Professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones shares his boot setup secrets from years of riding: techniques to break in new boots faster, proper lacing methods for maximum performance, and why you should never start with both a new liner and new shell at the same time.
"I call it creasing them. I'll torque on the boot and get all this stuff bending, getting creases in here that instantly break in the boot. Then I'll torque it this way too. I'll take an old liner into a new shell, or a new liner into an old shell. Never new-new it."
The Art of Breaking In New Boots
Jones's first tip for new snowboard boots is what he calls "creasing them": manually flexing the boot aggressively to create those key crease points before you ever hit the hill. He'll torque the boot laterally and forward, working all the flex zones to accelerate the break-in process.
The idea is to create those initial flex points that would normally develop over dozens of days of riding. By doing it manually first, you're essentially doing a quick cold break-in so you can get straight to comfortable riding instead of fighting stiff materials.
The New-New Rule: Never Start Fresh
Jones has a strict rule: never go new liner and new shell at the same time. Here's why: his boots last over 200 days of riding, and when transitioning to new gear, he's careful about how he introduces it.
One approach is taking an old, broken-in liner into a new shell. This lets the shell break in naturally while maintaining the comfort of a liner you already know works. Alternatively, he'll take a new liner into a boot shell that's already broken in.
"When I'm going into a new boot, I never go new liner, new shell. I'll take an old liner into a new shell and kind of get the shell going. Eventually, 20-30 days in, I'll combine the two, and that setup I'll have for a long time."
After 20-30 days of riding with this hybrid setup, when both components have adapted to each other, he'll make the permanent combination. This is the setup he'll stick with for the long haul.
Lacing Technique: Tight Low, Loose High
Jones's lacing strategy is very specific and directly tied to how he wants the boot to perform. On his stiff boot, he laces extremely tight through the lower zones: foot and ankle. But he leaves the upper ankle and shin area deliberately loose.
The power strap stays engaged (it's there), but the actual lacing above the ankle gets minimal tension. He can fit two fingers between his shin and the tongue of the boot, which seems excessive until you understand his philosophy.
"I like it really tight up into here. But above the ankle where my ankle is really secure, I actually like it really loose. Lots of support, but loosey-goosey up top. You're driving a lot with your feet and having that mobility to move around."
The tightness in the lower zones ensures the foot doesn't move around, giving him direct input to the board. The looseness in the upper zones gives him the mobility to tweak grabs, adjust stance on the fly, and move fluidly without the boot forcing him into one rigid position.
This setup gives him the best of both worlds: precision and power through the lower boot, with freedom of movement through the cuff. It's a technique that only works if you have the ankle strength and board control to drive through your feet without needing the boot cuff to carry you.
Reading Boot Longevity
Jones has learned to read when a boot is truly done versus when it's just broken in. His 200+ day boots showed him that quality boots built for all-mountain and big terrain riding are incredibly durable when you take care of them properly.
If a boot feels perfect right out of the box: no stiffness, no break-in needed, Jones considers that a warning sign. That boot won't last. It's likely a 20-30 day boot that will quickly lose its structure and support.
"A boot that feels good right out of the box? To me, that's a 20 to 30 day boot. The boot that's going to last needs to have some structure that breaks in."
The boot that requires some break-in has the structure to hold up for the long haul. The initial stiffness tells you it has the support to last through hundreds of days, whereas a boot that's immediately soft out of the box likely won't maintain its shape.
Pro Tips for Boot Longevity
Jones's approach emphasizes building a boot setup over time rather than expecting instant perfection. The creasing technique gets you past the worst part of break-in quickly. The new-new avoidance ensures you always have at least one component you can trust.
The lacing technique teaches you to drive with your feet and use ankle mobility rather than relying on the boot to do all the work. This reduces wear on the boot while giving you better board feel and more versatile riding.
For riders looking to get more days out of their boots and better performance on the mountain, Jones's techniques offer a proven system that's worked for one of snowboarding's most demanding riders. From splitboard expeditions to big mountain descents, this setup handles it all while lasting hundreds of days.
Whether you're on Jones boots specifically or any high-performance snowboard boot, these principles apply. Focus on the break-in process, avoid the new-new trap, and dial your lacing for the performance you want.
