softboots & bindings - latest & greatest

[xy9ine]

time to upgrade my softboot interface. i think i'm somewhat sold on burton driver boots - they appear to be one of the stiffest out there, and claim the footprint measures 1 size smaller than a typical boot; i'm trying to minimize binding angles, so this is a good thing. the salomon malamute was previously in the running, but it's apparently a fairly long boot, so it got kicked too the back of the line. anyone with intel on the 2016 driver?

 

on to bindings. currently in the running: burton diode, ride el hefe, flux dm. the stiffest, carbon injected, cream of the crop. the diode has a bit thicker heel loop, which takes it down a tick (ie. less snow clearance). the el hefe has an adjustable heel to fine tune fore - aft foot position on the board, though sounds like it might offer slightly less lateral support than the flux & diode (based on randomly scrounged reviews). anyone ridden any of these with real world carving insight?

 

cheers! 

[Atom Ant]

The Hefes are offer ridiculous customization options and are reactive as hell.  Would recommend them to anyone.  

[Eric Brammer aka PSR]

Look for Dee-Lux Sparks, the ones for 'backcountry' use. They have a solid shank with a low-profile Vibram sole, very warm and comfy, and stiffer than the Malamute. Hard as heck to find, though.

[lordmetroland]

the salomon malamute was previously in the running, but it's apparently a fairly long boot, so it got kicked too the back of the line. anyone with intel on the 2016 driver?

 

anyone ridden any of these with real world carving insight?

 

I'd take a hard look at the Malamutes. They modified the footprint significantly last year. Prior to this season, I was completely sold on the Ride Insanos because they were supposed to be - along with the Drivers - the most reduced footprint and stiffest boots out there. I ordered both Insanos and Malamutes and the Malamutes were way stiffer and surprisingly, at the very least, no bigger than the Insanos and possibly a bit shorter. Burton boots were out of the running because Ions have caused lasting nerve damage in the past.

 

I've got a couple pairs of the El Hefes, one of which I mounted with Power Plates and a couple pairs of Catek FR2s. I like both quite a bit. Stiff, adjustable, comfortable and damp enough. More than enough binding for carving turns (not that I'm an expert). I've got a pair of Flow NX2s on the way that I'm anxious to try, given some solid reviews on this site and the dramatically reduced heel loop. Evidently the Burton Diodes flex quite a bit beyond 20 degrees rotation.

[Mig]

I use the 2013, 2014 and 2015 Ride El Hefe's with customized 2014 Burton Driver X. Like Atom says, ridiculus customization. Choice of canted footbeds (2.5° and 4°), micro-adjustment of stance and setback via the slotted mini-discs on the 2x4 mounting pattern, and with independent boot centering via adjustable heelcup and footbed. Heelcup is thinner than most bindings. Cannot compare with the Diodes or Flux, but they do have less lateral support than others I have owned or tried. Not a big deal for me. I had to change the ankle straps to bigger more supportive ones anyway, after I had problems with the Ride ones, and it also improved the lateral support.

I also use the Now Drives on my bigger boards and these have a LOT more lateral support. A few guys riding my boards are using the Drives and carbon O-Drives. Although, they are freeriders with a heavy carving influenced style (ex-racers and hardbooters amongst them), they are not necessarily setting them up with steep carving angles. Pretty much varies from 18° to 30° on front foot, and 15° to -15° on the back foot.

[Mig]

Look for Dee-Lux Sparks, the ones for 'backcountry' use. They have a solid shank with a low-profile Vibram sole, very warm and comfy, and stiffer than the Malamute. Hard as heck to find, though.

Wassup PSR!!! :) A buddy has last year Sparks. He is heavily into splitboarding. They are longer than the Driver X and are more prone to dragging due to the heel and toe shape.

[xy9ine]

looks like the el hefe has moved to the front of the line, then. cheapest of the lot (based on current cdn online deals), too. the now o-drive does look badass, but again, can't find a good deal on them. 

 

the ride insanos do look good, as do the malamutes, but the driver is the best price i can find currently (about $300cad). 

[BXFR70]

I figured I could give you some information regarding 1 of these bindings at least, and indirect about the other 2.

For awhile, I have been on older Burton C60’s, the ones that had the highback they called carbon, with a couple small cutouts with the old style forward lean adjustment. I upgraded to Burton Diode ankle straps, made a huge difference.

I now have some Flux DM’s. The Flux baseplate I would say is just as stiff as the older C60, these have a full base, not padding under the heel like newer C60’s. The highback is not as stiff, but the binding feels more balanced than the C60 front to back. The C60 highback is stiffer, but straps less supportive. I do not LEAN on my highbacks or really feel them all that much while riding.

