BOA® Snowboard Boots: Everything You Need to Know

BOA® snowboard boots deliver precision fit for unmatched performance and reliability. Using a patented dial system to adjust boot tightness, the BOA Fit System is incredibly intuitive for beginners and experts alike. So, whether you’re exploring options for your first pair of BOA snowboard boots or you just want some more information about how the system works, drop in to learn everything you need to know.

Burton’s product experts partnered with the engineers at BOA to assemble a comprehensive guide that you can use to find the perfect pair of snowboard boots.

• What is the BOA Fit System and how does it work?
• Burton BOA Snowboard Boots
• Pros & Cons of BOA Snowboard Boots 
• Should you ride BOA snowboard boots? 

What is the BOA Fit System and how does it work?

The BOA Fit System, which is available in select Burton snowboard boots, is a high-performance fit solution that delivers a precise, high-performance, glove-like fit, combined with instant, single-handed fine-tuning. And while BOA is primarily a component of high-performance footwear, it can also be found in other sports equipment (like ski & snowboard helmets) and even some medical applications.

Components of the BOA Fit System

The BOA Fit System is made of three primary components. 

• Micro-adjustable dial: Every BOA Fit System is operated using a micro-adjustable dial which is turned clockwise to tighten the equipment. 
• Laces: The BOA Fit System utilizes super strong, lightweight laces that have an exceptionally high strength-to-weight ratio. 
• Low-friction lace guides: Low-friction lace guides in each BOA Fit System allow the lace to glide smoothly, allowing users to easily tighten their equipment while ensuring evenly distributed pressure.

Pro tip: The BOA Fit System has four variations: H, M, L, and S-series. Burton utilizes the BOA H-series in our BOA snowboard boots for its high-power and high-capacity qualities. Anon BOA ski & snowboard helmets feature the BOA S-series for its low profile and precise adjustment.

History of the BOA Fit System

The desire to create a better snowboard boot fit system inspired Gary Hammerslag to found BOA in 2001. But as with most innovations, the BOA dials and laces on your Burton snowboard boots today are a vast improvement on the original prototypes of the early 2000s.

Here’s how it all happened. Gary, an avid snowboarder, surfer, and entrepreneur, had just moved from California to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in the mid-1990s. A successful medical device engineer, it was in his nature to invent unique solutions.

Gary’s inspiration to create BOA came while tying his kids’ snowboard boots. He envisioned a boot fit system that delivered a consistent, high-performance, foot-hugging fit, that could be tightened single-handedly while wearing insulated gloves. And if it allowed his kids to tighten their own boots on the mountain, that would be a positive outcome, too.

Gary hit the drafting table and developed several prototypes before settling on the initial BOA Fit System: a micro-adjustable snowboard boot lacing solution that allowed riders to achieve a performance fit with reliable consistency. Gary launched BOA to the public in 2001 with two partners, Vans and K2 Snowboards.

Burton BOA Snowboard Boots

The BOA Fit System revolutionized fit systems across action sports and the medical world. The advantages of BOA were clear, and Burton kicked off our partnership with BOA in 2004, offering the BOA Fit System as an option on the Men’s Highline and Concord boots, as well as the Women’s Starstruck and Felix boots. These days, you can find the BOA Fit System on (almost) any Burton snowboard boot your heart desires.

BOA Fit System: Do the number of BOA dials on a Burton snowboard boot matter? 

Burton snowboard boots featuring the BOA Fit System will have one or more BOA dials, depending on the specifications of the boot. The number of dials corresponds to the ability to fine-tune the snowboard boot to fit your particular performance needs and foot shape. 

• 1 BOA Dial: When snowboard boots feature a single BOA dial, that one dial will control the tightness of the entire boot across the rider’s foot. 
• 2 BOA Dials: When snowboard boots feature two BOA dials, each dial will correspond to a different boot zone, allowing the rider to fine-tune fit and performance by tightening different parts of the boot independently.

Pros & Cons of BOA Snowboard Boots

We believe overwhelmingly that snowboard boots featuring the BOA Fit System offer many advantages, without any significant downsides. Still, in an effort to give you the most transparent assessment of BOA snowboard boots, we’ve assembled this list of the pros and cons, to better help you decide if they’re right for you.

Note that this advice is straight from the Burton Guides who work at Burton Flagship Stores around the world and often have this exact conversation with shoppers who are seeking new snowboard boots.

Pros of BOA Snowboard Boots

There are many pros to BOA snowboard boots, including performance fit, instant adjustments, longevity, and durability.

Performance Fit: The BOA Fit System was specifically designed for athletes who demand the ultimate control of their equipment. Thanks to the micro-adjustable BOA dial, achieving the perfect tightness around your foot is easier than ever. Additionally, BOA snowboard boots that feature multiple BOA fit zones provide an even higher degree of adjustability across the entire foot for a fit that would put a smile on Cinderella’s face. 

Instant Adjustments: Tightening your boots with BOA can be accomplished in just a matter of seconds without removing your gloves. Just push in to engage, turn to tighten, turn counterclockwise to loosen, and pull up for a quick release. Afterward, give a quick tug on the tongue of your boot to free those little piggies.

Longevity: Thanks to thousands of hours of product testing, we can confirm that the BOA Fit System can go the distance. Each BOA Fit System is guaranteed to perform throughout the life of every product on which it is installed.

Durability: The BOA dial, lace, and lace guides are built from high-quality materials that have been designed to hold up in extreme conditions and under rigorous use. It’s one of the main reasons that many riders on the Burton Team are confident hucking giant gaps while wearing BOA snowboard boots.

Cons of BOA Snowboard Boots

We believe that BOA snowboarding boots will overwhelmingly improve your footwear experience on the mountain, however, there are two potential downsides to consider before investing in a pair: cost and field serviceability.

Cost: If a particular snowboard boot is offered in conventional and BOA options, the BOA version will likely be more expensive. Note that the BOA Fit System is utilized across the entire range of Burton snowboard boots, so rest assured, there is a BOA snowboard boot to fit every budget.

Field Serviceability: While it’s unlikely that your BOA snowboard boots will fail while riding, it does occasionally happen. This is generally due to a direct impact of the BOA components against a solid object, like a rail or tree. If the BOA system is damaged in the field, replacing the dial or laces will likely require an indoor area, with good lighting, the correct replacement parts, and a few simple tools. The good news is that the BOA Fit System is guaranteed for the lifetime of the product in which it is integrated. So, if anything breaks, you can reach out to BOA directly. Visit BOAfit.com for immediate support, repair kits, spare parts, repair guides, and answers to frequently asked questions.

BOA & Burton: Advancing Snowboarding Gear Into the Future

Through our ongoing partnership, BOA and Burton are building the snowboarding boots of the future. We do this by integrating BOA’s performance-focused Fit System across Burton’s range of snowboard boots, letting you dial in personalized fit better than ever before. For riders, this means that whether you prefer freestyle, all mountain, or backcountry riding, you can rest assured that the fit of your footwear won’t hold you back.