Snowboard Bindings: How to Choose

Basic binding construction

Snowboard bindings are the conduit of a snowboarder's imagination. Whatever maneuvers a boarder dreams up, snowboard bindings are the tools that link brain to board, converting cranial impulses into a heart-pounding sensory rush.

If well-matched to a rider's board and riding style, snowboard bindings can be trusted to swiftly initiate energy transfer and accurately respond to even the faintest bodily shifts. The right snowboard bindings can bring a boarder's loftiest riding ambitions to life.

The Basics of Snowboard Bindings

When assembling a new boots-bindings-board combo, choose items in this order:

Boots: Foot comfort is every rider's top gear priority, since aching feet are tough to ignore on a mountain. Build your system from the boots down.
Bindings: Bindings must be a) compatible with the flex of your boot and b) suitable for the type of terrain where you normally ride (your "riding style"). Bindings are also increasingly colorful and arty, so consider boots and bindings that are a good visual match.
Board: If you desire lots of stance options, look for boards with 2x4 bolt patterns or consider the Channel system offered by Burton. (Note: Burton's Channel works only with Burton's EST bindings.)

Some useful shopping considerations:

Bring boots with you when shopping for snowboard bindings. This allows you to make certain that your boots and bindings are compatible. Incompatibility between boots and bindings is pretty rare, but not every binding is exactly appropriate for every boot.
Realistically evaluate your riding style. Seek out bindings that are appropriate for the terrain you customarily explore. Widely recognized terrain types include:
- All-mountain: Any terrain—groomed runs, powder, park and pipe.
- Freestyle/park: Best for half-pipe, rails, boxes, jumps, spins and tricks.
- Freeride: Wild, unmarked backcountry (off-piste) terrain.
- Powder: Wider boards for softer snow.
- Splitboards: Deep backcountry exploration.

Key snowboard binding components:

Parts of a Snowboard Binding

Highback: This contoured, vertical plate rests against your Achilles, from the ankle to lower calf. Principally it gives you control of your board's rear edge. Riders focused on speed want tall, stiff highbacks for enhanced control. Park riders and newcomers to snowboarding usually prefer the flexibility and turning ease found in a shorter highback.
Straps: These secure a boot in place. Look for simplicity of operation.
Baseplate: This padded platform is where bindings meet the board. Some system of bolts or discs is used to attach the plates to a board's bolt pattern or binding interface. Adjustments can be made to attain your preferred stance, discussed later in this article.

Types of Snowboard Bindings

Snowboard bindings are divided into 3 general categories:

Strap bindings: This is the most common type. Straps (usually 2) secure each boot in place. The highback does not move. Adjustment options are usually plentiful, and support and cushioning are good. Chief downside: Manually buckling and unbuckling the straps can be difficult while wearing gloves or in very cold conditions. Strap bindings are generally suitable for both soft and firm-flexing boots, though each boot-binding combo should be evaluated individually. Prices run from low to mid-range.

Rear-entry bindings (also known as speed-entry or convenience bindings): They look similar to strap bindings, but the highback is hinged and drops like a drawbridge to permit relatively easy in-and-out access for a boot. It is a time-saving design preferred by many casual riders. Feet are stabilized by a yoke system that applies uniform pressure across the forefoot. Performance-focused riders sometimes claim this design sacrifices board control. These bindings are suitable for both soft and firm-flexing boots, though (and we repeat) each boot-binding combo should be evaluated individually for appropriateness. Prices range widely, from low to high.

Burton EST (Extra Sensory Technology) bindings: These specialized bindings are compatible only with Burton's Channel mounting system. They eliminate the restrictions of mounting with discs, allowing the rider virtually unlimited stance, width and angle options. Price is at the high end of bindings.

Fit and Price

These 2 factors influence every purchase:

Fit

Snowboard bindings typically offer general sizing—small, medium and large, or S/M, M/L and L/XL. The binding must be compatible with the size of your boot. Fasten the straps and check their length. They should not dangle excessively when tightened. Look for different bindings if the straps are overly long after bindings have been cinched to your boots.

Boot comfort is priority No. 1 when assembling a boot-bindings-board system. A compatible binding will grip a boot snugly and securely, but without the need to vigorously force the boot into position or pinch it into place. A snowboard binding should allow a boot to flex but not let it wobble loosely. Conversely, you should not need a crowbar to squeeze a boot into a binding.

If your boots feel snug yet comfortable on your feet and the bindings apply a secure yet flexible grip, you likely have a good match. At a store, some people will try standing in a boots-binding combo and occasionally even ask to do so with the bindings temporarily mounted to a board. This has limited value, since the board is resting motionless on a hard, flat surface. You cannot flex a board and get a true sense of how bindings allow you to steer or initiate energy transfer unless you are moving on snow.

Price

Snowboard bindings start at around $120 and head higher. As prices go up, weight usually goes down. Factors that cause price tags of bindings to rise:

Low weight.
Advanced materials, such as weight-saving carbon fiber.
Extra-durable components, from chrome-plated metal ratchets to optional straps that permit a rider to adjust a binding's flex.
Many adjustment points.
Sophisticated padding for comfort and vibration-reduction.
Proprietary features with sci-fi names intended to boost performance and, probably just as importantly, generate consumer buzz.

As previously mentioned, evaluating the on-mountain performance of bindings can be tough to do in a store or online. As a result, bindings are purchased according to price more often than boots or boards.

REI's assortment of bindings emphasizes established brands that use quality components. Solid construction is important in bindings, which consist of many moving parts that face constant pressure from body movements during a ride. Lower-price models found at discount stores usually come with a corresponding drop in quality.

Bindings at REI.com are sorted as recreational, intermediate or advanced, which is kind of a throwback to days when boards were sorted that way. Interpret those terms as follows--recreational (basic) to advanced (sophisticated), with price points to match.

Recreational and intermediate bindings tend to have a softer flex, providing a more dynamic, flexible connection between you and your board. Beginning riders often prefer these bindings and their forgiving, shock-absorbing designs. They're also popular with advanced freestylers riding in the halfpipe and terrain parks. Softer bindings offer a greater margin of error and better recovery during a rough landing.
Advanced bindings are often stiffer models that provide more precise control and immediate energy transfer, traits preferred by freeriders who tackle technical descents in the backcountry. Such bindings may weigh a little more, though. Many top technical freestyle riders prefer softer bindings which are better suited for accommodating landings.

Manufacturers enthusiastically promote proprietary features (and their whiz-bang names) found on their bindings. These features may or may not benefit your particular riding style. Determining this may require some detailed homework on your part.

Bolt Mounting Patterns

Bolt patterns are commonly either 2x4 or 4x4. Burton opts for its own diamond-shaped, "3D" pattern found only on its boards. Burton also has introduced a linear option it calls Channel.

The difference between 2x4 and 4x4 patterns is the vertical distance (in centimeters) between the bolt holes.__The horizontal holes are always spaced 4cm apart. Vertically, though, the 2x4 pattern offers lots of bolt holes, spaced every 2cm. This provides double the stance options of a 4x4 layout.

The Channel system uses 2 slots (front and back) instead of bolt holes. Burton's EST models (Extra Sensory Technology, if you were wondering), are engineered exclusively for the Channel slots and permit highly customized settings. A separate kit modifies Burton 3D bindings to work with the Channel system, but the EST bindings offer the best match. EST bindings can be positioned to allow a rider's feet to sit almost flat atop the board itself, enhancing a rider's feel.

Parts of a Snowboard Binding