nidecker supermatic bindings

First Look at the Nidecker Supermatic Step In Bindings

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The Nidecker Supermatic bindings are a snowboard binding that allow you to step in, lock and go. They are the snowboard equivalent of moving from clips and strap pedals to Shimano SPDs.

This is first look review that comprises of my thoughts following setup and a few hours of riding on an indoor slope. A more detailed review will follow in a few weeks once they’ve been ridden in the real outside world.

Nidecker Supermatic 2023 Binding

First a quick 1 minute learner about snowboard bindings

Traditional snowboard bindings consist of four main components. There’s the baseplate that bolts to the board, a toe strap, an ankle strap and a backplate called a high-back. Each strap has a quick release ratchet buckle that allows you to crank up the tightness to the necessary blood constricting levels, while the high-back acts as a big lever in contact with your calf area to activate the back edge (heel edge) of your board while riding. All these components are necessary to give you the complete control over the board through shifting your weight forwards or backwards to initiate the heel (back) or toe (front) edge of the snowboard and allow you to turn the board.

This setup has worked very well since the first ever snowboards were created. It still works well in fact. But it does come with a drawback that you will notice skiers do not have. Skiers simply step on to their ski bindings and with a reassuring click, they are attached and ready to slide. When they want out of the bindings a stab at the back release lever with a ski pole and out they pop. This makes snowboarders jealous as they have to bend over and fiddle at four individual buckles to get both feet in or out of their bindings. Notice how on a busy piste when you get off the chair the only people sat on their backsides around the lift station are snowboarders fiddling with their bindings. Their ski mates are already heading down the slope. This is not fair.

There have been attempts in the not too distant past to create a more ergonomic binding that requires less bending and levering of buckles. The Flow binding was the first commercial attempt at making things easier for boarders. It consists of a high-back that can fold backwards around 45 degrees to allow an easier insert of boot without having to loosen the ankle and toe straps. It then locks back in place via the activation of a lever attached to the high-back which activates a cable attached to the base plate.

More recently, Burton have introduced their own step in bindings called the Burton Step On system. These work in a more SPD-esk way, doing away with the heel and toe straps completely and using a cleat system. These require compatible boots which currently means buying both boots and bindings from Burton. As an elegant solution they certainly have a lot going for them, but if you really like your current boots or you just don’t get on with Burton boots then this is an issue.

And so to the Nidecker Supermatic Bindings

These bindings are kind of a combination of both of the above systems – more weighted towards the Flow system. They comprise of a traditional looking toe and heel strap but with a high-back that folds down almost 90 degrees when activated allowing your boot to enter the already setup ankle and toe straps from a much more shallow angle. There’s no lever to pull up to lock the high-back like there is on the Flow system. Instead the action of putting your weight down activates the high-back as your heel engages with the clever floating heel plate. It’s hard to explain it in words and much easier to understand when you see it in action. And so here’s a quick video of me stepping in and out of them for the first time at an indoor ski centre near Leeds.

First impressions

To set them up you treat them just like any other non-step in bindings. Step in with the high-back up, and tighten the ratchet buckles as you would normally. There’s an extra strap that connects the ankle strap to the toe strap – this is needed in order to keep the toe strap in place ready for your foot on entry. Once you have everything snug you can activate the little locking levers on the buckles that will prevent the main ratchet buckle lever from operating and moving the strap settings. This makes sure that nothing is going to get moved around when the bindings are stored away or when carrying your board around. It’s a clever little feature. Then you set up the high-back as normal.

nidecker supermatic bindings
Nidecker Supermatic binding in fully open position on a Burton Flight Attendant board

Now, you just need to extract yourself from the bindings by pushing down on the lever on the inside of your heel. This disengages the high-back lock and with a little lift of your heel the high-back falls backwards and your foot will slide out.

Getting in is just the reverse although there are some clever bits of mechanics to help you. First of all there is the floating heel plate that is essentially the big lever that will pull the high-back up when you put your full weight on it. But there’s a couple of other features that make things glide smoothly. There’s the heel roller, which is, well.. a roller that helps the back of your boot slide the heel into place and then there’s the special sole plate that is made of a super smooth surface to allow the toe and ball of your foot to slide into the toe strap. Altogether these features are what make the mechanism work as smoothly as it does with very little friction.

