Hello and welcome to my list of the top 5 women’s snowboarding boots for beginners. This list has been updated for the 2016-17 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 25 women’s boots that I rated as beginner boots:
- The average score was 82.3
- The highest score was 91.6 (see #1 below)
- The lowest score was 73.0
- The average price was $198
O.k. let’s get going with the top 5!
Women’s Beginner Boot #5: Burton Coco
Boots: Burton Coco
Price: $149
Lacing System: Traditional Lacing
Flex: Soft (2 out of 10 on Burton’s scale)
Rating Score: 86.5/100
The Coco’s are the cheapest boots on this list – but that is certainly not the only reason they are really great as beginner boots.
They are also really comfortable, soft and forgiving, have plenty of shock absorption to make them even more lush and comfortable and are really adjustable so that you can get the perfect fit.
They may not be the fastest to get on and off but this is a sacrifice worth making for a boot at such a good price that will be awesome for helping you to progress as a beginner.
Check out this video for more details
The Burton Coco Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Adjustability: | 2.0 | 4/10 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 86.5/100 |
Women’s Beginner Boot #4: Thirty Two Women’s STW BOA
Boots: Thirty Two Women’s STW BOA
Price: $199
Lacing System: Single Boa
Flex: Medium-Soft
Rating: 87.1/100
In at #4 are 32’s Women’s STW Boa boots.
As the name suggests these boots use a Boa system to get in and out. This is super easy and fast to do – and if you have trouble getting boots as tight as you like, then using a boa system will make it easier to crank them down nice and tight.
I would like to see them use a double boa system so that you could adjust the upper and lower section of the boot independently – but that’s about the only complaint with these boots (and that would up the price too).
The Women’s STW Boa are also really comfortable, have great heel hold (so your heel shouldn’t lift too much inside the boot) and they have a nice medium-soft flex for a nice forgiving ride – perfect for the beginner.
Check out the video for more
This video is for the 2016 version but still some relevant info there. Once I find a video for the 2017 model I’ll post it here.
The 32 Women’s STW Boa Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Adjustability: | 1.5 | 3/10 |
| Price: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 87.1/100 |
Women’s Beginner Boot #3: Thirty Two Women’s Lashed FT
Boots: Thirty Two Women’s Lashed
Price: $249
Lacing System: Speed Lacing
Flex: Medium-Soft
Rating: 88.8/100
Coming in #3 are another pair of Thirty Two boots – this time the Women’s Lashed.
These suckers are super comfortable and have really good beginner specs across the board. There are no real weaknesses here for the beginner rider – just good consistent performance with heaps of comfort.
These are also great all round boots that will take you well beyond the beginner phase. There’ll a little pricier than the other boots on this list but a good investment if your budget can allow it.
The Lashed boots come in 3 different versions – A Traditional Lacing version, a Speed Lacing version (Lashed FT – $249) and a Boa version (Lashed Boa – $259). Each version have 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 boots below
The 32 Women’s Lashed FT Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Adjustability: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Price: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 88.8/100 |
The 32 Women’s Lashed Boa Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Adjustability: | 1.5 | 3/10 |
| Price: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 86.0/100 |
The 32 Women’s Lashed Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Adjustability: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Price: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 2.0 | 4/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 85.4/100 |
Women’s Beginner Boot #2: Vans Women’s Encore
Boots: Vans Women’s Encore
Price: $199
Lacing System: Single Boa
Flex: Medium-Soft
Rating: 91.0/100
In the #2 spot, we have the Vans Women’s Encore.
Testament to these boots, they also made my list of the top 5 women’s freestyle boots. Freestyle boots do tend to double as beginner boots a lot of the time due to also favoring a softer flex. The Women’s Encore would do equally as well as freestyle boots as they do as beginner boots.
They have a nice medium-soft flex that is forgiving enough for the beginner rider but there is still enough stiffness and response for these to take you through to a more intermediate or advanced level.
They might lack a little bit in adjustability and I’d ultimately like to see them with a double boa system but they have great heel hold, shock absorption and come with a really reasonable price tag (which would go up with a double boa system).
And above all that these boots are super comfortable.
Check out the video for more about the Women’s Encore
Score Breakdown for the Women’s Encore
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Adjustability: | 1.5 | 3/10 |
| Price: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 91.0/100 |
Women’s Beginner Boot #1: Burton Mint
Boots: Burton Mint
Price: $199
Lacing System: Speed Lacing
Flex: Medium-Soft (3 out of 10)
Rating: 91.6/100
And finally, in at #1, 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!
Like the #3 boots above there are no obvious weaknesses to these boots and will allow the beginner rider to progress seamlessly and in comfort and style, without breaking the bank!
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 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Heel Hold: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Adjustability: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Price: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 91.6/100 |
Over to You….
So that’s my list of the best 5 women’s beginner boots for 2016-17. I hope this has helped you in your hunt for great snowboarding boots.
For the latest season’s top 5 women’s beginner boots list, check out the link below:
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