Hello and welcome to my Union Contact Pro Binding review – part of my Freestyle bindings review series.
In this review I will assess the Contact Pros for all of the freestyle relevant factors of the bindings to see how they perform as freestyle bindings.
As is custom at snowboardingprofiles.com the bindings will receive a rating out of 100. This is not an exact science but will give some idea of how good the Contact Pros are as a binding for freestyle riding.
Overall Rating
Bindings: Union Contact Pros
Price: $259 RRP
Smart rating score: 92.6/100
Flex: Medium-Soft
Right, let’s get into the details!
Compared to other Men’s Freestyle Bindings
Out of all the Men’s Freestyle bindings that I rated:
- I looked at 20 different Men’s Freestyle bindings
- The average score was 75.1/100
- The highest score was 94.7/100
- The lowest score was 45.8/100
- The average price was $205
- The Contact Pros ranked 2nd out of 20!
Available Sizes
The Contact Pros are available in the following sizes.
| Size | Fits Men’s US Boot Sizes | Euro Boot Sizes | UK Boot Sizes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small | 5.0 - 8.5 | 37.0 - 41.0 | 4.0 - 7.5 |
| Medium | 8.0-11.0 | 40.5 - 44.0 | 7.0 - 10.0 |
| Large | 10.0 & up | 43.0 & up | 9.0 & up |
Note that prior to 2017 Union used to size by the sizes S/M, M/L and L/XL but for the 2016-17 season and since, they are sizing using S, M & L. If you are looking at 2016 or earlier models the sizing will be labelled differently.
- S/M is now S
- M/L is now M; and
- L/XL is now L
Who are the Contact Pro’s Most Suited to?
The contact pros are great for anyone who likes to ride freestyle in the park and over the whole mountain. They are great for anything freestyle but also are definitely suitable for riding the whole mountain and have decent response for a freestyle binding.
They are particularly great for anyone looking for great board feel (the mini-disc the contact pros use really helps with this) but still want plenty of shock absorption.
The Contact Pros in more detail
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Contact Pros are capable of.
Demo Info
Bindings: Union Contact Pro 2017, Medium
Date: February 27, 2016, March 28th, 2016 & March 30th, 2016.
Conditions: I had the privilege of demoing the Contact Pros over 3 different days, on different mountains, in a variety of different conditions and with 3 different styles of snowboard.
Bindings angles: +18/-6 & +18/+3
Butterability/Board Feel
The Union Contact Pros (CPs) have a medium-soft flex and that helps them butter well for presses, butters, jibs and for tweaking grabs.
They provide great board feel too and a big reason for this is that they have very minimal board contact because of the mini-disc they use. This allows the board to flex more naturally with the bindings.
Flex
The CPs have a medium-soft flex as mentioned above. This is an awesome flex to have in the park and for riding freestyle on the rest of the mountain too.
This gives you enough movement and tweakability and are forgiving enough for tricks but also not so soft that you can’t ride freetstyle outside the park and so you have that little bit more support for landing bigger jumps.
The mini-disc in the binding also allows for minimal hard contact with the board to give you extra feel for the flex of the snowboard you are riding – this helps the binding to adapt to the flex of the board better. So if you’re riding a softer board, then the flexiness of that board will be felt with the Contact Pros and if you’re riding a stiffer board you will feel that extra stiffness – that makes these bindings very versatile.
Adjustability
The CPs have heaps of options for adjustability. There is 3 way adjustability in the ankle strap and two way in the toe strap. You can of course adjust the forward lean too.
The best part is that you can adjust the straps and the forward lean of the highback without the need for tools – so you can get that perfect fit on the fly.
So long as you get these suckers in the right size you should be able to get a great fit.
Let’s Break up this Text with a video!
Check out the video below for a visual look at these bindings and to learn more about them and the tech involved.
Shock Absorption
Hugely important for freestyle bindings (IMO), is how well they absorb shock. Lap after lap in the park you are landing jumps, tricks, hitting jibs etc so you want your bindings (as well as your boots) to absorb the shock as much as possible.
The CPs have a very generous amount of EVA padding on the base and this leads to some awesome shock absorbing – perfect for the freestyle rider. They also introduced something last year called vapor light which allows them to add even more cushioning without adding to the weight.
And all of this padding does nothing to the weight of these bindings which are super-light at just 715grams (1.57 pounds) – so the rest of the binding is incredibly light and allows for heaps of EVA padding for great shock absorption.
Comfort
All that EVA padding also adds to the comfort of these bindings.
More than that though is the natural canting created in the footbed which helps to align your ankles, knees and hips in a more comfortable, more natural way.
Comfort = more enjoyable and longer riding and the CPs have comfort in spades.
Responsiveness
The CPs have pretty decent responsiveness for softer flexing bindings.
They’re not going to be, and aren’t designed to be, super-responsive and won’t give you the response that a good freeride binding will but they do a pretty good job which is a really nice bonus.
