jason100

Thank you @crackaddict. So the max angle for this binding is +/-45 degrees. Regrding your question; "And will I be able to compensate and center the boot over the board so that the toe and heel are equidistant from their respective edges at any reasonable angle? ". Answer is yes, the mechanism solves that in two ways. 1.) you have mulitple board mount holes in the center disk which allow for shift toward toe/heel, 2.) As you change the foot angle, the heel bracket can be also adjusted to allow for heel bracket to be the same angle so the heel bracket always stays in the same orientation in relation to the board edge, and at the appropriate lateral distt from board edge. That said, as this happens, during setup, the heel of the boot translates along the heel bracket. I will try to send a video of that "translation" aspect of how the two parts (footbed and heel brkt) work together. Regarding your, "From the drawings it appears the boot heel will sit on one side of the heelcup and there will be a void created on the other side, potentially creating the opportunity for some heel movement within the binding." ...... this is a true statement but because the dist on footbed between ankle mounts is somewhat tight, the boot is forced to stay in position, even if the heel of the boot is not fully seated in the extreme cupped end of heel bracket because you are riding at less than the maxed out 45 degree foot angle.

Hello again peeps. An update on progress since the prior version. Two images below without straps. Also, at the bottom of this post below is the old video (prior version) for how it operates.

Very excellent. Would love to connect with you all. I will be staying in Snowmass (with family) and on mtn 2/2, 2/3, 2/4.

@Jack M Locking the upright This is something I have considered in the past, this would be easy to do, however, I am not positive it would be necessary, but maybe a case by case, rider to rider thing....for example, lock off at a selectable position in the tip direction could make sense...or lockoff in both tip and tail directions. Riding at 36/18 These angles are not far off from my set up with this binding, for me it feels like riding hardboots but more comfy (although, I still need to add some lateral flex and cuff padding to improve comfort, working slowly on that now). If I remember correctly, @crackaddict normally rides 36/21 on his gear, but we steepened those angles a bit when he rode my binding last season.....so maybe a bit steeper than the angles you are thinking. Preventing injury Yes, I understand your mention of "stuff the nose" and that would be very bad for sure. If this isn't solved by the limitations created by a riders softboots, then could be solved by the limitations created by locking the upright described above.

I re-read this post and there could be some confusion here....not sure. Maybe a distinction between, say, the highback on the Technines (earlier in this thread) vs. the pivoting upright on my binding. The Techniines, if they locked, look like fun to ride for sure. And yes, I agree that without the highback locking, the third strap is somewhat useless, unnecessary, and can be deleted.. When "unlocked", the highback will fold in relation to the binding, and mostly toward the toe of the binding. For example, if these bindings were mounted at zero degrees on both feet, the highbacks would fold completely toward the toe side edge, therefore when "unlocked", utterly useless for a toeside turn. My binding is a big deviation from that concept. The pivoting aspect of the upright on my binding gets mounted in relation to the board, not in relation to the binding. IE; the upright and third strap can only move freely toward tip/tail, but cannot move freely laterally to the board. For example, if you mounted my binding with YOUR FOOT at zero degrees (pause; I mean mounting your foot at zero, while the pivoting upright always is in the same position in relation to the board regardless of foot angle), when pressuring the third strap toward the toe side edge, you would have basically a "locked" highback because the upright doesn't move freely in either lateral (to the board) direction. So at zero degrees, you can shift weight toward tip/tail as freely as your softboots will allow, similar to how you can shift weight in normal soft boot bindings (note that while riding, this is less tip/tail motion than you might think maybe inch or two because the soft boots will naturally restrict going too far....still allowing you to preload front of board if you so desire). However, the moment you decide to pressure an edge by moving your leg laterally in relation to the board, the rigidity of the third strap is there to deliver that pressure directly to the edge because the upright is restricting lateral motion and channeling it to the edge. I hope I am not leaving big gaps in this description. I have been neck deep for so long that I forget where I am at.

Thanks....this season it looks like I am going to attempt to improve the current version in two ways. 1.) by adding a bit of lateral flex into the upright arm for a more comfy ride when powering a turn or encountering a rut while on edge, etc... and 2.) a more comfortable third strap cuff spreading the load out a bit over a larger surface of the upper boot. After those kinks are worked out, i will get back to the overall slimming process to get the thing to look less frightening, among other improvements. All thoughts positive or negative are always welcome.

Yes, at low-ish angles, I agree completely. I will ponder some more. Initially, I was trying to solve the issue for steeper angles on narrower boards but still using SBs (by 'narrow' I mean 19cm-ish.....or even for 25cm-ish boards where guys don't want boot out, larger foot sizes, etc...).

This was crazy scary seeing it live. A big thanks to @crackaddict, James, for spending some time on this binding. At the beginning of this post, I referred to myself as a 6 out of 10 rider. Revision; 3 of 10. For 2 days, James rode this 3rd strap binding on insanely steep runs, through fog, freeze/thaw issues, poor grooming, ice chunks. Jaw dropping impressive rider. We talked through a few improvements/modifications. Obviously way slimmer, bootout related solutions, and some flex improvements.

Hi Dave, When compared with a traditional highback with a 3rd strap, this binding has a few advantages (for me anyway, based on my own test rides). comfort - because it allows some fore/aft (tip/tail) freedom of moment, the ride gets more comfortable, allowing legs the ability to move a bit according to my own anatomy, i guess. Example; bow-legged person vs non-bow-legged. This is especially noticeable when angles begin to steepen with this binding. Further, for me, on narrower boards it allows softies to work (I had a tough time getting comfort in HBs). power to the edge - because the highback (and the axis of the ankle pivot) is always purposefully aligned in relation to the board, not in relation to the foot, the rider can then deliver the power to the right place on both toe and heelside carves. Meaning....with traditional highbacks, as my angles got steeper (typically over 15-20 deg.), I felt that the highback didn't seem to be in the right place, especially on heelside carves. This relates to the comfort aspect above also. versatility - coupled with softboots, compatibility with all boards regardless of their width weight transfer - someone much smarter than me talks about the shifting of body weight from carve initiation to completion. The fore/aft freedom helps with this, i guess in theory, although I cannot really comment on how that works/helps. the highback falls out of the way for riding lifts and for storage (maybe not an advantage....I believe a traditional highback with 3rd strap could fold pretty easily too). Even though these things are true for me, they may not be for other riders. Like spending time climbing up the ladder, but later realizing that the ladder is against the wrong wall. The next version will have about 75% less bulk so will hopefully appeal to the eye a bit more. J.

Ok, thanks for letting me know. I will request that next time.

Yes, first post was seeking alpine riders....but really it is any carving enthusiast. SB or HB.

Thanks to scottishsurfer for suggestion about reaching out to any carve enthusiast, not just hardbooters. After some manufacturing delays and weather snafus, I hope to travel ASAP, probably Sunday through Thurs (3/13-3/17) with this 3rd strap binding to either the Rockies….or in the eastern US (I am in Chicago, so easy flights). If you are an experienced rider that can really carve (either HB or SB) and are interested in trying out a 3rd strap binding concept that is compatible with softboots, let’s coordinate schedules, make some fun turns, and share some feedback. NOTE; this is a Proof of Concept. Meaning that it is not pretty, overbuilt for safety, and can be difficult to get strapped into. It is, however, fully adjustable and will fit most riders/boots/stances/boards (approx. 19 – 29 cm waist). Thank you, Jason Full boring explanation here if you care;

SOLD, thank you.

Thanks....I am going to hang at this price for a bit. I appreciate you reaching out.

Price drop: $265 plus shipping from Chicago.