Hello and welcome to my Nidecker Supermatic binding review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Supermatic as all-mountain-freeride snowboard bindings.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Supermatic a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other all-mountain-freeride bindings.
Overall Rating
Binding: Nidecker Supermatic
Price: $399
Style: All-Mountain-Freeride
Flex Rating: Stiff (8/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Rating Score: 87.2/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freeride Bindings
Out of the 20 men’s all-mountain-freeride bindings that I rated:
Overview of the Supermatic’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Supermaticr’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-Mountain-Freeride |
Price: | $399 |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
Weight: | Felt normal |
Mounts to: | 2 x 4 | 4 x 4 | Channel |
Sizing
SIZE | US BOOT SIZE | EURO BOOT SIZE | UK BOOT SIZE |
|---|---|---|---|
M | 5.0-8.0 | 37.0-41.0 | 4.0-7.0 |
L | 8.5-10.5 | 41.5-44.0 | 7.5-9.5 |
XL | 11.0-13.0 | 44.5-47.0 | 10.0-12.0 |
Who is the Supermatic Most Suited To?
The Supermatic is best suited to those looking for a good speed entry binding and want something relatively stiff, but not too stiff - with good carving performance and surprisingly good board feel and shock absorption.
Particularly good for those that want that kind of speed/easy entry but don't want to have to get specialized boots to be able to use them.
Not for beginners, because of their flex level.
Suitable for boards in the 5/10 to 8/10 flex range, and most ideal for boards in the 6/10 to 7/10 flex range.
The Supermatic in More Detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Supermatic are capable of.
Demo Info
Binding: Nidecker Supermatic 2023, L
Date: February 25, 2022
Conditions
Clear blue skies and perfect vis.
Temperature: 23°F (-5°C) and no wind.
24hr snow: 0" (0cm)
48hr snow: 1.2" (3cm)
7 day snow: 10.6" (27cm)
On Groomer: Nicely groomed. Firm but not to the point of being hard and nothing icy.
Off Groomer: Similar to groomer but with some harder patches and semi icy in some of the shady areas.
Set Up
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 21.9″ (555mm)
Board tested with: Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker
Boots tested with: Adidas Tactical ADV, size US9.5
Baseplate Length: 9.84" (25cm)*
*measured on the top side of the footbed - a little bit of angle down to underside of baseplate, where it's 9.65: (24.5cm)
Highback Height: 7.8" (19.8cm)*
Highback itself. From bottom of binding to top of higback is 11.4" (29cm).
Weight: 1240g (2lbs 12oz)
* for one binding, including screws and disc. The average weight of a small sample size of around 60 bindings (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2023 models) I weighed, was 913 grams. The lightest was 680 grams and the heaviest was 1,240grams. The Supermatic's are the heaviest I've weighed. However, on snow, they actually felt about normal. Did notice it on the lift, but not when riding.
Responsiveness
I found the Supermatic struck a pretty good balance between maneuverability at slower speeds and their ability to lean into a heavy carve. They weren't quite as easy to maneuver with at slower speeds than my control bindings, which are softer, but they were able to carve harder at higher speeds than my control bindings (Burton Malavita).
Board Feel/Butterability
Actually really decent. Which I wasn't expecting. There's no mini-disc or anything else to suggest that the board feel would be anything above average. And they have really good shock absorption, so it's not delivering good board feel because of a lack of padding or anything. It's not up there with the best board feel bindings, but surprisingly good.
Pop/Ollie Power
Pretty similar to my control bindings, but just a touch less ollie power, if I had to choose, but nothing obviously noticeable.
Let's Break this Text Up with a Video
Adjustability
Not a huge amount of adjustability, but enough that most boots should fit in well enough, assuming you get the sizing right.
Heel Cup: No
Stance Width: Good stance width adjustability – plenty of micro adjustability when you run disc horizontal.
Highback Lean: Yes and tool-less. Didn't seem to be able to quite go to zero lean, but very close.
Ankle Strap Position: No
Toe Strap Position: No
Ankle and toe strap length: Tool-less.
