snowboarding profiles logo mountain

Snowboarding Profiles

  • Gear Advice
    • Choosing a Snowboard
      • Snowboard Length Sizing
      • Snowboard Width Sizing
      • Based on How You Ride
      • Based on Skill Level
      • More
    • Choosing Bindings
      • Binding Sizing
      • Binding Flex
      • Binding and Snowboard Compatibility
      • Based on How You Ride
      • More
    • Choosing Boots
      • How To Choose Snowboard Boots
      • Boot Sizing
      • Boot Flex
      • Boot Lacing Systems
      • Boot Types
    • Choosing Outerwear
      • Choosing a Snowboard Jacket
      • Choosing Snowboard Pants
      • Choosing Goggles
    • For Beginners
      • Choosing a Beginner Snowboard
      • Choosing Beginner Bindings
      • Choosing Beginner Boots
    • Choosing by Style
      • All Mountain
        • All Mountain Snowboard
        • All Mountain Bindings
        • All Mountain Boots  
      • Freestyle
        • Freestyle Snowboard
        • Freestyle Bindings
        • Freestyle Boots
      • Freeride
        • Freeride Snowboard
        • Freeride Bindings
        • Freeride Boots
    • Set Up Advice
    • Other Gear Advice
  • Snowboard Reviews
    • Snowboard Top 10s
    • Snowboard Reviews
  • Binding Reviews
    • Bindings Top 10s
    • Binding Reviews
  • Boot Reviews
    • Boots Top 10s
    • Boot Reviews
  • Outerwear Reviews
    • Jackets Top 10s
    • Pants Top 10s

Salomon Highlander Bindings Review

Last Updated: November 10, 2020 by Nate Leave a Comment

Salomon Highlander Bindings

Hello and welcome to my Salomon Highlander bindings review.

In this review, I will take a look at the Highlander as all-mountain-freeride snowboard bindings.

As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Highlander a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other all-mountain-freeride bindings.

Overall Rating

Binding: Salomon Highlander 2020

Price: $349

Style: All-Mountain-Freeride

Flex Rating: Stiff (8/10)

Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (7/10)

Rating Score: 85.1/100

Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain-Freeride Bindings

Out of the 16 men’s all-mountain-freeride bindings that I rated:

  • The average score was 82.3/100
  • The highest score was 94.1/100
  • The lowest score was 61.7/100
  • The average price was $307
  • The Highlander ranked 4th out of 16

Overview of the Highlander’s Specs

Check out the tables for the Highlander’s specs and available sizes.

Specs

Style:

All-Mountain-Freeride

Price: 

$349

Ability Level: 

Ability Level Intermediate to Expert

Flex: 

Snowboard Flex 7

Edge-to-edge: 

Medium-Fast

Weight: 

Lighter side of normal

Mounts to: 

2 x 4 | 4 x 4 | Channel

Sizing

SIZE 

US BOOT SIZE

EURO BOOT SIZE

UK BOOT SIZE

S

3-7

34-39

3-6

M

6.5-10

38.5-43

5.5-9

L

10-15

43-49

9-14

Who is the Highlander Most Suited To?

The Highlander is a great option for anyone looking for a responsive pair of bindings, that still have some forgiveness to them and can still ride them at slower speeds when needed. 

And just for those that want an all-round quality binding that doesn't have any areas of weakness. 

Not for a beginner - too stiff for that, but great for solid intermediate and up riders.

The Highlander in More Detail

O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Highlander are capable of.

Demo Info

Binding: Salomon Highlander 2020, M

Date: March 10, 2019

Conditions: Mostly sunny and perfect vis. 

Groomers were on the firmer side, but not overly hard - and really well groomed - especially first thing, was smooth going and could really confidently bomb and lean into some deep carves.

Got a little cruddy as the day wore on, but was never too bad. 

Off-groomer was tracked, but there'd been recent fresh snow a few days prior and there were still some good patches of untracked fresh snow.   

Salomon Highlander 2020 Review

Bindings angles: +15/-15

Stance width: 550mm (21.7″)

Board demoed with: Rossignol One LF 2018, 159

Baseplate Length: 25.7cm (10.12”)*

*measured on the top side of the footbed - a little bit of angle down to underside of baseplate

Highback Height: 16.5cm (6.5")*

* from bottom of heel cup to top of highback. Highback itself if 18.5cm (7.28") - it extends below the bottom of the heel cup. Heel cup is quite high. 

Flex

To me they felt 7/10 when flexing in hand and 7/10 on snow. The rep said he considered them 8/10, but I felt them just a touch softer than that. 

