Alpine snowboard boots are made of a hard plastic shell and a liner. Alpine snowboard boots are usually called hardboots. They differ from ski boots in more fore-aft ankle flexibility and in that the soles are beveled to avoid dragging in the snow during deep carves. Some people are turned off by snowboarding in hardboots because they assume the boots are uncomfortable, or not as warm as regular snowboard boots. Because of the design differences between ski boots and hard-shell snowboard boots - softer plastic, more fore-aft flex, and the more widespread use of heat moldable liners for hardshell snowboard boots - hardboots are often just as, if not more, comfortable than most softboots because they offer more support and do not use strap bindings which tend to put pressure on the top of people's feet when strapped in tight for more edge control.
