ISPO Preview - 2011 Bindings

Technically Snowboard Review is a site for Snowboards and Snowboards only, but you need bindings to go riding so on this occasion I believe I’m justified in posting preview pictures of next years bindings. So what’s hot and what’s not? Well strap bindings are still fashionable and Switch Step-Ins won’t be making reappearance, amen. Over the years we’ve seen all sorts of reinventions of the traditional strap binding, from Flow’s original slip in binding and Apo’s rather slicker looking Expresso binding which essentially does the same job, to Beyond Snow’s fairly over engineered strap binding designed to cut down the time required to tighten your bindings from 10 seconds to 5 and only at the cost of an extra kilo…hmm.

1) K2 Autoever. 2) Burton Mala Vita. 3) Amplid Bindings. 4) Endeavor Live . 5) Drake Super Sport. 6) Manic Snow MegaPop 1.0. 7&8) Drake Radar. 9) Union Gigi Ruff.

This brings me to my nomination for the most extravagantly engineered snowboard equipment of 2011. The Manic Snow Massive Pop 1.0 binding claims to be snowboarding’s first and only full suspension binding. Suspension in a binding? Yep you better believe it, patented SnowKush technology consists of an EVA pad sandwiched between a super light Magnesium chassis, titanium springs enable users to customise the spring rate and feel while the Carbon highback should keep weight down. Inventor and company head honcho Carl Lindemann claims his unique product reduces chatter, helps reduce the affect of flat landings on your knees and ankles and increases edge hold and response. Picking up the bindings they certainly felt heavier than your normal strap bindings and the large footprint is bound to compromise the flex of any board. However, I can see these bindings working with stiff boardercross snowboards where the Massive Pop 1.0 could replace the conventional riser pad. The bindings have certainly stirred debate on a number of forums, the Angry Snowboarder definitely isn’t a fan, however I’m going to hold judgement until I can get hold of the Massive Pop 1.0 and put them through a few cranking turns.

K2 are cutting down the weight of their ingenious Autoever further by reducing it’s toe strap material down to a bare minimum. It now resembles the thong part of a flip flop, the material has certainly worked on Ride’s Contraband bindings. Burton bindings from what we could see were looking very tasty and the stylish 50s cartoon graphics on the winged Mala Vita bindings should help shift a truckload. Two snowboard brands moving into the binding market over the last couple of seasons are Amplid and Endeavor. Where as Amplid are all about stiff and light performance bindings that reflect Amplid’s ethos when it comes to board construction, Max at Endeavor is just stoked to have a range of comfy, responsive and durable bindings that fit the art house designs on Endeavor boards, pair up the Live bindings with a Live Series bindings and you’ve got a setup ready for the Tate.

Big Mountain freestyle hero Gigi Ruff starts the 2010/11 season with the release of his own signature binding with Union. Warning, do not leave these bindings anywhere without being bolted down, they ‘re so light there’s every possibility that they could float off! The spider web styled highback is very smart indeed, but it remains to be seen if they’ll take abuse from a low chairlift.

Drake is doing great things with next years range. The Radar looks like a replacement for the extremely popular and ridiculously responsive Podium. A slickly styled carbon highback with more holes than Swiss cheese meets a rugged alloy baseplate and a seriously slim ankle strap, trust me when I say there’s more fabric in Reef girls calander than the Radar’s ankle strap. Another looker on the Drake line up is the Super Sport, looking for a freestyle binding with more neon than an 80’s tracksuit? If the Fresh Prince and Jazzy Jeff were snowboarders, they’d be riding the 2011 Super Sport.

Posted by Rich Ewbank in Features.

Next entry: ISPO Preview - 2011 All-Mountain Snowboards Previous entry: Brand Test - Volkl Squad, Coal & Cashew Snowboards Reviewed