tldr; Stiff freeride boot with BOA. Mixed reviews - some love the support, others find it too stiff and uncomfortable. BOA system can be finicky.
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Best praise vs top criticism for Burton Photon BOA
“Hello, fellow older rider. I'll fight to the death for my Photons and StepOns. The Photons are more comfortable than my regular winter boots. Best part? Abswnt Lower back pain at days end. Best piece of kit I've ever bought. Never going back to straps. Durable as all hell too. I've eaten a couple falls that should have destroyed something. Nope. All good.”
“I'm not concerned about the durability, but from my experience with boa snowboard boots when I was a snowboard kid they sucked. I had $450 Burton photon boas and I had to retighten the boa every few runs. With a hardshell ski boot, no thanks. I'd like to think buckles are much better.”
418 Reddit opinions analyzed • Last updated 4/4/2026