Drake Podium FF

[crackaddict]

Thinking of buying the Drake Podium FF soft boot bindings to pair with my Burton Driver X boots and my wide Donek Sabre SRT.  Can anyone vouch for the durability and/or the feel of these bindings?  A cursory search of the internet turns up a few bad reviews (broken highbacks mostly), a search of BOL turns up next to nothing.  I'm looking for a very stiff and responsive binding for hard carving in soft boots.  Any recommendations?  What are the world class BX racers using?  And when are they going to bring back the third strap (with a higher heel cup that doesn't drag, as ridden in my corduroy dreams)?

Winter is coming!

[skategoat]

At SBX Canadian Nationals last year, I walked the board racks with a clipboard. 

Keep in mind this is not a World Cup event. Riders ran the gamut from WC regulars to 90 pound juniors.

• 23 Burton Cartel
• 18 Burton Diode
• 4 Burton Genesis
• 3 Burton C60
• 3 Now Drive
• 3 Union Force
• 3 Drake Podium
• 2 Burton Malavita

A whole bunch of one-offs.

Burton is tops because of availability and because you can get parts anywhere. Cartel is popular simply because they are cheap and functional.
Talked to the coaches and Drake Podium is the high end binding of choice and Cartel is entry level. Only 3 Drakes on the racks mainly because there are so few shops that carry them.

When you hear about highbacks breaking, that is usually from landing jumps. I find it hard to believe you're going to break them while carving.

Edited October 22, 2017 by skategoat

[xy9ine]

i like the ride el heffe (with drivers as well) for a decent combo of light weight, stiffness, and a low profile aluminum heel cup, but the drake you're looking at seems to have a similar build. haven't heard any feedback on these, however; i'm a bit curious. 

[crackaddict]

Thanks Bomber!

That was a very thorough and well researched answer Skategoat, you are indeed a hardboot wizard!  (Apparently, a softboot wizard as well.)  Great info.

xy9ine: I also have a set of El Heffes which are my favorite soft boot binding to date.  When my Driver X boots were new last year, the carving ability of that setup blew me away and helped convince me to buy a dedicated soft boot carver.  By the time I got the Donek though, the boots were broken in and I couldn't get that same response anymore.  That's why I'm shopping for a stiffer binding.  It is a great all mountain setup though; the El Heffes are going back on my Ripsaw for this season.

BTW, the snow is deep already at 2000m in Revelstoke, and the freezing level is getting lower every day.  I hope to see some real hardbooters out here this season (ya know, not just those Phantom splitboarders who think they're hardbooters).

 

 

[skategoat]

I owned both the Drakes Podium FF and the Ride El Hefes last year. They were both good, stiff bindings. I stuck with the Drakes and sold the Rides for two reasons. 1) I preferred the carbon highbacks over plastic. Now mind you, the Drake highbacks are not 100% carbon fiber. I can tell there is some fiberglass in the laminate. But, they *looked* stronger. 2) I prefer the 4x4 pattern on the Drake to the 4x2 pattern on the Ride.

[Mig]

2 hours ago, skategoat said:

I owned both the Drakes Podium FF and the Ride El Hefes last year. They were both good, stiff bindings. I stuck with the Drakes and sold the Rides for two reasons. 1) I preferred the carbon highbacks over plastic. Now mind you, the Drake highbacks are not 100% carbon fiber. I can tell there is some fiberglass in the laminate. But, they *looked* stronger. 2) I prefer the 4x4 pattern on the Drake to the 4x2 pattern on the Ride.

The El Hefes hibacks have not been plastic since 2013. They switched to the carbon Slimeback hibacks since the 2014 season. Looks like a carbon/urethane sandwich. Curious as why you don't like the 4x2 pattern. They offer infinite stance and setback adjustment, which is a gigantic plus for me. And I have used them as 4x4 on an older board by cutting the bridged washers. Did not feel any difference in lateral flex or response.

[skategoat]

1 hour ago, Mig said:

The El Hefes hibacks have not been plastic since 2013. They switched to the carbon Slimeback hibacks since the 2014 season. Looks like a carbon/urethane sandwich. Curious as why you don't like the 4x2 pattern. They offer infinite stance and setback adjustment, which is a gigantic plus for me. And I have used them as 4x4 on an older board by cutting the bridged washers. Did not feel any difference in lateral flex or response.

I stand corrected.

The Ride El Hefe is a fine binding and the multiple footbeds are a bonus. Irrational personal preference led me to keep the Drakes and ditch the El Hefes.

[Mig]

1 hour ago, skategoat said:

I stand corrected.

The Ride El Hefe is a fine binding and the multiple footbeds are a bonus. Irrational personal preference led me to keep the Drakes and ditch the El Hefes.

In the end, personnal preference IS what it's all about!

