“It’s been said a million times already – the Union Force has to be one of the best all-rounders of all time. They’re snowboarding’s answer to popping on the kettle and slipping into a pair of sweat pants after a long day at work. Nothing fancy, nothing luxurious, just straight-up comfort that everyone can appreciate.

No big changes from the Force this year, thankfully. You get the same highback, baseplate and buckles that make them some of the most versatile and affordable bindings out there.

There’s enough flex to spend the closing weeks of the season lapping the park and enough rebound to go Mach Ten down the Harakiri.

I’ve never had any issues with pressure points or straps working themselves loose on the Forces either. No surprises here though. That’s what Union are renowned for.

“If your budget is hovering just below the £200 mark, do yourself a favour and step up to these. If you’ve got £250 to spend, why not save yourself a few notes and invest the change in a better snowboard?”

If I had to fault anything it would be the screws, which have been known, on occasion, to work themselves free without much warning. I only rode the Force for one day this season, so I can’t categorically say the problem has been resolved, but there were no signs of them coming loose by the end of the day.

Normally when testing a product I try and evaluate it purely on performance alone. Then, once I find out the price I try to consider how well it lives up to it. If you told me the Force cost £260 this season I’d still think they were worth it. There’s really nothing to fault here.

If your budget is hovering just below the £200 mark, do yourself a favour and step up to these. If you’ve got £250 to spend, why not save yourself a few notes and invest the change in a better snowboard? Whatever you screw these into you’ll be absolutely ripping.”