Learn Me: Snowboard Bindings

My kid, who wants to try snowboarding but has never done it before, bought a new, unused snowboard from a friend. The brand is Snowjam. It came without bindings.

Do the bindings need to be the same brand as the snowboard or are they universal?

The bindings are generally universal. I had "32" Mark Frank Montoya signature edition bindings, and they were awesome

DO NOT GET STEP IN BINDINGS. They are terrible, and your kid will be made fun of.

Snowboarding is a fashion contest.

The are largely universal, but need to be setup according to the size of your foot. Won't likely be an issue unless your kid has huge feet. The board should have screw holes in pairs parallel to each other covering the spot where the bindings go. IF they are like this one, it will use a universal. Find a cheap beat up board with binding on it, and transfer them over, or find used bindings somewhere. Make sure the ratcheting mechanism works on all the straps.

That's what it looks like. The holes are spaced 1 9/16", center to center.

I run a burton board that came with Burton Freestyle? bindings. they work. I actually miss my K2 Klicker bindings. I'm 31 not a fashion statement.

My style of riding is more high speed vs terrain park. I could just jump off the chair lift, step down and go.

Now, it's sit my ass in the snow and ratchet in.

Oh yeah....He will need snowboard boots. regular snow boots will not work well.

Grtechguy wrote: I run a burton board that came with Burton Freestyle? bindings. they work. I actually miss my K2 Klicker bindings. I'm 31 not a fashion statement. My style of riding is more high speed vs terrain park. I could just jump off the chair lift, step down and go. Now, it's sit my ass in the snow and ratchet in. Oh yeah....He will need snowboard boots. regular snow boots will not work well.

I spent all of my time in the terrain park. We had 30 foot kickers, and tons of rails. One was called the "crainbow" because it went up and down like a rainbow, but it was curved like a "C".

One of the few things I miss about Michigan.

you can go on Buysnow dot com and they have clearance youth bindings, usually really cheap. When i worked there, there was about an inch of dust on brand new burton, flux, forum bindings that never moved!

Grtechguy wrote: I run a burton board that came with Burton Freestyle? bindings. they work. I actually miss my K2 Klicker bindings. I'm 31 not a fashion statement.

I love my old K2 Klickers, off the lift, stamp in and go. There's a little free play as you go from edge to edge, but I can live with that. I don't understand why they died out. Everyone I know who has them jealously guards them and transfers them from board to board. You might find some used on flebay, but you'll be stuck with using someone else's old boots if you do.

ehh...I still have my own boots ;)

I've got clickers. They keep me from looking like a dork getting on and off the chairlift. I didn't realize they were uncool. Then again, I've decided I like skiing better so I haven't actually clicked in for a couple of years now. I don't do terrain parks, I'd rather ski natural slopes.

My first snowboard was a Burton Cruzer 165 back in 1987 or so. It had strap-in bindings that you used with snowmobile boots. My feet have never been more comfortable or warm. Maybe I'll drag it out again and give it another shot. I also just pulled my monoski out of deep storage...

Wow Keith, that monoski is seriously old school.

Personally, I don't like clicker bindings not because they are uncool but because the boots tend to be less comfortable since they have to be stiff. Regular snowboard boots can be soft and be supported by the binding.

madpanda wrote: Wow Keith, that monoski is seriously old school.

Oh crap, I recall when Monoski's were the new hot E36 M3, now it's old school!!

My apparently unfashionable, but work like a charm Klickers are laughable too now, lucky I don't give a E36 M3 about what people think I look like.

My ski wear has been all yellow since before it was cool, while it was cool and I'm still wearing the same stuff now it's no longer cool. One day I'll come back into fasion again :)

I lived in France for the 1990 ski season. The monoski got a big workout - I'd either use it or my K2 5500s. Still have a set of those too, but they're pounded out with no arch anymore. I originally bought the mono because snowboards weren't allowed at my local ski area at the time.

My ski fashion was influenced by Scot Schmidt - so yeah, yellow and black Columbia jacket here I'm comfortable. People probably laugh at how I ski, too, it's very late 1980's with my feet closer together than you usually see. Still, I can give a good account of myself.

My wife wants to try snowboarding. Would it be mean to put her on the old Cruzer? She's got an awesome set of snowmobile boots.

Keith wrote: My wife wants to try snowboarding. Would it be mean to put her on the old Cruzer? She's got an awesome set of snowmobile boots.

It would make your life a lot easier if you put her on a modern, ladies specific board. They are MUCH easier to ride. She would learn faster and be happier. (the ladies specific ones are usually narrower so they make it easier to hold an edge when you have a smaller foot).

Also, based on my experience teaching my fiancee to snowboard, I would say get her wrist guards, knee pads, and padded shorts before the very first day. Girls tend to not be as brave as guys when it comes to the imminent prospect of pain and it slows down the learning process. It seems like a lot of stuff but a happy wife is a happy life...

In reply to Maroon92: My step in's are so old Kids have never seen anything like them. I blow past them while they are on the ground strapping up. You nare right it is a fashion show, strap bindings are the norm, go for them.

Keith wrote: I lived in France for the 1990 ski season. The monoski got a big workout - I'd either use it or my K2 5500s. Still have a set of those too, but they're pounded out with no arch anymore. I originally bought the mono because snowboards weren't allowed at my local ski area at the time. My ski fashion was influenced by Scot Schmidt - so yeah, yellow and black Columbia jacket here I'm comfortable. People probably laugh at how I ski, too, it's very late 1980's with my feet closer together than you usually see. Still, I can give a good account of myself. My wife wants to try snowboarding. Would it be mean to put her on the old Cruzer? She's got an awesome set of snowmobile boots.

Hey, I've still have K2 5500's as well!!! Good enough for Skiing Michigan hills when you have kids in tow. No point in splashing out for anything new until the kids are gone, I loose 30 more lb's and I can ski somewhere worth a damn on a regular basis.

Mono ski's were the E36 M3 when I was learning in the early mid 80's, I thought they'd died out by 90.

They moved to France. Heck, I always thought they started there. They weren't all that widespread, but I did have a group of guys that I'd ski with on a regular basis. They were probably about as common as snowboards there at the time.

One of them was a monoski speed racer. At around 50 mph, you start getting significant lift off that big nose and you can't widen your stance for stability. Takes a certain level of unhingedness to do that. I have a wicked postcard of Michel catching air on a mono, I'll see if I can scan it.

As for teaching Janel to ride, I'm tempted to take her up to the local slopes with lots of powder to start. Softer landings She doesn't have the skateboarding and windsurfing background I did so it'll probably take a bit longer to learn than it took me.

Back in about 1982, I put a set of footstraps (modeled after a windsurfer strap) on a Sims skateboard deck and tried to use that. I'd never heard of this "snowboard" thing at the time, although I had tried a Skurfer. No, not the wakeboard (although I used one of those in 1988), but the sled thing. Later, I put a windsurfer sail on a skateboard...