Best bindings that release
 

What are the best bindings that will release in a fall? Let's not turn this into a debate whether you should or shouldn't come out. Simply, which are the best?

any bindings that are comfortable that you dont completey cinch down.. i have 2011 shanes and there real comfortable.. if you had a pair of wrap bindings then you wouldnt have to even mess with any strings..

I have never rode them but the ronix relics always looked like they would be easy to come out of in any bad crashes.

Why is that?

Do u think any of the new Velcro style boots would be more prone to releasing as compared to lace ups? I am currently riding ronix ones and injured my leg when I didn't come out on a failed backroll. I was thinking about the Lf vantage closed toe. Any one tried these?

I used to ride LF Vantage OT, they would release if you had a hard fall. Although occasionally you would get one releasing and one not. I found it was best to cinch them down so you didn't come out to avoid one releasing and one not. But if you rode them loose they would release easily, but then you're control on the board would be poor. Today's bindings are designed not to release, if you want some that are going to release get some old open toe boots, maybe look at something like a pair of LF ultra suction. They will release easily if you have a hard fall, and you wont have to do them really loose to get that to happen.

I've never once come out of my Reliks.

You don't want to come out of bindings bc you have the risk of one in and one out which = torn knee. I haven't came out of a binding in three years since I went to closed toe.

Surprisingly I have found the system bindings release on bad falls. Not something I expected

Well, anything a size or two too large would work. Obviously your board control will be negatively impacted.

Best thing I can think of at the moment would be to get some velcro bindings like Vantages, AAs, or possibly something like Shanes/Sovens with the lower laces a little loose. Then cover part of each velcro closure with another piece of velcro so that only a small portion of each velcro strap actually attaches to close the boot. Then it should pop open easier upon impact. It might take some trial and error (yikes!) to find the right balance of staying closed when landing but opening when falling. Old, worn out velcro might work as well.

try wearing socks (be it plain every-day socks or neoprene socks) with whatever boots you choose. They make sliding in and out of boots a little smoother/ easier and they tend to add a little bit of extra padding too especially if you have a-typical/ sensitive feet.

i came out of my Slingshot RAD boots on a bad backroll last weekend.

when it comes to the one-foot-in-one out scenario, yes it is the worst case scenario, but i like to occasionally mentally think about grabbing the board with my hands to keep the board from twisting. Make a decision before a choice is given to you kinda thing. can this be done in every case? probably not, but it will help prepare you and heighten your instincts and the "art of falling"

CWB's AA are the best. Super comfy and the Velcro straps keep you locked in when you want and allow you to come out on a hard crash. In fact the Velcro will completely come off from the inside of the binding on a real hard crash instead of tearing the binding or your body.

interesting thought, never thought of the way CWB chose to attach the straps would have a benefit in that regard

Tommy,

I too prefer to come out on edge catches. I ride the low cut boots. Try the CWB Vapors. All the comfort of the pro models. Fitted feel, but they release your feet when you need them too. They're also velcro, so if your going to throw a hammer. you can reach down and loosen them very easily on the fly.

Me too. I prefer eject over hold.

It never mattered to me early on until my first launches (and punishing splash-downs) doing backrolls.

I never once came out of my 07 LF shanes (they are collecting dust now in the attic).
So I put back on the the 05 Murrays which -- in spite of how tight they are to squish into -- release.

I find it an amazing confidence booster. Crashiing on an invert and ejecting from the bindings is never anything more than but a pretty good crash. Crashing on an invert and getting held tight is a potential day stopper.

The point is, I do not know which modern bindings will fit your wish. But I agree with your thinking. On a bad crash (as early tries on backrolls are prone to end up), I find ejecting and risking a risk of knee twist with 1 foot in and 1 out (which has not happened) is far better than getting held and just getting your head slammed (3 times, once unconscious, the other 2 damn woozy).

(Old LF ultras -- release ??? That's not what's typically advertised.)

Good stuff here, I'm probably going to go the Velcro route. I love the comfort the new boots give me, but hate the headaches that come from a nasty edge catch. If I wasn't trying to progress to the next level I don't think it would matter, but Ive been landing blind alot lately and I'm not digging staying in anymore!

I ride with One's also. I've been ripped out of them many times.

Apologies, I meant LF flex suction. I used to have a pair years ago and guarantee they release easily. Even just catching a hard edge while cutting when I was learning to ride they would both release.

" ... but Ive been landing blind alot lately and I'm not digging staying in anymore! "

yep. for all who prefer eject, the above is the reason.

I have several pairs of '07 LF Ultras that I'm hoping will last until a suitable replacement comes along. I haven't tried the new ultras yet, but for a current binding, that is the only one I've seen that's made entirely of stretch material. Most of the new LF bindings have a small stretch panel in back to help with hard falls which is good, but there's no way it releases as easy as an all stretch binding. I get a concussion about every 2 years with the Ultras, and about every 6 weeks with my old Transits.

Also, I come out of only 1 boot all the time, probably happens almost every time I ride. It mostly happens catching an edge, but it's happened in the air before too and I've never had an injury because of it.

^Thats a lot of concussions... I'm thinking you're just lucky with the one foot in, one foot out crashing.

I've probably had 4 or 5 "mild" concussions, but I've been doing inverts for 14 years so concussions are not very frequent. With the transits, the beatings were way worse and resulted in 2 concussions in one summer before I yanked them off my board. Concussions are not cool.

Plenty of pros and regular folks have used the Ultras for years without freaking out about the 1 foot in / 1 foot out thing. Non releaseable bindings have only been around for about 6 years or so anyway, what happened before that? Knee injuries are not going down, but head injuries are definitely going up.