Union's Ultra bindings are some of the best freestyle/all-mountain freestyle bindings you can get - and we'd go as far as to say the best that we've ridden in the medium flex range.
In this review I will take a look at the Ultra as freestyle snowboard bindings.
As per tradition here at SnowboardingProfiles.com I will give the Ultra a score out of 100 (based on several factors) and see how they compare with other freestyle bindings.
Overall Rating
Bindings: Union Ultra 2026
Price: $329 (USD recommended retail)
Style: Freestyle
Flex Rating: Medium (6/10)
Flex Feel: Medium (5/10)
Rating Score: 90.4/100
Compared to other Men’s freestyle Bindings
Of the 25 current model men's freestyle bindings that we tested:
❄️ The Ultra ranked 3rd out of 25
Overview of the Ultra’s Specs
Check out the tables for the Ultra’s specs and available sizes.
Specs
STYLE:
Freestyle
PRICE:
$329 - BUYING OPTIONS
Ability Level:
flex:
weight:
FELT normal
Mounts to:
2x4 | Channel
Sizing
SIZE | US BOOT SIZE | EURO BOOT SIZE | MONDO |
|---|---|---|---|
S | 5.5-7.5 | 37-40.5 | 23.5-25.5 |
M | 8-10 | 41-43 | 26-28 |
L | 10.5-13 | 43.5-46 | 28.5-31 |
Who are the Ultra Most Suited To?
The Ultra are best suited to riders who are looking for mid-flex bindings that are going to allow them to explore all sorts of freestyle and all-mountain freestyle riding - whether it's smaller features, flat-land tricks, creative butter tricks or bigger air/features and whether you want to do that all over the mountain or in the park.
If you value shock absorption, board feel and sharp, explosive agility, then they are likely even more suited for you.
While I wouldn't quite say beginner friendly, they should be fine for low intermediate and up. While larger riders or stronger/more athletic riders might be fine with their flex as beginners, the way they have a sharp attack at the start of a turn might be a bit much for a beginner, who is likely to get on better with a more even consistent response.
Best matched to boards in the 3/10 to 6/10 flex range. Even better for 4/10 to 5/10 flexing boards, IMO.
Test/review details for the Ultra
O.k. let’s take a more detailed look at what the Ultra are capable of.
Demo Info
Binding: Union Ultra, M
Date: March 12, 2025
Mounting
Overall a nice easy process.
The disc cover attaches to the disc, so once you get the cover off, there's nothing to get in your way as your mounting them to the board, which is always nice. You've got to move the straps to the side, but that's easily done.
And unlike with some other Union bindings (e.g. the Strata), there's not screw on the disc cover. It just snaps on and off.
Setting up your angles is straight forward, as always with Union discs.
Because Union's mini disc doesn't span 4cm (1.57"), you typically can't setup precisely on reference stance, but you can still get very close. On a twin, if you want to be perfectly centered, you have to widen or narrow your stance width just a touch (by 5mm (0.2")). Otherwise, to maintain the reference stance width, you would have to setback a little (but would be the equivalent of being setback only 2.5mm (0.1") on effective edge, which is unlikely to be noticeable).
In my case, the reference stance on my control board (YES Greats) is 545mm (21.5") (centered), but I usually ride it with either a 585mm (23") (centered) or 565mm (22.2") with a 10mm (0.4") setback stance (it's an asym, so I wouldn't want to set back any more than that). In this case I rode it with a 560mm (22") stance in the 10mm (0.4") setback position. I don't personally notice a 5mm (0.2") stance width difference.
Flex
First we'll take a look at how the flex in hand felt, then how it felt overall on snow.
In Hand:
The in hand flex below will include comparisons to the Burton Malavita (my control bindings) and other Union bindings I had at the time (namely, the Ultra, Source Pro and Atlas Step On).
Highback Twist: The Ultra didn't feel ultra flexy overall on a twist, but also not super hard to twist them. Middle of the road twist flex, overall, I would say. My control bindings (Malavita) have a very rigid (not flexible) twist flex.
After the Malavita, the Atlas Step On had the stiffest highback twist flex – just a little more twist than the Malavita. Then it was the Source Pro – just a bit down from the Atlas, then the Strata. Though I’d say the Strata was very close to the same as the Source Pro. Then the Ultra. Ultra also not massively softer flexing twist-wise vs the Strata, but enough to be noticeable.
Highback Pull-back: Zero on the Malavita, Source Pro and Strata. A tiny bit on the Atlas Step On and then noticeably more on the Ultra. Though still not heaps – and it’s more that the middle of the highback flexes, than the whole thing actually flexing backwards. Quite hard to pull the top of the highback backwards – like almost can’t at all, but just a little bit, but you can push in in the middle of the highback quite a bit - has this like flexible panel in the middle.
Ankle Strap: In terms of the strap (not including any outer pieces that float over the strap), the Strata and Source Pros straps are similarly stiff but not quite as stiff as the Malavita. The Strata is more of a one piece deal but the Source Pro and Ultra, have the strap that touches the boot, then a harder plastic “skeleton” over top. The skeleton on the Ultra and Source Pro are similar, but I’d say the Ultra's is a little stiffer. The actual strap part on the Ultra is super soft though. Overall the Source Pro was stiffer than the Strata and similar to the Malavita. The Ultra was the softest overall, but not by a huge distance.
The Ultra is stiffer on the Lateral side vs the Strata, but softer on the medial side (subtly but its there).
