Mark Faucet from Riders Lounge gets an exclusive look at Burton's all-new HighShot Pro X Step-On boot for the 2025-2026 season, featuring a groundbreaking three-BOA system and the company's first boot designed exclusively for Step-On technology.
"This is Burton's first boot designed completely for Step-On. Previous models like the Photon and ION were essentially standard strap boots with toe and heel cleats added. This is the first one built from the ground up specifically for Step-On."
The Revolutionary Three-BOA System
For 2025-2026, Burton has released two new Step-On boot lines: the Wave Range (surfy, soft-flex boot) and the HighShot (responsive, stiff flex boot). Each is available in three tiers: base, X, and XPro. The HighShot Pro X that Faucet tested features Burton's revolutionary three-BOA system, with the third dial being something completely new to snowboard boot design.
The most visually obvious feature is the completely laceless gator. It's an aesthetic departure that speaks to mountaineering boot design. But the real innovation is under the hood. The zipperless gator is two-piece: stretchier on one side for fit, with Kevlar reinforcement on the toe box to prevent edge damage. After multiple full days of riding, there's no scuff or wear, even without the traditional zipper.
"After five or six full days on these boots, there's absolutely no scuff or wear. I think they've got Kevlar in this gator which really helps prevent it from getting cut up by your edges."
The Lower Zone: Customizing the Toe Box
The third BOA dial controls what Burton calls the "lower zone"—a feature developed through direct collaboration with team riders like Mark Solers. The issue they were trying to solve wasn't boot movement in the binding (Step-On solves that), but foot movement within the boot itself.
When you initiate a heelside turn, toes often lift and wiggle inside the toe box. This lower zone brings the entire toe box down to your foot, customizing the fit of the lower boot in a way that hasn't been done before. It functionally decreases the volume of the toe box, eliminating that feeling of your foot floating inside the boot.
"The idea is to bring the toe box to your foot rather than having toes wiggling and lifting as you go into a heelside turn. This just brought everything down and customizes the fit of the lower part of the boot. Something that hasn't really been done before."
Fran Orlando, Burton's lead boot developer, emphasizes that this came from organic conversations with team riders trying to identify what kept pros from adopting Step-On more widely. The solution was this lower zone, which riders like Faucet noticed immediately as different from standard two-zone BOA systems.
The Hammock: Next-Level Heel Hold
The second defining feature is the "hammock". It's Burton's term for the third BOA zone that pulls directly on a large plastic tongue. This system pulls at two different points: up at the shin and in at the instep, creating heel hold that's unlike anything else in boot design.
"This is the monster of the three. It's pulling you up at the shin and also pulling you in at the instep. It's the most impactful feature, but there's a learning curve. You can overtighten it pretty easily."
Faucet found himself using the upper zone almost as a stiffness adjustment. With the mid and lower zones providing such good heel hold, he didn't need to crank the top BOA tight. By adjusting how close he pulled the tongue, he could control the boot's responsiveness. Tighter for more aggressive riding, looser for playful turns. Without ever feeling like his heel was coming out of the boot.
The key is that all three fit systems work directly on your foot, eliminating energy loss. Traditional boots fight against you; this boot engages with you. The learning curve is finding that sweet spot between "can't feel anything" and "cranked too tight," but when you hit it, the performance is completely different.
The Wrap Liner: No Seam Issues
The XPro model features Burton's new wrap liner. It was developed specifically because the hammock system didn't work with traditional two-eyelet liners. With a traditional liner, the hammock would wedge itself inside the liner, defeating the purpose. The wrap liner ensures the hammock always lands in the right spot to work with the liner.
Faucet was impressed that he couldn't feel the wrap seam. This is a common problem with wrap liners where you'd feel a linear pressure point right where you're pushing. Burton solved this by redesigning the wrap construction, making the seam sit higher where it doesn't interfere with the critical flex zones.
"I've had issues in the past with wrap liners where you feel that seam right along the edge, hitting you in the worst spot. With this, I felt nothing. I want that liner in all my Burton boots."
The tradeoff is the liner is slightly tighter to get into initially, but Faucet would rather struggle a bit to get in than slide in easily and feel like he has steel cables around his ankle while riding.