Gas pedal/toe ramp extension: Yes
Highback Rotation: No
Compatible with: 2 x 4 | 4 x 4 | Channel (and even 3D I think)
Shock Absorption
Feeling really good on flat landings and for absorbing chatter. Up there for shock absorption. Not quite in that top tier of shock absorbers, but not far off.
Entry/Exit
This is of more importance to a speed entry binding like this than to other bindings because this is one of the reason's you buy a binding like this - for speed and ease of entry/exit.
And this is where I was really impressed with the Supermatic - and, IMO, it's the easiest in/out speed entry binding I've tried.
It takes a bit of setting up. I tried to set them up without using instructions to see how easy it would be to figure out and it wasn't super easy. Once I followed some instructions, I was able to set it up so that they were secure and the performance was good, but they were also easy to get in/out of. See video above for instructions to save time and frustration.
So how easy are they, once you get it all setup? Nice and easy. Only thing is that the click wasn't super loud but you can hear it - and you've got to give it a reasonable stomp to get it to click, but it doesn't take too much effort. There were a couple of small things with the demo model I got that have apparently been improved as well, so the production model should be even smoother and easier.
Getting out is easy if you're stationery. Because you've got to release the lever and pull back on the highback and lift your foot up and back, it's not easy to do on the go. But it is easy to get in on the go, so coming off the lift and stomping straight in doesn't take much practice at all, so long as there's no snow build up under where the heel piece is going to click in place.
Comfort
Nice and comfortable overall.
Ankle Strap: Conformed well to my boots and no pressure points.
Toe Strap: ditto.
Canted Footbed: Yes
Padded Footbed: Good bit of padding, particularly around the toe. The swinging heel piece naturally has to be relatively solid as you stomp down on it, but it does have some padding to it. Less padding down the middle.
Highback: A bit of padding on the highback, but main thing is that I didn't experience any calf bite.
Ankle Support
Felt like the ankle straps sat in a good place and did a good job to support the ankles.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
RATING | SCORE WEIGHTING | |
|---|---|---|
CARVING | 4.5 | 22.5/25 |
SLOW SPEED RESPONSE | 3.5 | 7/10 |
ADJUSTABILITY | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
ANKLE SUPPORT | 4.0 | 12/15 |
BOARD FEEL | 4.0 | 8/10 |
SHOCK ABSORPTION | 4.5 | 9/10 |
COMFORT | 4.0 | 8/10 |
ENTRY/EXIT | 5.0 | 5/5 |
TOTAL after normalizing | 87.2/100 |
Overall, I was really impressed with the Supermatic. As far as easy/speed entry bindings go, I found these the easiest of any I've tried. And they've got good performance too, which is of course the most important thing!
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Supermatic, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to check out some other all-mountain-freeride binding options, or if you want to compare how the Supermatic compares to other all-mountain-freeride bindings, then check out the next link.
I wanted to get an idea of what you think about these versus the Cartel X. Going on a Lib Tech Cold brew board.
Also, their website says size XL for size 11-13. I am size 11 boot and i use the Burton Photon Boa boots.
Thanks!
Hi Leo
Thanks for your message.
We haven’t tested the Cold Brew, but based on its flex rating, I would say both the Cartel X and Supermatic would be a good match with it. They both have a similar overall flex, in my experience. The main differences, I would say, apart from these being speed entry, are:
– Cartel X, for me, had a bit better slow speed response, but Supermatic a little better for carving – but not much in it
– Cartel X had better board feel, IMO, but the Supermatic not too bad in that department either and they’re not too far different
– I found the Cartel X a little more comfortable, but again, the Supermatic is still not bad in that department
Size-wise, the Photon BOA 11s might fit in the L with the Supermatics, as they are lower profile boots. But no guarantees they will. The XL would be the safe bet, buy my guess is that you would get Photon BOA 11s in an L. But again, I haven’t actually had Photon BOA 11s in an L Supermatic, so couldn’t say for sure.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hey Nate!
How would rate and compare the Supermatics relative Burton’s Genesis Step-On’s for someone that likes the flex on the Genesis EST’s paired with Photon boots?