Toe Strap: The Ultra’s toe strap felt the softest, then the Malavita, then the Source Pro and then the Strata's being the stiffest.
On Snow:
On snow, they had an overall medium flex, but maybe bordering on mid-soft, but without any of the sloppiness that some softer flexing bindings can have. I felt them a little softer than the Strata (which is opposite to how they are rated) and very subtly softer overall vs my control bindings.
Responsiveness
The Ultra has this real spring/explosive response which helps to make short/sharp turns at slow to moderate speeds pretty effortless and speeds up edge-to-edge transitions.
Not as good for high speed carves, but there's enough support going on that they can take some speed and provide support for moderately aggressive carves. But they are certainly more favored, in my experience to explosive edge-to-edge turns at slower speeds vs high speed/aggressive carves.
Board Feel/Butterability
Really high-end in terms of board feel, in my experience. Whatever downsides you get from the mini-disc are more than made up for, if you value board feel. Not all of their incredible board feel is because of the mini disc (see shock absorption section for another factor that I personally think also plays a big part in its board feel) but I can only assume that this plays a significant role in it.
Pop/Ollie Power
Gives just a little more, I would say, than average. There's not a lot of variance between bindings for this, in my experience, but I do notice some subtle difference. The board has a lot more influence over this though, IMO.
Adjustability
Heel Cup: Yes - which is great for boot centering.
Stance Width: Some adjustments can be made here, but it's pretty limited and, as described in the mounting section above, you sometimes have to subtly adjust your stance width to accommodate the mini disc.
Highback Lean: No
Ankle Strap Position: No
Toe Strap Position: Yes, 2 positions.
Ankle and toe strap length: Tool-Less.
Gas pedal/toe ramp extension: No.
Highback Rotation: Yes 2 positions (independent of heel cup adjustments).
Compatible with: 2 x 4 | The Channel (Union's mini disc isn't big enough to span the 4cm gap in a 4 x 4 pattern)
Shock Absorption
Physical Inspection
Good padding heel and toe on the footbed. Then the underside is completely padded and feels really springy – dense but springy. And the toe and heel areas is all just padding – you can bend them quite a bit, nothing solid in there at all. Solid down the sides and around the disc but the middle of toe end and heel end are really moveable.
This explains some of why they are good shock absorbers, but likely also extends to their board feel. I would be surprised if this construction didn't have a meaningful positive impact on board feel. And is likely to also play a part in their overall flex feel and their responsiveness feel.
On Snow
Unsurprisingly they absorbed shock and chatter really well. I wouldn't go as far as to say as good as the best I've experienced, but not a million miles off either - and the way they're able to couple that shock absorption with the board feel they produce, is a rare combination.
Entry/Exit
Ankle/Toe Ratchet Smoothness: Nice and smooth. Not the smoothest-ever, but as smooth as you'd ever need, IMO.
Process: There's nothing special going on here - just typical two strap entry and exit. But it works and it was smooth. Easy to remove the straps on the move, etc. It's a little more effort to get the straps out of the way before you strap in vs something with hinged straps, but it's a pretty miniscule difference. I do like the hinged straps, but see it as more of a nice-to-have, rather than anything that I would consider a must-have, personally.
Comfort
Overall really nice and comfortable.
Ankle Strap: The ankle strap feels nice and soft and flexy and conforms well. It has the hard skeleton on the outside of strap, which offers more support, and I guess that allows the strap to be flexier. Main thing though - no pressure points.
Toe Strap: Not my favorite toe straps in the industry, but also nothing that really bothered me. No issues, no pressure points.
Canted Footbed: No
Padded Footbed: See shock absorption section above for more, but yes, plenty and good quality.
Highback: There is padding that covers entire highback – and they have that squishy/flexy center to the actual highback as well, as described above in flex section. But again, the most important thing is pressure points/calf-bite and there was none of that going on for me.
Ankle Support
With how soft and flexy the ankle strap is, you'd think they wouldn't be great for ankle support, but that's only if you somehow missed the stiff plastic skeleton on top.
Now, I'm only making the assumption that the skeleton (not sure if that's what they call it, but for some reason that's what I think of it as) is what allows it to still have the decent ankle support that I felt it had, given that the support was more than what I'd expect out of the strap alone.
Score Breakdown and Final Verdict
Check out the breakdown of the score in the table below.
| FACTOR | Rating (/5) | Weighted |
|---|---|---|
| Board Feel | 5 | 20/20 |
| Shock Absorption | 4.5 | 18/20 |
| Carving | 3.5 | 10.5/15 |
| Slow Speed Response | 4.5 | 13.5/15 |
| Adjustability | 3.5 | 7/10 |
| Comfort | 4 | 8/10 |
| Ankle Support | 4 | 4/5 |
| Entry/Exit | 4 | 4/5 |
| TOTAL (after normalizing): | 90.4/100 |
The Ultra are, in our opinion, the best mid-flexing freestyle/all-mountain freestyle bindings currently available - or at leas that we've tested - and we've tested a lot. They were just a joy to ride in and tick all the boxes - and a lot of those boxes with flying colors!
More Info, Current Prices and Where to Buy Online
If you want to learn more about the Ultra, are ready to buy or want to research prices and availability, check out the links below.
