Baseplate

As ever, Bent Metal’s baseplates are the brand’s USP. Manufactured at the Mervin facility in Washington State (which also makes Lib Tech and Gnu snowboards) these feature a unique construction that gives them their own distinct personality. Within each ‘Drive Plate’ is a sandwich construction that resembles a snowboard in miniature, complete with approximations of a core and layers of fibreglass.

The Drive Plate on the Bent Metal Stylist features magnesium fibre, which is softer than the one featuring carbon (which boasts an 11 out of 10 flex rating) but a bit firmer than the boron and biaxial flavours. In short, it delivers a friendly all-mountain feel that won’t flake out when you want to ride with a bit more purpose.

The toe ramp is adjustable, allowing you to match it with the size of your foot, and the classic disc has plenty of options for fine-tuning your binding placement. It all rests within a one-piece chassis made of tough polymer (not metal, despite the name).

“The drive plate delivers a friendly all-mountain feel that won’t flake out when you want to ride with a bit more purpose”

Straps and Highbacks

The highback features no cutaways or flex points, giving the Bent Metal Stylist a robust, responsive feel on the heelside without feeling like being strapped into an iron maiden. That unadulterated shape also doubles as a great canvas for the various artists that have provided daubings for the Stylist, including snowboarding’s favourite scribbler Jamie Lynn (who also provided a matching design for the Lib Tech Dynamiss women’s snowboard).

The straps on all Bent Metal bindings toe roughly the same line, dispensing with unnecessary (and sometimes counterproductive) padding in favour of minimalist materials that prioritise fit and support over comfort, while still delivering all three. The Bent Metal Stylist features the brand’s softest ankle strap, which conforms to the shape of your foot for an uber-snug fit that feels mellow on the hill. Meanwhile the toe strap is slightly more substantial than the one you’ll find on some of the BMBW range, yet still fits perfectly over just about any boot.

“The highback doubles as a great canvas for the various artists that have provided daubings for the Stylist, including Jamie Lynn”

Roundup

While we’ll stop short of saying that Bent Metal’s Drive Plates are revolutionary when it comes to performance, they’re certainly pretty nifty – especially as you can pick up stiffer or flexier ones to suit your needs.

That being said, none of that would matter much if the rest of the Bent Metal Stylist wasn’t up to scratch – but it is. For female riders who appreciate quality craftsmanship and who want to keep their options open on the hill, that’s great news.

Pros:

• Goes anywhere, does anything, looks great doing it
• Not 100% to your liking? The option to swap the drive plate might solve that

Cons:

• Perhaps a Jill of all trades, master of none

“This binding is a team favorite. The asym solid highback has the perfect flex and support for freestyle or freeride, heavy jump lines, mountain lines, resort laps, or street sessions. The solid highback and drive plate provide a canvas we can’t help but decorate. Jamie Lynn’s artwork on the Black model is classic Jamie art that is featured on the LIB Dynamiss too. Hannah Eddy’s sand colorway encourages you to find growth with her plant-based theme and it pairs well with her artwork she worked closely with Naima Antolin on for the GNU Velvet. Naima isn’t just a creative rider; she has been involved in product design input and graphic concepts for several years with us. The third colorway of the spiral was also a concept that her own personal doodle on a previous binding inspired.”

Buy the Bent Metal Stylist: £260 at Blue Tomato UK 

Buy the Bent Metal Stylist: €290 at Blue Tomato EU