I would say that my best riding, with the most ease, was with Burton soft boot step in bindings. I believe this is that I felt so connected/locked to the board.

With that said, I think the single best thing about newer bindings, Diode or Flux DM compared to old is the ankle strap. The surface area is a lot larger. I feel that it holds me in and makes me feel much more supported and locked in. The older straps needed to be tighter, and didn’t really hold much of the boot. The new straps don’t just let you fold the boot over as much.

The diode baseplate is a lot more flexible than the others. The el Hefe’s are probably stiffer than the Flux or Diode, but, with what I said about straps, I would guess not as supportive or locked in feeling, the straps appear to be not as large as the other 2 mentioned.

I have retrofitted Burton Diode straps to my Flux DM’s, and keep the Flux as backup. To do this, you need to counter bore the back of the ladder and tongue in order to create a recess for mounting hardwear. The Diode straps are a little larger surface area than the Flux.

One thing, that I love about the Flux for soft boot carving is that on the toe strap, the ladder part that goes through the buckle is routed under another plastic piece and held tighter to the strap itself. I used to bend and then ultimately break Burton ladders on the rear foot.

I think that newer bindings are a bit more durable, and the el Hefe hardback is probably constructed much better than older “carbon” bindings were, but the Flux and Diode are nylon and polycarbonate respectively, probably a little more flexible, and potentially less brittle.

As far as boots, I used to use Driver X, until I realized that they just did not fit my feet well, too low volume, I switched to Malamutes. 2 years ago, I bought Malamutes, Driver X, and Deeluxe Vicious, and last year, I tried on K2 Stark, the new kwicker. The Driver X were way too low volume, the Vicious had a strange fit, large heel area, with a narrower forefoot in comparison. The K2 just did not fit that well, little lower volume, but not as much as Driver X.

Buy the stiffest boot that fits you the best would be my suggestion.

Hope this helps.

[lordmetroland]

looks like the el hefe has moved to the front of the line, then. cheapest of the lot (based on current cdn online deals)...but the driver is the best price i can find currently (about $300cad). 

 

So now you saved some money, pool it together and add a set of Bomber Power Plates. A little extra lift, big urethane bumpers to smooth out the chop and extra edge pressure may help that new deck perform at its peak.

[svr]

xy9ine,

Here is where I am at, with comparisons of the bindings.

http://forums.bomberonline.com/index.php?/topic/42876-softboot-bindings-for-carvingfreeriding/#entry435996

As for boots, the only drawback on the driver x that I found is that it has a lot of volume over your ankle and the top of your foot and this caused my Union T.Rice's ankle straps to be too short.

Cheers,

Sandy

[xy9ine]

ok, the flow is looking intriguing now... 

[lordmetroland]

the only drawback on the driver x that I found is that it has a lot of volume over your ankle

 

Not sure how the Malamutes compare volume-wise to the Burtons, but I do know I can crank down the binding straps without compressing my foot, whereas other boots I've owned would have left me writhing in agony. I'm pretty sure the original soft binding designs were based on a medieval "foot strap," iron maiden-style torture device.

[BXFR70]

The malamutes are quite a bit larger volume wise than drivers. The drivers that I have tried are one of the lowest volume soft boots.

Did they change the drivers dramatically this year?

From my research Ride boots are even lower volume.

[Apex Insider]

Also consider the Flow Hylite Focus boot. The best fitting soft boot I've ever tried and smaller footprint and lower profile than my 2009 Burton Driver X. Plenty stiff. I notice no decrease in stiffness from my Burtons. Super light and comfortable but they are b*tch to pull on and off. 

 

For bindings, I tried a bunch last season and really liked the comfort of the Diode. The helical gearing on the buckles and straps are a nice touch. However, at the end of the day, they couldn't bump my old Burton C60s or Nidecker Carbon 900s. Both are a bit heavy but stiff and comfortable. 

 

This year, I am testing Ride El Hefes and Union Ultras. I can report back in a few weeks.

 

Henry

Edited February 11, 2016 by Apex Insider

[JRAZZ]

Check out this site:  www.thegoodride.com

 

They're a bit of Burton fanboys but have lot's of good info.   I'm a Burton fanboy too for the soft setup.  

[lordmetroland]

The malamutes are quite a bit larger volume wise than drivers.

 

Could be. Again, I was astonished that the Malamutes were as small - or even smaller - regarding footprint than the Rides. They were higher volume, but I was more concerned with footprint because of my giant feet. Interestingly, I got into an 11.5 Salomon and had been in size 13s in other brands...

