Binding Review: 08-09 Union Trilogy

Location: Keystone, Colorado

Snow Conditions: Bluebird with mixture of groomers to powder runs.

Setup: I rode the Union Trilogy bindings on the Black Death Inc with my Vans Omni Focus boots.

Time to set up the binding: Quicker than average

Fit: I didn’t take a photo of my boot in the binding but the Trilogys were fine on fitting my boot. In fact these were probably the best fitting binding that I can remember riding from the demo.

First Impression: Union finally stepped it up on the ladies bindings and I am impressed by the trilogy.

Appearance: I like bindings that aren’t about graphics or bling, simple colors and Union for me is that company. Putting more time into how a binding rides than what it looks like. The trilogy is a simple appearance binding, it looks good without making it blingy, girly or trashy. It just looks good.

Comfort: Honestly when I looked at the trilogy’s in the catalog and even before stepping on snow they looked decent but I didn’t think they would be that comfortable. I was really wrong in judging them by looks. The ankle strap molded perfectly to my boot and is really comfortable without losing the support. I even put down in my notes “amazing comfort” which is rare for me to use amazing.

Functionality: I wanted to mess with the forward lean but did not while riding. It was a little too intense for me which was good for the first couple runs of the day but definitely more than I needed. The trilogy is a lighter binding in terms of weight, the baseplate allows you to feel the board better. The ratchets worked fine, I thought the toe strap ratchet was funny looking but worked without any issues.

Flex: With the stiffer highback, you get really quick heel side response on the trilogy bindings. I really liked the lateral flex which had some give to it, allowing the rider to ease into freestyle maneuvers without losing your freeride/carving capabilities.

Response: Definitely one of the more aggressive women’s bindings that I rode, a stiffer highback that offers really good heelside response when riding since you can lay it over and the highback holds your carve, holds your boot and lets you control it. Did not feel any vibrations under my feet when hitting up some choppy conditions.

Toe Strap: In past years I wasn’t impressed with the ladies union toe straps but the trilogy toe strap could be rocked regular or capstrap. It grips onto your boot which for me is huge since my vans toebox is rounded I need a toe strap that doesn’t slip when riding.

Overall Impression: I really liked how the Trilogy bindings rode. I’ve rode Unions before and wasn’t too impressed with the women’s bindings but this year with the Trilogy its definitely a top women’s binding to contend with my other favorites especially for aggressive female riders who want a stiffer more responsive binding.