This page will outline what I consider to be the best all mountain bindings for women for the 2017/18 season.
Each binding is assessed as to how well they perform specifically as all-mountain bindings for women, using my unique rating system.
All-Mountain bindings should be able to handle anything you throw at them be it freestyle riding, riding the groomers or riding the backcountry.
Of the 21 different women’s all-mountain bindings that I looked at:
- The average score was 77.6/100
- The highest score was 94.4/100 (see #1 board below)
- The lowest score was 53.3/100
- The average price was $241
Right, let’s get into the top 5.
Women’s All Mountain Binding #5
Bindings: Union Trilogy
Price: View More Info and Current Prices Here
Smart rating score: 82.8/100
Flex: Medium (5/10)
First up on this list we have Union’s Trilogy bindings.
With women’s specific base plate and highback this binding offers up great all round performance for women. They are also the cheapest on this list – so really good value-for-money here.
Union’s Trilogy bindings have a flex and feel perfect for doing a bit of everything. And they are unbelievably light. They are claimed to be the lightest binding you can buy – and at just 650 grams (around 1.4lbs) I wouldn’t doubt that! And with a nice comfy ankle strap you’ll hardly even notice they’re there.
For more check out the video and the Trilogy’s score breakdown below
The Union Trilogy Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Responsiveness: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Board Feel/Butterability: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Adjustability: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Comfort: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Ankle Support: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 82.8/100 |
Women’s All Mountain Binding #4
Bindings: Salomon Mirage
Price: View More Info and Current Prices Here
Smart rating score: 83.9/100
Flex: Medium (5 out of 10)
Next, at #4, we have the Salomon Mirage bindings.
The Mirage’s provide solid performance across all of the categories tested. Binding to board flex feel is their weakest point but they aren’t bad, just not as good as some of the others on this list in that area.
As all mountain bindings should be, they don’t have any major weaknesses and will have you covered wherever you want to go on the mountain from the park to the backcountry.
Check out the Video below for more about the Mirage Bindings
Score Breakdown for the Mirages
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Responsiveness: | 3.5 | 14/20 |
| Board Feel/Butterability: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Adjustability: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Ankle Support: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 83.9/100 |
Women’s All Mountain Binding #3
Bindings: Rome Women’s Katana
Price: View More Info and Current Prices Here
Smart rating score: 87.2/100
Flex: Medium (6/10)
In at number 4 we have the Rome Women’s Katana bindings.
Based on the Men’s Katana binding but tweaked for a better fit for women, the Women’s Katana bindings have a nice medium flex, awesome shock absorption, are very responsive and super comfortable and lightweight.
Check out the video below for more about the Women’s Katanas
Score Breakdown for the Katanas
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Responsiveness: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Board Feel/Butterability: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Adjustability: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Ankle Support: | 3.0 | 6/10 |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Entry/Exit: | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 87.2/100 |
Women’s All Mountain Binding #2
Bindings: Flux GS
Price: View More Info and Current Prices Here
Smart rating score: 90.6/100
Flex: Medium (4.5 out of 10)
The Flux GS might lack somewhat in the shock absorption department but they more than make up for it everywhere else.
Had they been better shock absorbers, they might have challenged for the #1 spot.
What they lack in shock absorption may be forgotten though if you look at their responsiveness, really nice and firm boot support, awesome adjustability, not to mention being super comfortable and having great board to binding feel.
Check out the Video to Learn more about the GS’s
Flux GS Bindings Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Responsiveness: | 4.0 | 16/20 |
| Board Feel/Butterability: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 2.5 | 7.5/15 |
| Adjustability: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Comfort: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Ankle Support: | 5.0 | 10/10 |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 90.6/100 |
Women’s All Mountain Binding #1
Bindings: Burton Escapade
Price: View More Info and Current Prices Here
Smart rating score: 94.4/100
Flex: Medium (6 out of 10)
And the #1 spot goes to the Burton Escapades!
What else can I say except that the Escapade is pretty close to the ideal women’s all mountain binding. They bring that nice middling flex for the flexibility (excuse the pun!) to do everything you want from the park to the backcountry and everything in between.
They have the luxury of comfort to keep you riding all day and comfortably so, insane shock absorption to absorb all the bumps and jumps, almost infinite adjustability, the brilliant ratchet system that Burton is famous for, easy entry/exit and nice firm boot support to keep you securely locked in.
They are the great all-rounder. There are better bindings if you want something really soft and freestyle oriented and there are better bindings for more big mountain hard-charging kind of stuff – but for the rider that wants just one set of bindings that can do everything on, the Escapade’s are the best in the business at doing that.
Options
The Escapade come in the Re:Flex model (compatible with all mounting systems currently on the market) or the EST model (compatible with Burton’s snowboards with the channel system).
Note the ESTs will have a different feel and will perform slightly differently (see their score also included below).
Video
The Escapades Score Breakdown
Re:Flex Model’s score breakdown.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Responsiveness: | 3.0 | 12/20 |
| Board Feel/Butterability: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Adjustability: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Comfort: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Ankle Support: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 94.4/100 |
EST Model’s score breakdown.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Responsiveness: | 3.0 | 12/20 |
| Board Feel/Butterability: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Adjustability: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Ankle Support: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 91.1/100 |
Note: The Escapade’s are the most expensive on this list. But if you want the best and don’t mind paying for it, then these are a great choice.
Thanks for Reading
I hope this has helped you to narrow down your options for your next pair of bindings if you’re an all-mountain rider. Check out the links under each binding to learn more and for current prices and availability.
If you have any other questions or comments these are very welcome in the comments section below.
