Burton: Women's Q Snowboard Boot

Stop prying your feet into those guy's performance snowboard boots. In season's past expert women looking for a stiff boot usually found that the stiffest stuff came from the men's side of the boot aisle. That's not the case with the new Burton Q. Where other Burton women's boots top on the 1 to 10 stiffness scale at a solid "six" the Q hits an uber-dense "eight." Just keep in mind that stiff boots don't have to be uncomfortable boots--the Q was made to fit and support female feet better than most of the designs out there. It offers almost all the same fit features (and an identical lining) found on the top-of-the-line Supreme, but it's more supportive for hardcore riders. This season Burton enhanced the Q's fit with a new Imprint 3 Liner with True Fit construction. The new Imprint 3 Liner offers Power Panel 2.0 technology and has customizable refinements like the J-Bar adjustable heel hold system and the Outlast Adaptive Comfort technology. The Power Panels inside the new liner contain memory foam materials that snap back to their original positions far better than the traditional boot materials that typically "pack in" after a season of hard use. That Outlast technology in the liner is a thermal phase-changing material that helps absorb excess heat while you're hiking up backcountry ridges and releases the thermal warmth as your feet chill during long rides down the fall line. The result is a more consistent insulation performance that you can count on throughout the day. Burton's True Fit construction is a female-specific design element that's found on all of their snowboard boots this season. Every part of the Imprint liner, shell, cuff, heel counter, tongue and even the lace guides are specifically designed to fit female feet. There are no unisex shortcuts on Burton women's snowboard boots. Ever. Another new refinement is a lighter EVA outsole made with internal B3 Gel cushioning, so while the Q offers just the right amount of firm support around the upper and cuff, there's still plenty of cushion when you come down hard after a big jump.

• Burton "support" rating: 8 on a scale of 1 to 10
• New redesigned Imprint 3 Liner with Power Panel 2.0 technology, adjustable heel hold feature with removable J Bars and an Aegis™ antimicrobial coating
• Female-specific Burton ergonomic True Fit design refinements throughout boot
• Articulated cuff with Power Spine 1.0 backstay for moderate support
• Burton Speed Zone lacing system for true zonal lacing control and support where you need it
• Warm Thin Profile 3D molded tongue and Power Spine 1.0 backstay
• New lighter EVA outsole with Dual Zone B3 gel cushioning