If you want to see how the Ultra compares to other men’s freestyle bindings or want to check out some other options in that category, check out the next link.
awesome review Nate, I have my eye on these Union Ultras, how would they pair with the 2025 Jones Frontier? I’m 5’8″ 170lbs riding the 156cm. Jones spec rates it a 2/5 flex and snowboarding profiles rates it 6/10. I’m riding mostly groomers occasional powder and tree runs but I don’t get too crazy.
Hi Ryan, thanks for your message.
I’d say they’d be a good match. An even better match for the Frontier 2.0, which we found a little softer, but still a good match to the ’25 Frontier, IMO.
Hi there Nate!!!
I absolutely love what you do!
I am officially a new fan !
I stumbled on your page as I was looking for reviews and advice for my purchses for this season.
Im a 5ft9in tall, 220lbs woman getting back on the board for the first time in 13 years. So I’m looking for some beginner friendly gear.
I will probably only ride on groomed trails as I will be giving beginner lessons most of the time.
I’m a bit of a color match freak.. wanting everything to fit my dreadlocks colors : purple and light teal.
So I just bought yesterday my first brand new bord: 157 Ride Algorithm and was thinking of putting some unions Ultra woman’s aqua model size L since i wear size 10.
I would really appreciate your opinion to see if I’m making a fonctionnal choice for the use I’ll get out of them.
Thank you so much
Hi Cassandra, thanks for your message (and apologies for the slow reply – have been crazy busy!)
The Ultra are pretty easy going bindings, so I think you’ll be fine – and they match pretty well to the Algothythm, IMO, so you should be good there. I mean, if you were getting fussy, then I’d probably go with a slightly stiffer binding on the Alogryhm, but they are still within a good flex-range.
Hope this helps, if it didn’t come too late
Nate thx for the info. I got a pair but ondering if I will regret it lol. I can always resell. My question is on heel to toe response. I wanted the dampening and got some Force hi backs but wondering if they will work when I need that response bombing. I know they will work well laterally for goofing around etc. Hopin these will work on my Mercury,Orca., and possibly Powder Twin.
Hey Tony
You may find they lack that response toe to heel for the boards that you’re putting them on. They might be OK, but typically I’d pair the Ultra with something 4/10 to 5/10 flex and be mostly using them for playful/freestyle riding. If didn’t find them terrible for bombing or anything, but it’s not their strongest suit, IMO.
Hello nate,
I have a proto slinger and a twin mountain. I would like one binding for the two. I think the ultra will be great for the proto slinger but not so good for the twin mountain.
The strata perhaps could do the job well. What is your point of view?
Regards Patrick
Hi Patrick, thanks for your message.
I think the Ultra would work for the Mountain Twin but the Strata would be better. The Ultra better for the Slinger but the Strata will work…. But I think the Strata would be better for the Slinger than the Ultra would be for the Mountain Twin. So I would be leaning Strata. Neither would be a bad choice, but in this case I think the difference between the Ultra and Strata would be more noticeable on the MT than it would be on the Proto Slinger, if that makes sense.
Hope this helps
Hello Nate,
Thanks for your (always) very good advice. In fact, I have old flow. As I think, I am going tu use 80% the never summer , I could go for the ultra and use the flow on the MT. (for the moment)
When I read your review on Strata, you wrote about ollie but not on the ultra review. The strata is better in that subject?
Regards,
Patrick
Hi Patrick
The Ultra is just as good for ollies, in my experience.
Thanks Nate
No worries Patrick. Thanks for visiting!
Hi Nate,
I just got a Burton Blossom 2024, the board looks sick. but it is a little bit on the stiff side of the park board.
i am not sure Ultra will be fit on this board.
but I do have a libtech Terrain Wrecker which bought becasue i read your review last year. it is a pefect board for me!!
Hi Wade, thanks for your message.
Yeah, the Blossom is quite stiff, so I would ideally put stiffer bindings on it. The Ultra are a really good match for the Terrain Wrecker, IMO, so if you were to get other bindings, I would put your Ultra on the Terrain Wrecker and the stiffer bindings on the Blossom. I would go with something around 7/10 to 8/10 flex on the Blossom – some good options here.
Hope this helps
Hey Nate,
thanks for the review, always a great a help!
You think the Ultra’s would be a good match for the yes typo and vans infuse?
trying to work on my ollies, hitting side hits, jumps, butters, etc.. I still go fast here and there and like to carve. but nothing crazy.
Im undecided between the Ultra, Strata, Cartels and the Force’s (the new ones not the classic)
Thanks once again!!
Hi José
Thanks for your message. Yes, the Ultra would be a great match to the Typo and great for everything you’re describing there. The Strata would work well too. I think the Ultra is your best bet and will be the best match for what you’re looking to do. Then Strata, then Cartel would also do a good job. The Force would also work – it’s a good flex match, but not as good in terms of board feel as the others and given your freestyle focus, I would want something with good board feel.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hello Nate, hope you’re doing well!
As always, I heard your advise and went with the ultra’s 🙂 It’s safe to say these are probably the most comfortable bindings I ever touched and flex-wise is fore sure what I was looking for!
I do have a doubt here and if you can please give me your feedback.
For reference, this is my setup:
Yes Typo 155 (251mm WW)
Vans Infuse 9.5 (27.5 MP)
Union Ultra M
Mounted only the back binding to the board and the baseplate is perfectly centered, almost touching the edges, but I do have a little bit of toe overhang. 2.8cm of toe overhang and 1.8cm of heel overhang. Do you think this is going to be problematic?
