In our last post, we discussed the Burton ICS system and EST bindings, both items that Burton has developed in order to create a board that flexed better, provided better contact, and a better mounting system. These ideas have been the holy grail since the mid-90s. There are a whole parade of binding names that offered the answer to this problem including Preston, Excel, Tech Nine and more. None of these were bad, in fact at the time they were the most technical thing around, but we still had to put up with bone-jarring landings and weird mounting to make it all happen.
For riders not on a Burton board using the channel system, there’s a great option to get more from your current board with the Re:Flex offering of bindings from Burton. The secret to this technology is in the disc and frame of the bindings. By using a hinged disc and removing material from the base of the binding, Burton creates a binding that is lighter, with better ride responsiveness and allows the board to flex more evenly across it’s length than a traditional 4×4 or even previous 3D hole system board.
Note the removal of material along a line between the mounting holes. By placing this perpendicular to the direction of flex, the binding can flex with the board in this spot.
In removing some of the material from the binding, Burton is also able to improve the cushioning under foot to create a more comfortable ride.
What Bindings are Re:Flex and which are EST? At Erik’s we have marked the bindings on our web site as EST if they are an EST binding, so anything without this designation is a Re:Flex binding. This includes the Genesis, Cartel, Mission, Custom and more – see the whole line of 2015 Burton Snowboard Bindings online or at select Erik’s Locations. Take a look below for some of the styles available.
Tagged: burton, burton snowboard, re:flex binding, snowboard binding