Responsiveness

I really liked the response with these bindings. Felt I could hold a carve a little deeper and a little longer too vs my control bindings (Burton Malavita). But at the same time there was still maneuverability at slow speeds, which was great.  

Board Feel/Butterability

Really decent board feel, despite there not being any mini-disc or anything else in the base plate that would suggest it - and there was decent shock absorption at the same time. Maybe something to do with the flexible heel loop/shadowfit tech? And maybe because of the shorter highback. 

Pop/Ollie Power

Could get good pop out of these. Made my board feel subtly more poppy.

Let's Break this Text Up with a Video

Adjustability

Relatively good adjustability. The forward lean adjuster is a little funny (didn't think it had any at first) - but mostly because it's not what I was used to, I'm sure you'd get used to it. 

Heel Cup: No

Stance Width: Can run disc horizontal or vertical, so good for stance width adjustments when running horizontal.   

Highback Lean: Yes, but found the way it was down a little tricky and not tool-less

Ankle Strap Position: No

Toe Strap Position: Yes

Ankle and toe strap length: Yes and tool-less

Gas pedal/toe ramp extension: Yes

Highback Rotation: Yes, but not independent of highback lean

Compatible with: 2 x 4 | 4 x 4 | channel

Shock Absorption

Decent amount of padding in there. Not epic, but more than enough, IMO. That flexible heel loop helps to absorb shock too, I would say. 

Entry/Exit

Ratchets were nice and smooth and felt solid. Maybe not the smoothest I've ever tried but nothing that would ever be an issue. 

Comfort

Overall very comfortable binding - didn't notice them much in terms of comfort, which is a good thing. 

Ankle Strap: Nice ankle strap. Conforms well with no pressure points. 

Toe Strap: Good toe strap too. Nothing to complain about there. 

Canted Footbed: Yes 

Padded Footbed: Good padding and the heel loop also helps to absorb shock I think. 

Highback: Didn't notice it at all, which is usually a good thing. No calf bite or anything. 

Ankle Support

Really solid ankle support. Doesn't give you different ankle strap position options, which would be nice to see. But the position it's set in offered really good ankle support for me.  

Score Breakdown and Final Verdict

Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.

RATING
(out of 5)

SCORE WEIGHTING

RESPONSE

4.0

24/30

BOARD FEEL

4.0

12/15

ADJUSTABILITY

3.5

10.5/15

ANKLE SUPPORT

4.5

13.5/15

SHOCK ABSORPTION

4.0

8/10

COMFORT

4.0

8/10

ENTRY/EXIT

4.0

4/5

TOTAL after normalizing

85.1/100

Overall, the Highlander was a binding that I really enjoyed riding with. I felt I could hold my carves a little deeper and a little longer than the average binding and they were comfortable and still worked well at low speeds and for buttering/board feel. 

They just felt like a binding that was at once responsive and comfortable. The ankle support was really really good, but I didn't feel like I had no freedom of movement in there. Finds a really good balance of being responsive and tough, but also forgiving in a sense. 

More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online

If you want to learn more about the Highlander, or if you are ready to buy, or if you just want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.

  • US
  • CANADA
  • UK/EUROPE

>>Salomon Highlander at evo.com

>>Salomon Highlander at christysports.com

>>Salomon Highlander at backcountry.com

>>Salomon Highlander at Salomon Canada

>>Salomon Highlander at blue-tomato

Salomon Highlander 2021

If you want to check out some other all-mountain-freeride binding options, or if you want to compare how the Highlander compares to other all-mountain-freeride bindings, then check out the next link.

My Top 5 Men's All-Mountain-Freeride Bindings
Share0
Tweet0
Pin0
Share0
Tweet0
Pin0

Filed Under: 2020 Snowboard Binding Reviews, 2021 Snowboard Binding Reviews, Men's All Mountain Freeride Binding Reviews, Salomon Tagged With: Salomon Highlander Bindings, Salomon Highlander Bindings 2019-20, Salomon Highlander Bindings 2020-21, Salomon Highlander Bindings 2021, Salomon Highlander Review

About Nate

Nate is passionate about and loves learning new things everyday about snowboarding, particularly the technical aspects of snowboarding gear. That, and becoming a better rider and just enjoying and getting the most out of life.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow Snowboarding Profiles

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Recent Comments

  • Nate on Lib Tech Terrain Wrecker Review
  • Nate on How Important is Snowboard Width Sizing and How Do I Get it Right?
  • Nate on How Important is Snowboard Width Sizing and How Do I Get it Right?

Snowboardingprofiles.com participates in affiliate programs and may earn commissions on products linked to on this site.  More Details

Snowboardingprofiles.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2014-2021 · SnowboardingProfiles.com ·

  • Home
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Contact