I realize the Genesis offers more lateral flex and is lighter, but the Supermatic’s dual entry, possible better dealing with snow buildup, boot compatibility and overall feel might be a good fit.
Thanks!
Dano
Hi Dano
Thanks for your message.
I really liked the Supermatics. I enjoyed the system and I like having straps. For a speed entry, but having straps, it’s the easiest to get into (once you’ve got the setup dialed in) of any speed entry that I’ve tried. Step Ons still a little easier to get into, IMO. If entry/exit is an important factor for you. Getting out though, I preferred the Supermatics, still find the Step Ons a little cumbersome to exit – but I probably haven’t spent enough time on them, to get the coordination down properly yet. In regular strap bindings I often unstrap on the move, and I haven’t figured that out with the Step Ons yet, but I’m sure people who own them figure it out after a while.
In terms of flex, I found the Supermatics and Genesis Step Ons very similar. Though I did recently (a few days ago) retest the Genesis Step Ons and they felt they were softer than I first tested them – so they’re closer to a 6/10 in my re-test and Supermatic more like a 7/10. So the Genesis Step On now more like the Genesis EST in terms of flex, IMO.
One big bonus of the Supermatics, depending on where you are in the buying cycle, is that you don’t have to get new boots for them, which you would for the Step Ons.
I haven’t had Step Ons in any deep snow, but I feel like they could be a pain to get into if you’re in deeper snow and have to strap in (sorry, step in!) but I haven’t been in that scenario with them, so couldn’t say for sure.
But yeah, in terms of feel, I think you’re going to be closer in feel to the Gensesis EST with Step On Genesis and Photon Step On boots than you would be with the Supermatic. More so after my recent re-test. But there are definite pros and cons between both.
Hope this gives you more to go off
Couple of comments on the Supermatics after having been on them 8 days:
#1 — The sizing is off. I ride very low profile boots in 11.5 and the toe strap ends up on top of the toe rather than capping the toe of the boat. This creates a friction point that makes it more difficult to enter the biding. I would suggest anyone over 10.5 do a test fit before pulling the trigger.
#2 — You do not have to be stationary nor do you have pull the high back to the rear to exit. Simply press the lever and lift your heel, which will automatically drop the highback. I had zero issues with functionality…they far exceed Gnu, Flow and the old old school K2 clickers I have had in the functionality department.
Just ordered these in L. How do you think they will fit a Vans Hi Standard in 12? Right on the cusp it seems. Have a wide board so not too worried.
Hi Keith
Hard to say for sure, having not had a 12 in them, but yeah, the Large is said to take up to an 11.5, so it could go either way, like you say. My instinct is that you’ll get in it with a Hi-Standard 12. The Hi-Standards that I’ve tested and measured are a little shorter in length vs mondo (i.e. quite low profile) than average, so that should help. They’re a little bulkier around the ankle of the boot, but I don’t think that should be a problem. So yeah, no guarantees, but I think you’ve got a better than even chance of fitting them in there.
Hey Nate.
I got to use the supermatics for the 2022 aus season (mate owns a snowboard/skate shop) and was very impressed with them.
I’ve been using Flow NX2 for years and found these to be way more responsive.
Very easy to get into.. especially on the move compared to the flows.
My only issue with them was the release lever, after using for the season I still have a sore middle finger as it was the only real finger that I could use. The release lever seamed a bit small and hard to release with gloves on,
On a foot note, I did find that sometimes it didn’t lock in when you thought it had, but I think that was don’t to user error and being tried at the end of the day..
Cheers for the great reviews.
Hi Andrew
Thanks for your input. Much appreciated. I imagine some of these things will get ironed out as they develop them, being quite a new concept at the moment.
I had 11.5 maysis K2s and they fitted fine. Might wait for them to release larger sizes next seasons mark2 versions.. apparently they don’t want to release larger sizes until there are more out there. A bit worried about them not standing up to larger people.. that’s what I’ve been told anyway… Andrew…
I’m 6 1 and 290 lbs in a size 11 boot…..ihave a pair in large they work great