Boa tightened boots suck. Like they are good if you're not strong enough to tie your own boots, great for people just getting into the sport. But they just don't stay tight through the day. I also don't think they last if you put more than 25 days in a season.
Ice coast wisdom: Ski it till it's good. Don't let conditions get in the way of having fun on the mountain.
Boa, haha :) My take on them is just get a pair of rather stiff boots (I ride Insanos) and you will be fine; I rather need to loosen them a bit when my feet get cold. Stll not fully over the fear though of them breaking in the backcountry, but so far they kept up (and with some spare laces in the backpack for peace of mind)
I've got a pair ride fuse for the front country and k2 aspect for the back country. They both use boa for tightening the liner, which I don't hate. Can the insano take crampons? I'm not a huge fan of the aspect
I never went anywhere where I would have needed some, so i can't really tell but reading in some other threads it should not be problematic to put them on snowboard boots as well.
Interesting. Largely by accident I landed on some very stiff 32 boots, dual zone boa, like the insanos, just before I got into touring. They have served me very well. I guess I would use a ski strap around my boot if the boa failed.
Finding full zip pants that fit over snowboard boots was a problem I only recently solved.
I've taught snowboarding for like 12 years? The best advice it to get an understanding your fear. At some point along the line, my fear response has turned into an adrenaline response. So when I learned how to mountain bike this year, after a couple of falls I really started to make progress. The more fear becomes excitement, the faster you're going to learn. That being said, you want your fear to meet up with the actual danger of the situation, not exceed it, that's how you die in an avalanche. Confidence also fits in there too.
When I was training instructors last year, the clinic that seemed to help them out the most was when I filmed them riding. Get a friend to take videos of you, you'll try your hardest, and you'll be able to see where you need improvement (if you're following along with YouTube tutorials.)
I have 32 boa boots with two boas per boot. Had them for at least 5 seasons now, 20-30 days a season. I use them for touring and resort. I'm generally really impressed with the boa system. I don't have boots designed for touring so I like that the boa allows me to loosen the boots quickly for uphill and tighten them quickly for downhill.
All that to say, today when I pulled on the boa to loosen it, the fabric tore and the boa is now just held on by the cables. It still works but I need two hands to operate it. I may try some shoe goo because otherwise the boots seem to be going strong.
That's incredible that they lasted that long! I think teaching does something to boots that just destroys them. I wish I got 32 pro deals, they're expensive but I like them more than Burton boots