How to Measure Sizes for Snowboard Boots

For amateurs and professionals alike, a proper pair of snowboarding boots is essential. A good-fitting pair of snowboarding boots should wear snugly around your feet and should not have any heel lift when you bend at the knees. That is, your heel should remain securely rooted on the ground. The difference between the right and wrong size of boot can be the difference between a safe, fun run and a twisted ankle.

Things You'll Need

  • Pencil or Pen
  • Ruler or Tape Measure
  • Socks
  • Paper
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Instructions

  1. Measuring Your Foot

    • 1

      Set up a chair in a room with a flat, smooth floor, and sit down in it.

    • 2

      Place a blank sheet of paper on the floor, and then move it beneath one foot. You should be wearing your snowboarding socks.

    • 3

      Carefully trace the outline of your foot onto the paper with pencil or pen.

    • 4

      Remove your foot and take a ruler or tape measure to the outline, measuring it from the heel to the longest toe.

    • 5

      Record the length of your foot in inches.

    Calculating Your Shoe Size

    • 6

      For men in the U.S.: A size 2 shoe size starts at 8 inches. For every 1/6 inch beyond this starting point, the shoe size increases by 0.5. So if your foot measurement is 10.5 inches, your shoe size would be a size 9.5.

    • 7

      For women in the U.S.: A size 3.5 begins at 8 inches, and increases by 0.5 at the same rate.

    • 8

      In the U.K.: A size 1.5 boot starts at 8 inches, and increases at a rate of 0.5, as above, for every 1/6 inch.

    • 9

      If your boot is sized in "Mondo": This means it's asking for your foot's length in centimeters. You can either remeasure your foot in centimeters to find out its Mondo size, or find it mathematically by converting inches to centimeters at a rate of 1/6 inches to 0.423 centimeters. If your foot is 9 5/6 inches long, your Mondo size would be 25, rounding up from 24.95.

    Finding Your Boots

    • 10

      Visit your preferred sports retailer, and try on boots in the size you calculated. The ideal boot should feel snug, almost tight. It will stretch out with use, and a too-large boot is worse than a too-small one.

    • 11

      Walk around for a few minutes in any of the boots you're interested in buying, to ensure they fit well and are comfortable.

    • 12

      Purchase the boots that fit best, and wear them for a few days to break them in.