If you’re looking for your first pair of snowboard bindings and aren’t sure where to start then check out my list of the Top 5 Beginner Snowboard Bindings below.
This list is now updated for the 2016-17 season.
Each set of bindings will each receive a score out of 100 which reflects how well the bindings did when being specifically considered as beginner bindings.
Some Brief Stats for this List
Of the 34 different men’s bindings that I rated for suitability as beginner bindings:
- The average score was 79.7/100
- The highest score was 90.8/100 (see #1 binding below)
- The lowest score was 59.2/100
- The average price was $230
A lot of the bindings are suitable not just for beginners but also for more advanced riders and for specific styles like freestyle – but they are only being assessed in this post for their suitability for beginners.
Note: A beginners binding should definitely not just be considered a beginner binding just because it’s cheap – if it’s low quality that’s far from what a beginner should be using. Price is definitely a factor but it shouldn’t be the only factor.
Men’s Beginner Binding #5
Bindings: Burton Freestyle
Price (USD): $149
Smart rating score: 86.2/100
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10 – [1 being the softest and 10 being the stiffest])
The first bindings on the list, coming in at #5 we have Burton’s Freestyle bindings.
The price is right! – just $149 (USD)
But that’s not the only reason these bindings made the list. The Freestyle’s have a medium-soft flex which is what I consider to be the perfect flex for beginners. It’s forgiving but not so soft as to be too spongy.
Not only that they have awesome adjustability so you can get the fit and feel just right. And with Burton’s new flex slider system (introduced into the Freestyle Bindings in 2016 and continued for the 2017 model).
A great choice for those on a tighter budget.
The Freestyle’s Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Adjustability: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Boot Support: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Responsiveness: | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 86.2/100 |
Men’s Beginner Binding #4
Bindings: Union Flite Pro
Price (USD): $149
Smart rating score: 87.8/100
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
Like the #5 bindings on this list the #4, Union Flite Pros, are super low cost. So this is another great choice for the beginner who can’t, or doesn’t want to, invest too much.
But you still get bindings that are quality and ideally suited to beginners.
Score Breakdown for the Flite Pros
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Adjustability: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Boot Support: | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Responsiveness: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Shock Absorption: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 87.8/100 |
Men’s Beginner Binding #3
Bindings: Flux PR
Price (USD): $159
Smart rating score: 88.3/100
Flex: Medium-Soft
And the #3 Men’s Beginner Bindings are Flux’s PR.
The PRs are awesome bindings for beginners. They have the perfect mix of all of the right features in the right areas, whilst still maintaining a great price tag and still being really well built.
Flux PR Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Adjustability: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Boot Support: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Responsiveness: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Shock Absorption: | 2.0 | 2/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 88.3/100 |
Men’s Beginner Binding #2
Bindings: K2 Lien FS
Price (USD): $249
Smart rating score: 88.8/100
Flex: Medium-soft
The K2 Lien FS’s take the 2nd spot.
You’ll pay a little more for these (they are the most expensive on this list) but you’ll also see more performance too.
Again the lowest score was in responsiveness but they make up for it by being really comfortable and super adjustable.
Also if you think that your future holds some freestyle riding in it, then this will be the perfect binding to take you into that realm. In fact this binding also took out 2nd spot in my Top 5 Freestyle Bindings so they are one of the better freestyle bindings around as well as being great for beginners.
Their ability for freestyle riding is one of the reason’s the price-tag is higher.
K2 Lien FS Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Price: | 3.5 | 14/20 |
| Comfort: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Adjustability: | 5.0 | 15/15 |
| Boot Support: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Responsiveness: | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 88.8/100 |
Men’s Beginner Binding #1
Bindings: Burton Custom
Price (USD): $189
Smart rating score: 90.8/100
Flex: Medium-Soft (3/10)
And taking out the #1 spot we have the Burton Custom bindings.
For the price, these bindings are awesome value-for-money. I’m sure this is due, in part, to the technology from higher end bindings being passed down the line.
The only real weakness is in responsiveness but these should still respond perfectly well for the purposes of beginner and intermediate riders and everywhere else this binding is perfectly suited to the beginner.
Adjustability, being a hallmark of Burton bindings, is top notch even on these lower end bindings.
Burton Custom Re:Flex Score Breakdown
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Price: | 5.0 | 20/20 |
| Comfort: | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Adjustability: | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Boot Support: | 4.5 | 9/10 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Responsiveness: | 3.5 | 3.5/5 |
| Shock Absorption: | 4.5 | 4.5/5 |
| TOTAL after normalizing | 90.8/100 |
Note: The top 5 women’s bindings used to be on this same page but has been moved to a page of it’s own. The link below will take you to the top 5 women’s beginner bindings page.
>>Top 5 Beginner Snowboard Bindings for Women
Thanks for Reading
There you have it – that’s my top 5 men’s beginner snowboard bindings for 2016-17.
I hope this has helped you find the right bindings for you.
For the latest season’s Top 5 Beginner Bindings list, check out:
>>Top 5 Men’s Beginner Bindings (LATEST SEASON)
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