Burton Escapade Re:Flex Binding Review – By Steph W

2015

The 2014 and 2015 Burton Escapade Re:Flex has a few upgrades that are pretty good. The all-around ride hasn’t changed much but the new ankle strap feels even better than the previous years. You can crank it down harder without feeling too many pressure points. The new ratchet system was a little glitchy with the demo models but the production models are excellent. You have an even better version of an already really solid ratchet system.

It’s two piece high back looks like it could break at first but after playing with it for a while it looks like it’s just as sturdy as most one piece high back bindings.

Regarding Re:Flex Tech: Re:Flex Tech really changes the way the board rides for the better but it has one minor issue that should be addressed. Most 4 hole Discs can be aligned tip to tail or heel to toe but the Re:Flex Disc can only be aligned heel to toe. This isn’t a big deal because most align heel to toe but some like to turn their discs sideways to reduce or increase their stance width to a size that the binding holes won’t allow. If you do this make sure your board has the stance width you desire.

Adjustability: The adjustability with all Burton bindings is top notch….top notch!

Comfort: probably the most comfortable Women’s Burton binding and Burton’s bindings are more comfortable than most.

Heel-Toe Response: Very good for this flex. It makes the board feel less stiff and makes the ride smooth and easy.

Tip-Tail Response: Very easy to butter and press most boards with. It makes boards feel softer underfoot and therefore more easy to flex lengthwise.

Boot Support: Very good support but it loses a little of that locked in feel because of the softer more shock absorbing footbed.

Ratchet System: Smooth easy and practically perfect. You can crank it down pretty hard and still effortlessly remove the toe and ankle strap.

Shock Absorption– Amazingly good shock absorption. It’s the kind of binding you want to take out on harder uneven snow days because it will reduce that shock that can come up through many boards in conditions like this. It’s also great for reducing the shock from those shitty times when you land in the flats instead of on a downslope.
2013 Burton Escapade– The 2013 has a decent amount of new tech that we are big fans of. There is the high end ankle strap this year like the men’s top of the line straps with the Genesis and Diode. It’s lite, supportive and really comfortable. Burton also has what they call auto cant. It’s a slight cant in the form of softer foam on the inner side of the bindings foot pad so you can role your boot in a bit easier than a regular foot bed. Comparing this to more aggressive canted bindings it’s no where near as canted but it’s perfect for those that don’t want too much but want to try it. The only issue is the Escapade has the new two part high back similar to the men’s Burton Genesis. It’s fun and feels good but we are a little worried about stepping down onto the inner part of the binding and breaking. If you are careful with your bindings you will be ok but if you live on the rough side you might want to think twice.

2012 Burton Escapade– In 2012 there is a lot of new stuff going on. The coolest thing to us is the Escapade went from a traditional disc binding to a Re:Flex bindings. This means that the flex under foot and turn initiation is much closer to it’s EST Sister. Now you can get a similar flex out of a non Burton Board. The Re:Flex Escapade 2012 also has a new base plate with a canted foot bed so you can line up your legs/hips/knees a little more naturally with your board. Both the EST and Re:Flex now have a larger asymmetrical strap that provides more support, a little easier turn initiation and the same or better comfort than the old strap. We really like all these improvements and say go 2012 if you can. Both the EST and Re:Flex Escapade’s are a much better binding.

2011 Burton Escapade- The Cap Straps in 2010 had mixed reviews but in 2011 this was fixed and most loved the cap strap.