Ride A-10 Snowboard Binding Review

Ride Snowboards has been in the game since the onset of the snowboard revolution.  I can remember being a young child and my cousin getting a Ride snowboard for Christmas and not only he but we were all thrilled for what was to come!  Ride has been turning out great products for over thirty years and certainly have carved themselves out a significant role in the culture.

The Ride A-10 Snowboard binding is built on high performance packing all of their proprietary technology for the highest level of snowboarders to enjoy the best binding in the world.

Ride A-10 Snowboard Binding Features

The A-10 makes use of an Aluminum Chassis providing the transfer of power and reactive flex into an overall less rigid feel then its predecessors.  By making it feel less rigid than previous designs it allows the rider to flex more producing a much more tuned ride if you will.  Accentuating the toe heel response by way of the extruded aluminum heel cup is a game changer.  With narrowing the chassis by using aluminum the board has a greater ability to flex from tip to tail.

The Carbon Slimeback Highback blends carbon with urethane providing lightness, pop and dampness.  Having the option of either an aluminum mount disc which comes stock or a composite disc offers a more aggressive ride or a less rigid and easier to flex underfoot ride depending on which one you choose.  The Three-Piece Ankle Strap uses two different density plastics and foam to ensure proper performance, durability and most importantly, comfort.  With a canted footbed to align your joints at a 2.5 degree angle the binding is able to deliver a better fulcrum from tip to tail.  It is clear what Ride tried to do with this no nonsense, do it all hard charging binding.

On Mountain Performance

Rigging up my board in the parking lot at Grand Targhee on a crispy negative temperature morning to rip fast high speed groomers with a hard charging binding such as the A-10 seemed like a perfect day.  Due to the cold temps, we were ripping laps just to stay warm and the A-10 was keeping up without issue.  The toe to heel weight transfer was something I noticed straight away.  I typically ride only Burton Cartel bindings which are slightly less stiff and certainly not built on an aluminum chassis.  The difference was noticeable and at speed on such a fast morning conditions wise, I was happy to be on the A-10 Binding.  This snowboard binding inspired confidence at speed and stability throughout the entire run down the mountain.

Everything was going great and feeling good until our 4th run when I went to get off the lift and the carbon Slimeback Highback was not down all the way against my board which caused it to get sandwiched between the lift and ground ultimately causing it to fail.  It was not a complete break but more than a hairline fracture which for nearly 500$ invested seemed far too easy of an equipment failure.

Ride A-10 Snowboard Binding Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Aluminum chassis for power transfer and flex
• Carbon Slimeback Highback for lightness and pop
• Three-Piece Ankle Strap for durability and comfort

Cons:

• Carbon Slimeback Highback prone to breakage
• Aluminum chassis design may cause boot damage
• High cost compared to potential durability issues

Overall Impression

The Ride A-10 Snowboard Binding ($449.95) is for advanced to expert riders who need precision and high end performance.  I was impressed with the stability and performance of the binding whilst testing aggressively on the mountain.  When I dismounted out of the bindings after taking about 8 runs, my brand new Nitro Venture Boot had a slice in the heal.  Literally, out of the box brand new boots sliced almost into the liner of the boot.  I was not only surprised but also concerned about the aluminum chassis design and the fact that it is clearly far too rigid evidenced by causing the slice to the boot.

If Ride can figure out that issue then this has the potential to be a great binding for the hard chargers out there.  Until they can reconcile these issues though, I cannot in good conscience not attach a buyer beware for this product.

Related Snowboard Bindings We Tested

1. Arbor Hemlock Snowboard Bindings
2. Union Force Snowboard Bindings
3. Jones Mercury Snowboard Bindings