The heel cup is as far back as possible already, and with the mini disk there’s no option to rotate and run it vertically to help centering on the board..
Mounted on -12 degrees and I think this is the most i can go..
you think this is too much toe overhang?
Should I be looking at size Large? or other binding that allows to run the disk vertically or to move the heel cup further back.
Im also worried because I plan to buy another board next year, probably with a bit more WW and this would mean that in the Ultra’s I will have almost none overhand on the heel, and still a bit on the toe..
I found some Cartels with a good discount but from what I read the Heel cup doesnt move, but im able to move the disk vertically, you think that would be better?
ps: Can I help you guys only by using paypal, or is there any other way?
Thanks once again Nate! hope you’re having a crazy fun season!
Hi José
I think you’d be OK with that overhang, if you’re not going to be carving too deep on that toe side, but could be become problematic if you start to carve deeper on that side. Going with the Large might mean that you end up with binding overhang, since you say the Medium is almost at the edges already. If you were able to fit that on there, then that would likely solve the overhang issue, but I don’t think the large would fit your boots that well.
But even if your overhang is fine for now, if you do go with the wide board, then you would be too uneven, by the sounds of it. So, something else may be a better bet, in that case. The Cartel disc does run vertically, so you can adjust your boot centering with that. However, it’s not a massive amount of adjustment you can make with the Re:flex disc. Hard to say for sure, if you’d be able to get the right overhang with it, but you get less distance to adjust than you do with the Heel Cup adjustment on the Ultra. The binding that you are very likely to be able to fully center is the Union Force (which would match the Typo well) – this has both heel cup adjustment and you can run the disc vertically – and with the Force’s disc, there’s quite a bit of vertical adjustment you can make. So, I’d be very surprised, even shocked, if you couldn’t center with those. Rome/Bataleon bindings also have heel cup adjustment, so you could check them out as well – the Rome Vice or the Bataleon Blaster Asymwrap or Chaos would be good bets flex-wise.
Right now we just have the paypal and Patreon options – going to look into other ones in the off season, when not so busy!
Hi Nate. I just bought the 2024 Union Ultra bindings and I’ve got them mounted on my board. It seems like the only way to get the plate that covers the disc goes (if I want to make adjustments) is to slide a straight slot screwdriver underneath the plate & pry it off, correct? I started to do it but it feels like I’m going to break it.
Also, what position should my heel cup be in for size 12 boots? I.know there’s other factors you’d need to know but just in general – size 12 boots & Union Ultra’s. Right now they’re mounted straight out of the box with only toe & ankle straps adjusted.
Hi Ron
Thanks for your message. Apologies for the slow reply, busy testing gear this time of year and have a pretty large backlog right now.
Using a screwdriver was the way I did it – and didn’t break them – but yeah, I got the same feeling. The 2025 Falcor, which I tested recently has the same kind of thing – and I didn’t break that either, prying it off with a screwdriver, so I think you’re pretty safe. What I did do was try to lift the side up a little bit, then get my finger or screwdriver closer to the middle where it connects to the disc, so that my leverage was in a better place. I think that helps to make it less likely to break it. You may not break it anyway, but that’s what I did just in case.
Hard to say what position the heel cup would be in. I’m assuming you’re in the large with 12s. I imagine it would likely be either 0 or 1, with the Large’s range being 10.5 to 13. But ideally if you can center your boots on the binding’s footbed and then be able to center your boots on the board (as in even toe and heel overhang), then that’s what I’d do. But if you can’t do both, then centering your overhang on the board is more important, IMO. I typically end up in the “1” position with 9.5s on Union medium bindings – which is what I was in in the Ultra – but they are also really low profile 9.5s, so more like a 9. And it’s an 8-10 range for Medium. So you could also be 2. Typically if you’re on the bigger end of the range, you’re more likely to need to have the heel cup further back and if you’re on the smaller end of the range, then more likely to have it further forward.
What I would do is set it up so that your boot is centered on the binding, then attach to the board and if your boots are centered on the board, then you’re golden. If you have significantly more overhang on heel edge, then you’ll want to move the heel cup forward and if you have significantly more toe overhang, then you’ll want to move it back. If there’s only a very small difference, you can leave it as is.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate,
I’m looking for a binding for my Jones Mind Expander 2021 (flex 6, 158cm, I’m 84kg). If there is powder I’m there, but I also love park, carving is not my priority… Do you think the Ultra would be a good match.
Thanks in advance
Marko
Hi Marko
Thanks for your message. I think the Ultra is a good match for the Mind Expander and should do well with it in the park for sure, and should be fine in powder. Because it’s a little softer flexing than ideal for the Mind Expander, it wouldn’t do as well for carving, especially higher speed carves, IMO, but since that’s not a priority, I think they could work for sure. If you wanted to up the stiffness a little bit, but still keep the board feel there, then you could check out some of these options (note not all of those are necessarily stiffer).
Hope this helps
Thanks. I was choosing between Ultra and Strata and now I decided to go for Strata but would still like to try the Ultra one day 🙂
Thanks again for your quick reply and for very useful reviews that you publish!
You’re very welcome Marko. Hope you have a great season!
Hey Nate
First of all thank you love the reviews!
I recently bought my first board the Salomon assassin 153
I am 175 cm and 65 kg
It’s my first and only board ,I bought him thinking it will suits me for the every condition and style, preferably if snow will come you won’t see me at the park, I’ll be doing curves and going fast free ride and doing side hits and butters.
