Ontario Snowboarding

Spring Conditions and Binding Frustration

So the wacky weather continues. It was six degrees and slightly slushy
and Blue yesterday, with tons of sunshine. It made for a great day to
ride, but also for some suspect conditions on certain runs.

I’m glad we went yesterday, though — it’s pouring outside right now.

I had a good deal of fun riding, but had to make a decision I really
wasn’t interested in making: I’m switching bindings. Like, today. I
leave for Jay Peak on Thursday, am going to California for work
tomorrow, and need to replace my bindings today if I want to switch
them up before I leave.

The situation is this: I own a pair of Flow step-in bindings.
These were great when I started learning how to ride. You step into
them, flip a switch on the back, and away you go. None of this
ratcheting business. Particularly great for Ontario, when you’re
stepping in and out of your board every four minutes.

The problem is that I recently began popping out of them incessantly.
This is not cool. The last thing you want to worry about when you’re
making tight turns on a fast hill is whether or not you’re still
strapped in. As a result, I’m replacing them now.

(A friend of mine who just bought a brand new pair has already managed
to fall out of his twice, and break the switch on the back.)

Now I should point out I bought these used in Whistler a year ago, and
that they’re an older model of the Flow step-in system, so they’re
prety beat up. And the guys at Boardsports will
tell you Flow has improved the product significantly since I bought
mine. But I think it’s time for a different type of binding now,
particularly since I’m not much of a beginner anymore.

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