Past Season Cheap Snowboard Bindings Lists

BEST CHEAP FREESTYLE BINDINGS

Binding: K2 Line Up

Price: $239

Snowboarding Profiles' Freestyle Rating Score : 84.2/100

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Why These Bindings Were Chosen

K2's Line Up cost $11 less than the average, but scored a lot higher than the average. They were number in 3 in our Top 5 Freestyle Bindings list and the average price of that top 5 was $289. The Line Up is $60 cheaper than the average of the top 5.  

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $20 compared to last year
• The average price for the top half (top 8) was $270, making the Line Up $31 cheaper than those that scored in the top half of this list.
• Of those costing $239 or less, the average score was 76.4

Alternatives

Some honorable mentions: 

Burton Mission ($229 | 83.7 points)

Union Flite Pro ($169 | 78.9 points)

Arbor Hemlock ($249 | 80.0 points)

BEST CHEAP ALL-MOUNTAIN BINDINGS

Binding: Union Strata

Price: $249

Snowboarding Profiles' All-Mountain Rating Score : 93.5/100

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Why These Bindings Were Chosen

This one was a no brainer. The Strata is $42 cheaper than the average price of this whole category, and was the #1 bindings in my Top 5 All-Mountain bindings, which doesn't take price into account.

The '23 model of the Strata is $70 cheaper than the '22 model. It's a rare thing when the price of snowboard bindings, or anything in this world for that matter, actually goes down in price. 

Yes, there was a small downgrade in the ratchets (from magnesium to aluminum), which might ultimately affect the life of the bindings and might add a tiny bit of weight. But the size of the price drop isn't explained by that small change alone. 

The main reason it dropped so much in price was that the Contact Pro exited Union's line and the Ultra came in. The Ultra was seen as a higher price point to the Strata and the Strata slotted into the pricing heirachy where the Contact Pro had left vacant. That's a win for the consumer, because nothing has changed with the performance of this binding. 

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $17 compared to last year
• The average price for this category is $41 higher than the freestyle category (see above)
• The average price for the top half (top 12) was $322, making the Strata $73 cheaper than those that scored in the top half of this list. And the Strata topped that list!
• The Strata was the lowest priced binding in the Top 12
• Of those costing $249 or less, not named the Strata, the average score was 73.8

Alternatives

K2 Lien AT ($279 | 88.7 points)

Burton Cartel EST ($289 | 89.2 points)

Burton Cartel Re:Flex ($289 | 87.1 points)

Ride C-6 ($279 | 81.2 points)

BEST CHEAP ALL-MOUNTAIN-FREERIDE BINDINGS

Binding: Burton Cartel X

Price: $329

Snowboarding Profiles' All-Mtn-Freeride Rating Score : 87.8/100

Why These Bindings Were Chosen

Now I know, $329 isn't necessarily what some would call cheap for snowboard bindings. But in the case of this category, it really is. 

Snowboard bindings (like boards and boots), tend to get more expensive as they get stiffer. This category is for bindings between 6.5/10 to 7.5/10 flex - stiffer than the previous 2 categories, so naturally each binding is more expensive and the average is more expensive. 

The Cartel X are only $30 more than the cheapest option in this category and $24 less than the average price in this category, yet they score a good bit above the average score. 

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $30 compared to last year
• The average price for this category is $62 higher than the all-mountain category and $103 higher than the freestyle category (see above)
• The Cartel X was the lowest priced binding in the Top half (top 8) and, naturally, the lowest priced in our top 6 all-mountain freeride bindings list. 
• Of the 3 bindings, not named the Cartel X, costing $329 or less, the average score was 81.4

Alternatives

Cartel X EST ($329 | 90.4 points) - technically the better value for money than the Cartel X Re:Flex, but can only be used on boards with the channel

Arbor Cypress ($299 | 83.0 points)

Flux XF ($349 | 93.1 points)

Union Atlas ($349 | 85.1 points)

Salomon Highlander ($349 | 85.1 points)

BEST CHEAP FREERIDE BINDINGS

Binding: Flux XV

Price: $449

Snowboarding Profiles' Freeride Rating Score : 92.3/100

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Why These Bindings Were Chosen

You could argue that there's no such thing as a good cheap freeride binding. Like I mentioned above for the all-mountain freeride category, the stiffer the bindings the higher the price, typically speaking. 

The average price of this whole list is a whopping $103 more than the average price of the all-mountain freeride list. And with bindings in that 8/10 to 10/10 flex range, there's not much "cheap" to look at here. 

But the XV does sneak in under the average price - and it's the #1 freeride binding in our top 5 freeride bindings, so naturally scores way above the average score. So if you are looking for a truly stiff, take no prisoners freeride binding, the XV does offer really good value for money, with bindings costing up to $599 in this category. 

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $22 compared to last year
• The average price for this category is the highest of all the categories and by a good margin - $103 higher than the next highest category (all-mountain-freeride), $165 higher than the all-mountain category and $206 higher than the freestyle category (see above)
• The average price for the top half (top 7) was $499, making the XV $50 cheaper than those that scored in the top half of this list. 
• Of the 8 bindings not named the XV and that were $449 or under, the average score was 83.4

Alternatives

Rome Cleaver ($449 | 91.8 points)

Salomon Quantum ($449 | 86.6 points) 

BEST CHEAP BEGINNER BINDINGS

Binding: Union Flite Pro

Price: $169

Snowboarding Profiles' Beginner Rating Score : 93.5/100

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Why These Bindings Were Chosen

After that sticker shock from the freeride list, we now move on to the final category, which has the lowest average price of all the categories.

The results here are somewhat skewed, since the scores for beginner bindings take price into account, but none-the-less, the Flite Pro represents great value for money for those just starting out on their snowboarding journey. 

They are $72 cheaper than the average price in this category and top our top 10 beginner bindings list.  

Some other notable numbers: 

• The average price for this category went up by $14 compared to last year
• The average price for this category is the lowest of all the categories, naturally being a beginner list - and with those that are suited to this category being softer flexing bindings. They are $9 cheaper than the next closest (freestyle category) and a whopping $215 cheaper on average vs the highest priced category (freeride). 
• Price is taken into account for the scores for beginner bindings – so this is somewhat skewed for this category. 
• The average price for the top half (top 15) was $212, making the Flite Pro $43 cheaper than those that scored in the top half of this list. The bottom half of the list had a higher average price than the top half though - because price in this case influenced the scores. 
• The Flite Pro was the equal 2nd cheapest in the whole list