Hello and welcome to my list of the top 5 women’s snowboarding boots for beginners. This list has been updated for the 2017-18 season.
Whilst a lot of people just consider boots that are cheap to be beginner boots this is not all that beginner boots should be. Of course price is one factor, but it’s only one factor.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com each boot will receive a score out of 100 based on several factors to determine how good they are as beginner boots.
Comparison Stats
Of 22 women’s boots that I rated as beginner boots:
- The average score was 85.8
- The highest score was 92.0 (see #1 below)
- The lowest score was 76.4
- The average price was $194
O.k. let’s get going with the top 5!
Women’s Beginner Boot #5: Thirty Two Women’s 86 FT
Boots: Thirty Two 86 FT Women’s
Price: View More Info and Current Prices Here
Lacing System: Speed Lacing (32’s Fast Track)
Flex: Medium-Soft (3 out of 10)
Rating Score: 89.7/100
The 86FT Women’s are the cheapest boot on this list. But that’s certainly not the only thing that makes these great for beginners.
They have a nice medium-soft flex that helps to make them very forgiving and help to make it easier to control a snowboard at slower speeds.
They’re also really comfortable, which helps to keep you out on the hill for longer – and just cause who wants uncomfortable feet!?
Check out this video for more details
This video is for the men’s version but I couldn’t find a video for the women’s version but everything’s still relevant for the women’s version.
The Thirty Two 86FT Women’s Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 2.5 | 5/10 |
| Adjustability: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Price: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 89.7/100 |
Women’s Beginner Boot #4: K2 Haven
Boots: K2 Haven
Price: View More Info and Current Prices Here
Lacing System: Single Boa
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Rating: 89.7/100
K2’s Haven boots are ideal for anyone starting out snowboarding. Reasonably priced, soft, forgiving, really comfortable and super easy to get in and out of
And that single boa system is not only fast and easy to get in and out of – it also makes it really easy to get the boots tight enough. A great choice for anyone who struggles to get traditional lacing or speed lacing tight enough.
Check out the video for more
The K2 Haven’s Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Adjustability: | 1.0 | 2/10 |
| Price: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 89.7/100 |
Women’s Beginner Boot #3: Burton Mint
Boots: Burton Mint
Price (US): View More Info and Current Prices Here
Price (Canada): View More Info and Current Prices Here
Lacing System: Speed Lacing
Flex: Medium-Soft (3 out of 10)
Rating: 89.7/100
In at #3, are the Burton Mint boots.
Featuring a nice soft-medium flex for an easy and forgiving ride, perfect for the beginner, the Mint’s pack a heap of performance into a really reasonable price tag.
Like any good beginner boot Burton’s Mint boots are nice and comfortable, easy to get in and out of and are really easy to adjust for a nice custom fit.
Once you get used to the speed lacing system (which is pretty easy once you’ve done it a couple of times) you’ll be flying in and out of these boots – though you may not want to take them off!
There are no obvious weaknesses to these boots and they will allow the beginner rider to progress seamlessly and in comfort and style, without breaking the bank!
The Mint’s also come in a Boa version (new for 2018). If Boa is more your thing, then that’s an option too. I have included their score below too.
Check out the video below for more about the Mint
The Burton Mint’s Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Adjustability: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Price: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 89.7/100 |
The Burton Mint Boa’s Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Adjustability: | 1.0 | 2/10 |
| Price: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 87.4/100 |
Women’s Beginner Boot #2: Thirty Two Women’s Lashed Double Boa
Boots: Thirty Two Women’s Lashed Double Boa
Price: View More Info and Current Prices Here
Lacing System: Double Boa
Flex: Medium-Soft (4.5/10)
Rating: 90.8/100
Coming in #2 are another pair of Thirty Two boots – this time the Women’s Lashed Double Boa.
This season they’ve been upgraded to double boa (from single boa in previous season’s). This allows you to get greater adjustability between the lower and upper sections of the boot, when compared to a single boa boot.