Snowboard Compatibility
The CPs come with a mini-disc, which is compatible with 4 x 2 binding mounting systems and Burton’s channel system. It’s not compatible with 4 x 4 mounting but that’s less common these days.
Compared to Past Season’s Models
2018 Model
As far as I can tell the 2018 model is the same as the 2017 model, with the exception of some slight changes to the colorways.
2017 Model (compared with 2016 model)
The 2017 model is virtually the same as the 2016 model, except for some minor tweaks – but there’s no complaints here because the 2016s were so good. The 2016s had the following improvements from the 2015 model and these have been kept for the 2017 model:
- Ultra grip toe strap: For better forming around the toe of your boot
- New Vapor Light shock absorption tech: Extra shock absorption without adding extra weight. The 2016 model are still just 720 grams (715g for the 2017 model) but with extra shock absorption – best of both worlds!
Final Score
Alright let’s take a look at how the Contact Pros rated in the table below.
| FACTOR | RATING (OUT OF 5) | CONTRIBUTION TO FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| Shock Absorption: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Board Feel: | 5.0 | 25/25 |
| Responsiveness | 3.0 | 9/15 |
| Adjustability: | 4.0 | 12/15 |
| Comfort: | 4.0 | 8/10 |
| Flex: | 5.0 | 5/5 |
| Entry/Exit: | 4.0 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL | 92.6/100 |
No surprise that the CPs scored so highly given their qualities. And no surprise that they were the #2 bindings in my list of the top 5 freestyle bindings!
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you are interested in the Contact Pros, check out the links below for more info, user reviews, current prices and availability.
If you want to check out some other freestyle options or see how the Contact Pros compared to other men’s freestyle bindings check out the link below.
>>Men’s Top 5 Freestyle Bindings for 2016-17
Hi Nate
I’m looking at buying a pair of these but unsure about sizing. I’m a size 8.5 shoe so it looks like i just fit into the small size or lower end of the medium. What size would you recommend? Is there a huge difference in weight and functionality between the different sizes? Thanks mate.
Hi Nolan
I haven’t tried other sizes except the Medium but I’m pretty sure that the difference in weight and everything is negligible – as in, you wouldn’t notice it. I think the most important thing is to get the size right for your boots.
I think your best bet is to go with the medium. Depending on your boot brand, you could end up being a bit big for the small. If you were in 8s, I’d say small but 8.5s go with medium.
Hope this helps
Thanks for the advice Nate! Sorry I posted twice – thought that the first one didn’t work but realised afterwards that you probably vet the comments before they are posted haha
You’re welcome Nolan. Yeah I vet the comments – or else I’d end up with a bunch of spammy stuff in the comments.
Hey Nate thank you for your review.
I’m hesitating between the contact pro, the atlas or the Burton mission.
I went to the store and i was able to see all. I noticed that these bindings are very lightweight but they seem a little fragile compared to the atlas or the mission.
Also I don’t know what suits me better because the contact pro has short and soft higbacks but the other ones aren a lot more tall and stiffy.
I like to ride all the mountain sometimes very fast. Often I prefer to hit the powder outside the track and go for some little jumps and boxes on the park. I’m not an advanced rider but I’m improving.
Do you think that I should go for this ones? They are all on the same price range.
Thank you for your help
Hi Gustavo
Thanks for your message.
These are quite different to the Atlas. Like you say the Atlas are stiffer. They are also more responsive and more suitable for riding fast. The Contact Pros are more freestyle oriented – hence the shorter softer highback – and they also have better board feel, and help the board to flex more naturally underfoot. This is something that I really like the feel of, especially for freestyle riding. I’d say contact pros would be the better option for your jumps and boxes in the park, but the Atlas better for everything else.
The Missions are kind of in-between in a lot of ways. They have pretty good board feel (better than the Atlas but not as good as the Contact Pros, IMO) but aren’t as responsive as the Atlas – similar in response to the Contact Pros. But a little more suitable for higher speeds than the Contact Pros.
So, you’ve got to weight up whether you want to loose some board feel, for a more responsive ride like the Atlas or if you want to loose some response and have all the board feel – then the Contact Pros. For something kind of in between, the Missions.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate,
Thanks for the review.
I would like to ask for advice about sizing of this binding.
I am looking to buying contact pros 2018. Im not sure about sizing. I am a size 10 US, 28CM MONDO so it looks like i just fit into the medium size or lower end of the large size. After reading some comments/recommendations from you I think Medium should be ok. Im wearing Northwave FREEDOM SL boots.
What size would you recommend?
Thanks for your answer.
Fridrich
Hi Fridrich
Thanks for your message.
I ride 10s and I personally prefer Union in medium. Unfortunately I haven’t had any experience with Northwave boots, so I couldn’t say first hand what they’re outersole reduction is like – but from a brief bit of research, it sounds like they actually have a reasonably low profile outsole, so, based on that, I’d say they’d be fine with Union’s mediums.
Hope this helps