Snowboard Bindings

Many people undervalue the importance of bindings in their snowboard setup, believing that their only job is to secure your feet to the board. As anyone in the know will tell you, snowboard bindings do a whole lot more than that and the large number of snowboard binding options available is testament to their complexity.

Most snowboard bindings use the strap binding system whereby you place your boot on the base plate and against the highback plate, then tighten a couple of straps across the top of the boot using a ratchet mechanism. This system usually gives good stability, but having to tighten and loosen the ratchet straps all the time can get a little frustrating.

A similar layout, but without the straps, can be found with step-in snowboard bindings. The bindings also have a highback plate which the heels rest against, but instead of straps the boot connects directly to the base plate via a specially locking mechanism. This makes the bindings far easier and quicker to get in and out of, but many people believe they offer less stability than strap bindings and are less comfortable.

Another type of snowboard binding that is very similar to strap bindings is the flow-in binding. These look very much the same, but have one large solid strap that covers the top of the boot. The major difference with this type of snowboard binding is that the highback plate folds flat and the boot enters through the back of the biding. Once the boot is sitting on the base plate the highback flips up and locks into place, securing the foot in the binding.

There are snowboard bindings on the market that do not use highbacks or straps, but instead the boot fastens directly to the base plate on the snowboard deck. Whilst these bindings often provide greater ease of use and faster locking, they do not provide as much stability and limit your choose of snowboard boots.