When it comes to snowboarding, there has always been one annoyance: bending down to buckle your boots into the bindings. Now, Burton has found a way to bring reliable, snap-in bindings to its snowboards — finally.
As easy as stepping on and going, these bindings will ensure that your ski friends won’t have to wait for you to buckle in. It took four years and many prototypes, but snowboarders will now share the same convenience that skiers have with putting on their skis.
Step-in bindings are by no means new; the industry began experimenting with step-in bindings long before Burton released its solution. What held step-ins back from gaining mass appeal was the sub-par design. Thanks to 3D printing technology, Burton was able to quickly design, test, and refine hundreds of prototypes before creating the final product.
These new snap-in bindings are relatively simple in design. Two cleats on the toes and one cleat on the heel keep the boot locked in. After the boot is secure, an ankle strap built into the boot can be adjusted with a small dial. The heel hold and forward flex stiffness can be adjusted quickly to your liking. When you are ready to disconnect, a low-profile release lever can be lifted to release the boot.
Such technology could have easily been made to only work on Burton snowboards, but that’s not the case. These bindings were designed to be universally compatible with all current mounting systems. For now, the system does require matching boots. Starting next fall, you can purchase the new Burton bindings for between $250 and $400.
If you’ve ever moaned about bending over to strap your boot in or are just tired of the time it takes away from hitting the slopes, this new Burton binding system is for you.
