Deeluxe Team ID Lara
| OVERALL RATING 5/5 | RETAILS FOR $330+ | SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SNOWBOARD SHOP |
Deeluxe Team ID Lara Women’s Snowboard Boots: Who Might Ride ‘Em
ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod. I didn’t think there was one, but… I have found the glass slipper of women’s snowboard boots—the Deeluxe Team ID Lara.
Gold Snow began through a non-mescaline induced vision quest to find the best women’s snowboard boots (for my prima-donna feet and ankles), and now… We’ve come upon the boot of this Cinderella story, left prince charming somewhere on the side of the road to fend for himself, and blown the hinges off the midnight curfew. And so that’s it, we can now retire.
JUST KIDDING. This Gold Snow thing has only just begun. And we’re excited for the eternal vision quest that lives inside it to continue in all manner of directions.
““...they are a superb fit for women whose riding style is more… polyamorous. Like, if you’re into exploring options while riding, these boots will let you find a little love all over the mountain.””
Peyote ceremonies, glass slippers, and mystical journeys aside, how about some insight on who might ride the Deeluxe Team ID Lara snowboard boots? While I want to say everyone, I know that’s not the case. If you examine the specs for the Deeluxe Team ID Lara, you’ll find that they are marketed as a women’s freestyle snowboard boot with a medium flex. Which means they are a superb fit for women whose riding style is more… polyamorous. Like, if you’re into exploring options while riding, these boots will let you find a little love in the park, a little love in the powder fields, a little love in the trees and all over the steeps, on groomed runs and banked slaloms (yeah, I popped my Dirksen Derby cherry this past weekend while testing out the Deeluxe Team ID Lara boots). They’ll also hold your heels tight and keep your toes seriously warm, regardless of where your pluralism takes you.
On-Snow Feel
A cinch to get in and out of, insanely comfortable, and quick to respond when you ask them to, the Deeluxe Team ID Lara snowboard boots are, ‘ow do you say, the motherfuckingshit.
Most women’s snowboard boots I ride either:
Make my feet go numb and/or show their true cold-shielding colors as soon as the temps drop—which makes my feet go numb in a different way.
Feel so painful that I have to take them off every few runs and allow my lower extremities to recoup, especially during the initial break-in period.
Serve up a masochistic combination of numbers one and two, and are way too soft or far too stiff.
None of these things is true with the Deeluxe Team ID Lara boots. Not one.
Case(s) in point. On day three of riding the Deeluxe Team ID Lara boots, air temps were reading 9 degrees F and my feet never got cold. During the first few days of riding the Team ID Lara boots (that break-in period where boots, in general, can be pretty damn stiff and not feel so great), I had zero pain, zero numbness, and, while things felt a little stiff at first, I found some ideal flex/flex retention sensations within a day and a half.
There was also a discernible level of grip while strutting around in the Deeluxe Team ID Lara boots. From hiking the briefly steepish length of the Derby course for practice runs, to shuffling icy landings at mid-mountain, to waddling the parking lot, these boots held.
What We Would Change About the Deeluxe Team ID Lara Boots
There are two alterations/additions I’d make to the Deeluxe Team ID Lara boots. When pulling them on, I kept reaching for a pull tab on the back of the boot that wasn’t there. While the tongues of the inner boot and the outer shell have loops to help pull them on/off, I’d very much like to see another one on the back of the inner boot, near the calf area. It would make getting into the boots an even smoother experience than it already is.
I’d also like the inner boot itself to be more adjustable. Deeluxe does a great job of separating the calf area and ankle area of the outer boot (similar to the lacing system of the Burton Ritual LTD) in order to make it more adjustable, but the inner boot has only one cinching lace for the entire boot. Put in a sturdy cloth tab (not a plastic cinch, as that might create a pressure point) at the ankle so that folx can more finely adjust the inner boot, and I’ll be content. I mean, I’m very content with the Deeluxe Team ID Lara boots, but add these two things (please?) and I’ll be over the fucking moon.
Why Pull on These Moonwalkers
Having narrow ankles, I’ve found quality heel hold to be one of the most elusive elements of women’s snowboard boots. Without feeling like I had to over-tighten or add risers or shims or whatever other shit one adds to snowboard boots in order to make them work, the heel hold on the Deeluxe Team ID Lara boots was apparent from day one.
““...Deeluxe accomplishes some of the best heel hold I’ve experienced to date.””
While I’m not entirely sure how Deeluxe accomplishes some of the best heel hold I’ve experienced to date (other brands try, but don’t quite seem to nail it), the Austrian brand says it has something to do with the two separate flex zones they’ve incorporated at the ankle: “One cradles the foot and calf while the other locks down the ankle and heel. Thanks to these separate zones, the boot securely anchors your heel for a refined fit that enhances energy transmission.” Their words, not mine.
Final Notes: Deeluxe Team ID Lara Women’s Snowboard Boots
Even as a newer Deeluxe women’s boot (it debuted last season), the Deeluxe Team ID Lara boots made the 2019/2020 White Lines 100 list. In fact, not only did they make the list, they took home the gold for best women’s snowboard boot of the season. Nice work, Deeluxe. Also: I wholly endorse this White Lines’ choice.
Hmmm…The Deeluxe Team ID Lara boots also come with this Skate Flex freestyle sole that is exactly what it sounds like: skate-shoe style comfort and cushioning for your fast-twitching, hard-stomping feet. I’m into it.
How to Get Down With the Women’s Deeluxe Team ID Lara Boots
The Deeluxe Team ID Lara boots are smooth like SZA’s Drew Barrymore. Which just happens to be the hawt butter in our Eat Gold Snow playlist. How nice.