Where can I demo hardboot all-mountain setups?

[aeonneo376]

I'm interested in trying hardbooting. I've tried the carving setup at a Pure Boarding camp before, but found the binding angles at the time to be quite uncomfortable. 

I ride quite low binding angles and would like a boot with forward lean, but don't know how to go about looking for boots without needing modifications and/or without spending a ton of money just to find that it doesn't fit well (I have wide feet). 

I've reached out to Phantom and the company behind Disruptive, but curious about any other companies that may partner with local retailers for demo days. I'm in SLC right now but will be in Tahoe later. 

[Eastsiiiide]

Why do you want to try hardboots?  I think this will help shape the answers you get and their relevance.  

The advantages of hard boots are intertwined with things like higher binding angles and stiffer, narrower boards, but not limited to them.  I saw a guy in the lift line recently with hard boots mounted on a short, surfy 'softboot' board, and he said, "They're just more comfortable!  And softboots wear out too fast!"  Phantom and Disruptive boots were born out of splitboarding AFAIK.  Is this the source of your interest, or you just want to be able to carve at a new level, or pure curiosity to check out a new aspect of the sport, or...?

[Neil Gendzwill]

I’ll save you some time: if you have wide feet, like EEE kind of wide, then hard boots will require some work to make comfortable so a demo won’t help you much. You’ll likely need to punch out the shell, get some footbeds and heat mold the liners. 

[aeonneo376]

I want to try for a few reasons:

1. I keep getting the stiffest softboots I can find, but they go soft incredibly quickly (20-30 days), so some of it is simply to save money (haha)

2. I'd really like better edge control for carving, but am curious how far I can push this -- ex: can I expand hardboot usage to all mountain riding/drops as well? 

[lamby]

I can't think of anywhere in N. America where you can demo hard boots. Prior in Whistler used to demo boards, and may still do so, but I am not aware of anywhere that hard boots can be demo'd. Phantom had some demo-days of their Slippers some seasons ago. They may still be doing demo days, but I have not seen anything advertised on their site.

I started snowboarding in 1995 using softboots. Loved it, but saw a guy riding around on a hardboot setup and it looked so fun - I wanted to give it a try. On my soft set-up, I was continually cranking down on my three-strap bindings, trying to keep my heels locked down into my boot's on toe turns. Having those straps so tight hurt my feet.

Back in the day, a local Sun Valley ski shop (Ski Tek) used to rent F2 "carving" snowboards, and i think it was The Board Bin that had some Burton hardboots available as rentals. I rented a board and hardboots. Spent a Saturday at Soldier Ski Area and I was hooked on hardboots going forward. One thing I really liked was how comfortable the hardboots were. No more sore feet from over cranking down on my strap bindings. And the control was incredible. Small moves of the foot translated into instant input tothe board edges. Wow! Hardboots got even more comfortable once I had my own and upgraded them with intuition liners and custom footbeds. The crew at Ski Tek remains my go-to shop for all things boot fitting.

I really like riding a hardboot setup, both at resorts and as a backcountry splitboard setup. I'm an old **** now, and am not hucking cliffs, but I think you will find that hardboots to be great all mountain tools. How to get a taste of them prior to kicking in bucks for a purchased pair - that's something I wish people had more options to explore.

[Cthulhufish]

On 3/2/2023 at 11:01 AM, aeonneo376 said:

I want to try for a few reasons:

1. I keep getting the stiffest softboots I can find, but they go soft incredibly quickly (20-30 days), so some of it is simply to save money (haha)

2. I'd really like better edge control for carving, but am curious how far I can push this -- ex: can I expand hardboot usage to all mountain riding/drops as well? 

Depending on the exact setup, ski touring boots and plate bindings can give you better edge control than any soft boot setup and better shock absorption at the same time. Sounds like you'd enjoy that sort of setup. In my opinion, ski touring boots can have a ride feel closer to stiff softboots than to alpine snowboard boots. Also, they're more comfy to walk in than stiff softboots! Which shouldn't be a deciding factor (I do willingly subject myself to alpine boots), but it is a nice plus.

I think binding availability is a bit of an issue. I like the way Phantom M6s ride, but they don't seem very durable. They are for splitboarding not resort riding after all. I haven't tried one of the puck mounted splitboard bindings on a solid board. There's also SG's plate binding, which can be ordered with a heel bail for ski touring boots. They're really expensive though. And I have yet to try plate bindings that aren't in some way obnoxious to adjust.

As for saving money... It might not work out that way. Hardboot snowboarding gear tends to be more expensive. And while the shells might last a while, you're more likely to need boot work than with softboots, the liners will still wear out and need replacing, and the shells might not actually last that long. Ski touring shells weren't designed for snowboarding, and it seems not uncommon for the shells to develop cracks due to the extra forward lean and flexing snowboarders tend to subject them to.

[barryj]

On 2/16/2023 at 7:46 PM, aeonneo376 said:

any other companies "Where can I demo hardboot all-mountain setups?"

Ha!   Try Europe!      .................unless you go to some US carving events like MCC or Swoard EC Events in Canada.....that is it!

Buy used here and/or borrow is how alot of us started. 

Edited April 3, 2023 by barryj