The K2 Men’s Darko Snowboard Boots give you smooth flex and support, so you can dominate anywhere on the mountain. K2’s Intuition liner features a pull-lace for easy adjusting, and J Bars on the lateral and medial side of the ankle give you exceptional heel hold. The Darko shell’s articulating cuff lets the boot move with you when you bend so you don’t lose any energy going into your turns. A grippy Vibram sole with Harshmellow cushioning dampens vibrations and absorbs the shock from your landings.
Bottom Line: Wear the Darkos, and treat the whole mountain like a terrain park—and don’t let any giant rabbits spoil your fun.
Value: 4/5
Durability: 2/5
Style: 4/5
Flexibility: 4/5
After 15 trips to the mountain the Darko's definitely show more then a little wear and tear. On both boots the inside to the metal lace hooks is beginning to wear through the tongue. I have avoided further wear by putting a piece of duck tape over the metal and putting vaseline on the leather.
The boot does have articulated cuffs which allow the boot to flex forward with relative ease. At the same time it reduces pressure and hot spots on the top of the foot. As others have mentioned, the boot runs wide in the toe box (fits my bunions) and snug in the heel. They are very comfortable to walk around in. When I bought these, the salesperson really sold me on how soft the sole was, almost like a temperpudic bed, keep in mind when it is cold this material gets hard. The liners are removable and heat moldable. Unfortunately, the liner fabric is already coming unglued in one of the boots. Another concern for the future is the stitching on top of the toe is at a spot that get excessive wear. Again, I plan on applying ducktape on my next trip to the mountain.
Overall, I would recommend these boots for the fit and comfort. Just plan on getting one season (50+ 8 hour days) out of them.
Mahalo, Sumo
These boots are very comfortable and have great heel hold. I have last years and got this years because they are even better. The harshmellow in the soles is amazing for killing shock from rough terrain and big jumps. Not only do they perform well they also look cool.
When I put my order down on these Darko's I was stoked. A stiff, all-mountain boot, with quality features like intuition liners and Vibram soles for under 190?! After trying them on in a local shop I bought them on Dogfunk. Although they felt perfect in the shop, I found that, when riding, the toe box was much too large, even after heat molding. My heel would stay firmly in the heelcup, but the front of my foot would slop from side to side in the boot causing some pretty ugly foot pain. The other reviewer's were not lying when they said you should have chicken legs/feet to rock these. Although I am stoked on the materials/technology in this boot, I definitely wouldn't recommend them to anyone who can't accommodate this unusually large toe box.
