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Riding Level Intermediate - Expert
Lacing Type Double BOA
Manufactured in
Flex Retention Good
Shock Absorption Great
Traction Great
On & Off Ease Great
Warmth Good
Flex Medium
Turn Initiation Medium
Sizing True To Size
Boot Width Medium/Wide
Comfort Poor
Heel Hold Excellent
Adjustability Average
Reduced Footprint Good

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DC Judge 2016 - 2011 Review by The Good Ride

The DC Judge has evolved from a single BOA to a Double BOA over the years and might be one of the most popular BOA boots out there.   They are known for being a Double BOA boot that has excellent heel hold as well as complete separation when it comes to upper and lower BOA lacing.  Most don’t.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  No one is perfect and we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links below, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

The back panel of the liner has what looks like well, let us just say two very grippy bumps that seem to wrap around your Achilles tendon and trap your ankle from rising.  Some might even complain that it is too hard on the Achilles until they are broken in.  It can make for a ride that isn’t as comfortable as some boots out there right out of the gate.  Still, the DC Judge is one of the better BOA Boots out there when it’s broken in. The upgrade to the 2012 BOA system is well thought out and now on par with their top of the line DC Status which makes for much better upper and lower adjustment.  Both the upper and lower are completely separate now when it comes to adjusting so it’s almost like a Speed Lace boot. This is great and the 2013 has this as well.  Also, the new lacing system has fewer pressure points making this one of the better mid flexing double boa boots out there.  So spend the money on the 2012 or 2013 boot if better adjustability and comfort is important to you. To us the 2013 felt more comfortable out of the box but that might of just been a problem in our heads with the 2012. The 2014 isn’t that much different from the 2013 model except it has better ventilation and an all around better feel.

 
DC Judge Specs

 
DC Judge Images

We try to get as many images of the DC Judge, but forgive us if they're not all there.

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2012

2011

2010

DC Judge User Reviews

DC Judge Review And Buying Advice SKU UPC Model

Broke in 6 Days

Feb 10, 2017 by Drew Skelton
Ability Level: Drew • 
Riding Style: Backcountry, park, trees • 
Days You Ride A Year: 100 

Broke in backcountry riding after only using 6 times. The boa housing and boa broke. Small plastic pieces that hold the boa to the boot. DC would not warranty, and the boa does not cover the housing the boa dial sits in. Lots of money right down the drain.


short life

Jul 16, 2016 by Gav
Ability Level: Pretty solid when drunk • 
Riding Style: Professional face slide • 
Days You Ride A Year: More than my mates • 
Height, Weight And Boot Size (for Boards, Boots & Bindings): 6', 190 pounds, size 12 

More a 2.5 stars than a 3 really.
I had the 2013 model of these and put about 100 days on them. I really should have replaced them after about 50.
Straight out the box they were killer, even more responsive than I was expecting and I was over correcting pretty hard for the first day. They stayed sweet for a few weeks but softened up pretty quickly. Mine didn't really pack out heaps and I was able to tighten up properly until the end, but they would flatten out around your foot as you flexed them.
The build was pretty good as they only started to fall apart right at the end, the colored sections of the soles needed gluing and some smaller bits of stitching started to break. The quality control might be a bit off though, the two boots have some minor shape differences between them.
Grip was probably about normal for this type of sole. Nothing great but a little better than the soft molded soles like on 32 boots.
I put probably a dozen days of decent backcountry hiking on these so that probably shortens the life a bit, but I still think they are worse than most boots.
I'm a mid wide size 12 and these fit perfectly. they were always comfortable to ride in and to walk/hike in too.
They turn up cheap quite often and the new models might hold flex longer so I nearly bought again but went for the Ride Lasso instead. If you only ride a few weeks a year these are probably a good choice.


Poor quality

Mar 27, 2016 by D
Ability Level: Intermediate • 
Riding Style: All mountain • 
Days You Ride A Year: 20 

Poor quality- the Boa laces tore through the boot material after less than 20 days


2.7 5.0 11 11 Broke in backcountry riding after only using 6 times. The boa housing and boa broke. Small plastic pieces that hold the boa to the boot. DC would not warranty, and the boa does no DC Judge Review And Buying Advice

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