Burton Mint Snowboard Boot

The Burton Mint snowboard boot is one of the best-selling women’s snowboard boots on the market. In fact, for the last six years, Burton claims it has outsold every other women’s boot available. While popularity shouldn’t really factor into your decision to buy a boot, there are usually good reasons behind a boot’s popularity that you should make sure you don’t overlook. That’s not to say that because everyone else likes it you will as well, but the Mint does strive to be as versatile as possible.

Comfort

It feels like Burton tried harder than anything else to make the Mint the most comfortable boot you can buy. This is one big reason for its popularity, since a lot of people looking to buy an entry-level boot are mostly concerned with how the boot feels after being worn for several hours. The Mint uses Burton’s new tongue technology that keeps pressure from building up across the seams of the liner and outer shell. The Mint also comes with plenty of padding. But there is a dark side to all this comfort. More padding means more pack out and typically means the boot is not going to be as responsive. It also means that this boot will run small, sometimes very small.

Function

Comfort on the mountain is just as important as function, so you should never have to sacrifice one for the other. The Mint’s extra padding can lead to some performance problems when it comes to issues like heel lift. Since the padding doesn’t transfer energy very well, it can lead to sluggish response and lots of movement between the liner and the shell. Since the Mint is a low-flex boot essentially made for the park, it isn’t a tremendous problem. The Mint is also a lower-cost boot, which means it won’t come with all the nice features of some of Burton’s higher-end boots. The main thing this boot is lacking is a great lacing system. The Speed Zone Express system it uses makes it no better at customizing your fit than a traditional lacing system. However, it is much easier to tighten up and it stays in place as well as you could expect. The outer shell also comes with a nice dual tread system that gives you soft rubber spikes for sticking to snow and some stiffer ones for hanging on to ice.

Conclusion

The boot comes with just about everything you would expect from an entry-level park boot. It’s soft and comfortable, easy to use and durable. The price is just about right for what you get from this boot. There are a few issues with the fit because of all the extra padding, but heat-moldable liners help alleviate a bit of the problem. While it won’t out-perform the higher-end boots, it will definitely give you lots of great riding time without breaking the bank.