Having a snowboard boot that fits comfortably and rides well is more than important, it’s essential. Having a boot that looks pretty fly is an added bonus but not always an option. Any true snowboarder has had those rough days breaking in boots; the pain in your toes and heels is so intense that strapping on a board and suffering through a few turns is torture.

With the new boot collection from New Balance and 686, all of this pain is eliminated. The break-in process is smooth and your boots will feel like a well worn pair of sneakers in no time. Now in its fourth season, the 12-13 line-up is the lightest and most complete collection to date. Combining New Balance’s world-renowned reputation for superior footwear and 686’s long technical apparel history and loyalty to the core snowboarding market, the boots are made with premium fabrications and materials, minimalist design aesthetics and have an incredible sneaker-like fit. Throw in extras like the RECCO avalanche system, BOA focus lacing system and a 3-zone SCL speedlacing system and you have three amazing styles to choose from to fit your riding needs.

See the full line here: 686.com/store/categories/Men%27s/Boots-%E2%80%93-Shoes/

Michael Akira West, president and creative director at 686, and Michael “Michi” Bretz, the NB686 boot designer, answer a few of your questions about the boots below:

What’s new with the NB686 Collection for Winter 2012-2013?
Mike: The biggest adjustment we made for the fourth season is to offer a more performance story, which better reflects what New Balance is all about, as well as what’s happening in snowboarding. Lightweight, low profile, and less is more are the main points we wanted to get across. The most successful story that New Balance® currently has is their Minimus Collection, which is inspired from barefoot running. We worked with their mad scientists in Boston and utilized a similar story in shredding.

Michael B: We got a chance to work with the New Balance® product development team that works on all the running and performance styles and their sports lab. I was even able to loot their materials library and got a lot of ideas for materials, fit, and construction.

What’s your design approach to the special project?
Mike: In the past, we worked with the New Balance® lifestyle group to do throwback vintage pieces and made it applicable for snowboarding. We made a shift to their performance and running group where they’re more into technologies that really enhance the user experience instead of just look good. From there, we came in and brought our textile background and worked with our team of testers and riders to make it legit in our world.

Michael B: We took some extra time to develop the ‘12-‘13 boots. We started developing custom materials first and once we had those created, we designed the new models specifically with the properties of those materials in mind. I wanted to transfer the great fit that New Balance® is known for to snowboard boots, so the approach for this season was to work inside out.

How are riders responding to the new collection?
Mike: Insane! They love the out of the box feeling, the new low pro liners and overall steeze factor.

Michael B: It’s really hard to do serious development work with them right now. They simply refuse to hand back their test boots after riding which I guess is a good sign…