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Bindings

Burton Step On 2020-2021 Women’s Snowboard Bindings Review

  • Price: £230, $250
  • Sizes: S, M, L
  • Flex: 5/10
  • Entry System: Classic

The Bent Metal Joint is a versatile mid-flexing all-mountain option that marries high tech with high performance to create your dependable daily driver binding.

Bent Metal use their signature Flex Drive Plates, which are built much the same way as a snowboard, with a core sandwiched between multiple layers. They do exactly what it says on the tin- they flex underfoot, and drive power to the edges of your board, rather than create a dead zone across the width. You can switch out the Flex Drive Plates for softer or stiffer versions to really cater to each riders individual needs, they’re available via the Bent Metal website and are super easy to swap out.

“They do exactly what it says on the tin- they flex underfoot, and drive power to the edges of your board”

The top strap is Bent Metal’s Mobility Ankle Strap, it’s lightweight and malleable so as to fit around your boot instead of creating a pressure point over the arch. A central cutout shaves precious grams and allows it to bend around lumps and bumps rather than push down on them. The toestraps are minimalist in design, but offer a good amount of support up front, without being bulky or awkward.

The Nylon Highback sits with a flex rating slap bang in the middle, it’ll be great for playful cruising and mellow laps with your buddies. The cutout near the top both reduces weight and enables a flex point, and even better it’s a handy carry handle for hiking lines or traipsing through the carpark.

“For an access all areas binding at a really reasonable price, you can’t say much fairer than the Joint”

The forward lean is adjustable via Bent Metal’s classic cube design, and the plates can be manoeuvred to better fit your boot length. If you’re looking for something with a bit more beef, you’d do better to check out the BMBW Solution, but for an access all areas binding at a really reasonable price, you can’t say much fairer than the Joint.

Tester’s Verdict 2019/20

Beth WakelingShredder

I’ll be honest I really didn’t want to test these Step On bindings, I’ve remained firmly in the ‘these are a stupid gimmick’ camp. So when I was tasked with taking them out for a spin it’s safe to say I was planning a ‘one and done’ kind of verdict. Although this review is about the bindings, I have to mention the boots as well because they have to go together. I don’t have much of a Burton foot, but the boots seemed to have a slightly higher instep than others I’ve tried, so were more my shape than I’ve experienced before.

“On piste they felt like normal bindings”

Getting the boots connected to the binding is really idiot proof, it didn’t take any special tricks or particular pressure. I tried my hardest to wiggle my foot out of the binding before getting started riding, hoping to catch them out somehow, but didn’t manage to get anywhere. I took it a little slower than usual at first, trying to test the water and admittedly I was a bit worried that for some reason they’d unclip and I’d find myself in a bit of a pickle.

After a warm up lap, I decided to go for it properly. On piste they felt like normal bindings, still responsive, no lack of control on the toe side which is what I was expecting. I assumed there would be a tiny delay getting onto my toes but it felt legit. I didn’t take any big slams wearing them, and I’d be curious to see for myself how they handled a real rag doll moment.

My gripe with them was in powder, after boot packing for a bit and trying to step in, I had some trouble trying to get attached when standing in deeper snow. It’s understandable as there wasn’t a secure base of snow to push onto, but it felt pretty sketchy. Overall, a really option for people who don’t want to bend/sit down or who maybe ride with skiers and want to be speedy getting started. Would I buy them? Probably not. It was more a mental block than anything else- looking down whilst riding to see no straps left me feeling a bit funky.

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