By now there’s ain’t no snow so I’m spending every day at the park learning rails, it’s been only a week but I fell in love with jibbing. Learned a bunch of tricks and really looking forward to master that kind of riding .
I’m thinking about getting the ultras as it’s the best binding for freestyle but I’m hesitating because I dont know if it will suits me in free ride and deep curves on the slopes in high speed too whice is important to me too.
Can you recommend me a binding that will do the trick if not?
And do you think the assassin was a good choice as I’m mostly doing rails now , kind a feeling like I should have go with the huck knife hahaha
It’s a really good board I can tell that tho but it’s frustrating that I need to change my binding angles whenever I’m doing slopes.
Gotta get some money and have two board eventually Hahhaha
Thanks a lot
Hi Omer
Thanks for your message. Yeah, 2 (and sometimes more) boards is often the best (and most convenient) solution, but for now, I think the Assassin is a good in-between for you (for both park and freeride) – and it certainly sounds like you’ve been handling the rails on it fine, so I don’t think you need to change the board up yet. From Salomon, I would probably be leaning Sleepwalker if you were going to get a specialized rails board, but I think for now the Assassin sounds like it’s working well.
For bindings, I think the Ultra would be a good bet. They are a great flex match for the Assassin, IMO, and should get everything you can out of the Assassin for carving, IMO.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hei Nate!
I have the Burton Good Company Camber Snowboard 2022-2023. The dog playing poker board.
I was wondering if I should buy union ultra if there was something that would fit well
Am 6 feet and anout 183 lb
Hi Martin
Thanks for your message. The Ultra would be a great match for the Good Company, IMO. There’s others that would work well too, but I think the Ultra would be a great match.
Hi Nate,
Thanks for the review it seems to be a great binding.
I am considering buying this to pair with my Huck knife 148. My deeluxe team id boots is 7.5 and it seems to be S in this case. I went to the shop and experimenting it by strapping in the boot and it seems very snug with almost no movement no play. Is that preferable? I bought the strata M last year and the toe strap kept loosening but strata has a much bigger base plate that ultra in my opinion. What do you think?
Cheers,
Herrick
Hi Herrick
Yeah, the Ultra’s base plate is smaller than the Strata for sure. I measured the Medium Ultra at 23.6cm baseplate and 23.8cm footbed. Versus the Strata with a 24.2cm baseplate and 26.5cm footbed. I like my bindings snug around my boots, so long as I can get the boot in easy enough. If I have to force the heel of the boot back to get it into the heel cup, then it doesn’t work for me (and is a recipe for quickly wearing away the heel of your boot.
With the Medium it’s hard to say if the toe strap would be any tighter than on the M Strata. While the footbed on the Strata is significantly longer, I would imagine that strap length would relate more to the baseplate length, which is only 0.6cm longer on the Strata vs Ultra. Also, With both the M Strata and M Ultra, I was on the second to loosest hole for the toe strap on both of them. This is with low profile 9.5s. That said, I had the heel cup set in the 1 position and could have moved it back further, so the M in both would, IMO happily accommodate a 10 and a lower profile 10.5. Not sure about how it would do on the lower end.
It would depend on the profile of the Deeluxe boots as well. It’s not a brand we’ve tested, so I don’t really have any insights as to how low profile, or otherwise, they are. If they are a bulkier profile, then I would imagine that you’d be OK in an M Ultra, but that said, if you didn’t fit in the Strata M, the Ultra M might be a little too big as well. Also, the Deeluxe are a regular profile or lower profile boot, then it might be harder to center your boots on the board with the Ms. You’d likely need to put the heel cup as far forward as it can go and even then, if it’s low profile, might still sit a little too heel heavy. I imagine the S would be easier to center your boots on. But if it is a bulkier boot, then you may be OK centering it on the M.
Hope this gives you a bit more to go off for your decision
Hey Nate,
I ride a Capita Outerspace Living 158W and wear size 11 burton boots. Is the ultra or force better for me? I would say that I am am advanced rider and want something that I can carve in but hit the park as well.
Hi Adrian
Thanks for your message.
Both are good matches to the OSL, IMO, flex-wise. Given you’re looking to ride in the park, I would be leaning Ultra, for the extra board feel. But if you wanted to prioritize carving, then I would be looking at Force Classic, rather than the new force or Ultra.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate,
My current daily driver is 157 Ride Shadowban with Medium UBC Strata. I have 10US Photon Boa boots and my specs are 5’9” / 190lbs.
I just got a new K2 Party Platter 152, would these be a good fit? or should I take Strata from other board? Or new Union Force?
Hi Nicholas
Thanks for your message. We haven’t ridden the Party Platter, so can’t say for sure how it feels flex-wise to us, but on paper it sounds like it’s a 5/10 flex, so I think it would match really well with the Ultra. The Shadowban is supposed to be pretty easy going too, but again, we haven’t had a chance to test it yet, so couldn’t say for sure. But based on the Ultra and what the Party Platter is supposed to be like, I think they would match well.
Hope this helps a little bit.
Thanks Nate! I appreciate your response and thorough reviews on so many products!
You’re very welcome Nick. Hope you have a great season!
just put these on a Camel2 GG 161.
Hey Greg
Thanks for your message. How do you like them?
Hey Nate!
Thanks so much for all your content it’s amazing!!!
Just walked out of the store with a new Salomon Dancehaul. The guys in the store were raving about the Ultra’s on this set up but they didnt have the colourway I wanted.
