2008 Burton Emerald

Year: 2008
Brand: Burton
Model: Emerald
Size: US 7/ EUR 37.5-38
My Setup: K2 Fling 146 2010, K2 Auto Agogo 2011

Strengths: The Emerald is a fairly comfortable and very durable mid-priced boot from the Burton range. They fit my feet very well and on the inside they are shaped to hold down your heel. The Emerald is definitely suitable for wider feet. If tightened correctly the boots haven't caused me pressure points or sour feet. They also come with insertable foam pads that keep your toes warm in very cold weather. The boot features the quick lacing tech which is considerably faster and more comfortable than traditional lacing. It proved to be durable and reliable and gives more options to tighten your shoes precisely. Anyway, I wouldn't go back to normal laces, even if I'm not wearing Burton boots. Flex wise, the Emerald is middle of the road allmountain shoe. I thought they were quite stiffer at first compared to my previous Forum Recon shoes, which felt like riding with sneakers:) The Emerald offers good support while still being fairly flexible froward when you feel like trying tricks. They have softened a bit over time, but still give me a consistent flex/support. They proved to be very durable and surprisingly in their 3rd season they still look (and smell:)))l like new right out of the box. I'd try the more recent Emeralds next year.
Weaknesses: The 2008 model feels smaller for its size, so I had to go from my usual US 6.5 to 7. If you're going to go for Burton bindings, try to fit them in S. I found my Burton Stilettos size M were too wide and had sour feet often (that changed when I got the right bindings). That said, after two seasons of heavy riding the inner boot has packed out a little, but nothing dramatic, no sour feet or heel lift, so I'll stick with the Emerald for another season.

Would you buy this again? maybe