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  • July 26, 2012 at 8:43 am #577141
    ruapehu_explorer
    Participant

    Has anyone given any thought about (or had experience) riding without a highback? There are a couple of solid-board bindings coming out without bindings, or the option to ride without them. I first saw this video and was trying to find out if the Switchback binidings (at the end of the video) were designed for splitboards…

    http://vimeo.com/37447119

    Turns out they are solid-board bindings, likely designed by the guys behind Bataleon snowboards. I really liked the idea of not having highbacks on the way up though, and then I found an article by Mike Ranquet ( http://snowboarding.transworld.net/1000083893/uncategorized/the-theory-of-no-highbacks-by-mike-ranquet/ ) and some other people chiming in about not wearing highbacks while doing the riding, to pretty normal responses – most reviews are that can’t feel any negatives without it, and a few prefer it outright, and some don’t like it.

    I’m curious, and I’ll have to try it out this season on an inbounds day just to see what it’s like, but has anyone gone touring without the highback? Or maybe know anyone that has?

    cheers

    July 27, 2012 at 6:07 am #658022
    BGnight
    Participant

    You don’t need highbacks to ride but you can’t make nearly as powerful of a heel side turn without them. There’ s a very good reason for them. Russman could geek out on the dynamics and science behind it. Forward lean is your friend. Highbacks on the way up were a non issue even before all the new ones came out that go back really far. Use highbacks. Trust me.

    July 27, 2012 at 2:49 pm #658023
    PedroDelfuego
    Participant

    Highbacks are a joke, they are uncomfortable and unnecessary (at least for me). Nobacks are a little different, because they provide zero support, I use lowbacks w/o any forward lean. Whatever you like you should ride. Comfort is the most important thing. “Do what you like”, and dont let the gearheads on here talk you out of anything. Its all about you…

    http://splitboard.com/talk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=12307&hilit=lowbacks
    http://splitboard.com/talk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8058
    http://splitboard.com/talk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=12307&hilit=lowbacks

    Cheers…

    July 27, 2012 at 3:08 pm #658024
    saign
    Participant

    I never have liked forward lean, coming from a skate and surf background before ever snowboarding. I always take my lean adjusters off to save weight and have my highbacks at 0. No highbacks seems a bit unsupportive, especially in hardpack, crud, and on big airs. They’re charging cruiser pow lines in this video without them.

    July 27, 2012 at 8:57 pm #658025
    Jason4
    Participant

    Several years ago I saw Lucas Debari rip some seriously high consequence lines (skiers left of “Fly on the Wall” for those that know Baker) without highbacks and proclaim that he’d never put them back on.

    He put them back on.

    July 28, 2012 at 3:58 am #658026
    ruapehu_explorer
    Participant

    thanks for the responses. I ride with them now, and I get the power transition to heelside, but I currently don’t ever much forward lean. I’ll just have to try it out and see what I like.

    How much would the ‘negative lean’ adjustment have to go on a highback for it not to effect the forward gait when skinning uphill? (that’s not supposed to be a dumb question, I’m finishing my first DIY, so I haven’t split yet) I think something like the Switchback bindings, where the highback is able to pop out without a screwdriver, for a splitboard binding (or if it had an aluminum base welding it into a split biding).

    thanks again

    July 28, 2012 at 1:11 pm #658027
    nordicbordn
    Participant

    @saign wrote:

    I never have liked forward lean, coming from a skate and surf background before ever snowboarding. I always take my lean adjusters off to save weight and have my highbacks at 0. No highbacks seems a bit unsupportive, especially in hardpack, crud, and on big airs. They’re charging cruiser pow lines in this video without them.

    this is exactly how i feel.. ive ridden almost a full season without highbacks, but its hard to argue against them. yes it feels more like surfing, but if you want to go surfing, generally one will do so. also, mike ranquet is another breed entirely; in the movie “lines,” he speaks of freeride pioneering in the 90s where he ripped mendenhall towers (or some line of equivalence) in sorrels! soo yeah, he can rip anything!

