Hello and welcome to our list of the top 5 women’s snowboarding boots for beginners.
This list has been updated for the 2023-2024 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 19 women’s boots that I rated as beginner boots:
O.k. let’s get going with the top 5!
WOMEN'S BEGINNER BOOT #5=
Boots: Vans Encore OG
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CA
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UK/EU
IS THIS GEAR RIGHT FOR YOU?
Lacing System: Single Boa
Flex: Medium-Soft (4 out of 10)
Rating Score: 89.1/100
Starting off the list at #5, we have the Vans Encore OG boots.
The Encore OG are a single boa boot that have what's typically the ideal flex for beginners who want something that will stick with them for a while compared to a super soft boot.
They're soft enough to be forgiving and easy to progress in but have enough firmness that when you're starting to ride a bit faster they can still stick with you for a bit longer through your progression.
Score Breakdown for the Encore OG
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 15/15 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 12/15 |
HEEL HOLD | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 2.0 | 4/10 |
PRICE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 4.5 | 9/10 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 89.1/100 |
WOMEN'S BEGINNER BOOT #5=
Boots: Ride Harper
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CA
IS THIS GEAR RIGHT FOR YOU?
Lacing System: Single Boa
Flex: Medium-Soft (3 out of 10)
Rating Score: 89.1/100
Next up we have the Ride Harper.
The right price and the right flex for that first pair of boots to help you progress easily through the beginner phase.
Plus super easy to get in and out of, so you won't have any frustrations with that -and super easy getting those boots on in a cold car park before hitting the slopes.
More on the Harper in the video below
Score Breakdown for the Harper
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 15/15 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
HEEL HOLD | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 2.0 | 4/10 |
PRICE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 4.5 | 9/10 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 89.1/100 |
WOMEN'S BEGINNER BOOT #4
Boot: K2 Cosmo
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CA
IS THIS GEAR RIGHT FOR YOU?
Lacing System: Hybrid Traditional Lace & BOA
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Rating: 89.7/100
Coming in at #4 we have the K2 Cosmo. The Cosmo are great boots in their own right but at the same time work really well as beginner boots.
They aren't the cheapest in this list, but they are something that can last you a bit longer through your progression and also probably physically too.
The Cosmo features a hybrid lacing system which gives you great adjustability and helps with heel hold. The traditional lacing offers great adjustability and the BOA works on a harness that helps to hold your ankle in place. Another great thing about this system is that you can re-tighten the BOA to give you a bit more ankle support, without having to open up the outer boot.
Score Breakdown for the Cosmo
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 15/15 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
COMFORT | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
HEEL HOLD | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.5 | 9/10 |
PRICE | 3.0 | 6/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 2.5 | 5/10 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 89.7/100 |
WOMEN'S BEGINNER BOOT #3
Boots: K2 Haven
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CA
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UK/EU
IS THIS GEAR RIGHT FOR YOU?
Lacing System: Single Boa
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Rating: 90.8/100
K2’s Haven boots are ideal for anyone starting out snowboarding. Medium-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 (and you can stomach the lack of adjustability).
Score Breakdown for the Haven
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 15/15 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
HEEL HOLD | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 2.0 | 4/10 |
PRICE | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 5.0 | 10/10 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 90.8/100 |
WOMEN'S BEGINNER BOOT #2
Boots: Burton Mint
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CA
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UK/EU
IS THIS GEAR RIGHT FOR YOU?
Lacing System: Speed Lacing
Flex: Medium-Soft (3 out of 10)
Rating: 91.4/100
The #2 position goes to the Burton Mint boots.
Featuring a nice soft-medium flex for an easy and forgiving ride, perfect for the beginner, the Mint packs 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 (previously it also came in a Lace version but not any more). The Boa version is a little more expensive and has slightly different pros and cons (they coincidentally end up on the same total score). I have included the score breakdown for the BOA version below along with the regular (speed lace) version.
Check out the video for more about the Mint
The Mint comes in at around 0:15
Score Breakdown for the Mint
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 15/15 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
HEEL HOLD | 3.0 | 9/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 3.5 | 7/10 |
PRICE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 4.0 | 8/10 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 91.4/100 |
Score Breakdown for the Mint BOA
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 15/15 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
HEEL HOLD | 4.0 | 12/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 2.0 | 4/10 |
PRICE | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 4.5 | 9/10 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 91.4/100 |
WOMEN'S BEGINNER BOOT #1
Boots: Vans Women’s Hi-Standard OG
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CA
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UK/EU
IS THIS GEAR RIGHT FOR YOU?
Lacing System: Traditional Lacing
Flex: Medium-Soft (4/10)
Rating: 92.5/100
And finally, in at #1, we have the Vans' Women's Hi-Standard OG snowboard boots.
These boots are super comfortable (though comfort in snowboard boots can be subjective) and have the ideal flex for beginners that make them super-forgiving, easy to learn with but are still of decent quality and not so soft that you can't ride them for years to come, as you progress.
And with that traditional lacing you get great adjustability, even if it does mean that it takes a little longer to get them on.
Score Breakdown for the Women's Hi Standard OG
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
FLEX | 5.0 | 15/15 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.0 | 12/15 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 12/15 |
HEEL HOLD | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.0 | 8/10 |
PRICE | 5.0 | 10/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 3.0 | 6/10 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 92.5/100 |
Over to you…
Thanks for reading and we hope this post has been helpful in your research for women’s beginner snowboard boots.
Check out the links under each boot for current prices, availability and more info.
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