Snowboardboots

The Nidecker Kita APX in the test: Powerful all-mountain boot with maximum control on the piste and off-piste, made for precise and demanding riding. A boot that has at least raised my snowboarding to a new level, thanks to a feedback culture that some institutions could take a leaf out of their book.

This winter, my beetle-crushers could have come to more use during the Nordketten forest fire to help step it out than on ski toures. This lack of touring opportunity gave me enough time to get to grips with my own equipment. In doing so, I came across a few topics that had been on my mind in previous winters.

Last year there was already an article about the features of a splitboard boot compared to a normal snowboard soft boot. There are different lacing systems for both types and also combinations of the different systems. You can find out what the differences are and which system is right for you here.

In 2021, I had my first opportunity to try out the boot as part of a test for the magazine splitboarding.eu, which was only active on Instagram at the time. Although the boots were a size too big, the first few descents convinced me. It quickly became clear: I had to get a hard boot setup for the next season! You can find out how the boot ultimately fared in the long-term gear review in this test.

For snowboarders who are travelling on steeper terrain, in harder conditions or on bare ice, there is no way around the use of crampons. However, due to the nature of soft boots (wide fit & relatively soft sole), there are a few special features to bear in mind.

Some beginners may be asking themselves: Do I really need new boots in addition to a spliboard, bindings, poles and skins to start touring? The answer to this question is clear: No! But what if the boots are already a few years old and a new purchase is due anyway, is it worth buying special (soft) boots, even if normal days in the resort are on the list alongside ski tours? Here too, the answer is clear: Yes!

For years, the Salomon Malamute was (and still is) a good answer to the question of a solid, reliable freeride boot. Salomon had made a name for itself in the freeride community alongside Burton's Driver X and Deeluxe.

"ISPO is not dead, yet," I wrote last year. This is still true, but the patient is already in intensive care. More and more brands are starting to present their products outside of ISPO, which was also discussed here last year. The snowboard industry was once again a pioneer, as this trend now also seems to have arrived in the ski sector, as our ski article makes clear.

After Deeluxe, Burton or Fitwell have had specific splitboard snowboard boots on offer for some time, K2 has now also been offering a boot with a Vibram sole and rear sole edge for two years with the Aspect. There have been minor changes for this season, but they don't fundamentally change the boot. Find out how it performed in over twenty days of use on-piste, off-piste and in the touring area in our test.

Alongside classic snowboard boot manufacturers such as Deeluxe or Northwave, the Italian company Fitwell, known for its mountaineering boots, was long unknown in the snowboard sector. This changed abruptly about 4 years ago when the first pictures of a crampon-compatible snowboard boot from Fitwell made the rounds in the relevant forums.

After some manufacturers launched the big "powder shape competition" last year, this trend is now entering its second season. In addition to well-known concepts (swallowtail), the trend among many manufacturers is towards short but wide boards, as K2 demonstrated last year.

No matter whether it's a ski boot, snowboard boot, hiking boot or whatever boot, if the boot is wet on the day of use, it will be unpleasant. For this reason, even the Neanderthals are said to have made sure that only the best and driest material was used for hunting boots soled with sequoia bark. I don't know whether this is actually the case, but my own experience shows that a dry boot in the morning is much more comfortable and sometimes also warmer.