Just thought I’d get your opinion before I pulled the trigger!
I’m an old fart now. Park days are pretty much over. Just cruising around groomers doing some buttering with my 13 year old son. I surf too so love hitting big slashy carves and stuff like that!
Hugely appreciate any feedback you might have dude!!!
Big love from the UK
Hey Matt
Thanks for your message. I think the Ultra would match the Dancehaul fine and for your style of riding I think it would work too. But I’d also take your specs into account. If you’re an average weight or lighter, then I would say it’s a good option. If you’re a bigger guy, then it might be better going with something a little stiffer, depending on your specs.
Hope this helps
Hey! I’m 8.5/9 sized women’s looking to put this binding on a Never Summer Infinity.. I’m newer to boarding so would love your thoughts. Would call myself intermediate
Thx for your input!
Hi Alli
Thanks for your message. I think this would be a great option for the Infinity, a really good match. And suitable for an intermediate rider for sure, IMO. If you were OK to let me know your specs (height/weight) that would help to confirm. This is because someone who is heavier (and to a lesser degree, taller) can exert more pressure on the bindings than someone who is smaller, so this can make a difference to how you would feel the flex of it. But if you’re about average size, then they should match really well.
There is a specific women’s version of the Ultra too, which I would go for as there are some subtle design things they do with the women’s models to make them fit better for women’s anatomy (not sure of specifics, but this is what they claim anyway). Size-wise, I would look at the Medium or Large women’s. Whether you go medium or large would depend on whether you were in 8.5s or 9s. In 8.5s you’d go medium. In 9s it’s possible you’d still fit in medium, but it would depend on the model of boot you were in (some are more low profile than others), but you might have to go to the large. If you own your boots already, if you could let me know the model and size of them and also the size Infinity that you’re riding (to make sure of good binding to board compatibility). If you don’t own your boots yet, I would highly recommend getting them first before getting bindings, so you can be sure of fit.
Hope this helps
The Union Stratas and the Ultra seem so close…if you had to pick one for the quiver for everything? ….
Hi George
Thanks for your message.
I think it would come down to the best match to your board and your physical specs. The Strata are subtly stiffer than the Ultra, in my experience. If you could let me know what board/boards you’ll be putting them on and also your weight, that would help.
Thanks for the reply Nate.
I have a Bataleon Goliath+ and Thunderstorm – both 156cm for my daily drivers this season. I’m 5’8″ around 170 lbs. Size 9.5 Tactical ADVs boots.
Cheers,
George
Hi George
I would go Strata. I think it’s the slightly better flex match to your quiver. The Ultra would be a good match too, so there isn’t a bad choice you can make there, IMO, but I’d be just leaning Strata.
Hey Nate,
Thanks for these awesome reviews! It’s what got me to purchase the Ultra at the beginning of the season. I just ordered a Nitro Team and was considering throwing the Ultra on there. Another option is to trade my son for his Strata that he has on his Yes Typo. What would you recommend in this situation that’d be ideal for both of us?
Regards,
Tony
Hi Tony
Thanks for your message. I think the Ultra would work for the Team, but I think the Strata would be the better match – and the Ultra the better match for the Typo. You could always try out both options, but I think the Strata (being a touch stiffer, IMO) would be a better match to the Team.
Hope this helps
Hey Nate,
Looking at pairing the Union Ultra’s to my Bataleon Disaster 151cm for a park/mellow run board and wanted your opinion on the pairing.
I’m also looking at getting the Female version of the Ultra just for colour (love the purple). I’m a US8.5 Mens and currently run a Medium Atlas on my all-mountain setup.
Am I right in thinking I should get the Large Womens Ultra for this playful setup.
Thanks as always,
Amz
Hey Amz
Thanks for your message. I think that pairing should work well together. The Disaster is quite a soft board, with the Union being more medium flex, so it’s not a pure flex match, but it’s within range, IMO and should work fine. The Ultras aren’t stiff enough that they should make the Disaster too twitchy or anything. And yeah, if you’re going with the women’s model, then you’ll want to go large with US men’s 8.5s.
Hi there I’m looking at getting a set of these bindings for next season, I noticed that in the sizing chart medium goes from size 8-10 and large is 10.5+. I am kind of in the middle of 10 and 10.5 depending on the boot. Currently have size 10.5 boots but wondering if in the future I get size 10 again if the large would still fit or if I’d be better off getting the mediums. Thanks
Hi Will
I really like Union’s in Medium personally. I’m a 10 for the most part, but sometimes a 9.5 (my current boots are 9.5). With 10s, I’d say Medium for sure. For 10.5s, it’s a tougher call and would depend on how bulky your 10.5s are. If they’re not too bulky you should be able to get 10.5s in a medium, but if they’re bulkier, either at the heel or in terms of length, then it could be pushing it for fitting it in.
Hope this helps
Thanks for the input Nate.
Cheers
You’re very welcome Will. Happy riding!
Hi Nate,
Thank you for all of your reviews, they’re very helpful. I’m looking to purchase a salomon assassin pro (22/23 season), and wondering if you can help me determine what binding would be best. I’m a fairly aggressive all-mountain rider that hits the park quite a bit, as well as ripping through glades when conditions permit. Currently am deciding between Union ultra (2023), union strata, or union falcor. Not sure if there are major differences besides stiffness, but the new ultras seem like a potentially revolutionary tech. Any recommendations and thoughts you can share on this set up would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Mike
Hey Mike
Thanks for your message.
