Hello and welcome to my ThirtyTwo Women's STW Double Boa review.
In this review I will take a look at the STW Boa as freestyle snowboard boots.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the STW Boa a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other women's freestyle boots.
Overall Rating
Boots: ThirtyTwo STW Boa
Price: $279 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freestyle
Other Uses: Casual All-Mountain
Flex Rating: Soft
Flex Feel: Medium (5/10)
Rating Score: 82.8/100
Compared to other Women's Freestyle Boots
Out of the 17 women's freestyle boots that I rated:
Overview of the STW Boa’s Specs
Check out the tables for the STW Boa’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freestyle |
Price: | $279 - BUYING OPTIONS |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Weight: | Felt normal |
Lacing System: | Double Boa |
Who are the STW Boa Most Suited to?
The Women's STW Double BOA are best suited to someone looking for a softer flexing boot but want the ease and adjustability of a double boa lacing system. They weren't as soft as we were expecting but feel like they would soften up fairly quickly over time.
The STW Boa in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the STW Boa are capable of.
Demo Info
Boots: ThirtyTwo STW Boa 2023
Size: 8 (US Women's sizing)
Date: February 2, 2023
Conditions
Cloudy but high cloud. Very good visibility. No rain or snow.
Temp: 32°F (0°C) and with wind chill was 25°F (-4°C) though it didn't feel like that much wind chill. Wind around 12mph (20kph) SSE.
24 hour snow: 1.2" (3cm)
48 hour snow: 6.7" (17cm)
7 day snow: 7.5" (19cm)
On groomer: Groomers were real nice. Hard packed with some nice soft on top. Even though there was a decent amount of traffic, nothing got too messy. Nicely groomed.
Off groomer: Not too bad. Hard underneath but with enough soft on top to make it decent and nothing icy/crunchy
Set Up
Bindings angles: +12/-12
Stance Width: 19.5" (49.5cm)
Board Demoed With: Ride Saturday 146
Bindings Demoed With: Ride DVA
Rider Height: 5'7" (170cm)
Rider Weight: 125lbs (56kg)
Rider Boot Size: Women's US8.0 Ride Hera
Outersole Length: 28.2cm (mondo 25cm)
Difference between Mondo & Outersole: 3.2cm
Backstay Height: 11.0" (28cm)
Weight: 1lb 10oz (740 grams)*
* 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).
Flex
The initial flex of this boot is quite stiff, particularly given its flex rating. They do soften up pretty quickly, but I'd say more like 6 or even more when initially getting them on.
Fit
Width: When trying on for the first time, a reasonable amount of room in the toe box width-wise. A little pressure right in the corner of the big toe after wearing for a few minutes.
While riding, after heat molding, the sides of the boots were touching both medially and laterally, creating mild pressure points but nothing too bad and eased with time.
True to Size?: When first tried on, my toes were not quite touching the ends but pretty close. When riding, after heat molding, they actually felt tighter on the toes and all toes were touching the end, with big toe being the most cramped.
Felt like I could have re-heat molded with a toe cap or gone 1/2 size up. It would be close to needing to go 1/2 size up.
Top of foot (instep): Snug on the top of the foot but no pressure points there.
Around Ankles: Around ankles was pretty good but the way they gripped around my Achilles wasn't super comfortable.
Also to note, that the boot feels noticeably taller than the average boot. This didn't cause me any calf or shin discomfort or anything, but something to note.
Shock Absorption
They were better at absorbing shock and chatter than my control boots, but that's not that hard (being the biggest weakness of my control boots). They weren't super shock absorbing, but decent enough.
Board Feel
Board feel was good. Very similar to my control boots.
Responsiveness
They were decent on a carve and offered pretty good support. Not bombers, but decent enough at high speeds, especially for boots that are supposed to be quite soft.
At slower speeds, I couldn't get my turns as quick as with my control boots. Not far off, but enough to notice it.
Adjustability
The Double BOA system that the STW Double Boa uses gives you complete separation of the upper and lower portions of the outer boot.
The liner is controlled with a standard lacing harness.
Comfort
Not the most comfortable boots I've ridden. I feel like they would break in quite quickly though, so would likely get more comfortable fairly quickly. Largest pressure points were around big and 2nd toes and around Achilles area of heels.
Heel Hold
The heel hold was good - felt the same as my control boots. A little lift, but pretty minimal.
Entry/Exit
A little bit of effort to get foot into them at first, but after heat molding it was easier. I would say medium/average difficulty getting foot in.
Then the Standard lacing harness for the liner and the double boa system for the shell of the boot were nice and easy to use.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 3.5 | 14/20 |
BOARD FEEL | 4.0 | 12/15 |
CARVING | 3.0 | 6/10 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 4.0 | 8/10 |
COMFORT | 3.0 | 9/15 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 4.0 | 12/15 |
HEEL HOLD | 4.0 | 8/10 |
TRACTION | 3.0 | 3/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 82.8/100 |
The Women's STW double BOA weren't as comfortable as I would have liked, but that would likely improve over time as most boots do.
For everything else it's a really decent boot, particularly for the price for a double boa option.
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you’re interested in learning more about the STW Boa, 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 STW Boa compared to other women's freestyle boots, or want to check out some other options, check out the link below.
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