Skip to Content

Do Snowboards Come With Bindings? (Explained for Beginners)

If you love outdoor activities, you must have heard about snowboards. Snowboard ridings are fun, and it requires a lot of balance and skills. Bindings on a snowboard help you to have a nice experience.

Do snowboards come with bindings?

Snowboards do not come with bindings. But a snowboard setup comes with bindings. A snowboard setup comes with the board, boots, and bindings. If you are buying a snowboard separately, you will not get a binding along with it. But there will be mounts on the board to attach any bindings.

Do bindings matter on a snowboard?

Bindings are the structures in a snowboard that attaches the boots to the board. Bindings bind the boots for smooth riding.

When you are riding a snowboard, you are usually riding in a descending plane. The plane can be steep, hard, powder-based, park terrains, etc. Riding a snowboard requires you to take turns.

Jumps and stunts are also done using snowboards. These ridings require skills and proper distribution of strength throughout the body. And to do this, your body has to maintain its balance.

The binding of a snowboard makes the task of balancing easier for you. It holds your feet and keeps them to the board even when you are riding.

Proper fitting bindings are the most important for smooth riding. Because too tight or loose straps can misbalance your moves and turns. So you should have a proper binding.

Bindings are important, and they matter. A snowboard must have three things to serve its purpose. The board, the boots, and the bindings are these three prerequisites for a snowboard ride.

Why do bindings matter on a snowboard?

Snowboarding is an activity that requires a lot of skills and practice. And this activity usually requires three components. They are the snowboard, the boots, and the bindings.

Bindings are needed for a lot of reasons. Some of the main reasons are as follows:

Maintains posture:

When you are snowboarding, you need to have balancing skills. The bindings in snowboards remain attached to the board. So, it is keeping them firm and attached.

Binding helps you to maintain your posture during snowboarding. It keeps your feet safe.

Helps in jumps:

Snowboarding in steep and high terrains involves jumping and shifting speeds. When you jump in snowboarding, the bindings make sure that your snowboard stays by your feet.

Bindings do not let gravity stop you from losing your board and speed.

Helps taking turns:

Snowboarding requires a lot of carvings. The sharp edge of the board is used to take turns while carving. These turnings are done with a lot of speed. So there arises a possibility of tripping from the board.

Snowboard bindings keep your feet attached to the board and help you carve and take turns with ease. They distribute the turning effects equally and keeps your board safe.

Balances the power:

Snowboarding is an activity that needs proper balance and distribution of power throughout the body. And this task of controlling the strength of the body and distributing it properly is done by the bindings.

Bindings help you to balance and apply pressure easily to your feet and body.

Controls the board:

With snowboard bindings, it becomes easier to control your board. You can easily make turns, carve, bend, jump, and perform stunts by keeping the board in your full control. 

How to choose snowboard bindings?

There are different types of snowboard bindings available in the market. You have to consider a few facts before buying your snowboard binding. These facts are:

Your style:

There are basically three kinds of snowboards, viz. all-mountain, freestyle and, free-ride. These different bindings are worn and used for different styles of snowboarding.

The mobility and motion of the rider’s style determine which snowboard binding is suitable for him or her. The flexibility and mobility of these bindings are also different.

Choose your binding according to your style and need.

Compatibility level:

Beginners, experts, and pros will require different kinds of snowboard bindings. For beginners, more flexibility is required. Soft and flexible freestyle boards can be a good option.

Moreover, for advanced level riders, the level and purpose of riding must be kept in mind while buying your snowboard binding.

The snowboarding terrain:

The terrain of your riding also determines the type of binding you will need. For riding in the parks, mountains, or snow, choose your binding accordingly.

You will want a strong binding if you are riding on hard terrain. Powder terrains will require binding with a light float. Moreover, the maneuverability of the binding will be off-track if you choose the wrong binding for your terrain.

Specifications:

Specifications like your weight, size of your boots, height are important for choosing the right snowboard binding.

The board’s length, width, and weight have to be according to the rider’s physique. And the binding should be proportionate to that of the board. Moreover, the size of the boot must fit into the binding just right. It has to snug. It should be too tight or too loose.

