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

Neil Gendzwill wrote:

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.

which is hardly a surprise, given the fact that most big sports have
98% of their shelves filled with softies and maybe 2 or 3 pairs of
hardboots hidden somewhere back in a corner.
at least that's the way it is here in germany... i had to search quite
a bit 2 years ago to find a pair of hardboots with a half-decent fit.

m
--
np: Ricardo Marrero & The Group - A Taste Of Latin
ICQ# 8140105
public GnuPG/PGP key available @ http://dolic.com/pubkey.asc

Neil Gendzwill wrote:
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


Hello Neil,

I would agree that allot of the general boarding public is not aware of
the hard boot option. That being said, you may being selling the
hardcore soft booter's short. In S and GS, I have seen soft booters
squeeze their knees together around corners, bending the board, allowing
for a much tighter turn. One of the most inventive, and humorous,
technique was a guy who bent down, leaned forward lifting the back of
the board up, and lifted the front of the board up with his hand while
in the straights. This minimized the amount of board that was in contact
with the snow allowing him to go faster.

Amazing Talent.

I am not selling hard boot riders short. If they know how to ride, they
are FAST, way fast.

Chris

Markus Dolic wrote:
Neil Gendzwill wrote:


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.


which is hardly a surprise, given the fact that most big sports have
98% of their shelves filled with softies and maybe 2 or 3 pairs of
hardboots hidden somewhere back in a corner.
at least that's the way it is here in germany... i had to search quite
a bit 2 years ago to find a pair of hardboots with a half-decent fit.

Yes. But now the hardboot crowd has the internet, which allows us to
pool our resources and get stuff. You can get equipment through a
half-dozen online suppliers, and the community is strong through online
forums like bomberonline. But I don't think it's getting much bigger.

Neil

Christopher Cox wrote:
That being said, you may being selling the
hardcore soft booter's short.

No, the guys that are good can be amazingly good. But they still won't
hack it on a world cup PGS course. There's a limit to the equipment.

In S and GS, I have seen soft booters
squeeze their knees together around corners, bending the board, allowing
for a much tighter turn.

I'm not sure that's actually bending the board, more that the board is
being bent hard in the turn allowing them to get their knees together.
In hardbooting it's not considered especially good technique - knees
apart is better.


One of the most inventive, and humorous,
technique was a guy who bent down, leaned forward lifting the back of
the board up, and lifted the front of the board up with his hand while
in the straights. This minimized the amount of board that was in contact
with the snow allowing him to go faster.

I'm not convinced that would actually let him go faster. Longer running
surface is generally better for glide, which is one reason why DH and
speed skis are so long. Plus I'm trying to imagine keeping any kind of
aerodynamic position while doing that, and failing...

Neil