Sole Active Thick Snowboard Insole Review

A Breakdown Of Sole Active Thick Insole for Snowboarders Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
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How The Sole Active Thick Was Tested

I rode these for a few days on their own and then put them into a comparison against the Sole Performance Wide Medium, my daily driver, the Footprint Orthotic Elite Insole, the Remind Cush Impact, the Remind Remedy, a super expensive high-end custom molded insole, and of course, the factory insole in my Nitro Team TLS.

I started the day with the factory insoles, then kept switching between the Sole Active Thick, the Reminds, and finished the day on my daily driver just to see how they all compared under similar conditions. I rode the same runs on the same board with the same Union Force bindings. It was a really fun test.

The board, by the way, was the Nidecker Megalight.

I borrowed the Sole Active Thick Insole for an extended demo and would have sent it back if it weren’t for sanitary reasons.
Size: 9 Medium Arch
Days: 3
Conditions: Some varied spring like conditions and firm but fun. 
Riders: James (Size 9 E, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 850+ boards, 200+ bindings, and 120+ boots
Insoles: F.I.T. Gamechangers
Redundancy: Strapins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse Jacket, Jones Mtn Surf Anorak
Pant: Skyline Fase 3L Bib Pant, Skyline Faze Pant, Jones Mountain Surf Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag Low Bridge Fit
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove

Boots

Nitro Team BOA, Nitro Team TLS, Nidecker Rift Pro, Bataleon Salsa BOA, Ride Torrent, Ride Fuse, Ride Deadbolt, Burton Ion, Burton Photon Step On, Burton Ion Step On, Nitro Profile Step On, Vans Infuse

Bindings:

Union Force, Union Atlas Step On

Boards:

Nidecker Megalight 2026 or later, Capita Black Snowboard Of Death, Yes Greats

James’ Foot Specs

Foot Size: 9 US
Foot Width: E
Arch Length: Right & Left 9.5
Instep: (Left and Right) 10.5”

Ethics Statement

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Sizing

When it comes to sizing, these are one size apart, not a half size apart like Remind and Footprint. These come in sizes like 9, 10, etc., so if you’re a 9.5, buy a 10 and cut it down.

I bought a size 9 and had to trim it. It’s not the easiest insole to cut, even with sharp scissors, but it’s doable. I found that Remind was a little more difficult because of all the different layers. The easiest for me to trim was Footprint Insole Technology because the foam cuts much more easily.

Arch Support

This is heat-moldable, so you can throw it in an oven to match your arch. It’ll settle down a little bit once molded.

Thickness

When it comes to thickness, this is their thickest insole, but it’s still very thin in comparison to more skate- and snowboard-influenced insoles like Remind and Footprint.

It looks like it’s just a little shy of five millimeters in the heel and tapers down to about three millimeters near the toe. There is a more rigid plastic, especially through the arch area, but it continues throughout the rest of the foot. Between the top layer and that plastic is a blue material that’s noticeably softer.

Shock Absorption

What Sole talks about and markets heavily is pressing the heel of your foot into this cup, allowing the skin and tissue around your heel to act as the primary shock absorber.

For me, after doing this same-day comparison, these were the second least shock-absorbent insoles I tested, only ahead of the Sole Performance Wide.

When it comes to really high-speed sports where you’re often traveling as fast as a car, your body just isn’t made for that. That’s why I like boots like the Nitro Team that have an airbag, lots of dampening, and shock absorption well beyond your body’s natural capability.

Vs. FP Insoles and Remind

That’s also why I like insoles like the Footprint Kingfoam Orthotic Elite, the Footprint Game Changers, and even the Remind Cush. They all provide significantly more shock absorption. They’re still cupping your heel to position the skin and tissue underneath those bones, especially with the FluidX and many of Footprint’s newer insoles, but on top of that, they’re using technology that dramatically improves shock absorption.

That doesn’t just help on hard landings. It also reduces chatter and dampens vibration in a way these simply didn’t. I actually felt the factory insole had better shock absorption than these.

While the Sole Active Thick did offer better arch support and slightly improved edge-to-edge response, that was really all it did for me.

Footprint and Remind both gave me those same benefits while also providing noticeably more shock absorption, dampness, and chatter absorption. Footprint is still my number one choice, followed by Remind. Both are significantly better than the factory insole.

Even my custom Sand Sole orthotic, which is extremely expensive, offered about the same shock absorption as the factory insole but with a much better custom fit. My feet never move inside that insole, whereas I experienced some movement with all the other options.

Final Thoughts

For snowboarding, I just don’t think these are there yet. I don’t subscribe to the idea that simply getting the skin and fatty tissue in your heel into this cup is the cure-all. It’s just not for me personally, and I don’t think these are good snowboard insoles.

They’re made for other things.

I really do like Sole’s shoes, though. That’s not something I review on The Good Ride, but they have excellent shock absorption, conform to my foot really well, and have a nice soft cork top insole. I wish they would take something like that midsole and apply it to these insoles to improve shock absorption.

Their casual shoes are amazing and breathe really well. As it stands, though, there are only two brands that I think are really paying attention to what snowboarders need in an insole: Footprint Insole Technology, my number one choice, and Remind.

So if you’re looking specifically for snowboard insoles, these probably aren’t it.