    July 28, 2012 at 4:35 pm #658028
    saign
    Participant

    @nordicbordn wrote:

    @saign wrote:

    I never have liked forward lean, coming from a skate and surf background before ever snowboarding. I always take my lean adjusters off to save weight and have my highbacks at 0. No highbacks seems a bit unsupportive, especially in hardpack, crud, and on big airs. They’re charging cruiser pow lines in this video without them.

    this is exactly how i feel.. ive ridden almost a full season without highbacks, but its hard to argue against them. yes it feels more like surfing, but if you want to go surfing, generally one will do so. also, mike ranquet is another breed entirely; in the movie “lines,” he speaks of freeride pioneering in the 90s where he ripped mendenhall towers (or some line of equivalence) in sorrels! soo yeah, he can rip anything!

    Ya, the first boots I snowboarded in were steeled toe doc martins and jeans with trashbags underneath for waterproofing while hiking around the lake arrowhead area on my dads friends burton air. Before that we tried screwing a boot to an old skateboard….those were the days.

    I’ll stick with my high backs, but I think I’m going to turn an old deck to a noboard.

    August 10, 2012 at 8:16 pm #658029
    walove
    Participant

    I like stiff highbacks i use the aluminun bent metal ones but the are a pain while skinning so I made a set of removable high backs last year by cutting a knotch in the mounting holes. Found that I prefer touring with out the high backs. On flat ground it allowed you to take a more natural stride. Saved around 100 grams

    August 11, 2012 at 3:09 am #658030
    nordicbordn
    Participant

    word upwards, my friend. are u in bozeman right now? love that place more than anywhere. and i think i love the bridgers more than life itself.

    August 17, 2012 at 4:56 pm #658031
    walove
    Participant

    yeah im spend most my time in bozeman. all the long approaches here have made me look for ways to skin faster and more comfortable on the flats. i lace my boots with the tongue out to let them flex, along with no highbacks allows you to take a nice stride, closer to leather tele boots. closest i can get to my dream of a dynafit soft boot.

    bought a sled instead of a seasons pass this year so i plan to be in the north bridgers finding lines all winter.

    August 18, 2012 at 12:09 am #658032
    ruapehu_explorer
    Participant

    @walove wrote:

    I like stiff highbacks i use the aluminun bent metal ones but the are a pain while skinning so I made a set of removable high backs last year by cutting a knotch in the mounting holes. Found that I prefer touring with out the high backs. On flat ground it allowed you to take a more natural stride. Saved around 100 grams

    picture??? does the notch make it so you can pop it in and out, while it’s pretty locked when the highback is vertical for riding?

    August 18, 2012 at 1:24 pm #658033
    nordicbordn
    Participant

    sick man, i love sledding in the bridgers. lets hope this season is a little safer than last. im still recovering from a fight with an avalanche up at fairy this spring.. N bridgers will spank ya if you let them

    August 19, 2012 at 2:14 am #658034
    walove
    Participant

    @ruapehu_explorer wrote:

    @walove wrote:

    picture??? does the notch make it so you can pop it in and out, while it’s pretty locked when the highback is vertical for riding?

    i’ll have to take some pictures, sounds like you have the right idea. i ran the highback screws loose and i could slide highbacks on folded down. when you rotate them up, how it hinges on the heelcup, the highback only wants to go up and forward so it stays in place.

    February 19, 2013 at 4:14 am #658035
    Jomas
    Participant

    I have a set of the Switchbacks on a Bataleon Camel Toe solid board, and loved the feeling from the get go.
    On the groomers the board does not shine, and maybe the bindings don’t help, but as soon as I dove off into the slackcountry I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Even over crud and wind blown ridges I found them to give me more stability/agility.

    On a side note, the Camel Toe doesn’t seem to get mentioned here, but I reckon it make an awesome split. I heard that for 2014 they are going to offer it with some kind if resin down the middle so that it can be split and not need any further finishing. It looks like a Hovercraft, but has a triple base wide nose that really really does let it hover over crud debris and gives it supernatural float in pow!

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