“I came into snowboarding from skating, and as such have never really liked stiff bindings. I like to have some freedom in my feet and feel able to move my weight around without having my calves pinned to the highbacks. It’s almost like the Bent Metal guys could see me coming when they made these with a soft, urethane highback. ‘Urethane?’ I cried. ‘But, that’s what they make skateboard wheels with!’

“I really like the way it seems to focus support on either side of your foot rather than right down on it”

Whilst the ‘Bi-Axial Calcium Fibre Drive Plate’ is a bit less comprehensible, there’s no doubt that these do have that skate feel to them. Very comfortable, and with a nice lateral flex that doesn’t impede the toe-to-heel response, they were great for absorbing trannys and getting tweaked out during slashes and airs. When paired with a reasonably stiff boot, soft bindings don’t have to mean beginner or jib – they can be a lot of fun!

There’s no padding on the ankle straps but the kind of ‘webby’ structure they use instead does a great job of molding to your boot shape, and I really like the way it seems to focus support on either side of your foot rather than right down on it. Honestly, they’re good enough that you’re not really aware of them until you have to unclip, exactly as bindings should be.

The cube is still so clever that it’s almost a shame it’s for adjusting forward lean. I could be wrong, but who does that much adjustment on the fly? If Bent Metal made a splitboard binding down the line, maybe to go with those Lib boards, then this would be a winning feature there.

All in all, if you’re into soft bindings, there’s little to fault and a lot to love about these.”

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