How to put on, tighten and loosen snowboard boots

Here’s how to put on snowboard boots of any type. Sit down on a bench or chair first; it’s much easier than balancing.

1. Wear one pair of snowboard socks, pulled up smooth. Keep base-layer leggings above the boot cuff, since fabric bunched inside causes pressure points.
2. Open the boot completely. Loosen the outer laces, release the speed-lace locks or pop the BOA dials, then open the inner liner lace. Pull the tongue forward.
3. Check the liner. If you took it out to dry, push it fully down and back into the shell with the tongue centered.
4. Slide your foot in and seat the heel. Tap your heel on the floor or flex your knee forward so the heel drops into the heel pocket. Burton’s lacing guide describes the target as heel snug in the heel cup and toes very lightly touching the front.
5. Tighten the inner liner lace or strap, then tuck the spare lace away.
6. Tighten the outer boot with your closure system, as described below.

How to wear snowboard boots with pants: the pant leg goes over the outside of the boot, with the inner gaiter pulled down over the cuff to keep snow out. Never tuck pants inside.

Burton’s lacing guide says to lace from the bottom, pulling tight enough to hold your foot in place but not so tight it hurts. In practice:

1. Snug the lower eyelets so the forefoot is held without squeezing.
2. Pull hard around the ankle hooks or locking eyelets. This is what holds your heel down.
3. Finish up the shin with enough tension to support you when you flex forward.
4. Tie a bow or double knot and tuck the ends into the cuff or lace pocket so they can’t catch on your bindings.

Traditional laces are hard to adjust with gloves on and can loosen during the day, so check them on the lift.

Speed-lace boots use pull handles instead of knots, often split into a lower foot zone and an upper ankle-and-shin zone. Burton describes its Speed Zone system as pulling up to tighten and back to lock, then tucking the handles into pockets on the side of the boot. The usual pattern:

1. Tighten the inner liner lace.
2. Pull the lower-zone handle up until the foot is snug, then lock it as your boot describes.
3. Pull the upper-zone handle to tighten the ankle and shin, then lock it.
4. Tuck both handles into their pockets.

Other brands route and lock their laces differently, so check your manual for the exact lock position.

BOA boots use a dial that winds a thin steel lace through guides. Burton sums it up as “twist to tighten the laces and pop the coiler out to loosen,” and notes that adjustments can be made wearing gloves or mittens. Some boots have one dial; others have two or more for separate zones.

1. Push the dial in to engage it, on dials that work this way.
2. Turn it clockwise until the boot is snug. The clicks let you make small changes.
3. Flex forward and check your heel. Add a few clicks to the ankle or upper dial if it lifts.

Dial designs vary between BOA generations and boot brands, so follow your boot’s instructions if yours behaves differently.

Tighten your boots enough that your heel stays down when you lean forward and the boot supports your shin, but stop before your toes go numb or you feel pins and needles. Many riders keep the boots a little looser for walking and lift rides, then tighten them before the first run.

If you have to crank the boots extremely tight to stop your heel moving, the size or shape may be wrong. Recheck the fit with our guide to sizing snowboard boots, and for heel-hold add-ons such as J-bars see fixing heel lift and breaking boots in. Once your boots feel right, you’re ready to get into your bindings.

Whether you want to loosen snowboard boots a little on the lift or undo them completely at the end of the day, release the outer system first, then the liner.

Loosening BOA boots

• Full release: pull the dial outward (“pop the coiler out,” in Burton’s words). The lace goes slack and you can open the boot.
• A little looser: on dials that allow it, turn counterclockwise a click or two instead of fully releasing. Not every dial does this, so check your manual.
• Pull the tongue and the lace guides apart gently with your fingers. Don’t yank the steel lace itself.

Loosening speed-lace boots

• Pull each handle out of its pocket and release it from the lock, usually by pulling it away from the lock the opposite way to how you set it.
• Pull the lace loops at the top apart to open each zone.

Loosening traditional laces

• Untie the knot, lift the laces off the ankle hooks and loosen the eyelets from the top down.
• Burton warns that untied laces drag, so tuck them in before you walk anywhere.

Taking snowboard boots off

1. Unstrap from your bindings and sit down somewhere safe.
2. Release the outer system fully, as above.
3. Untighten the inner liner lace or strap.
4. Open the tongue wide, lift your heel and slide your foot out. Forcing your foot out of a tight boot can pull the liner out or strain the laces.

At the end of the day, pull the liners so they dry; our boot drying and cleaning routine explains how.

A dial that won’t turn or release, a frayed speed-lace or a snapped steel lace shouldn’t be forced. For Burton BOA boots, Burton says replacement lace kits come from BOA through a BOA warranty claim, and that BOA components are covered by BOA’s own guarantee. Our guide to replacing BOA laces and other boot repairs walks through the parts and steps.

Some boots combine systems (for example a BOA dial with a speed-lace liner), and step-on style boots add a binding interface. Keep the printed guide that came with your boots, or note the model name so you can find its instructions online.