Getting your foot into place as smoothly as I was doing in the video does take a bit of practice. It’s essentially a new learned movement and you need to be firm with it rather than gentle. But after a few goes on the carpet at home it’s all fine, although you need to be aware that it will be a little sticky at home on the carpet as the presence of actual snow aids the frictionless operation. It’s ultimately quite a natural movement. The locking mechanism is reassuringly ‘clicky’ – there’s no mistaking the feeling of being locked in. And boy, do these things feel tight.

Heel Plate Demo

Riding the binding I was really surprised at how secure it all felt. I was expecting it to feel more loose than it did. My old bindings were Burton Malavita Reflex bindings, which are a great responsive binding. I was not expecting the Supermatics to feel as solid as they did. That extra strap that is needed to connect and hold the toe strap to the heel strap gives another level of security that really locks your foot to the plate and at no point in the brief couple of hours of this first ride did I feel that the bindings had stretched or moved enough to warrant resetting the buckles.

In short, I loved them. They performed much better than I was expecting.

Just one question

Is the disengagement lever easily activated by accident? What about if that happens on a chairlift?

This question has been asked a lot in various snowboarding groups and my very early thoughts on it (Caveat I’ve only drag lifted so far) is that the chances of losing your hanging board on a chair are about as great as for a standard binding. In other words – remote. Even if you managed to somehow activate the lever, the fact the front of your foot is still inside the toe and ankle straps should mean it won’t fall off before you have noticed. Also, the act of getting your foot out of the binding does require that you lift your heel slightly when you press the lever. It’s not a spring loaded system so the high-back won’t just spring backwards unless you also lift your heel. To conclude, I’m not at all worried about accidental lever activation. If you are, then there’s a binding leash included in the box.

nidecker supermatic on a board
View from above. Notice the extra strap connecting the ankle and toe straps.

Burton Step-On or Supermatics?

It’s important to understand that the two systems work very differently – not simply in how they work but also in how you use them. With the Supermatic system the high-back drops away so your foot can enter the binding at a shallow angle from behind. With the Burton system the high-back does not fall back and so to step in you need to lift your foot over or around the high-back and step down into the footplate. Which is better? I’m going to say that comes down to personal choice. As I said above, using the Supermatic requires a new learned movement and it’s arguable that the Burton system more closely resembles a traditional binding in terms of ‘strapping in’. The new way with these Nidecker bindings took me literally a couple of runs to get used to.

Shut Up and take my money

Ah! Here’s the problem right now. These are like hen’s teeth at the moment. At least in the UK. I managed to get lucky and grab the one pair that were briefly in stock at The Snowboard Asylum. They come in three sizes – medium, large & Xlarge. Mediums seem to be appearing in stock before the other sizes. Medium will take you up to a UK size 7 boot. If you are lucky and are of small feet then you should be able to get hold of some this side of Christmas (As of December 5th 2022). The stockists I’ve spoken to have all said the same thing – these are hard to get hold of right now, especially in the UK. Supplies will eventually come through but you may need to wait until the new year, and perhaps further while supplies catch up with demand.

How much?

At £365 (More on ebay while the opportunists cash in) they are not cheap for bindings. But they are similar in price to Flow bindings. Burton Step-On bindings can be cheaper but there’s less mechanicals going on and you need to buy new, cleated boots to go with them. That said, the Burton Step-On X Re:Flex top of the line binding is slightly more expensive than the Supermatic.

Snow and Rock currently offer an alliterative Burton bundle of boots & bindings for £620.

OK, I’m off to pack for a proper session on these bindings somewhere in the Canadian Rockies. When I’m back I’ll have an update for you on how they perform on a real actual mountain.

Nidecker Supermatic Bindings

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Home Forums First Look at the Nidecker Supermatic Step In Bindings

Viewing 26 posts - 1 through 26 (of 26 total)
  • First Look at the Nidecker Supermatic Step In Bindings
  • theGrinder
    Full Member

    what about when “skating / scootering” on flat snow with front foot in binding – any chance of hitting the rear binding with rear foot while pushing along?

