ThirtyTwo : Prospect

Review:
Five stars for these boots- they ride awesome. Most boarders will agree that if your feet are happy, you're a happy rider; and if you're a happy rider, life is better for everyone. While wearing these boots, my feet have stayed incredibly comfortable, warm, and dry. I'm impressed with the support these Thirty Two's provide; I've had boots that don't provide the support necessary to control the board the way I want, which forces my feet and legs to compensate by tensing up.

The Prospect uses Thirty Two's Level 2 Advanced liner which provide the custom fit necessary for the most comfortable riding experience. The support is also achieved through an inner lace up system and a Velcro strap that wraps around the inner bootie at your lower calf to secure the snug fit. On the outer boot, there are little grips to keep the laces in place as you tighten them up. Getting my boots to the perfect snug factor, where the boots are tight but I still have blood circulating to keep my feet warm, has always been hard for me, but the lacing system in the Prospects alleviates this problem.

The boots also look great, and all aspects considered, it is a great boot to own.

Review:
Thirty Two's Prospect is a solid all-terrain boot. It's not like you really expect anything else from the king of boot-makers, but I'm constantly amazed at how they manage to keep their boot prices reasonable while providing such great comfort and performance.

For '04 Thirty Two has managed to shave the sizes down, once again, meaning your same boot-size will have a smaller footprint. The Prospect uses a bunch of materials and features that were perfected in the top-end boots from '03, so you can expect it to perform like a winner, even though it isn't their most expensive boot. Air-suspension is the only thing that Thirty Two cut from the Prospect to keep the price down, but the foam sole still provides a good bit of compression dampening.

In my testing the Prospect faired equally well in the park and in the backcountry. It's lightweight, but still sturdy, and it's stiff in all the right places, providing support where you need it. The lacing system works well, it is super easy to tighten laces, and thanks to the lace pinchers on the last set of eyelets, you don't lose any tension while you're trying the tie the knot.