“I challenge anybody to not find their perfect fit with these bindings. You know they say there are over 170,000 different ways to customise your drink at Starbucks? Well, it’s the same for the Katanas. Fit and performance can be dialled down to the nerdiest levels of detail.

Way back at the start of the season I got my hands on a pair and was absolutely blown away by the comfort straight out the tester’s tent. A perfect blend of a looser, surfy feel in powder, with more than enough response between the edges back on the piste.

It wasn’t until later in the season, when I got a chance to ride them for a whole week. I had the chance to get every angle, from the highbacks to the baseplates, dialled in exactly how I wanted them. I was also fortunate enough to ride them in a whole variety of conditions and on both a true twin and directional board.

I can now categorically confirm that these are the best bindings on the market. I say that as an opinion, not a fact, but one I will defend to the grave.

Every detail has been taken into consideration. The canting adjustment in the highbacks allowed me to get them perfectly aligned to the back of my boots for total connectivity. The three different options of heelside strap heights with the pivot mount are great if you’re wanting one binding to ride park and pow that will happily screw onto any of your quiver decks.

A special mention has to go to that most exciting of things – the toe straps. I used to think if they didn’t come off and didn’t have awkward pressure points then they’d done their job. The new ProGrip strap does both these things without a mention – what makes it stand out is that it genuinely improves the performance and control you’ll have of the board.

When you click it tight, you can see the strap spread out and mould right around the ends of your boot. It’s completely malleable and, as a result, the response is way less on/off and binary, but more subtle, smooth and dynamic. The slightest input is transferred to the binding for razor-sharp precision.

“I can now categorically confirm that these are the best bindings on the market. I say that as an opinion, not a fact, but one I will defend to the grave”

Riding in crud, taking hits on the landings and generally just giving your ankles abuse throughout the day is made a lot less fatiguing with the D30 impact cushioning. For those who haven’t come across this before, it’s used in sports protection, military equipment and even phone cases. It remains soft and supple (good for natural board flex) until it comes under more severe impact where it firms up and absorbs the impact (good for saving your feet).

I thought product testing would be all about riding snowboards, and for sure I rode a few absolute belters this year, but the Katana’s arguably left the longest-lasting impact. I really didn’t expect to be this impressed by the thing often more overlooked in a setup.

I could keep going on, there are so many good things to say about these and nothing negative…. except for the price tag, maybe? To be honest with you though, for a binding as quality as this, the cost is completely justified. In fact, they could probably get away with charging mo…. No, wait I didn’t say that.”

“The Katana is our ultra-light binding that pushed the envelope on customization and connected comfort. Now a staple in the line thanks to its groundbreaking AsymWrap Tech, this versatile beast of board-feel helps keep you darting through trees, but doesn’t lose the power you need to rail eurocarves. Always the innovator, the Katana gets our new ProGrip Toe Strap for an even more snug fit. The AsymChannel Highback provides the backbone for all-mountain precision, while the fan favourite Ultralight Ankle Straps keep the good times cranked to 11.”