely designed to help lock the heel in, which kind of press around the Achilles. When first trying on, it was quite an uncomfortable amount of pressure on the Achillies. This eased up though after heat molding and then a little more again after riding for a while. Could still notice it by the end, but was noticeably less pressure than when first trying on. 

Responsiveness

The Karmyn Zonal strike a great balance between being really good in terms of quick turns at slower speeds and laying into deeper carves at higher speeds. It does both well. There are boots that will do carves better and boots that will do slow speed turns better, but these do both above average. 

Heel Hold

Really good heel hold. That pressure around achilles (which eased with time) must've worked (among other things) to keep the heel locked in, as there was very minimal heel lift in these boots. 

Adjustability

Complete separation of upper and lower sections. Front BOA tightens top half of outer-boot and side BOA tightens lower half of outer-boot. 

Has a typical lacing harness for around the liner.  

Comfort

Overall nice and comfortable boots. Initially the achilles pressure was a bit uncomfortable but that eased with time and heat molding. And there was some pressure on big toe of left foot, but nothing too serious there. 

Shock Absorption

Not very shock absorbent, similar to control boots (Ride Hera). 

Traction/Sole Quality

Really decent looking/feeling sole, with good tread. Looks and feels like it grips well and had no issues walking in them in the car park or on snow (all be it it wasn't icy in car park or on the mountain that day). Seemed like they would be durable. 

Entry/Exit

Quite hard to get foot into boot initially. Had to push in and twist to get foot in. After heat molding was easier to get in though. In terms of operating the boots, they had a typical lacing harness for the liner and then the ease of double BOA for the outer boot. 

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

The Karmyn Zonal are all round a very good board that don't have any real weaknesses. 

A good do-it-all boot for those wanting to do a wide range of things on their board but also works well for those who just want to cruise but still want a decent amount of support.