Gator Design: Function Meets Form
The boot's aesthetic is unmistakable. From ten yards away it looks completely laceless, especially with your pants covering the top. But the gator design isn't just for looks. The lower section uses Kevlar mesh for cut resistance from board edges, while the upper section is a 3D knit stretchable material.
The challenge was finding materials that are both durable and stretchy. Cut resistance and stretch don't usually go together. Burton needed enough stretch to make the zipperless gator work without a secondary closure, while being strong enough to handle edge contact when sitting on the lift or dealing with sled rails in the backcountry.
They arrived at a two-panel solution: Kevlar-reinforced toe section for protection, and 3D knit stretchable material for the upper. The raw rubber look cues mountaineering boots, but serves a functional purpose beyond aesthetics.
Decoupling Fit and Flex
One of Burton's goals was to "decouple fit and flex". This is something that doesn't exist in most boot design. Historically, stiffer, more responsive boots have been higher-end and fit tighter. With the HighShot Pro X, you can have a boot that rides soft or stiff while maintaining the same fit throughout.
The three zones work together to create this adjustability. For groomer riding, you might run them one way. For tight trees, you'd tighten everything down. For icy conditions on smooth groomers, you might crank the top zone but leave the lower ones looser. The boot takes on different performance profiles depending on how you lace it.
"The way I use them is I'm tweaking them for each different kind of condition. If I'm bombing smooth groomers on ice, I'll tighten this thing up. If I'm in tight trees, I'll tighten everything down. This top zone can control stiffness. If I tighten it, the boot engages faster. If I back it off, I get more playfulness without sacrificing heel hold."
Stiffness Across the Range
The HighShot comes in three versions: standard, X, and XPro. There's a decent stiffness jump from base to X, but less of a jump from X to XPro. The XPro construction actually removed material to make room for the three-BOA system and other innovations, so it's stiffer than the X but not dramatically so.
At that point, it's more feature-based: the wrap liner, the advanced gator construction, the hammock system. Those are the reasons to step up to the XPro, rather than massive increases in stiffness.
Three Years in Development
This boot took three years to develop, with multiple iterations, trial and error, and close collaboration with team riders. The result is a boot that represents a new "sandbox of tech" for Burton. Technology they'll be pulling from and refining for the next four to six years.
The wrap liner alone represents a new level of liner technology that will likely make its way into other Burton models. The three-zone BOA system, particularly the hammock concept, is revolutionary in its approach to heel hold.
Orlando notes that this project forced them out of their comfort zone and to do things differently. This is something Burton (and snowboard boot design in general) has been lacking aside from Step-On technology itself.
The Complete System
When you step onto a Step-On binding with no straps, wearing this laceless boot, the aesthetic is unbelievable. It's super clean and sleek. Like nothing else on the market. But beyond the looks, the performance characteristics are genuinely new.
This is the first Burton boot developed exclusively for Step-On from the ground up, not just an existing boot with Step-On components added. That makes it special. It's not compromised by needing to work with traditional strap bindings.
For riders considering Step-On, or for those who have been on Step-On but want the cutting edge of boot design, the HighShot Pro X represents a new category. With Step-On bindings becoming more established and this boot designed specifically for them, the system is now cohesive and optimized.
The bottom line: if you're riding Step-On or thinking about it, this boot represents three years of development focused on making it the best possible Step-On experience. The three-zone BOA system isn't a gimmick. It's genuinely new technology that changes how boots fit and perform, particularly when combined with the Step-On system.
Looking Forward
Orlando and the Burton team are already working on the 2028 model, with 2029, 2030, and 2031 in the pipeline. This boot has given them new tech and features to work with for the future, both within the Step-On ecosystem and potentially for application to other boot lines.
The combination of the hammock system for heel hold, the lower zone for toe box customization, the wrap liner technology, and the laceless gator design represents a legitimate step forward in boot design. Not just an incremental improvement on existing tech.
"We've created our own new sandbox of tech to pull from for the future. As we further refine these closures and this liner, this gives us a new menu of features to choose from for the next four to six years. It's taken us out of our comfort zone and forced us to do things differently."
For riders looking for the cutting edge of Step-On boot design, the HighShot Pro X is it. Three years of development, direct rider collaboration, and a genuine push to do something new rather than iterate on the old.
Content courtesy of our friends at The Riders Lounge
