Burton Diode EST Snowboard Bindings Black 2012 - Mens

"Worthy successor to the C60 and CO2"

I picked up the Diode EST binding this year to replace my C60 EST and CO2 EST from years of past. I haven't gotten many days out of it, but so far I've been able to try this in varying conditions from powder to groomed runs paired with a powder and cambered all-mountain board, respectively. For those groomed runs, response is excellent: Toe to heel and back was not an issue, carves were effortless. Even in powder, for such a stiff bindings, I did not have any issues with discomfort or lack of flexibility. My experience so far on this binding, the flex was great without sacrificing the response I seek with an all-mountain aggressive binding I use to carve on the groomed and steep runs. The footbed provides excellent dampening for crud and bumps, whilst the straps are both comfortable and keep my boots in my binding. The React ankle strap is very cushioned and padded. The front strap works in tandem with the ankle strap to maximize hold. I cannot really say if the Hinge system works or not; maybe this is what contributes to the good flex that I've experience with this binding while not sacrificing the response characteristics. Therefore I grade this binding as excellent in terms of performance. I did point out that I am not entirely content with the finish of the binding: the base plate has a rubber coating and text on the highback is printed on. With some friction, the rubbery coating and printed text on the baseplate and highback, respectively, rub off easily. I would have expected the finish to be of a bit higher quality. This inconvenience did not take away from the performance and overall enjoyment of this binding. Note: I cannot be certain this review would apply to the disc Re-Flex version of the binding. That said, if you have the budget for the binding, and you looking for an aggressive, high performance binding for your Burton board featuring the ICS, I would highly recommend this.