They dropped the 5° footbeds after the 2013 model. The suitcase only comes with the 2.5° and 4°, since then. Less options... :(

Edited October 24, 2017 by Mig

[xy9ine]

speaking of which - wish they (ride) didn't ship the bindings in that silly suitcase. more crap for the landfill. drop the price of the bindings a bit & ship in a recyclable cardboard box like everyone else. 

also - the hardware seems a bit on the fragile side. broke a toe slider and a ratchet last season. and getting replacement small parts is a bit of a hassle.   

OTHERWISE, they're nice bindings. 

 

[Mig]

8 minutes ago, xy9ine said:

speaking of which - wish they (ride) didn't ship the bindings in that silly suitcase. more crap for the landfill. drop the price of the bindings a bit & ship in a recyclable cardboard box like everyone else. 

also - the hardware seems a bit on the fragile side. broke a toe slider and a ratchet last season. and getting replacement small parts is a bit of a hassle.   

OTHERWISE, they're nice bindings. 

 

I love the suitcase! I use it for plenty of other non-snowboarding stuff. Ha! Ha! Ha! But I agree, Ride should definitely ditch it and lower the price instead.

Straps are the shitty part of those bindings.  Love the toestraps but I have switched the anklestraps on all three sets I have for something else. And the ladders sucked. They never lasted me more then a couple of days.

[xy9ine]

yeah the stretchy toe cap is nice, but I'd like a wider ankle strap, and as you say, the ladders are snappy. what are you using for replacements? i actually need to source some new bits before the snow flies. 

[Mig]

16 hours ago, xy9ine said:

yeah the stretchy toe cap is nice, but I'd like a wider ankle strap, and as you say, the ladders are snappy. what are you using for replacements? i actually need to source some new bits before the snow flies. 

Using old Burton P1 anklestraps , and the Hammockstraps.

[crackaddict]

22 hours ago, skategoat said:

I stand corrected.

The Ride El Hefe is a fine binding and the multiple footbeds are a bonus. Irrational personal preference led me to keep the Drakes and ditch the El Hefes.

Irrational personal preference eh?  Nothing to do with your job at Apex Skategoat?  That's okay, I ordered a set of the Drakes anyway.  I'll take my chances; anything for a great carve...

Your connection came up as I was searching BOL for some clue as to why the Apex site has removed Jasey-Jay's name and replaced it with "unnamed Canadian racer", while Jasey-Jay's website no longer offers plates.  I'm guessing there was some dispute as to the owner of the designs Apex and said unnamed racer worked on together?  Is there a lawsuit going on there?  Would you be able to fill us all in on some of the details please?  BOL loves gossip...

Did I just hijack my own thread?

[skategoat]

On 10/25/2017 at 2:00 PM, crackaddict said:

Irrational personal preference eh?  Nothing to do with your job at Apex Skategoat?  That's okay, I ordered a set of the Drakes anyway.  I'll take my chances; anything for a great carve...

Your connection came up as I was searching BOL for some clue as to why the Apex site has removed Jasey-Jay's name and replaced it with "unnamed Canadian racer", while Jasey-Jay's website no longer offers plates.  I'm guessing there was some dispute as to the owner of the designs Apex and said unnamed racer worked on together?  Is there a lawsuit going on there?  Would you be able to fill us all in on some of the details please?  BOL loves gossip...

Did I just hijack my own thread?

Busted!

I was just trying to keep a long story short. If you want the gory details, here it is. At Apex Sport, we wanted to carry one binding model to go with our soft boot boards. One and only one. We started with Burton Diodes but we heard too many reports of busted ReFlex discs and felt the high backs got too soft. So we bought a bunch of high end bindings as replacement candidates. Union Charger, Drake Podium FF, Ride El Hefe, Nidecker Carbon and a handful more that I can't remember. After a lot of demo riding, we narrowed it down to the El Hefe and the Podum. They were both good but in the end the Podium won out after I saw that both Maelle Ricker and Kevin Hill were using them at Nationals. So there you have it.

As for the unnamed Canadian rider who won a certain colour of medal at a particular sporting event on some mountain north of Vancouver using the Apex Race Plate, he asked me to remove his name from our website and I did so. Simple as that. No conspiracies. No lawsuits. It was understandable since he runs a competitive business.

You're gonna like the Drakes. No nonsense, strong, stiff.

[Neil Gendzwill]

29 minutes ago, skategoat said:

 No nonsense, strong, stiff.

Wow, softie bindings have gotten expensive. I thought it was overpriced and then looked at Burton's high-end pricing - up to $CDN650 for the x-base!

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

SVR did allot of research on his soft boot bindings.  He posted here and on AST some time ago.   Perhaps a search will turn his comments up.  He is very knowledgeable and thorough 

[Emdee406]

JUSt to toss in another name... Salomon Quantum. These have replaced my Burton Diodes on my Oxess SBX, just more solid and durable. They’re also some cheaper ones floating around, as they’re a few years older. 

As fir boots, I’m looking at the new Ride Insano...VERY stiff, hard plastic tongue, worth a look!

