Salomon Caliber 2013 - 2010 Review by The Good Ride

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Take the Salomon Chief, add a little mustard and you have the Salomon Caliber.  This is a very advanced stiff, aggressive binding for those who want a stable ride on stiff fast boards.

Ethics Statement: We don’t get paid by the manufacturer to write these reviews.  No one is perfect and we do make money from the “Where To Buy” links below, but this is our best attempt at an honest and objective review from an average riders’ perspective.

Days: 2

Riders: James
Boots: Burton SLX
Boards: Salomon Burner and Salomon Special

Flex: The flex is pretty aggressive and almost unforgivingly stiff.

Adjustability: You have standard adjustability going on here but many other bindings allow you to do more to fit the binding around your boot. Love the quick adjust straps and they make it super quick to dial out on the hill or let your friend with a different boot size try them.

Comfort: Pretty comfortable even though its pretty stiff.

Turn Initiation: Very quick and snappy edge to edge.  It’s a step up above the Chief and it really worked well with my older stiffer Salomon Special.

Buttering: Not really a butter binding.  The flex from tip to tail is reduced when these are on your board. It does feel a little damper though so that’s good.

Boot Support: The straps really wrap around your boot and it locks you in pretty well.  I didn’t have to crank it down much to get support which is good because cranking it down starts with a tiny bit better response but ends with pain.

Ratchet System: Nothing special but nothing bad either.  They work fine.

Shock Absorption: Middle ground shock absorption but it’s really damp.

In the $300 category, the Caliber often loses to Burton, Union, and Flux as it doesn’t offer anything different.  The Caliber still does a great job turning stiff boards and creating a damp ride so it could work for the right rider.

For 2013, Salomon made a few tweaks like adding a bigger asymmetrical strap to the binding which makes for a better more supportive ride. The Salomon Caliber is a very stiff, aggressive bomber binding for those that need something to make your edge to edge transitioning as fast as possible.

For 2012, the Caliber made some more minor tweaks to the overall binding, but the big thing is they added a cant to the footbed which makes for a much easier ride on your hips, knees, and ankles.  It also gives you more leverage on the outer parts of your board.  

For 2011, the Caliber has softer straps than last year and makes a few minor adjustments to the base plate to make it damper.