parks bindings

just looking for some pro's and cons of the parks bindings. I was fixing to buy some and want to amke sure i am making a good move. I sure appreciate the halpth

Great bindings, overlays tend to tear. HL warranty's all their products. Stick them in boiling water and custom mold them to your feet for better a fit.

Not to ambush..
Try the Zeus'. I went from the Parks to them. Better fit, more durable.

I don't care how good a warantee program is.. I don't want to go without my boots for a couple weeks a few times a Summer.

I ride Parks and love them - no problems at all. Matter of a fact - nobody I know (personally) has ever had a bad thing to say about Parks boots.

I dont guess i am familiar with the zeus bindings? Who makes them

steven,
i haven't heard of people boiling there bindings but it makes since. How long do you leave them in the water and how long do you wait to put your foot in them?

Jim or anybody,
I have smaller legs and someone told me that parks dont give much support around the upper anke, true or false

These bindings are good, but they wear out fast and become problems whenever you have to send them off for fixing...they stay gone for weeks...i think they try to be TOO fancy with them...

I havn't been pleased with the durability of HL bindings. I have '03 Byerly's that are currently with Hyperlite being fixed. I've talked to several people who have had the Parks tear as well.
I am most interested in the Liquid Force Transits at the moment.
The Parks are schweet bindings though. You will probably be ok with the Parks as long as you are very careful taking off/putting on.

I believe the Parks were made to give a little more side to side freedom so I don't think they will give as much support at the upper ankles as some others. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Long enough to make them soft and plyable. Make sure to dump all the water out of the screw holes in the foam. If you don't you'll burn the $heit out of your feet. It helps to have 2 people when completing this exercise. Boil a large pot of water, big enough to get the boot in sideways. Keep flipping it untill the whole boot is soft and rubbery. Pull the boot out and make sure all the water is out of every hole. Lube up the binding and shove your foot into it tightening up the straps as tight as you can get them. Keep your foot in them as long as possible standing up straight and applying pressure onto the foot pad. As they cool they will form to your feet. This is always a great excuse to never let anyone use your bindings. Also you may need to do this more than once. After your done take a zip tie and wrap the top of the boot closed, like a baseball mit. This will ensure it keeps a round form after cooling. Good luck!

I have last years model, blue overlays. Not a single complaint. Much better than my 2001 High Backs, better support around the ankles. Have not torn an overlay yet, touch wood.

Parks suck unless you like to feel like your walking on air No seriously I have the 03 Parks and I love them. I can't say they are any less support than others I have ridden but I haven't ridden that many to speak of. They get a thumbs up in my book.

I have never heard of the boiling thing either. Is this a safe practice as far as durability. Could this cause some of the problems some people speak of? Just curious.

Also, no matter what binding you ask about, there are going to be some people who have had problems with them. Its the nature of the business. With the stress we put on these things, sometimes they are going to break. Some probably more than others. All I can speak of is of my experience, and so far no problems...fingers crossed.

Rod, I have 02 Parks with 03 overlays. I didn't boil them until after they tore and I replaced the overlays. Not a tear on them and I have been riding them for a full season now.

About boiling them...I would think that this might weaken the glue that holds the 2 layers of footpadding together and also to the base?

ive been riding my 02s for 2 summers and nothing has gone wrong with them

Hey guys,i appreciate the input, one more thing though, i am more of a straight up type rider and was wondering if the angle of these boots cause any problems for anybody. row spots or just any uncofortness

i havent boiled mine but a really hot bathtub does the trick too. my overlays havent ripped either. although the plastic heelplate has cracked and ripped. I love the comfort.

i got the 04 parks... very confortable and so far great bindings... riden them about 5-10 times and no worries so far

Josh, they defintley give you a forward lean to you stance, I ride with my knees bent a bit anyway so it was natural to me. If you are pretty upright they might not be the best fit, but like I said I ride knees bent naturally so Im not sure.

As for boiling, I may have to try this. Seems like most people are saying it didn't affect the durability.

Josh, way false - by pulling the draw stings in back you can create as much ankle support as you want. the boots do give a lot of side to side freedom though - personally, I consider this a safety feature as they will give if one foot comes out and the other does not.

As far as the people whos boots ripped: how many of you boiled your boots????

I've had mine for 2 years now with no complaints whatsoever.

I can tell you that the parks bindings definitly hold your feet in real tight. Last summer i took a nasty fall on a heelside front flip and the bindings didnt release. Broke my right leg in three places, compound and spiral fractures. (out of the skin for those who dont know). So word to the wise you want ur bindings tight but not too tight u wont come out when you need to.

did both feet saty in when you wiped out. how tight did you have the laces. I wa sthinking of going to alpha's beacuase of more comfort and less support.

I haven't tried boiling bindings before. Personally, I wouldn't do it. All you need to do it warm the EVA up until it's soft. This can be done at temperatures FAR below boiling. Just run them under hot water out of the faucet for a few minutes and you're good to go. Also, you don't want to put them in a hot tub! I've heard of people doing this before and it WILL weaken your bindings. Chlorine is not our friend.

As for the Parks tearing...Hyperlite had problems with their overlays in 2002. (Actually, all companies did because the same company makes almost all of the molded overlays on the market. Hyperlite just had more problems than other brands.) The newer bindings haven't had these problems.

Yep both feet stayed in. They werent laced tight at all. Just normally in the bindings. Cant understand why they didnt release.

I had a pair of parks last year, they are a nice binding, but try the cwb boss's, they are similar and i find them much more comfortable and durable.

To clerify, I soaked them in a hot rice cooker. Not quite boiling water.

(Message edited by solo on March 06, 2004)