I would be leaning Falcor. IMO it’s the best flex match to the Assassin Pro and best for more aggressive riding. But it’s still good for park – still has good board feel and isn’t oppressively stiff or anything. The Ultra’s are real nice, but are a little softer than ideal for the Assassin Pro, IMO.
Hope this helps with your decision
Hi Nate,
I’m looking to replace my malavitas with those, can you feel the no-canting in the ultra? I’ve never ridden bindings without them and don’t think it makes much of a difference.
Hi Dan
Thanks for your message.
I can’t notice it really, to be honest, when I’m riding. I think the biggest advantage of the canted footbed is over the course of a long period. i.e. to reduce fatigue etc if riding a lot. But that’s pretty hard to judge.
How do you think the ultras would pair with the super doa or mega merc?
Hi Jon
I wouldn’t personally pair the Ultras with either the Super DOA or Mega Merc. Too soft for those boards, IMO. Not stiff enough to properly drive those boards. I would want at least 6/10 flex bindings for Super DOA – and preferably 7/10 to 8/10. For the Mega Merc I’d want at least 7/10.
One thing I did with my Ultras was to put the ankle strap from my Stratas (little larger and more supportive) on which gave me a little more support.
Hey Chris
Thanks for your input. Something I might try if I can get both of them together this season.
Hi Nate
Just so i got this right the footbed length is 23.8 vs 26.2 on the strata? We dont have the ultras here yet but there are some great deals online black friday.
I think that made my mind up to go large for burton slx.
(Found and bought a pair of adidas uk10 2018 white on ebay! Hopefully they last.)
Cheers
Tim
Hey Tim
Yeah, Medium Ultra measured 23.8cm on the footbed (23.6cm on the underside of the base plate) versus Medium Strata, which measured 26.2cm on the top of the footbed (and 24.2cm on the bottom of the baseplate. So yeah, the bottom of the baseplate isn’t that much longer, but it’s much longer on the top of the footbed.
Hello Nate,
Awesome review. Thinking about putting these on my new Jones Mountain Twin. Thoughts? Also, I wear a size 10 boot. Would you recommend the M or Large binding? My boot is a Burton Ion 2019sih. I know the size chart says M but it’s kinda a tweener.
Thank you!
Hi David
Thanks for your message.
Yeah, I think these match with the MT. Probably the softest I would go with on the MT, but still in range. I would go with the M. I always ride M Union in 10s and it’s a good fit. Assuming you don’t have a wide Mountain Twin, it would be a good fit with the board too. If you do have a wide Mountain Twin, then I could be swayed to going to the L (just to give a little more leverage closer to the edges of the board) but I think the best boot fit is still going to be the M – and I would take boot fit over leverage as it only gives you a little more in terms of leverage, so even though the L would make more sense on a wide than it would on the regular width, I think I’d still go M regardless.
Hope this helps
Hi I will be buying the 2023 GNU RC C3 this year and looking for a good binding pair. Was considering these or Strata or possibly something from Burton. I don’t really ride much park more all mountain but in the east so not much if any pow, mainly hard pack and ice. Do some trees and want something to intimate turns at slower speeds as well. Thanks!
Hi Patrick
The Ultra would work on the RC C3, but I would be leaning Strata, just because the Strata I found a touch stiffer and a better flex match to the RC C3, IMO. Ultra not out of range for it, but the softest end of the range, IMO.
From Burton, something like the Cartel, Malavita or Cartel X would work well, IMO.
Hope this helps
Hi
I just got a warpig as another addition to my quiver, wanted that party board ride. I’ve been thinking about it getting the Union Ultras or Stratas for it. Any suggestions? Can’t quite decide. I’m 5’11”, 175, size 9 boot and ride a bit of everything these days.
Thanks!
Hi Jason
Thanks for your message.
I’d be leaning Strata for the Warpig, though the Ultra wouldn’t be wrong. Reason, I would be leaning Strata is that I found them just a touch stiffer than the Ultra, and just a slightly better flex match to the Warpig, which I felt is around 6/10 in terms of flex. But the Ultras would certainly work.
Hope this helps with your decision
Thanks so much. I appreciate the feedback. I’m sort of stuck between the two but it sounds like I can’t go wrong here? I also have a pair of last years force pros so wanted a new softer binding to play around in and get a bit more surfy sometimes. Love your page and these reviews are always super helpful!
You’re very welcome Jason. Yeah, if you want a bit of a bigger contrast in terms of flex with your bindings, then the Ultra are the softer option.
Hi Nate. I ended up getting a pair of Malavitas for such a good sale price I ended up ruling out the Unions. Was a good opportunity to try Burton’s for the first time. Your ranking certainly helped. Got the Malavitas on a Warpig (for now) and my Force Pros on the yes standard. Thanks for all the great reviews and advice!
Hey Jason
Thanks for the update.
I use the Malavitas as my control bindings and have zero complaints with a lot of time on them. Hope they treat you well.
Hi Nate
I am a heavy guy at a a weight 200-218 punds. (90-98kg), looking for the perfect bindings for my Drake Battle rusty 163.
So far i am leaning towrds these (Union ultra), salomon Disctrict pro, Jones Orion or mercury surf. (But i am open for all recomendations).
The board is rated as a 6/10 flex, and is made for powder days and the park.
So i am looking for something with soft enough flex for tweak-ability and surfy feel, but responsive enough to carve a wide board. Hope you can help pointing me in the right direction.
