poutanen

BAH! Foiled by my own attempt to be a smart ass!!!

That's okay, my new board arrives today. As long as the UPS truck doesn't blow up nothing could ruin this day!!!

AIRider

I don't know how they compare to other bindings but Flow has the nx2 Rs as 5/5 stiff rating.

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blunted_nose

C60 were hella stiff, but they are still made for freestyle big Mtn riding. So less stiff then stiff bindings made for carving or such. Pretty sure this is as stiff as you can get: Freeride 2 Pro EVO bindings

poutanen

Soft Bindings For Freecarving

Bindings for Boardercross

Seems like people use a little of everything...

There is a point of diminishing returns. A board and boots can only be so stiff, putting something TOO stiff on the board may not feel any better than stiff freeride bindings.

cjcameron11

I cant say i have had a pair of these ^ in my hands but i can say that if OP is really looking for a great binding that is super stiff that i can vouch for raidens. The cap strap is awesome, one of the best I've used actually, the airbags are awesome and still responsive and the ratchets are butter.

I have not used the Machines as they were seriously too stiff for me (i weigh 265/270lbs) so i bought the phantoms for great responsiveness and some forgiveness when i fuck up.

IMO for all the features they offer and the comfort you cant go past the machines, the CATEK just don't seem to have the same range of features for a similar price.

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jbernste03

I second this

lonerider

I rode a prototype version of the Catek Freerides. They are by far stiffer than my Burton C60 or CO2. I haven't actually ridden the Raidens, but I have seen them in the shop and I'm pretty sure the Catek Freerides are miles stiffer than those as well. It is without question the most responsive strap binding that exists. With the dampening disk thingie, they are also probably one of the most damp bindings made. Finally, the have the Catek baseplate, which allows your to dial in a infinite combination of lift/cant you want.

However, I would not recommend it to most people because the design doesn't have the ergonomics features found in the bindings made in the last 5 years or so, so they aren't quite as comfortable. Frankly I don't think anyone really needs that much customization in cant... (1*,2*,2.5* is probably plenty). Front/Back Lift (i.e. like an adjustable toe/heel ramp) is actually kind of nice... but again, not an essential feature for 99 percent of riders.

I think the Catek FR2 Pro Evo as like a Ferrari. Mostly for people who have ridden a lot of bindings, like to go really fast, have a lot of money, and are looking for something "exotic." However, much in the in the same way a Ferrari or a McLaren is high-performance, expensive and exotic, and probably not the car you want to go buy groceries with, or pick up your kids at daycare - this binding is definitely overkill for "soccer mom" snowboarders.

NWBoarder

Well, the Union and C3 guys I talked with last season all said the Charger is absolutely the stiffest binding that Union makes and sells. I guess they could be wrong, but somehow I doubt it. It definitely was the stiffest Union binding I rode. I don't know that I would go so far as to call it the stiffest out there, but I absolutely would say that it is the stiffest in the Union line.

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jbernste03

Those look like the most uncomfortable binders on the planet

hktrdr

Well, the Union/C3 guys do not really seem to be consistent or in agreement on what their stiffest binding is (based on this and this).
In any case, the Chargers might be very well be the stiffest Union binding (note that I did not claim otherwise), but they sure as hell are not the stiffest bindings in the market.