These suckers are super comfortable and have really good beginner specs across the board. They’re slightly stiffer than the rest of the boots on this list – so they’re really good for either riders that aren’t complete beginners, beginner’s who carry a bit more weight and beginners who are quite athletic.
These are also great all-round boots that will take you well beyond the beginner phase. They’re a little pricier than the other boots on this list but a good investment if your budget can allow it.
The Lashed Women’s boots come in 2 different versions – A Traditional Lacing version, and a Double Boa version. Each version has different strengths and weaknesses because of the different lacing systems – you can see the breakdown of each score below.
Check the Video on the Women’s Lashed Double Boa boots below
The 32 Women’s Lashed Double Boa Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 4.0 | 20/25 |
| Comfort: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Adjustability: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Price: | 2.5 | 5/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 90.8/100 |
The 32 Women’s Lashed Lace Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 4.0 | 20/25 |
| Comfort: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Adjustability: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Price: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 2.0 | 4/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 85.1/100 |
Women’s Beginner Boot #1: Vans Women’s Hi-Standard
Boots: Vans Women’s Hi-Standard
Price: View More Info and Current Prices Here
Lacing System: Traditional Lacing
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
Rating: 92.0/100
And finally, in at #1, we have the Vans Hi-Standard.
These boots are super comfortable and have the ideal flex for beginners that make them super-forgiving, easy to learn with but are still of decent quality.
They’re the only traditional laced boot on this list, so if you have trouble with getting traditional laces tight enough they may not be the ideal pick for you – but otherwise they are about the perfect boot for beginners.
And they look pretty darn good too (IMO).
Check out the video for more about the Women’s Hi-Standard
This video is for the men’s model but most things are still relevant to the women’s model.
Score Breakdown for the Women’s Hi-Standard
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Comfort: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Adjustability: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Price: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 2.0 | 4/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 92.0/100 |
Over to you…
Thanks for reading and I hope this post has been helpful in your research for women’s beginner snowboard boots.
Often models don’t change that much from year to year so if you can find a 2017 model, it will likely be close enough to the 2018 model but you should be able to get it cheaper, if available. For the latest model check out the links above for each boot. For past year’s models check out the links below to see if they still have any available.
>>Discount Womens Snowboard Boots at evo.com
>>Discount Womens Snowboard Boots at backcountry.com
Hi Nathan. Just wanted to say that this is a very informative post about snowboarding boots. The thing that people often fret over when they want to get into something new is that they don’t know where to start. This applies to snowboarding in a big way–When I first was learning the ropes before hitting the slopes (no pun intended) was where to go for boots, bindings and boards and even when I did find out, the question of which ones to purchase was still in the air. This gives beginners a good starting point on what to select and why and its geared towards new riders. Excellent post thank you!
Hey Jesse
Thanks for visiting. Glad you liked the post.
I’m the same – when I started out I didn’t know where to start gear-wise. That’s one of the big reasons for this website is to make it easier for beginners and snowboarders of all abilities to find the right snowboard gear.
Hi Nate! Thanks for your helpful posting!
I just started learning snowboard this season and really love it. Now I am working on my Level 3 and I guess I am still a beginner. I feel uncomfy when I put the rental boots on so I decided to get my first snowboard boots. I was looking at the Thirty Two Women’s Lashed Double Boa but then found a BINARY BOA WOMEN’S on sale. Is the Binary too much for a beginner? Which one is better for me?
Thank you sooooo much!!
Hi Caron
Thanks for your message. The Binary Boa are a little stiffer flexing than the Lashed. I’d put the Binary at 6/10 and the Lashed at 4.5/10. So the Binary are going to be less forgiving overall. Not as suitable for beginners. However, they are probably doable – just not ideal. If you can at at all it’s a great idead to try on in store, just to see if they fit well and to get the sizing right. Different brands ten to fit a little differently and some brands fit different foot shapes better. But yeah, if 32 fits you well, then the Lashed would be better as a beginner, but the Binary Boa aren’t going to be unrideable, IMO.
Hope this helps and hope you continue to have a great season!