Quick Entry Snowboard Bindings: Which System Is Right for You?

Most of the time you spend getting ready to ride is spent strapping in. On a busy day that can mean standing at the top of the lift, cold hands fumbling with ratchets, while everyone else is already moving. Quick entry bindings are built to cut that time down.

They all get you in faster than traditional two-strap bindings, but they do it in different ways. The first step is deciding whether you’re open to buying new boots. If you are, Burton Step On is on the table. If you want to keep the boots you already own, Step On is out and you’re looking at FASE, Supermatic, Flow, or the K2 Cinch.

These systems have improved greatly in the last few years. Pros have used them for everyday riding, park sessions, and even high-level freeride contests, which is a useful signal that the performance is there if you want it. The real question is still which style of entry and adjustment fits how you ride.

Here’s how the systems compare at a glance:

Category winners (for the details below)

• Fastest entry: Burton Step On
• Best for keeping your current boots: FASE
• Lightest with straps: FASE
• Best for park riders who want quick entry: FASE
• Most automatic entry (without new boots): Supermatic
• Most adjustable without new boots: FASE and K2 Cinch (tie)
• Longest track record: Flow

Burton Step On — fastest entry

The Step On is the only system here that requires a specific boot. The boot has metal clips at the toe and a heel cleat that locks into the binding. You line up the heel first, step down, and the toe clips snap in. When you hear the clicks, you’re locked in.

Category winner: Fastest entry. There’s nothing to tighten once you’re in. You can go straight off the lift and start riding. Burton team riders have used Step On for park laps and street sessions where getting in and out repeatedly matters, which is one reason the system has stuck around.

Burton licenses the system, so DC and Nitro also make Step On boots, and Union and Nitro make Step On bindings. You still need a Step On-compatible boot (Burton, DC, or Nitro). Because there are no straps, the boot fit has to be right from the start — a boot that’s a little too big is harder to compensate for than on a traditional binding.

What you gain: The quickest way in and out, plus a very direct connection between boot and board.
What you give up: No straps means no on-the-fly tightening, and you have to buy a Step On boot.

FASE (Rome, Bataleon, ThirtyTwo) — best for keeping your boots

FASE works with almost any boot you already own (the only exception is a Step On boot). From the outside it looks like a normal binding with a separate toe strap and ankle strap. The difference is in the highback: it tilts back so you can drop your foot in, then a mechanism under the heel helps pull the highback upright as you step down. You tighten the ankle strap and go. The toe strap is set once and left alone.

Category winner: Best for keeping your current boots, lightest with straps, and best quick-entry option for park riders. You keep full independent adjustment of the two straps, the binding stays light, and you don’t have to buy new boots. Pros including Victor De Le Rue and Ståle Sandbech have used FASE in freeride competitions, and others have ridden it in the park and on the street — useful evidence that the two-strap feel holds up when the riding gets serious.

What you gain: Traditional binding feel and adjustability with noticeably faster entry.
What you give up: You still tighten one strap each time, so it’s not quite as fast as Step On.

Supermatic (Nidecker, Salomon, Bent Metal) — most automatic entry without new boots

The Supermatic is the closest thing to a true step-in while still using any boot you already own. Once the straps are dialed, you hit the release, the highback tilts back, you step in and land your heel on the platform, then tighten the ratchets. The joined toe and ankle cradle plus the solid metal construction give it a very planted, automatic feel underfoot.

Category winner: Most automatic entry (without new boots). Riders who want the most hands-off process of the quick-entry options that still work with their current boots usually end up here. The extra metal is the source of the weight, but it also contributes to the locked-in response and durable hardware.

What you gain: The smoothest, most automatic entry of any system that doesn’t require a new boot.
What you give up: Highest price and heaviest weight of the group. Some riders also need to size up for the smoothest entry and exit.

Flow — longest track record

Flow has been around since 1996 and is the original rear-entry idea. You lay the highback back with a lever, slide in from behind, tighten the connected straps, and flip the lever back up. The toe and ankle sections are joined, and there’s no traditional toe strap (an instep strap locks the foot instead).

Category winner: Longest track record. It’s been refined for decades and still has a loyal following.

What you gain: Proven rear-entry design that is still faster than traditional straps.
What you give up: Less precise toe-edge control for some riders because of the instep strap instead of a separate toe strap.

K2 Cinch

The Cinch (current model is the Cinch GT) is K2’s rear-entry system, around since 2006. The highback lays back so you can drop your foot in from behind, or you can simply strap in from the top like a normal binding if you prefer. It works with any non-Step On boot.

Category winner (tie): Most adjustable without new boots. You have the choice of rear entry or traditional top entry, and the straps stay independent.

What you gain: Two ways to get in, compatibility with your current boots, and a system K2 has been refining for nearly 20 years.
What you give up: Snow can pack behind the highback when it lays all the way down, and there’s more hardware (and weight) than a basic strap binding.

Traditional straps — still the baseline

Two separate straps and ratchets aren't going anywhere. We carry them from Arbor, Bataleon, Bent Metal, Burton, K2, Nidecker, Nitro, Ride, Rome, Rossignol, Salomon, ThirtyTwo, and Union. 

Who should buy which

• Step On if the act of strapping in is the part of snowboarding you dislike most and you’re buying boots anyway.
• FASE if you want quick entry but like the boots you already have (or just bought), or if you’re a park rider who still wants independent strap adjustment.
• Supermatic if you want the most automatic, hands-off entry of the group and don’t mind the extra weight or cost.
• Flow if you’ve ridden Flow before and liked it, or you simply want a proven rear-entry design.
• K2 Cinch if you like the idea of rear entry but also want the option to strap in the normal way.
• Traditional straps if you want the simplest and most reliable setup.

Come try them at Aspen Ski and Board in Northern Columbus on Polaris Parkway. Professional fitting is included with every purchase. Call us at (614) 848-6600 if you want to check stock or talk through options first.

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