Buying new snowboard bindings several times a year can be frustrating. Especially if you are not sure about which are the best snowboard bindings currently available.
Look for these things when choosing your next bindings, however, and you can be guaranteed you will end up with the best snowboard bindings for your specific needs.
There are many different best snowboard bindings — While you may think there are just a few bindings manufacturers on the market today that are considered the best snowboard binding brands, this is actually not true.
This is because the type of snowboard bindings that are the best for you will differ, and that depends on the type of boots you wear and the board you ride.
This is why you should be looking for the best snowboard bindings for your particular situation. Meaning bindings that are high quality, get good reviews and that will fit both your boots and your board correctly.
Choosing snowboard bindings — There are several things you should look at when choosing bindings. These are things that are important for every binding, but that will differ slightly for you depending on your board, your boots, your riding style and your personal likes and dislikes.
Riding style — Do you like a relaxed, laid-back riding style or are you very precise out on the slopes? Depending on how you like to ride, you need to choose snowboard bindings that will fit that purpose.
If relaxed is more your norm, choose high quality snowboard bindings that flex giving your feet a little room to move. If riding in a precise manner is your style, you will want to buy snowboard bindings that allow little flex.
There are typically three types of styles — park/freestyle, all-mountain and free ride.
If the first is more your speed, then flexible snowboard bindings are what you should be looking for when you shop. If all-mountain is your style — meaning you get involved in all types of snowboarding — then a medium flex is key. For free riders, those who ride fast and big, then snowboard bindings that have a very stiff flex will be the best choice.
Which flex rating works the best for you? — All snowboard bindings now come with a flex rating. The 1 rating means they are extremely soft and flexible, while 10 is the stiffest you can buy.
Decide on how you like to ride, and then choose the snowboard bindings with the rating that works for you. Or buy two sets — a 3 rating for when you enjoy a flexible ride, and a 9 or 10 for when you really need to be precise.
Types of bindings — Finally, you need to choose the type of binding you wear — either strap-in or rear-entry bindings, and the choice for these is really just personal preference.
Keep in mind, however, while strap-in snowboard bindings may mean it takes you longer to get on your board and fastened in, they do offer more security in most cases.
Rear-entry bindings are easier to get into and to secure, but they may not always be the best choice for high-speed and very precise riding. Instead, it is usually snowboarders that like comfort over anything else that will automatically choose these.
