Burton Step On Genesis EST Snowboard Binding Review

A Detailed Breakdown Of How the Burton Step On Genesis EST Rides Review by The Good Ride

• User Reviews
• Product Specs
• Product Images
• Questions?

Burton Step On Genesis EST Binding Review by The Good RideHow It Was Tested:

We borrowed the Burton Step On Genesis EST for an extended demo and sent it back.

I only put one day on these with the Burton Grill master, a board I know and like in a 160. You can see my take on the 160 versus the 155 in the initial review on Patreon. I wrote it with the Burton Iron step on. Then after spending a morning on these, I took one more run with the Genesis Reflex and the Atlas step on, then finished the day with my Nitro team, TLS and Union Force to see what it feels like with normal boots and bindings on. In comparison. This is an honest, objective review from an average rider’s perspective.

Days: 1 For me and a few for Davey
Conditions: Pretty good late winter to early spring conditions. 
Riders:  James (Size 9, 5’10”, 185-190lbs). I’ve tested and compared 800+ boards, over 180 bindings and 100+ boots
Davey (Size 12, 240lbs, 6’4”). Davey has ridden close to 50 different big guy boards, a good amount of bindings and boots as well.  
Boots: Burton Waverange X and Burton Ion Step On boots
Insoles: Footprint Kingfoam Orthotic Elite
Redundancy: Strap-ins in case boots or bindings break.
Jacket: Skyline Fuse 3L Jacket, Skyline Fuse Light 3L Jacket
Pant: Burton AK Gore-Tex Pro 3L Hover Pant, Skyline Faze Pant
Helmet: Smith Method, Smith Scout
Goggle: Smith 4D Mag
Gloves: Burton AK Clutch Mitt, Burton AK Tech Leather Glove, Drop Tahoma Mitt,

Boards:

Burton Counterbalance, Burton Gril Master

Weight

The Burton Step On Genesis EST is 1lbs 10oz. You compare that to the Genesis Reflex step on; these are 1 pound 14oz. And the Union Atlas Step On is 1lb 15oz. So these are by far the lightest out there, even with a heavier boot at 2lbs 9oz. You get a very light setup. But let’s say you pair it with the Burton Wave Range X Pro at 2lbs 6oz, or the Burton Photon Step On at 2lbs 3oz, you get a pretty light setup. This is in the realm of really good split board bindings. That’s how light they are, but they don’t feel light when you’re riding. They don’t have that ultra-light, ultra-chattery feel either, so it’s pretty cool.

Highback Flex

There is a really easy twist and a little give, and you have this hammock here that really makes it feel like a smooth ride. It’s very similar to the Reflex version. There’s a little more give but a little less twist with these. The Burton Step On Genesis EST conforms a little better to my boot. And I thought I wouldn’t feel it being connected right here, but I was. Then in comparison to the Atlas Step On, it has a little stiffer flex, but it’s still got a lot of twist in a lot of give, which is good because it’s not easy to rotate any of these high backs, so you have to rely on the twist.

This has a really normal forward lean adjuster. You just twist this, and it goes up or down according to the twist. And that’s a hell of a lot better than playing around with the screws in here. And with the Atlas Step On, you have to unscrew this and put in another piece if you want more forward lean. I really think that’s a bad setup and one of the biggest weaknesses of the Atlas.

Adjustability

Being EST, you can get any stance angle and any stance width you want, because you’re in the channel system. And it’s a much better binding for those who like adjustability. But again, you’re stuck with Burton and a few other brands that have some channel system technology as well, and you’re really limited in the boards you can choose from —that’s the biggest deal-breaker for me.

Some people only buy Burton. And for those of you who do that, you’re missing out on a complete life. But if that’s all you’re into, this is the binding you want. The Reflex has no stance adjustability with non-EST boards, but at least it works with EST, too. And with the Atlas Step On, you can get aftermarket discs like I did here. So you can turn them sideways and actually get stance adjustability. But it only works because I’m a size nine and I fit very close to the center in this binding. But the rest of the adjustability is really limited, and that’s a huge problem I see with Step On, from my perspective, who really likes to dial up their stance width and dial out their boot to the bindings. So you get a much better feel on-snow. But some don’t care and love that plug-and-play.

Flex Underfoot

The Burton Step On Genesis EST is all just soft EVA foam with a little plastic connecting here, but it feels really uniform in the footbed. I don’t feel any additional pressure points. It feels really smooth across the surface, and it just has amazing, truly amazing flex underfoot.

The Burton Grill Master 160 is a lot stiffer than the 155 I tried, and it was much more challenging for me to butter with Nitro team, TLS, and my Union Force. It was almost impossible. It was a lot of work. With the Genesis and the Atlas, I could butter pretty well. It was a huge step up from there. The Genesis had a little more flex underfoot than the Atlas, but it was really close. And both of these have an easy bend in the middle that’s hard to show, but I can feel this flexing, especially in the gas pedal right there.

The Genesis Reflex is a little easier throughout the binding, but overal,l both of these allowed me to butter a lot easier, but these were by far the easiest. It really makes a board feel softer underfoot, which I think a lot of people will like, but some might not.

Shock Absorption / Dampness

Given how flexible the Burton Step On Genesis EST is underfoot, I thought there wouldn’t be much shock absorption or dampening. But man, this is such a cushy, damp, shock-absorbent ride, especially for being so light. Yes, the board flexes easier underfoot, so it felt a little more chattery than my Union Force and Nitro Team, because that setup stiffens the flex underfoot. So if you like going fast and you like speed, and you want the board not to feel as soft and flexible, that might be a better option for you. Or going to the Atlas or the Genesis regular Step On that works with any kind of board. That might be a better solution, but I think most will be more than okay with this because it’s still a very damp, very shock-absorbent ride.