[crackaddict]

Ya, I have a pair of Insanos too.  It's a good stiff boot, but more tailored to all around aggressive riding in the back/slack country, in my opinion.  It's a very lightweight, which is great for jumps and walking/ skinning, but the stiffness doesn't last for long on account of the lighter construction.  The Burton Drivers are heavier with more beefy construction, and as such I feel they're a better carving boot for groomers.  Salomon Malamute is the stiffest boot I've tried, better for narrower feet than mine though.

[Emdee406]

13 hours ago, crackaddict said:

Ya, I have a pair of Insanos too.  It's a good stiff boot, but more tailored to all around aggressive riding in the back/slack country, in my opinion.  It's a very lightweight, which is great for jumps and walking/ skinning, but the stiffness doesn't last for long on account of the lighter construction.  The Burton Drivers are heavier with more beefy construction, and as such I feel they're a better carving boot for groomers.  Salomon Malamute is the stiffest boot I've tried, better for narrower feet than mine though.

Is that this year’s Insanos? Apparently with the new Intuition liner, you get extra stiffeners to keep them rigid. 

My feet don’t fit the Burton last, so I might switch to Malamutes, once my Lunarendors die. 

I spend a lot of time teaching and have to ride park, so o can’t go totally stiff. 

So would you recommend the Salomon over the Rides?

[crackaddict]

Can't say Emdee.  Haven't seen the new Insanos, but loved my old ones.  Only tried the Malamutes in store.  It might be tough to find a boot that carves great and is also soft enough for the park.  There's gonna have to be a trade off unless you have multiple setups.  Maybe removable stiffeners is the answer?

Seems to me that board width is more important than boot stiffness if you want to carve hard in softies, especially if you're riding a park stance and your boots overhang.

Have a closer look at Ryan Knapton's setup:  stiff boot (Driver X), four or five buckles on the bindings with duct taped tall highbacks almost to the knee, 15 and -15 degree angles, and a 30cm wide waist.  He does it all with one setup.   Wide, mid-stiff board, and a very stiff custom interface.

As for boots, last year I researched the stiffest boots available and then went and tried them all on in store for fit, feel, and overall impression.

[Emdee406]

On 10/29/2017 at 11:05 AM, crackaddict said:

Can't say Emdee.  Haven't seen the new Insanos, but loved my old ones.  Only tried the Malamutes in store.  It might be tough to find a boot that carves great and is also soft enough for the park.  There's gonna have to be a trade off unless you have multiple setups.  Maybe removable stiffeners is the answer?

 

That's why my Nike's worked so well, but they're no longer made 

I'm going to be on the Yes Optimistic, 154 long, 26.2 waist (my feet are size 9), with a 6.5m sidecut. I'll start with my Burton Diodes that worked so well when I raced SBX, but may switch to the stiffer Salomons above, and throw on a pair of Gecko Stealth risers...should be fun! 
https://yesnowboard.com/products/optimistic

[Emdee406]

On 10/24/2017 at 3:10 PM, Mig said:

In the end, personnal preference IS what it's all about!

They dropped the 5° footbeds after the 2013 model. The suitcase only comes with the 2.5° and 4°, since then. Less options... :(

@Mig, out of interest, what did you think of the cants on the El Hefe? Which did you end up using? Are you reference stance or wider? 

[daveo]

I had a pair of Drake Podium about 10 years ago, I'm sure they have changed a lot since then. I rode them on my Salomon Burner. They were stiff and responsive sure, but at the time there were a lot of good things said regarding the Nidecker 900 Carbon, so I upgraded. The Nidecker I felt was better in all respects, in particular dampening and the straps were WAY BETTER. Now I'm going to use Flow NX2-GT. For the unamimous good reviews and convenience. Plus they're the softboot carve binding of choice at home in Japan.

Also, JJA does make a plate. Most connected to the board in the biz (imo).

[Mig]

3 hours ago, Emdee406 said:

@Mig, out of interest, what did you think of the cants on the El Hefe? Which did you end up using? Are you reference stance or wider? 

Absolutely love the cants! Ended up with 4* front and 5* rear on one pair, and 4* on both feet on two other pairs. Reference stance on my boards is 54cm. That’s what I run with bindings without cants like the Now Drives. But with the El Hefes, I go 55cm or 55.5cm.

[dhamann]

ridden burton diodes. found them to have very minimal support for carving/bx/banked courses.

 

rossignol xv. liked em a lot before i broke the metal heel cup and got some odrives.

 

NOW O-Drives. ya. pretty much a lifer. nothing compares. locked in great stiff ankle support. "flip-it" ankle strap = one side for freestyle vs one side for freeride/freecarve. toe straps must got over the top of foot unless you like breaking plastic ladder straps and buckles from drag if you lean over or dig deep carves. i've contacted NOW and JF is aware of this and was told that changes will be made. only had this issue with the back foot. the highback does not rotate if you run steeper angles. i'm at 40/20 and it works, but would prefer a rotate option. the odrives just happen to be on sale at REI right now too.

boots are ride insano w/ intuition powerwraps