    1
    scuttler
    Full Member

    Wondered what this had to do with MTBs. Wondered no more.

    sing1etrack
    Full Member

    Wondered what this had to do with MTBs. Wondered no more.

    Other than a similarity to the move from toe clips to SPDs about 20 years ago, I’m struggling to see what the relevance to MTBs is. Fair enough some MTBers also snowboard so there’s an interest for some, and it might warrant a mention in say FGF, but I’m not sure why an in depth review of equipment for an entirely different sport is on here.

    julians
    Free Member

    Do you think they will work ok when you’re knee deep in powder, I know you havent tried them in powder yet, but

    -can you get your foot out of them for that inevitable time when you come to a stop in 3 foot of powder?
    -Can you get your foot back into them when you have dug yourself out of the powder , but your binding is full of it, and/or loads of snow is stuck to the bottom of your boot?

    and more general questions

    – can you put them on/take them off when sat down? or do you have to be standing to put them on?
    – Can you put them on on sloping ground, or does it need to be flat?
    – can you put them on on a chairlift, so you can just strap in and go .

    Mark
    Full Member

    This review is posted here on our snow channel https://singletrackworld.com/snow/

    The top of the front page shows all posts from all channels.

     

    To answer some questions. Skate/scooting. The high-back can fold forwards just like a normal high-back so you can get it out of the way while you scoot.

     

    In powder?

    I wondered that myself and it’s something I hope(We all want pow, right?) I will get to test in a few weeks time 🙂

    I can get in and out while sat down although it’s easier when stood up as you can lift your heel easier to move the high-back.

     

    Sloping ground? I will get back to you on that one. I did manage to get in while being dragged up the lift and I’ve seen people step in while they are riding flat. I’ve even seen someone step out and then back in while riding flat.

    One of the first real world tests I will be doing is getting on a chair with the requisite back foot out and then attempting to lock in the backfoot for an easier exit from the chair. I will report back as and when 🙂

    julians
    Free Member

    One of the first real world tests I will be doing is getting on a chair with the requisite back foot out and then attempting to lock in the backfoot for an easier exit from the chair. I will report back as and when

    i’ve been using burton step ons for a few years now, they’re pretty good, my typical method at chair lifts, is to scoot up to the chair with one foot free (as per usual), then whilst stood waiting for the chair to come round the carousel,just before you sit down, clip the back foot in, then sit down on the chair, and you’re ready to just take off straight away when you get to the top.

    If its not possible to clip in whilst waiting to sit on the chair, then i can clip in half way up, but this is a bit more fiddly .

    hot_fiat
    Full Member

    I thought K2 had a similar system about 10-15 years ago – like flows but with a mechanism to pull the straps down over the boot in a more secure way.

    These look good though.

    ads678
    Full Member

    I thought K2 had a similar system about 10-15 years ago – like flows but with a mechanism to pull the straps

    Cinch.

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    I used Flow bindings about 20 years ago. I seem to remember getting back in on powder was a bit frustrating. I also wiped out, usually taking an ESF kid or two with me, every time I got off a chairlift. That wasn’t any fault of the bindings though.

    RustyNissanPrairie
    Full Member

    Nowt wrong with Burton highbacks, I’ve strapped in (loosely) on chairs and Poma’s or learn to ride one footed with your back foot wedged against the binding.

    Best bindings ever were old Burton Contacts. Think they only did them for a few years around 97ish and you needed a Contact board, but basically you stood directly on the top sheet of the board.

    Speeder
    Full Member

    sing1etrack
    Other than a similarity to the move from toe clips to SPDs about 20 years ago, I’m struggling to see what the relevance to MTBs is. Fair enough some MTBers also snowboard so there’s an interest for some, and it might warrant a mention in say FGF, but I’m not sure why an in depth review of equipment for an entirely different sport is on here.

    If you’re not interested don’t read it. Can’t imagine why you’d want to waste more time moaning about it. This has a load more interest and relevance to me than any article or review of Gravel or road bikes and I’m glad to see it here. I saw the protos for these promoted at the end of last season and am keen to have a go on some at some time. They look like the perfect binding.

