ThirtyTwo : Yota

Review:
It's been hard to figure out what to say about these ''boots''. They look like pretty nice upper-end boots when you take them out of the box, but it isn't until you pick one up and slip it onto your foot that you start to realize what Thirty Two has done with the Yota. Last year the Yota was an upper-end all-terrain boot, and while they had a cool new design and some pretty sweet features, they were still snowboard boots. This year's boot is the result of some crazy experiment where a boot got it on with a slipper. The 2003 Yota still looks like a boot, but it fits and feels like a slipper. There are no inner laces but the Yotas are flexible enough that you can tighten them just fine with the outer laces. The theory behind them seems to be that the bindings have enough support, so the boots should be soft.

Much of the outside of the boot is coated in a super flexible rubbery material that helps protect them from scuffing. The lower part of the tongue features a zip-up section to help protect the laces, and it also creates a very clean look. Once the boots are on you can run around and frolic as if you are wearing moon boots. Plus, the sole has some kind of crazy traction that practically lets you walk up walls. We had a freak rainstorm at the end of January and there was about 4-5 inches of rain frozen solid everywhere, guess which boots didn't slip at all? Yep, the Yota.

This is Thirty Two's only boot to use the level 5 intuition liner; they are warm, thin, and flexible. The Yota worked great for me in both powder and park, although I definitely did notice the softer flex. This is great for performing anything that requires tweaking, but you also definitely feel hard impacts more. So if all you do is go huge in the park, you may want to consider the Team Two or another boot with a bit more stiffness, but if you are looking for a great boot for most types of terrain, and want to really feel your board, go try a pair on in your local shop and see if they call to you.