Turns out Burton isn’t the only company still making step-ins. Bon Hiver has been making them for years and still is in business. The cost about the same as a traditional binding (~$300) but come with a unique function:
“Bon Hiver’s FBS allows you to strap-in at the base of the mountain once for the entire day and never have to worry about undoing any of your hard work getting in. We like to make things simple: strap in both bindings, reach down, disengage the lock, rotate your foot, step out, and start skating to the lift. When you’re ready to lock back in, do it in reverse. Simply line your foot up angled to the board plate, let the magnets pull the binding and plate together, and twist your foot to lock. With both bindings locked, dismount the lift, blow past your friends miserably strapping-in, and ride. Later on, if you get stuck on any flats, quickly disengage the back binding, skate and then step back into the board plate to rotate, lock the binding and keep riding. Easy always does it.”
They sell it with this 3 part pitch, but I would say it hinges on the first, convenience. Does anyone have any experience with these things, would you recommend them? Might not be for everyone but there’s definitely a niche in the market for mellow riders that hate the hassle of strapping in and out, especially in areas with shorter trails like the mid-west.
Convienence
Revolutionary functionality that lets you lock in on the lift, avoid squatting your wet ass in the snow to strap in, and get more runs. The Freebase Binding System enables riders to disengage and remove the back binding from the board and either lock in on the fly while skating or lock in hands-free on the lift.
Performance
The Freebase Binding System gives riders the performance and functionality they’ve been dying for. Lock in on the fly and skate the flats to that rail you’ve always wanted to hit, that hip you wanted to footplant, or that table you wanted to one-foot. Let go and get more from your bindings, and change how your ride forever.
Progression
Riding since the days when neon one-pieces were slick, only grommets wore helmets, and two-planks ruled, we’ve seen shredders let go and push progression in riding to unseen levels. We created the Freebase Binding System based on two decades of riding and understanding what riders want and what they need from their bindings.
