Binding Review: 11-12 Union Milan

Location: Winter Park, CO

Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to softpacked to icy groomers.

Setup: I rode the Union Milan on the Jones Hovercraft with my Vans Veil Boots size 8.

Time to set up the binding: The milans were quick to set up on the Jones board and perfect fit to my boots without having to adjust the heelcup like I would on the men’s binding.

Fit: I’m used to the fit of Union bindings to my Vans boots and the women’s union milans fit my boots just fine.  Minor adjustment to the straps and played with the toe strap but boot was snug into the binding with no extra space or movement.

First Impression: A women’s responsive and super comfortable binding for all riding.

Appearance: I ended up riding in the black version of the milans which are white on the straps and black from the baseplate to mid-level on the highback.  The colorways is interesting, I don’t love it but I don’t hate it either.  It’s definitely a more mellow pick for women, keeping it white on top and dark on the bottom.  But for me, it beats having it look like high fashion shoes.

Comfort: Noticeably padded in the binding baseplate that really made for a smooth riding and helped absorb any bumpy terrain.  It was paired with the hovercraft so I thought I’d feel more on the board but it offered up super comfortableness on the boots and really supportive for the riding.  Ankle strap padding was good with my boot, no pressure points and wrapped around nicely.

Functionality: The milans are like the other union bindings for functionality, quick adjust on the ankle strap and toe strap you need a tool to adjust.  Highback easy adjustment for forward lean and easy to move the heelcup in.  The milans definitely had more cushioning under foot that helped absorb any bumpy terrain and remained really stable during the ride, never felt chatter underfoot.  Ratchets were dialed and no problem tightning/unratcheting.  Overall the binding felt really well matched with my women’s vans boots and the asym/symmetrical highback was super comfortable and supportive.

Flex: A bit more forgiving than the trilogies from what I remember and overall medium flex for bindings, it wasn’t a stiff binding and not soft, but easy to ride but also had good response if you wanted it.  The highback allowed you to hold a heeledge feeling good support and I never felt the binding not handle the riding of the hovercraft I was on.

Response: Good overall response on the bindings from the highback to the baseplate to ankle strap flex.  The strap definitely has all the support and padding so you feel locked in and comfortable.  The highback holds you through each turn supporting your weight, responsive for the quick edge to edge turns so you get a quicker feel out of them.

Toe Strap: I tried the new toe strap on the atlas which were fine but needed to be adjusted better to fit over the toe of my boot.  The milan toestrap felt more comfortable on my boot and how it fit.  I ended up rocking it over the toe because it didn’t move that way and for rallying on the hovercraft, it worked great for keeping my boot locked in.

Overall Impression: The milans offer a lightweight, all-mountain binding for the women.  Good response for the slopes but with a still forgiving easier comfortable ride.  All-around the binding could match the riding of the hovercraft but you could also tone it down and just do mellow turns with it feeling good.

Shay’s Honesty Box: The last time I rode the milans in 07-08, I wasn’t really impressed with them and thought they could use more work.  Now a couple years later, they definitely are a binding I’d rock all the time and offered enough response to match the hovercraft on the charging runs and getting response out of them.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the Union Milan or shop their full line of Union Bindings now.

On Snow Photos

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Union Milan Description

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Review Disclosure: I rode this binding at the SIA on-snow.  Please be aware bindings may change, this review was done in February 2011.