Hi Nate,
Thanks for doing these thorough reviews and especially for giving equal time to women’s gear. That said, I will now solicit your opinion. I am getting back into snowboarding after a 13 year hiatus, I am self taught, and I don’t really have any snowboarding friends, so it is hard for me to gauge what level I am at. I am comfortable on blue /blacks and mellower blacks, so I’m thinking advanced intermediate. I’m still riding the gear I bought in 2003 (for about $400 total – Santa Cruz board and who knows what boots and bindings). I decided it’s time to get new gear. Picked up some K2 contour boots (which seem nice, although with my current setup, it’s hard to tell). I just bought a NS Aura, which I have yet to try out, but I’m really excited about. My question now is bindings.
I was aiming for the Union Legacy, but I got a great deal on some Burton Escapades (which REI tells me will come with both discs). But then I started worrying that they would be too advanced for me because Evo ranks them as advanced – expert. Do you think that is a fair rating? Just in case, I also grabbed some Now Vettas because I think the Conda probably is beyond me, but as a longboarder, I got sucked into the whole concept. Would that work with the Aura?
Is there something else I should be considering? Either of the above can be returned. I grabbed them because stuff is selling out like crazy and I don’t want to miss anything.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Hi Ida
Thanks for your message.
The Escapades are definitely not just for advanced to expert, in my opinion. They are definitely fine for an intermediate rider. I would say that the Burton Lexa would be more in that advanced and up category but the Escapade is definitely Intermediate and up. I think they will suit your setup well – and I think you’re going to really appreciate the difference of your new setup once you’ve got everything together and once your used to the change. Sounds like an awesome all-round set up to me.
From the NOW line up I think you made the right choice, in terms of the Vettas over the Condas – but I think you’ll prefer the Escapades overall.
As long as you have bought the “Re:Flex” Escapades, then they will be compatible with your Aura. If REI is talking about discs, then you will have the Re:Flex model as the “EST” model doesn’t have discs (and is only for boards with Burton’s channel system). So it sounds like you’re all good there.
Hope this helps
Definitely, thanks!
Thumbs up man! You did a very good job, definitely. I was looking for bindings and this article helps me to save a lot of time. TNX again!
You’re very welcome Sanda! Glad you found it helpful.
Hi Nate
Newbie here, I’ve never snowboarded before but just got to Whistler and looking to stay 2 full years. I’m looking at getting the Burton Escapades even though I’ve never snowboarded before, the reason being I don’t want to get a ‘beginner’ pair of bindings and need to upgrade them once I’ve been on the mountain for a few months. My friend says it’s a waste of money, and I’m leaning towards agreeing.
So my question is, would you recommend these for a beginner, and if not, why not?
Thank you in advance, your articles have been amazingly helpful for both me and my boyfriend (he’s been boarding a few years) and I honestly have no idea how I would have navigated buying my first set up without them!
Cheers
Hi Perri
Thanks for your message.
I think the Escapades are something you can get away with, without being ideal. Buying beginner bindings isn’t just about price. One of the most important things about bindings for beginners is that they are forgiving enough and allow you to control your board at slower speeds more easily. A binding that is too stiff is very difficult to ride for a beginner (something that people who have forgotten what it’s like to be a beginner, or can’t even remember learning to ride because they were so young, don’t understand this and often recommend bindings that are too advanced for beginners).
So it’s not just about the money. And to be honest, if you were to buy a beginner pair of binding for one season, sell them and then upgrade, you don’t loose out on that much money – and your progression can be quite a bit faster. But I understand it does cost a bit more and it can be a pain trying to sell second hand.
For the Escapade’s specifically, they are medium flexing bindings. They are a bit stiff to be ideal for a beginner – but they’re not super-stiff. So you can learn on them, they just won’t be as easy as on a softer flexing binding – it might slow your progression down a little bit.
There are other factors too – weight can play a factor. Heavier rider’s are applying more force to the bindings, so a stiffer flexing binding won’t be as difficult for them to ride. Also, someone who is quite strong and athletic will have less trouble on a stiffer flexing binding. But it will always be easier to learn on a softer binding.
Anyway, this doesn’t write off the Escapade but just they are doable for a beginner but not ideal.
Hope this gives you more to go off for your decision
Hi Nate!
I always appreciate your blog, rankings, and advice. I’m an intermediate rider, currently on a NS Aura which I love, although I’m thinking about demoing a GNU because I hear the edge hold when you stop is a little better, any suggestions on something compatible with the NS Aura? I seems to kind of skid a bit when I stop with the NS Aura which I heard was due to their edge technology, anywho I realize none of that has to due with bindings, but when in Rome, or Nate’s blog! haha. I’m also looking into getting a new pair of bindings and wondering if I should get the Lexa or the Escapades? Budget isn’t an issue, I just want the best bindings for my set up. I’ve tried the Escapades before and they’re fine, but wondering if I’m missing anything with the Lexa’s. I’m currently using Burton Felix boots if that matters at all. Thanks for any advice!
Hi Vanessa
Thanks for your message!
I would say the closest equivalent to the Aura in GNUs line would be the Klassy. Certainly not like for like, but that would be the closest equivalent. And yeah GNU tend to have great edge-hold, especially in hard/icy conditions.
I’d say that:
1. The Klassy is possibly just slightly softer flexing than the Aura but I’d say they’re pretty close.
2. Very similar in terms of the camber profile.
3. The stance on the Klassy is a little more setback (1.5″ vs 0.75″ on the Aura)
4. Different dimensions in terms of sidecut, width etc as well
But I’d say they’re more similar than they are different.
For bindings, both the Escapade and Lexa would work, but I’d be leaning slightly towards the Lexa for the Klassy. But yeah, both would definitely do the job.
And the Felix are a good match for both those bindings and the Klassy, IMO.
Hope that covers everything and let me know if you have any other questions.
P.S. Very flattered that you consider my blog “Rome”!