Turn Initiation / Response

Burton Step On Genesis EST is incredibly responsive. EST and Reflex I feel are dependent on the board’s flex. The stiffer the board gets, the harder it is to twist it and engage a turn. But if you get a medium response board that works with the binding, it will allow it to flex more naturally, and you’ll find it’s more responsive —but it’s a varied result, board to board. But when you’re connected to this high back here, like you are in the EST, it just powers the board edge to edge so much faster than you would think it would from the soft high back.

This softer flexing construction is really powerful, really good response. And it’s a little smoother than the Atlas and the Genesis Reflex, especially when paired with something like the Burton Ion, which is very responsive. I kept the top loose almost, and it was still just turning the Grill Master, a board that’s a little bit wide for me and a little too stiff for my weight. It turned it like it was made for me. So with Step On and some of their more responsive Step On boots, you can size up and turn a board like it’s a size smaller. No problem.

Carving

And one thing to mention with carving, if you’re somebody into carving, these bindings increase the footprint of your boot because you have to connect to this. Back here, there’s so much thicker than regular bindings that basically just have a heel loop here. In comparison to regular bindings, you can see how much thicker the back end is. But you can see they really tried to minimize it with the EST over the Reflex, putting it up as high as they could and trying to eliminate as much drag on this side. And it seems to be a little less than the Atlas, but it’s close. But a lot of my friends who carve really, really hard don’t like Step On for that reason.

Boot Support

And when it comes to support and straps, you have none. You’re basically connected to the high back and these two points here. And then it really depends on the boot to provide the ankle support that you might need in uneven snow. I found that boots without support in this region fold a little easier and feel a little weird, but I’ve never felt too much like my ankles are exposed, like it is when I’m riding bindings with really small ankle straps with normal boots like my really good buddies here, the Nitro Team TLS. So overall, these are amazing bindings.

I really did enjoy the feel underfoot. Here’s the thing, though. I can only use these with Burton, so that really sucks. I can’t tell you how many people who bought EST bindings years ago, thinking they only wanted Burton, now want another board outside Burton’s line because no brand can do it all. So, as much as these are wonderful bindings, it’s really hard to recommend them because then you’re stuck with Burton. It’s your choice, though, and it is an amazing binding. So there you have it.

Davey’s Big Guy Take

Here is Davey’s Burton Step On Genesis EST, and this is going to be from a big guy’s perspective.

How Davey Tested It

I’m six three and a half, 245 pounds. And I rode these bindings with a size 12 Burton Wave Range X Step On boot. This is my first time getting on a pair of Step Ons.

Getting In and Out

Getting In

Just right off the bat, the main reason bigger guys are probably reading my perspective is the ease of access: not having to fight your stomach or reach down to your toes. You got a big belly, you got a sore back. Probably got both. If you got one, you probably got the other. Stepping into these amazing, I honestly, the first time I stepped into it, I kind of just started laughing like a little kid. Like, what is that? I kind of love them. It was great. It’s a very smooth transition getting into the binding.

Getting Out

However, getting out of the binding is a little bit of a skill that I’m not that good at. Used to be able to just roll up into the line, slide my way up to the gate, pop both my straps off, lift my foot out while sliding, and kind of just one foot if you’ve been snowboarding for a long time. It’s a pretty simple system as long as the ratchet’s not catching on your binding strap. With these, though, you have to pull this lever up. For me, I felt like I had to keep it held while I was trying to get my foot out.

The method I had to do is heel first. I’m pretty sure that’s what the directions will tell you to do. But being a heavier guy, you have to come to a complete stop. It’s not the easiest to balance; that being said, that’s probably user error, too. So just take that with a grain of salt.

There is a bit of technique that comes with getting in and out of these bindings, and reaching all the way down to grab that clip at the heel. It is easier than reaching all the way up to unstrap a toe binding. It’s a new feeling that takes a little time to fully get used to and adjust your technique to how the heel of your boots is completely locked into these.

Heel Lift

Normal snowboard bindings give you a little bit of heel lift. And for being a taller, heavier guy like me, it actually forced me to use a better technique with my normal bindings. I can kind of lay my weight over my toe-side edge and bank a pretty deep carve without necessarily having the most aligned technique.

But with the lack of heel lift, it felt like these were forcing better technique in order to get it on edge while carving. I really had to get my weight over the edge of the snowboard and work the board onto the edge more. I didn’t have that little bit of extra cheater lean from the heel lift on a normal pair of bindings. So that’s good or bad. I actually liked that. I felt like these were making me a better snowboarder. Not having any type of cheat on the carve. And I took these to the park. They feel really good, super locked in, and responsive.

Davey’s Final Thoughts

Like, it’s kind of trippy how you go skateboarding and then get on a snowboard —you’re like, wow, my feet are attached to the board. And then, just going from snowboarding to this, it’s like almost a similar transition where you’re like, oh, my feet are even more attached to the board. Like, it feels more like one piece of equipment when it’s fully engaged than even a traditional boot and binding does. So that’s pretty cool.

Like I said, it takes a little bit of time to get used to it. These things are very responsive. They’re a little twitchy. For me, they almost felt a little too locked in and responsive. I like that little bit of heel lift, but I don’t know. I think with time, I could definitely get used to this. And then I would get back on my normal bindings, and I think those would feel weird, and I wouldn’t like them. So a lot of it’s preference, but overall, these bindings are responsive. They’re easy to get into with a little bit of technique and practice. With some practice, they are easy to get out of. They’re responsive. They charge pretty hard. My only issue is that they’re almost too responsive.