Binding Review: 08-09 Ride Zeta MVMNT

Location: Keystone, Colorado

Snow Conditions: A mixture of hardpacked groomers, soft powder and bumps.

Setup: I rode the Ride Zeta MVMNT on the Ride Concept UL with my Vans Omni Focus size 8.

Time to set up the binding: Reasonable

Fit: No problem adjusting the fit of the binding to my boot.

First Impression: I hope it rides better than the girly patterns it has on it.

Appearance: Ride paired up with featured artist tokidoki for 08-09 featuring a whole line of boards, boots, bindings, and clothing. Having never heard of Tokidoki and just judging on the appearance of the bindings I thought it was a bit too much for me.

Comfort: The Zeta’s have always been a comfortable binding for me. The ankle strap molded to my boot just fine, offered up really good comfort with no pressure points.

Functionality: Ride updated the ratchets from last years Zeta’s and of course the new toe strap. Functionality the bindings work, I had no issues with the ratchets sticking. However with functionality, because the ankle strap is pre-curved but not on a hinge system when you are unstrapped it is already in place which to me is in the way when I’m ready to strap in. If you look at the 2nd picture below, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Flex: As a softer freestyle binding, it’s got some lateral flex that you can really have fun with in the park. I found myself having no problems when buttering and messing around on the snow doing tricks with the bindings.

Response: It’s a softer binding so I wasn’t expecting much from responsiveness on the snow. Definitely less responsive than the other ride bindings but also this is a freestyle binding built to be more flex, less responsiveness.

Toe Strap: The Toe strap is Ride’s Convertible grip which was offered last year on the mens Alpha bindings. It features “Lightweight integrated rubber web for super snug boot grip” and that description actually fits my description as well. The web really does grip to your boot and molds to it without any fitting issues. I really liked the toe strap and I rocked it cap strap while riding.

Overall Impression: Last binding of the day and it didn’t disappoint for what it was meant to be. It’s a softer freestyle binding meant to be lightweight and mobile. The response is less than what I’d like but it’s really fun to ride with especially for doing freestyle tricks. It is a lightweight binding and definitely one for the ladies to consider when riding park more often. I had a lot of fun with the binding, definitely let me be more mellow on the mountain with the softer flex.