Snow Board Bindings

Hey guys..

i was wondering if anyone had some intel on what were the best bindings
to buy overall and also what were the best coming out this year.

i am heading to whistler for the season, so would like to get some good
all round bindings. I generally like to stick with the powder as much
as possible.

Some that look good are the Burton p1's...

anyway, any comments appreciated..

Cheers
J

Jeremy Holt wrote:
Hey guys..

i was wondering if anyone had some intel on what were the best bindings
to buy overall and also what were the best coming out this year.

Bomber TD2 step-ins. But maybe you're looking for some inefficient
softie bindings, in which case it really depends on what you want to do.
More details about your riding style would help the softie gurus.

Neil

Neil Gendzwill wrote:
Jeremy Holt wrote:

Hey guys..

i was wondering if anyone had some intel on what were the best bindings
to buy overall and also what were the best coming out this year.


Bomber TD2 step-ins. But maybe you're looking for some inefficient
softie bindings, in which case it really depends on what you want to do.
More details about your riding style would help the softie gurus.

Neil


SARCASM
Yeah, those stiffer boots certainly performed at the Olympic boarder
cross. Just about as well as they perform at our regional events.
/SARCASM

In my families collection we have:

Nitro MiniPro's
Ride LS (Child)
Arcane Step-in's
Drake F-50 Lady
Burton Mission's Dark
Salomon SPX Pro
Ride Tomcat
TechNine Ali Goulet
SnowPro SP's

Bindings with the most use:
TechNine Ali Goulet
Arcane Step-in's
Salomon SPX Pro
Drake F-50 Lady
Ride LS (Child)

Service History:
Drake F-50 Lady - Lost/replaced screw from ankle strap
Burton Mission's Dark - Snapped ankle strap, lost flad
TechNine Ali Goulet - Ladders and ratchets need replaced yearly.
Lost screw attaching ankle strap
SnowPro - Replace ladders yearly. They are way soft.

Observations:
The build quality on the Rides are exceptional, but are stiff and heavy.
My son loves the Salomon's feel and uses them for general riding and
goofing off. Tough, light, nice.
TechNine was O.k. because of their warranty, but the company is becoming
more difficult to deal with.
SnowPro's are difficult to adjust (Million hole plate with none of the
holes in the right spot) and have soft ladders which get ripped up.


Just picked up some Nitro Raiden's and will let the group know latter.

Christopher Cox wrote:

SARCASM
Yeah, those stiffer boots certainly performed at the Olympic boarder
cross. Just about as well as they perform at our regional events.
/SARCASM

Jasey-jay Anderson, #1 sbx in the world cup last year on hardboots, #2
the previous year. Didn't have a great olympics, it's true (5th, I think?)

Anyways, both systems can work OK in sbx, depending on the course.

Neil

Neil Gendzwill wrote:
Christopher Cox wrote:


SARCASM
Yeah, those stiffer boots certainly performed at the Olympic boarder
cross. Just about as well as they perform at our regional events.
/SARCASM


Jasey-jay Anderson, #1 sbx in the world cup last year on hardboots, #2
the previous year. Didn't have a great olympics, it's true (5th, I think?)

Anyways, both systems can work OK in sbx, depending on the course.

Neil

And the rider.
A riders talent with a said system seems to be the overwhelming factor
in determing how well they do.

As it should be...:-)

Later!

Christopher Cox wrote:
Neil Gendzwill wrote:

Anyways, both systems can work OK in sbx, depending on the course.


And the rider.
A riders talent with a said system seems to be the overwhelming factor
in determing how well they do.

Jasey-jay is a phenom anyway you slice it. However, hardboot systems
are better at turning, softboots at jumping. At events like PGS where
you have to turn hard on a rutted, icy course and the penalty for a bad
turn is often a DQ, soft boots just don't cut it no matter who's
driving. That's why nobody races PGS at a world cup level in softies.

SBX is a combination of turning and jumping skills (and a few other
things). Course design can strongly affect which system works better by
emphasizing one skill or the other. My understanding is that there is
some deliberate design work going on in SBX courses to make them more
softie-competitive. This may be a marketing thing as the vast majority
of riders don't relate to hard boots. But you've still got to be able
to turn, and you can't make the jumps too ridiculous, so the hardbooters
are still in there. If the jumps and berms were flattened out a little,
the softie riders would be hard-pressed to keep up.

