I was using some Flow Domain boots/FL-11 bindings circa 2000/2001 and finally decided to upgrade. My boots were semi-comfortable, but several years of riding and size (6'2", 220 lbs) has left them with the rigidity of day old linguine. My riding is much better now - strong freerider who is moving into trees and jumps. I can do all the named runs at Mt Bachelor with ease and at occassionally excessive speed. Love the powder. The winnebago sized boards I ride will probably keep me out of the park .

I was looking for a higher performance replacement, easy to lace up, and with lots of comfort. After reading some reviews, I decided that the Fargo Boa and Burton Ion were right. The Fargo was on sale at BoardTactics and available in my size.

I took the boots home and figured out how to take them on/off. The BOA system is really cool - very easy to use and consistent in tension. The liner has some laces and a cleverly placed tab at the bottom. After fighting with them for five minutes, I finally figured out the key is to make sure the liner laces are TOTALLY loose. The BOA doesn't allow them to open up as much as regular boots, but if you know the liner trick, they are easy enough to get into. I heat molded them (clothes dryer method) and was very pleased with the results. Quality out of the box appears excellent and the materials don't feel cheap at all.

The first day out was awesome. No foot fatigue whatsoever, once I got dialed in. The flex is very progressive. No pinch points to speak of either. The boots were warm but didn't make my feet feel sweaty. The boots don't allow any hard impacts to transmit to my feet while crossing ruts or ice. This is a 1000% improvement over my old boots and I look forward to using them with my new setup (Burton P1s & Head Intelligence I.CT-167/25.9CM wide).

It is easy to over-tighten the liner and the BOA. The key is to ever so slightly snug up the liner then adjust the BOA to suit. My old Flow's hated the boots. The heel kept trying to lift and the footstrap was almost to the end of its adjustment. I have my leash attached to the nylon loop at the toe since I didn't want anything on the BOA cable.

Pricewise, I think they offer every feature of the Burton Ion for about $100 less.

Customer Service

Boardtactics was great. Fast shipping and tracking number.

Similar Products Used:

Airwalk (can't remember model), (Can't remember brand or model), and Flow Domain (4 seasons - probably 60 days total on those boots)