[softbootsurfer]

Just a note here, I broke down 2 pairs of Malamutes, each pair in a week to 10 days...that was with my Homemade 3 strap bindings with locked Highjack and added 3rd strap...with these bindings I finally realized there was no need for Stiff SB...

 

actually I still have 1 pair they sent to replace the 2nd set I bought under warranty...they are size 10 US,  though I just use some Burton Rampants now with my new pair of 3 straps...

[svr]

...with these bindings I finally realized there was no need for Stiff SB...

I have found that with a good fitting and stiff binding that I was able to ride a softer boot as well. This was a plus for me as hiking in super stiff boots can be a pain, but it makes finding the right combination that much harder as there are so many good bindings out there now and boots have such different characteristics from every years new models.

[lordmetroland]

Just a note here, I broke down 2 pairs of Malamutes, each pair in a week to 10 days...

 

Yeah, well no surprise there, what with your superpowers of being able to predict the exact moment a guy's going to get caught in a slide so you can catch it through your telescope and all...what can't you do?

[jtslalom]

xy9ine,

I just rode with a pair of Burton Diodes last weekend. I own a pair of Ride El Hefe's. In my opinion the Rides are much stiffer than the Burtons.

 

Good luck

[softbootsurfer]

Yeah, well no surprise there, what with your superpowers of being able to predict the exact moment a guy's going to get caught in a slide so you can catch it through your telescope and all...what can't you do?

 

 

I can't get the Ski Co to Groom Tiehack like it was in 1985, Everything side to side 

[lordmetroland]

I can't get the Ski Co to Groom Tiehack like it was in 1985, Everything side to side 

 

Even Superman had his Kryptonite...

[SnowboardingJ]

 

on to bindings. currently in the running: burton diode, ride el hefe, flux dm. the stiffest, carbon injected, cream of the crop. the diode has a bit thicker heel loop, which takes it down a tick (ie. less snow clearance). the el hefe has an adjustable heel to fine tune fore - aft foot position on the board, though sounds like it might offer slightly less lateral support than the flux & diode (based on randomly scrounged reviews). anyone ridden any of these with real world carving insight?

 

 

I wouldn't solely rely on heelcup thicknees to determine the overall footprint.  I had a pair of Ride Rodeo from 3 years ago and a returned Ride Fame from 2 years ago.  They had high back padding extend way too low which add quite a bit to the overall footprint and were actually worse than our Burton s.

I was just at our local shop yesterday as I am too looking for the perfect binding.  

 

What I found was that.........

!!!! Most high end bindings have thick high back padding extend way too low and add quite a bit to the overall footprint. !!!  Almost all Ride bindings and most Burton bindings.

Rome and K2 bindings with huge heel cups.

Flux with the similar design as the above.

 

I like the NOW bindings design which the forward lean adjustment affect the top half of the highback and does not create a gap between heel cup and highback when applied, which was nice. (same with some burton bindings)

The padding is also at the top of the high back.  Heel cup shape and footprint is minimal.

But with one big draw back.... please correct me if I am wrong, the highback does not seem to be rotatable.

 

The Burton Scribe seems good.

Union bindings have minimum high back padding.  However, one cannot fine tune the position of the highback which leaves a small gap between the high back and the heel cup (added footprint). Other than that, I have no complain.

I also had a pair of Salmon Mirage with shadow tech from 2 years ago which was almost perfect.  High and slim heel cup, fine tune high back position but limited forward lean and rotation selection. I had them duck stance with about 1/8 inch or less heel overhang and the forward lean was just enough for softer condition even at max.  This would not be adequate at hard pack icy condition, nor underhang setup in duck stance.  The bindings also broke with about 10 days of use. (the baseplate hinge snapped)

 

For minimum footprint, IMO, Flow or GNU bindings are the way to go.

I had a pair of GNU fastech binding last year that I like the best.

I also had 2 pair or NXT bindings from like 7-8 years ago that did not work very well.

However, neither of the 2 provide the underfoot flex that I prefer on the Rome and the Union that we had.

 

 

So now, Still looking for a pair of bindings that would provide minimum footprint and with nice underfoot flex.

[xy9ine]

so I ended up with el hefe's and drivers. nice gear! boots are surprisingly stiff and light. the hardboots are tanks by comparison. first ride tomorrow; will report back...

 

Edited February 22, 2016 by xy9ine

[BlueB]

That looks very, very sweet!

So, the test day tomorrow... looking forward to see all your new stuff. I'll be testing, new to me, Virus skis.

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