Binding Review: 10-11 Burton Malavita

Location: Mammoth, California

Snow Conditions: Hardpacked to icy groomers.

Setup: I rode the Burton Malavita bindings on the Burton Nug with my Vans Veil Boots size 8.

Time to set up the binding: It took longer than usual to get them set up which was weird since they should be quick but it was a busy demo day.  But since it did take longer, they were adjusted properly.

Fit: These were a medium and worked fine with my boots.  No extra gaps in the width of the bindings and the straps were comfortable, definitely seemed bigger than the women’s versions but meant for bigger boots too.

First Impression: A favorite choice from Burton with the wider ankle strap and amazing comfort on the mountain.

Appearance: The malavita’s I rode featured the feats of strength design on them which I thought was hilarious.  It kept the basic black/white colorway but with some funny designs on the binding.  Mine had a girl in a swimsuit on the ankle strap and that’s all I remember.  Definitely original to see that mix of color choice and graphic printed design.

Comfort: Just like the women’s scribes, the malavita’s offered up a very cushy ankle strap with comfortable support on my boot.  Good padding on the baseplate and highback that helped absorb the terrain and keep it a comfortable ride.

Functionality: Normal binding design used with the channel system.  I rocked the non EST bindings on the channel system so didn’t get the full connection effect but have been there, done that.  The Malavita’s feature B3 Gel Heel Cushioning, Features Re-Ground Materials in Baseplate and Hi-Back to Reduce Waste, NEW Air Pad, canted hi-backs, gettagrip capstrap, Asym Superstrap™ and more features. The bindings are tool-less adjustments so easy to adjust the toe and ankle strap on the fly.

Flex: One thing I’ve noticed with the larger ankle strap on the side is you have good lateral flex on the binding.  It really supports you on heelside turns and gives you good range with comfortability for leaning into turns.  The malavita’s had a stiffer highback that gave it good response on the mountain but with softer flexing straps.  Overall good support on the binding.

Response: The canted highback gives you natural alignment on the slopes while the highback itself offers up good response when you want to lean into your heelside turns and hold an edge comfortably.  I didn’t find the highback overwhelming for a female rider, in fact just very comfortable and right on par with my boots.  The highback didn’t seem overly stiff but just enough support that it wasn’t a soft ride either.

Toe Strap: Gettagrip capstrap is the name and it definitely grips the toe of the boot.  I rocked them with my Vans size 8 boots and once centered, stayed on tight with no issues.

Overall Impression: The  malavita’s offer up a binding that gives you response and cushioning for the impact days on the slopes.  The wider ankle strap makes it so you have more support laterally and a very comfortable ride down the mountain.

Shay’s Honesty Box: I liked the scribe’s last year and the malavita’s definitely give the men the same awesome binding with comfortable straps and good response on the mountain. I wish I had ridden them with other boards than the nug but the bindings made the ride better and more comfortable for me.

Ready to buy? Head over to evo for the Burton Malavita or shop their full line of Burton snowboard bindings

On Snow Photos

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Burton Malavita Description

Review Disclosure: I rode these bindings at a Burton demo day.