Salomon Highlander Snowboard Binding Review

A Detailed Breakdown of How The Salomon Highlander Rides Review by The Good Ride

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Salomon Highlander Written Review 

How This Salomon Highlander Review Happened:  We borrowed this for an extended demo and then returned it.

Days: 15+
Riders: James, Peter & Jimbo
Boots: Adidas Tactical ADV, Burton Imperial
Insoles: Sandsole Custom Insoles, Footprint Insole Technology Gamechangers, Footprint Insole Technology Gamechangers Lite, Footprint Insole Technology Gameghangers Low Profile
Boards: Gentemstick Mantaray 156, Korua Pencil, Korua Dart, Korua Otto, Yes Optimistic, Rome Powder Division 153, Lib Tech BRD, Burton Flight Attendant, Gnu Mulair, Loaded Algernon, Endeavor Scout, Endeavor Pioneer

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Highback Flex

There is a pretty medium-stiff flex any way you work this, but it is a very contoured High Back, so it didn’t bite into the calves as some do with so little adjustability

Binding to Boot Adjustability

The Salomon Highlander is very much like the Hologram and Quantum when it comes to adjustability. There isn’t much to dial out for your boot to the binding, but at least the heel loop and high back do a pretty good job molding to the boots we had. There is an adjustable toe ramp, and the tooless straps are really easy to adjust on the fly. The high back rotation is combined with the forward lean, so you can’t do one without it affecting the other, and that is a little frustrating. Despite these frustrations, I was really surprised at how well the binding fit around the boot.

Stance Width Adjustability

The Discs work with any kind of insert configuration or type out there, so that is good. You can also slide them a little bit each way, but not as much as some full-sized discs. Most people will get the stance width they want, though, if the boots can center up in the middle of the bindings so you can turn the discs sideways. They also have a little plastic attachment that keeps the screws from falling out, which I love for normal insert packs but hated when I put them in channel system boards because it isn’t easy to remove the screws.

Comfort

With the Salomon Highlander, I have very comfortable all-around binding. I never felt any pressure points throughout the extended demo. I never crank down my ankle strap, as some do, but I think that most will find it free of pressure points.

Boot Support

The Salomon Highlander is very supportive from the toe strap that really conforms well to the toe of the boot and pulls it into the heel loop, the wide ankle strap that wraps well and the highback that didn’t bite into my calf even though I couldn’t really rotate it.  What is really weird is that this soft heel loop doesn’t make your ankle feel exposed, which is really counterintuitive.

Turn Initiation/Response

The Salomon Highlander is very quick edge to edge, and it turns easily on any board I paired it up with. It feels just a little faster than the Highlander and a little slower than the Salomon Quantum but a bit closer to the Hologram.

Buttering

So what really surprised us was when we compared this to easier buttering bindings like the Union Strata with its mini-disc, and it was very close. It wasn’t quite the same but was on the border between being a pretty easy buttering binding and a more middle-ground kind of bender. It’s not quite there with Re:Flex bindings or some of the softer EVA foam min-disc Union bindings, but it really butters well for a full-size disc. There is minimal contact around the disc underfoot, but I also think the easy flex side to side of the Salomon Highlanders shadow tech allows more leverage and makes the board flex easier from tip to tail while still not making the board feel softer underfoot, which keeps the board’s dampness in check.

Ratchet System

It’s pretty good, but nothing really called to us as amazing, either. It just didn’t even catch our attention either way, but it seems reliable.

Shock Absorption

This improved footbed that is very similar to the Hologram and it is pretty good all-around from slow-speed to high-speed shock absorption.

Final Thoughts

So if I was a consumer, like I used to be, and I was looking at this binding on-line, I probably would have passed on it because I would have thought the limited adjustability would lead to comfort issues. I’m glad I got to ride it and feel what it could do. It is a very unique design that has a very functional application to making a binding fun to snowboard.