    I tried flows 20 years ago and they were horribly uncomfortable – a great idea, badly executed.

    Annoyingly I bought a set of new bindings last year so I’ll have to wait for a set to come up 2nd hand in about 5 years time to justify it.

    indeedfox
    Free Member

    About 10 years ago I had some Flow bindings that were of a similar ilk. They just didn’t work for many of the reasons you’ve listed. I loved the idea of them but practically, they sucked. I ended up going back to my trusty Cartels.

    mert
    Free Member

    TBH i always found the flows to be very boot specific, i had some nice soft basic burtons (lace up Motos IIRC) when i first tried them, they weren’t very good as a combination, so i got some cartels, and another board.
    When i upgraded to some nice solid (and stiff) boots (Driver X), the slope really came alive with the flow bindings. Was still using the cartels as well.

    Actually, the bindings worked much better with stiffer and more supportive boots.

    I’m not using the Flows anymore as i snapped one in resort and couldn’t get the parts, so ended up with another brand for the rest of that trip, and then the kids arrived, so i’ve not used a board since.
    Probably got a couple of sets in the attic still!

    ndthornton
    Free Member

    I have impulsively bought a pair of these after reading this article
    Seem to work fine in the living room – will report back on how I get on in the Alps

    mrmoofo
    Free Member

    They have gone the full “Flow” then…

    stevie750
    Full Member

    @ndthornton @mark

    How did you get on with the bindings?

    I am thinking of getting a pair

    grahamt1980
    Full Member

    I love mine, easily as comfortable as my normal bindings (cartels) but with the advantage of the step in and out.
    The only issue with them is that you don’t get to relax that much as you can just step in and go straight away. Guess that is what longish chairs are for.
    Slightly heavier than the cartels but not enough to notice when riding

    stevie750
    Full Member

    Thanks

    Read a few reviews and they all mention the weight as well.

    1
    Mark
    Full Member

    Convenience and comfort outweigh the weight penalty for me. To be honest I’ve not noticed any weight effects anyway since I dont push things to those limits where I’d notice.

    In short I’m loving them. About to take them to Whistler for 20 days in March so I’ll do a proper follow up after that.

    Mark
    Full Member

    Oh and Clew are pushing very hard right now with their step in offering so there’s competition and choice emerging. Clew and Nidecker allow any boot, Burton still requires a Burton boot.

    1
    julians
    Free Member

    Burton still requires a Burton boot.

    Not quite correct, DC also do step on compatible boots.

    grahamt1980
    Full Member

    Go check out the angry snowboarder review of the clews

    He isn’t a fan…. Let’s just say I am avoiding, plus considering the supermatics why would you want the highback and a stupid stirrup attached to your boot permanently

    stevie750
    Full Member

    That is some review,
    I looked at clew’s and didn’t like the way they came apart

    BoardinBob
    Full Member

    I have a handy 20% discount voucher for Nidecker and I’ve just grabbed a pair of the Supermatics for a bargain £320

    Speeder
    Full Member

    Just picked up a 2nd hand set of these (still for more than I’ve ever paid for bindings before) and am looking forward to testing them out at Easter.  I don’t doubt they’re not ideal for riding pow but they do look perfect for chasing after the kids (on skis) and maximising slope time.

    markspark
    Free Member

    Rode some of these last winter back to back with other bindings across several different snowboards helping a mate who does reviews.

    I did notice the weight compared to normal bindings, and found the base plate incredibly stiff which on softer boards felt strange, like it was flexing around my feet as opposed to the full length. On stiffer boards this was less noticeable. Also found they passed chatter up into my feet more, wouldn’t call them a comfy binding.
    In deeper snow you can use them like a normal binding if you haven’t got anything to push against, just need to open the ratchet locks and strap in.
    It’s never bothered me the 5-10 seconds it takes to strap in so there were no plus points over a normal setup, and I can’t remember the last lift I rode where you could drop straight in, you normally have a plateau to get across first so riding a lift with both feet in seems pointless and probably really uncomfortable!

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