Hello and welcome to my Burton Malavita EST snowboard bindings review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Malavita EST as freestyle bindings.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Malavita EST a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other freestyle bindings.
NOTE: This review has only been updated to the 2024 model, as it was discontinued after the 2024 model. It had appeared on its way out prior to that, but some 2024 models were made available (though were just carry overs from the 2023 model). Now they seem to have officially bowed out.
Overall Rating
Binding: Burton Malavita EST
Price: $359
Style: Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium (6/10)
Rating Score: 90.0/100
Compared to other Men’s Freestyle Bindings
Out of the 16 men’s freestyle bindings that I rated:
Overview of the Malavita EST's Specs
Check out the tables for the Malavita EST’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | Freestyle |
Price: | $359 - BUYING OPTIONS |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Edge-to-edge: | Medium |
Weight: | Normal |
Mounts to: | Channel only |
Sizing
SIZE | US BOOT SIZE | EURO BOOT SIZE | UK | MONDO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
S | 6-8 | 38-41 | 5-7 | 24-26 |
M | 8-11 | 41-44 | 7-10 | 26-29 |
L | 10+ | 43-47 | 9+ | 28+ |
Who is the Malavita EST Most Suited To?
The Malavita EST is a great option for anyone wanting a freestyle binding that's on the stiffer side for bigger features - still medium flex - but a bit more stiffness in there vs a lot of freestyle bindings. But still with great board feel and butterability.
Also great as an all-mountain binding - particularly if you're looking for all-mountain with great board feel and if you incorporate a good bit of freestyle in your all-mountain array.
Not for beginners but fine for intermediate riders - and up of course.
The Malavita EST in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Malavita EST are capable of.
Demo Info
Binding: Burton Burton Malavita EST 2020, M
Date: April 14, 2019
Conditions: Great vis first thing but started closing in and then snowing 10:30. Then on and off throughout the day. But vis was never terrible – in patches good and in patches OK.
Groomers were quite smooth and fast, especially compared to the day before, which was nice.
Nothing crazy in terms of fresh snow, but 1cm (0.5") overnight and few more than that in the days leading up - some fresh patches still to be found.
Relatively cold with a little wind, but not much - wind not as strong and not quite as cold as the day before. -4 with wind. Still pretty cold for April 14th!
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 560mm (22″)
Board tested with: Burton Flight Attendant, 156
Boots tested with: Vans Aura Pro, size US10
Baseplate Length: 24.3cm (9.57”)*
*measured on the top side of the footbed
Highback Height: 20.2cm (7.95”)*
* from bottom of heel cup to top of highback
Height from Bottom of Baseplate to top of Highback: 26.5cm (10.43")
Testing Procedure
Usually I test everything on the same board (currently Rossignol One LF 2018) but since I can't test EST bindings on that, I had to get creative.
I wanted to re-test the Flight Attendant, so I rode the Flight Attendant with my regular testing bindings (Malavita Re:Flex), to test that board (under normal testing procedures). Then, since I had just gotten the feel of the Malavita Re:Flex on the Flight Attendant, I then took the same Flight Attendant but rode the Malavita EST on it (and the Cartel EST after that). This gave me a good comparison against how the Malavita Re:Flex felt on the Flight Attendant.
Flex
Burton simply rates them as medium, which is pretty accurate overall I would say, but doesn't paint the full picture. The overall feel is very much medium, but the highback is a little stiffer than medium. The baseplate is softer, which explains the overall medium feel. Felt just a touch stiffer than the Re:Flex model.
Responsiveness
I rode the wingback version of the Malavita EST. Not sure if that had any effect on the response at all. But I did notice there was a touch more response than the Re:Flex model. Nothing drastic but just a bit more in there.
Board Feel/Butterability
Vs the Re:Flex model, I felt noticeably better board feel and just easier to press. Getting that direct comparison to the Re:Flex model was great - and the ESTs had the best board feel that I've felt. I don't usually feel anything with better board feel than the Malavita Re:Flex (sometimes equal to, but never better) but the EST model has it over them (which is why I'm now going to have to downgrade the board feel on the Re:Flex model a little, when I upda