Hello and welcome to my Salomon Highlander bindings review.
In this review, I will take a look at the Highlander as all-mountain 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 bindings.
Overall Rating
Binding: Salomon Highlander
Price: $379
Style: All-mountain/Aggressive All-Mountain/Freeride
Flex Rating: Stiff (8/10)
Flex Feel on Snow: Medium-Stiff (7/10)
Rating Score: 86.0/100
Compared to other Men’s All-Mountain Bindings
Of the 30 current model all-mountain bindings that we tested:
❄️ The Highlander ranked 9th out of 30
Overview of the Highlander’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Highlander’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
Style: | All-mountain/Aggressive All-Mountain/Freeride |
Price: | $379 - BUYING OPTIONS |
Ability Level: |  |
Flex: |  |
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 | 3.5-8 | 34.5-39 | 2.5-7 |
M | 7.5-10.5 | 40-43.5 | 6.5-9.5 |
L | 10.5-13.5 | 43.5-47 | 9.5-12.5 |
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.
Bindings angles: +15/-15
Stance width: 550mm (21.7″)
Board demoed with: Rossignol One LF 2018, 159
Boots tested with: Vans Aura Pro, size US10
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.
| Factor | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Carving | 4 | 16/20 |
| Slow Speed Response | 4 | 16/20 |
| Board Feel | 4 | 12/15 |
| Shock Absorption | 4 | 8/10 |
| Adjustability | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Comfort | 4 | 8/10 |
| Ankle Support | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Entry/Exit | 4 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 86/100 |
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.
If you want to check out some other all-mountain binding options, or if you want to compare how the Highlander compares to other all-mountain bindings, then check out the next link.