Many recreational riders don't do a lot of jumping, but everyone has to
turn. That's why I advocate hard boots for all-mountain riding, as I
think they're an option most people aren't even aware of.

Neil

Jeremy Holt wrote:
Hey guys..

i was wondering if anyone had some intel on what were the best bindings
to buy overall and also what were the best coming out this year.

i am heading to whistler for the season, so would like to get some good
all round bindings. I generally like to stick with the powder as much
as possible.

Some that look good are the Burton p1's...

Whistler has notoriously variable weather over the season and depending
on what elevation you are at. You'll want an all-arounding binding that
light (fun for powder), but sturdy (when you hit the ice/chop at lower
elevations) and has rather few parts that can break.

I have a pair of Burton P1MDs from a few years ago and they are a good
freestyle binding that are really light so they ride great in powder.
They are a little too flexy for faster freeriding in my opinion (I
think the more recent P1s are stiffer). I broke the FLAD (on my
lead-leg so it could *not* have been the chair lift), but Burton sent
me a replacement highback for free (I bought it used so I didn't even
have a receipt). They sent me a replacement set of screwdriver-less
bolts.

I also have ridden Salomon bindings (SP4, SPX6) and they are a very
nice solid binding, medium weight and ultra-sturdy. I found the back
heelcup part of the high back to stick out too much and would dig into
the snow if I laid down a really hard heelside. (For those of you
wondering if my setup - I was riding 18/6 angles with size 26cm feet on
a 24cm waisted board, the bindings were centered so that I got a little
bit of drag on both sides once I tipped the board past 55 degrees.
Cranking up the anges to 36/30 would almost fix it. As would getting
Palmer Lift plates).

I really like the Nidecker 800s I have as well, they have a riser pad
built in to avoid boot drag and the eva foam in it absorbs shock. The
straps are big and beefy and the highback is pretty stiff. They only
have 4-hole disks as far as I can tell and you can't use generics
because the built-in riser pad raises it a bit.

I personally don't like the harsher ride of metal baseplates like Ride
or Catek - although both are very well made and super tough. If you are
riding in powder that won't be a problem... but again the icy stuff at
the lower elevations... Oh and don't worry about Neil, he's the
resident hardbooter zealot - he makes a fool of himself promoting
hardboots so moderates hardbooters like Mike T and I don't have to

Oh and don't worry about Neil, he's the
resident hardbooter zealot - he makes a fool of himself promoting
hardboots so moderates hardbooters like Mike T and I don't have to

LOL!

Regarding soft bindings, it's been a while since I've tried anything but the
Salomons, mine are SP6's from 01/02 I think. I like Salomons because the
straps and highback are IMHO very ergonomically shaped. What I don't like,
is that the heelcup position cannot be adjusted closer to the center disks
or farther away. Unless the S, M or L size happens to center you across
the board, you'll need to deal with being toeside or heelside heavy or turn
your disks 90* and lose a lot of stance width adjustment.

Perhaps they've fixed that this year.

My wife has some 05-06 Ride Diva bindings that she likes - very adjustable,
quite light, and they have some dampening to take the edge from the metal
off. I suspect there is a "men's" version with similar features.


Mike T






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Jeremy Holt wrote:
Hey guys..

i was wondering if anyone had some intel on what were the best bindings
to buy overall and also what were the best coming out this year.

i am heading to whistler for the season, so would like to get some good
all round bindings. I generally like to stick with the powder as much
as possible.

Some that look good are the Burton p1's...

anyway, any comments appreciated..

Cheers
J

Jeremy Holt wrote:
Hey guys..

i was wondering if anyone had some intel on what were the best bindings
to buy overall and also what were the best coming out this year.

i am heading to whistler for the season, so would like to get some good
all round bindings. I generally like to stick with the powder as much
as possible.

Some that look good are the Burton p1's...

anyway, any comments appreciated..

Cheers
J

J,

P1's rule! I ride woods & deeper snow at Jay. Medium flex and super
comfy - don't know the bindings are there. Which is how Gary Fisher
thinks makes the best bike - works so well you don't even think about
it.