And if possible great Shock Absortion.
Thank you for you for the time you spend helping others getting the right gear for the season.
Best regards Mads.
Hi Mads
Thanks for your message.
The Ultra would be doable on that board, but I would be erring a little stiffer to match the board and being a bigger guy, I think going stiffer than that is your best bet. But I get that you don’t want to go too stiff, for your riding style. I haven’t ridden the District Pro, so can’t say for sure with them, but they look to be the stiffest of those you’ve mentioned. I’m not sure about shock absorption with them, having not tested them. I felt the Mercury at a 7/10 flex (vs 5/10 on the Ultra). I’d be leaning towards that over the Ultra. They have great shock absorption too. I haven’t tested the Orion, but they look to be a touch softer than the Mercury – so maybe around a 6/10 flex. Can’t say for sure though, having not tested them, but if that’s the case, I think they’d work well for the board and how you’re describing your riding. Not the same kind of board feel as you’d get out of the Ultra, but no doubt very good shock absorption as all Jones/NOW bindings tend to have. If you did want that board feel, but a little stiffer, then the Union Strata would be your best bet, IMO. Or the Falcor if you wanted to go stiffer again.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate,
I found this review while looking for info on the Union Ultra *women’s* binding. When you say it’s not overly maneuverable at slow speeds, what does that translate to on the slopes? I normally ride blues and easy blacks, but I plan to spend some time on greens learning switch this year…
Other options I’m looking at include the Union Trilogy, Flux GX and Rome Katana (men’s in the smallest size, since they don’t make a women’s model). No Burton since I want to try a different brand. How would you compare the 4?
Also, I’ve heard Union’s mini-disc screws tend to loosen over the course of a day. Have you experienced that yourself?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Valerie
Thanks for your message.
I know this is confusing (and I wish Union hadn’t named their new Ultra, the Ultra) but this review is for the old Ultra, which was discontinued after the 2020 model. The new Ultra is quite a different binding. The old Ultra was really quite stiff. The new Ultra is much softer – it’s mid-flex (what I felt at 5/10). I did ride the new 2023 Ultra, but haven’t had the chance to publish the review yet. The women’s version of the new Ultra is very similar to the men’s version.
In terms of maneuverability at slow speeds, it’s typical of stiffer bindings to be harder to maneuver with when riding slow. Stiffer bindings tend to be better for riding fast and aggressive. But that’s not an issue with the new Ultra, which are nice and maneuverable at slower speeds.
Note that the Trilogy (6.5/10), GX (7/10) and Katana (7/10) are all a little stiffer than the new Ultra, but not as stiff as the old Ultra. So if you’re looking for something more in that 7/10 flex range, then the new Ultra might be a bit soft for you. I would say the likes of the Triloy, GX and Katana are all pretty good at riding at slower speeds, but not as good as the Ultra, but they are better for big high speed carves – give a bit more stability in that sense. Which would be the better choice for you would also depend on the board you will be using them with.
In terms of mini-disc screws, they did have some issues in the past, but as far as I know those are sorted. It used to be the case, when mounting them, that you had to sink the first couple of screws without washers, then sink the next 2 screws with washers, and then unscrew the other two and put the washers back on before sinking again. Was a pain. And yeah, it did end up being that they would come loose sooner than they should. But I never had it happen within a day, but after a couple of days riding, they would need tightening. All screws do loosen over time, so it always pays to check your bindings after every few days of riding, but yeah, they did have that issue where they would loosen faster. But the last couple of years, I’ve found I could sink the screws without first removing the washers and they haven’t loosened in the same way.
Hope this helps
Hi Nate,
Why is its Responsiveness lower compared to the falcor? Its stiffer tho.
Would you take these (199€) or the falcor (175€) for the Jones Flagship (both 2020)?
Regars,
Hendrik
Hi Hendrik
I found the Falcor more responsive, just that it has this spring to it that the Ultra didn’t have. Also the Falcor is as stiff or stiffer in the baseplate, but with a softer high back. And with the highback, the Falcor is pretty rigid in terms of pulling straight back. But had more give when twisting it. Also, I found the Ultra was something I felt I had to wrestle the response out of, where the response from the Falcor felt easier and more natural, to me. Potentially a stronger rider or a heavier rider would get more out of the Ultra and more easily,
I would personally take the Falcor – even riding a stiffer board like the Flagship.
Hi Nate!
Excellent explanation as always 🙂
I have to decide between the Union Falcor für 179€ or the Salomon Quantum für 229€ (both 2020). Both are really good prices tho!
Atm I would go with the Falcor, but I have already bought the strata now and it kinda feels like I’m buying nearly the same binding 😀
Regards,
Hendrik
Ps: I really love your side
Hi Hendrik
The Strata and Falcor are certainly different and I think you would notice the difference between them. But yeah, they’re not streets apart by any means.
Or even the union forged force for 259€, but I can’t find many infos
Hi Hendrik
Unfortunately I didn’t get on the Forged Force for their one season, so can’t say much about them (except that being high-end Union bindings, I can’t imagine them being bad!).
I did ride the Atlas FC this year, which is the replacement for it – certainly not an exact replacement but fills the spot that the Forged Force left. I really liked the Atlas FC. It’s really stiff, but somehow I preferred the feel of it over the old Ultra. Not sure why, but something about it I preferred. But not sure how the Forged Force felt in comparison.