The binding must be fit enough to bend and flex right. It should be flexible to make turns.

Style of binding:

There are different types of binding styles. The most common type is the traditional strap style. There are other styles like step-on and split-board binding.

If you want to bind in the toe and ankle region, the traditional strap is the one you need.

Split-board binding is famous for harsh and stunt ridings. It goes well with the split boards.

The fastest and friendly binding is the step-on binding. They are easy to wear and handle.

Your budget:

The amount of money you spend on your snowboard binding will determine its quality. Expensive straps and bindings will give you a rich riding experience. The specs will be high-end, and the performance will be better.

But if you are a beginner, you can start by choosing a moderate-priced binding. Practice this first before determining what you need and spending more money on it.

Are bindings universal with snowboards?

Bindings are one of the 3 most important gears of a snowboarding setup. They do not come with your snowboard. You have to buy them separately. 

While buying bindings, you must check whether your bindings will be compatible with your board or not. Commonly there are 4 mounting systems across all snowboards. Most bindings are compatible with multiple mounting systems. 

It is better to make sure the binding you are buying will be compatible with your board. Sometimes you may find that your binding is not compatible with your board. In that case, there are adjustable base plates to fit them.

So, we can say that bindings are compatible across boards of multiple brands. But, they are not universal. However, you can adjust bindings in case of incompatibility issues.  

Can you snowboard without bindings?

Bindings let you control your board. They are like a steering wheel for your snowboard. But some people prefer binding less snowboarding. 

Snowboarding without binding is popularly called Powsurfing. Powsurfing is a special style of snowboarding. This style allows people to snowboard like surfing without bindings.

Powsurfing gives you the freedom to express more. Inspired by surfing, powsurfing is often called snurfing. In the early days of snowboarding, there were no bindings used.

As bindings act like your steering for snowboarding, it is important for modern snowboarding. But some people prefer powsurfing and feel it more exciting. To them, it makes you free and allows you more freedom. 

So, it is possible to snowboard without bindings. Not all styles of snowboarding allow this. But if you are into pow surfing, then you can snowboard without bindings.

How much does it cost to put bindings on a snowboard?

Based on the style and size of the boots, there are different types of snowboard bindings in the market. Choosing a proper set of binding is important.

Bindings of different brands come at different prices and styles. But on average, snowboard bindings cost around 250$.

The bindings of the lower range can cost 130$ to 150$. The expensive ones can cost around 500$ to 550$. So, you should study the market and choose your bindings.

A freestyle snowboard binding costs around 200$. The cost of all-mountain bindings is around 280$. Freeride bindings, on average, come at 290$.

Do burton snowboards come with bindings?

Burton makes snowboards for a wide range of riders. They specialize in making snowboards for kids, men, and women.

They have snowboards for beginners, intermediate, and experts level. But the snowboards do not come with bindings.

Burton snowboards do not come with bindings. But when you are buying a snowboard setup from burton, it comes with bindings. The setup contains the board, the boots, and the bindings.

So, if you are buying a Burton snowboard setup, you will get the bindings along with it. Apart from that, the snowboards do not come with any bindings. It only contains the mount set up for binding.

All burton bindings are compatible with all Burton boards.

What are the best snowboard bindings?

Based on your style and size of boots, there are many snowboard bindings out there. Your style of snowboarding is also a deciding factor while choosing a binding. A proper set of binding will help you, whatever the style you choose.

Here’s a list of some of the best-selling bindings:

  1. Union Force
  2. Union Atlas
  3. Burton Cartel X
  4. Flow Fenix
  5. Burton Metal Axtion
  6. Ride C-10
  7. Salomon District
  8. Salomon Hologram
  9. Arbor Hemlock 10
  10. Now PilotTop of Form

The snowboard does not come with bindings itself, but you need one for experiencing the fun of snowboarding. So it would be better to choose the right one that fits your requirement criterias and suits you. 

Happy snowboarding!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Do snowboarders wear knee pads?

Why are snowboard pants baggy?

Do snowboards go bad?

Can snowboards snap, break or warp?

Can snowboards get waterlogged?

Do snowboards need to be sharpened?